Sustainability researchers discover U-boat
The remains of the 252 foot long German submarine, U-513, were recently discovered 245 feet down and 75 miles off the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
Jack Fisher, president and CEO of JW Fishers, whose side scan sonar system was used said, “Side scan is an essential piece of equipment required in the search for any sunken vessel. Without it many of the historic shipwrecks we know of today would never have been found”.
Researchers from the Kat Schurmann Institute and Vale do Itajai University located the WWII German U-Boat almost 68 years to the day after it sank.
The Kat Schurmann Institute, an organisation that is devoted to fostering sustainability and preservation of the oceans and coastal habitats, were primarily using the sonar to map the reef structures off the Brazilian coast.
The hunt for the submarine started out as a hobby for the organisation’s founders, the Schurmann family, who have spent many years gathering information on the sinking.
Combining pieces of information gleaned over the years from historical accounts along with the position coordinates of ‘rippers’ from local fishermen, the researchers were able to determine the most probable locations where the wreck could be located. A few months ago, the researchers' hard work paid off and the side scan produced definitive images of the remains of U-513’s pressure hull on the ocean floor.
Wilhelm Schurmann of the Kat Schurmann Institute said, “The side scan sonar was instrumental in helping confirm the target was indeed a German U-boat.”
The U-513 was sunk by bombs dropped from an American plane in July 1943. Only 7 of the 53 men on board survived the attack, including its captain, Friedrich Guggenberger. Although Brazil had been technically neutral at the beginning of the war, it allowed the US to establish air bases from which it could launch attacks on submarines that were becoming a serious threat to allied shipping. As a result, Brazilian ships became a prime target for the U-boats.
Captain Guggenberger, who had earlier gained notoriety for torpedoing the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, survived the war and eventually rejoined the German Navy, rising to the rank of Admiral. He then went on to become Deputy Chief of Staff in the NATO Command Allied Forces Northern Europe.
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