She is named after the large fish Tarpon; one species of which is native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific Oceans.

It is asserted that there is a combination of British and German records which state that she was engaged by Schiff 40.

[3] The records show that Tarpon had attacked the Q-ship Schiff 40/Schürbek, but her first torpedoes had missed.

[4][5] The wreck was found and identified in the Danish part of the North Sea, near the harbour town of Thyborøn, by a Danish commercial diver, Gert Normann Andersen, of the company JD-Contractor, and British marine archaeologist Dr Innes McCartney in March 2016.

[8] The submarine wreck was found with two torpedo tubes empty; confirming it likely they were fired in battle before her sinking.