HMS ORIBI, HMS ONSLAUGHT, HMS BRISSENDEN and HMS SEYMOUR attacked a possible U-boat contact in the evening on 3 July 1944, after air bubbles and an oil slick surfaced only HMS BRISSENDEN remained behind and tried to raise debris from the wreck by further depth charge attacks on 4 July. She was relieved by HMS TALYBONT and HMS WENSLEYDALE, the latter continuing the attacks for two more days and eventually picking up wooden wreckage and some sort of water-proof clothing. The U-boat assessment committee decided that the ships probably attacked the wreck of an E-boat or similar small craft because the wood recovered was painted white not usually connected with a U-boat and the clothing was not recognized as being from an U-boat when shown to German prisoners.

However, the wreck in this position was discovered to be a U-boat in 1995 and investigated in 1999. Initially thought to be the wreck of U-988 it was only recently identified as U-1191 by Axel Niestlé and the above mentioned attacks reassessed.

Best regards
Rainer

Crew member of uboat.net