Post by horsesoldier176 on Dec 17, 2012 16:36:18 GMT -5
WWII Soviet Submarine Found In Baltic Sea
The remains of a Soviet submarine on the Baltic Sea bed near the island of Oland
December 17, 2012
The wreck of a Soviet submarine lost during World War II has been found in the Baltic Sea off Sweden's eastern coast.
The Swedish Navy confirmed the wreck was found southeast of the Baltic island of Oland.
It said it believed the submarine sank in 1941.
It was found in an area mined by German forces during the war.
The navy published a video and still images of the submarine on its website.
It said Russian authorities have been notified of the location so they could prepare a memorial ceremony at the site, which is considered a war grave
"In the autumn of 1941 several Russian submarines left their home bases to patrol the Baltic Sea. Several of them never returned. One of them has now been found, blown up into large pieces, southeast of Öland," the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) said in a statement.
The wreck was discovered earlier this autumn following reports in the Russian media that Swedish civilian divers had found a submarine wreck southeast of Öland.
The wreck was localized by the submarine rescue ship HMS Belos, which also managed to take pictures of the sunken Soviet sub.
According to the Swedish military, the wreck is likely that of S-6, a Soviet submarine that went missing in September 1941.
The wreck was found near the "Wartburg minefield" in international waters, but within Sweden's economic zone.
While it remains unclear exactly what may have caused S-6 to go down, an open hatch provides some clues as to what may have happened.
"Boats at the time often sailed on the surface in order to quickly flee and/or to recharge their batteries," Commander Christian Allerman of the Swedish Navy said in a statement.
The Swedish military theorized that the submarine simply sailed right into the German minefield and was blown up.
The wreck consists of two main pieces, with the bow section coming to rest about 20 metres north of the stern section, which was found next to a torpedo-like object.
The images captured by the HMS Belos also show Russian text on the wreck, as well as the Soviet hammer and sickle.
In June 2009, divers found the wreck of the S-2, another Soviet sub sunk by mines in January 1940 with some 50 crew members on board, in waters further
north between Sweden and Finland.