During World War I, the Germans had a number of fishing vessels in the Kattegat to supply their population with food. The Butjadingen was one of these ships. These were, of course, targets for British aircraft that managed to sink several trawlers.

What is special about the Butjadingen is that the ship was not sunk by British aircraft but ran aground on Lilla Middelgrund. The ship did not sink immediately; attempts were made to reach the harbor in Varberg, but on the way in, the ship sank. A British merchant vessel in the vicinity managed to rescue the crew from certain death in the icy waters.

The Butjadingen lacks the typical damage caused by bombs that is common for German steam trawlers and is therefore more or less intact, which makes it completely unique.

The wreck was discovered in 2001 by Allan Jensen after he received a tip about its location from a fisherman. Since then, the wreck has only been visited on a few occasions and is relatively undived.