Reply With QuoteWell, we're just having a friggin run on discovery of WWII German U-Boats this week. This one fortunately has history and evidence attached to it. Now if we can just find out what the heck that one was doing on a river bottom in Canada....
U-550 found off Mass coast
Explorers find downed German U-Boat off Mass.
— Divers have discovered a World War II-era German submarine nearly 70 years after it sank under withering U.S. attack in waters off Nantucket.The U-550 was found Monday by a privately funded group organized by New Jersey lawyer Joe Mazraani. It was the second trip in two years to the site by the team, some of whom had been searching for the lost U-boat for two decades.
On April 16, 1944, the U-550 torpedoed the gasoline tanker SS Pan Pennsylvania, which had lagged behind its protective convoy as it set out with 140,000 barrels of gasoline for Great Britain, according to the U.S. Coast Guard website and research by Mazraani.
The U-boat slipped under the doomed tanker to hide. But one of the tanker's three escorts, the USS Joyce, saw it on sonar and severely damaged it by dropping depth charges.
The Germans, forced to surface, manned their deck guns while another escort vessel, the USS Gandy, returned fire and rammed the U-boat. The third escort, the USS Peterson, then hit the U-boat with two more depth charges. The crew abandoned the submarine, but not before setting off explosions to scuttle it. The submarine hadn't been seen again until Monday.
More at the Link
SOURCE:
http://news.yahoo.com/explorers-down...191551180.html
Hell of a Battle, forced to surface the crew fought back against 3 escorts, finally USS Gandy rammed her, while another dropped depth charges next to her hull. 12 crewmen survived the day.
Kapitänleutnant Klaus Hänert, was the 550's commander
http://www.uboat.net/boats/u550.htm
Apparently there is a aftermath where Bodies of several Crewman were found floating with escape apparatus a week or two later in the same area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-550
Well, we're just having a friggin run on discovery of WWII German U-Boats this week. This one fortunately has history and evidence attached to it. Now if we can just find out what the heck that one was doing on a river bottom in Canada....
Good read on Wikipedia about survivors who apparently made it out the torpedo tubes. None survived. The horror. The horror.
RIP to all sailors who perished that day...
Here's a link with photos from the incident: http://www.uscg.mil/history/uscghist/U550.asp
Rest in Peace.
Interesting narrative from Seek's link:
Source: http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Sinking_U550.aspThe sailors saw the U-boat's bow break the surface and both Gandy's and Peterson's commanding officers gave the order to ram. At the same time, the three destroyer escorts opened fire on the hapless Germans but the two Coast Guard-manned warships ceased firing as the Gandy unadvisedly sailed between them and the submarine. Peterson veered off as Gandy closed with the German submarine.
Gandy slammed in to the U-550 abaft the conning tower, damaging the U-boat further and Peterson fired two depth charges from her "K" guns, which exploded along the side of the German submarine. Once Gandy was clear, all three destroyer escorts again opened fire, preventing the German crew from attempting to man their deck guns. Nevertheless a number of U-boatmen attempted just that and were cut down as they exited their hatches. When Gandy ceased firing, more Germans attempted to man the after machine gun and actually managed to open fire briefly before the concentrated fire from all three destroyer escorts mowed each one down and laid waste to the conning tower.
The photo below would seem to have been taken between the Gandy's ramming and the resumption of fire. A lull in the firing that the submariners no doubt interpreted as either a good time to try man the guns or to abandon ship, as half the crew have made it topside by this point.
I suspect the sneaky Germans were trying to sabotage the Canadian breweries and hockey stick factories.Originally Posted by ljrmisty
holey smokes!! look at those holes in the con tower of the boat! RIP to the crew who perished, and to the crews of the ships she sank.
75% of the U-bootwaffe sailors never came back. This crew really did fight to the bitter end.
Actually, I don't know if it would have been spookier to be a crew member of a U-boat or one of those tankers loaded with gasoline or fuel oil sailing across the north Atlantic, either one would have my bowels running to the can all day.
Very Brave Sailors..
Rest In Peace..
Many didnt stop once the war ended. The tale of many merchant mariners, particularly here in Norway, is a sad one where many suffered not only with ptsd for life, but were ignored and even resented for having been lucky enough to be outside when the germans came.
I remember one story of a sailor who, after 6 years or so at sea in war was put down by some bastard, since he must have had it easy, what with no germans, food rationing and probably even proper cigarettes! That was the mentality of many who just sat on their arse for 5 years and grumbled about all the german tourists.
Posting Permissions
