U-576 Found!

[VonStigler]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/21/us/north-carolina-u-boat-wreck/


Great video footage, hopefully there will be more

[iceonaboy]

Great footage indeed. Very clear!

[Capt Kremin]

Hi all,


Yeah great footage, pity it is from the U 166 that was filmed in July, if you look at the attached picture and match it to the opening scene of the report you will see that the gun is the aft deck 4cm from the U 166 (type IXC) not the U 576 (type VIIC) which doesn't have a aft deck gun.
Also you will note that the film is dated 16 July, a month before the U 576 was found and in the narration they say that it was the only U boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.
The merchantman in the film is probably the Robert E. Lee which was sunk by the U 166 just before the U 166 herself was sunk and they were filmed at the same time in July.
The sonar image is unusual as it is the first time I have seen a false colour sonar image taken from the sea bed pointing more or less horizontal at a wreck. According to the image the U 576 is sitting upright as you can sea the sea bed obscuring some of the keel.
More information is at  the NOAA website.


Regards
Jon

[falo]

Hi Cap,

or should I say Sherlock  ;-)
Figured out very good concerning the U-boat types.

Our local newspaper reports yesterday about U 576. Some relatives of the U-boat crew are still alive and the newspaper told that the relatives are grateful for the information because they now have knowledge about their gravesite.

Regards
Falo

[Capt Kremin]

Hi falo, et al,


honestly, the aft deck gun shouted at me and I remembered the U 166 film and check it.


I believe it is always good to locate the lost soldiers, sailors and airmen, you may not be aware of it but 15 remains were found at Beauchamps Ligny near Lille in 2009. After identifying 11 of the remains they were buried in one of the (too) many British war graves near Lille earlier this week. At least 11 families know the resting place of their relatives.
Exactly the same with the crew of the U 576, as with most naval deaths they will forever remain guardians of the sea, but a least their families have a point on a map where their relations fell. This information can sometimes be surprising, particularly if you take the case of the U 869, originally believed to have sunk near Gibraltar, eventually discovered in 1991 and identified in 1997 some 55 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

Although the International Law governing naval war graves is straight forward, unfortunately the less scrupulous divers disregards them. Luckily for the U 576 at 690ft is beyond all but a few specialist diving teams, as far as I am aware all these teams are government sponsored (one government or another) and thus are unlikely to desecrate a war grave just for a few war souvenirs. OK rant over.

Regards
Jon

[VonStigler]

I thought that boat looked familar! I should know better, I glanced at the video very early in the morning before I had my coffee, thats my excuse!  Funny how CNN just inserted that video in a story about a totally different U-boat.

[Capt Kremin]

Hi VonStigler,


Not your fault, I was a bit surprised with CNN, but at no time do they say it is the U 576, although it is implied by being in the same story, I think it comes under the heading of "Where's the VT for this story?". The pressure of modern news media.


Regards
Jon

[OldNoob]

While respectfully recognizing that it is a war grave. i would very much like to see some outside images of it. Hopefully we will have some RV images of it soon.