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Sunken Soviet sub found off Sweden
Jul 03, 2007 11:25 AM
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – A Finnish-Swedish research team has discovered a Soviet submarine at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The submarine, identified as SC305, was sunk in 1942 by the Finnish navy during a Second World War battle.
Research team spokesman Bjorn Rosenlof says the eight-member team, using sonar equipment, found the vessel at a depth of 136 metres between the Swedish east coast town of Grisslehamn and the Finnish Aland Islands.
Rosenloft said the sub is "in very good condition, aside from a hole in the hull where it was hit."
He said the team actually found the ship late last year, but was not able to identify it until recently.
The research team said all 38 crew members died when the submarine sank after being rammed and hit by cannon fire from a Finnish submarine.
Simon Rothstein, a spokesman for the Swedish Armed Forces, said the military has been informed of the discovery, but it's unclear whether the submarine will be raised from the seabed.
"It isn't normal procedure to salvage something that lies that deep unless there is a danger to the environment, or if there is something valuable in the cargo," he said.
The Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939. The Finns joined forces with Nazi Germany two years later in an effort to recapture the territories that the Red Army took from Finland.
However, as it became clear the Germans were losing the war, the Finns negotiated a peace treaty with the Soviets, which committed Finland to drive the Nazi troops out of its territory.
Soviet WWII sub wreck found in Baltic Sea
Tue Jul 3, 2007 11:32AM EDT
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Finnish-Swedish search team has found the wreck of a Soviet submarine sunk by the Finnish navy in the Baltic Sea during World War II.
The Soviet SC305 was fired on and rammed by a Finnish submarine in November 1942, sending it to the bottom in Swedish territorial waters off the island of Aland.
"SC305 went down with the bow into the mud and is in a good shape considering the circumstances," the search party said in a statement. "The origin of the wreck and its marking was verified by film from an ROV (remotely operated vehicle)."
The Soviet submarine, one of many used to prowl shipping lanes in the Baltic Sea during the war, was found at a depth of 136 meters (446 feet). All the 38 crew members were reported lost when submarine sank.
Bjorn Rosenlof, a spokesman for the privately funded team, said it first located the wreck last year using leads to the position found in Finnish archives, but only managed to identify it after returning to get more images two weeks ago.
"When we got the ROV in just right and could read the letters (the submarine's insignia) it was just an incredible feeling that can't be described in words," he told Reuters.
They were not able to dive to the wreck as it was too deep.
The team said it considered the site a war memorial and had only given the exact position of the wreck to Swedish authorities, leaving it to them to decide if the information should be published.
The Baltic Sea is littered with wrecks from both World Wars which saw Russian and Soviet forces battled the German navy for control of the transport routes across it.
Jul 03, 2007 11:25 AM
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – A Finnish-Swedish research team has discovered a Soviet submarine at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The submarine, identified as SC305, was sunk in 1942 by the Finnish navy during a Second World War battle.
Research team spokesman Bjorn Rosenlof says the eight-member team, using sonar equipment, found the vessel at a depth of 136 metres between the Swedish east coast town of Grisslehamn and the Finnish Aland Islands.
Rosenloft said the sub is "in very good condition, aside from a hole in the hull where it was hit."
He said the team actually found the ship late last year, but was not able to identify it until recently.
The research team said all 38 crew members died when the submarine sank after being rammed and hit by cannon fire from a Finnish submarine.
Simon Rothstein, a spokesman for the Swedish Armed Forces, said the military has been informed of the discovery, but it's unclear whether the submarine will be raised from the seabed.
"It isn't normal procedure to salvage something that lies that deep unless there is a danger to the environment, or if there is something valuable in the cargo," he said.
The Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939. The Finns joined forces with Nazi Germany two years later in an effort to recapture the territories that the Red Army took from Finland.
However, as it became clear the Germans were losing the war, the Finns negotiated a peace treaty with the Soviets, which committed Finland to drive the Nazi troops out of its territory.
Soviet WWII sub wreck found in Baltic Sea
Tue Jul 3, 2007 11:32AM EDT
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Finnish-Swedish search team has found the wreck of a Soviet submarine sunk by the Finnish navy in the Baltic Sea during World War II.
The Soviet SC305 was fired on and rammed by a Finnish submarine in November 1942, sending it to the bottom in Swedish territorial waters off the island of Aland.
"SC305 went down with the bow into the mud and is in a good shape considering the circumstances," the search party said in a statement. "The origin of the wreck and its marking was verified by film from an ROV (remotely operated vehicle)."
The Soviet submarine, one of many used to prowl shipping lanes in the Baltic Sea during the war, was found at a depth of 136 meters (446 feet). All the 38 crew members were reported lost when submarine sank.
Bjorn Rosenlof, a spokesman for the privately funded team, said it first located the wreck last year using leads to the position found in Finnish archives, but only managed to identify it after returning to get more images two weeks ago.
"When we got the ROV in just right and could read the letters (the submarine's insignia) it was just an incredible feeling that can't be described in words," he told Reuters.
They were not able to dive to the wreck as it was too deep.
The team said it considered the site a war memorial and had only given the exact position of the wreck to Swedish authorities, leaving it to them to decide if the information should be published.
The Baltic Sea is littered with wrecks from both World Wars which saw Russian and Soviet forces battled the German navy for control of the transport routes across it.