General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: U-196 found off New Zealand ?
Posted by:
Simon Gunson. NZ
()
Date: November 06, 2008 10:42PM
The Person (Noel Hilliam) currently diving this wreck is in contact with a descendant of one of those who claim to have scuttled U-196 there. He says the boat is slightly boyant therefore may still be airtight.
There is no difficulty accepting it could be U-196. U-862, U-537 and U-196 were all ordered to sail a war patrol around Australia in November 1944. She is in the right area.
U-196 did go missing. her loss was never confirmed in any sense. There is a claim she struck a mine in the Sunda Straits about 30 November 1944, however the area was not mined until two weeks after her departure for Australia.
There was sufficient time for such a voyage. U-862 left Djakarta two weeks earlier for Australia and reached new Zealand at the start of January 1945 after lurking off Adelaide and New South Wales for two weeks. Heaps of time.
The account of landing "Nazi loot" is not implausible either. Germany was shipping Uranium oxide to Japan in 1944 and we know from I-52 that Japan was paying for Uranium with gold.
There is no difficulty accepting it could be U-196. U-862, U-537 and U-196 were all ordered to sail a war patrol around Australia in November 1944. She is in the right area.
U-196 did go missing. her loss was never confirmed in any sense. There is a claim she struck a mine in the Sunda Straits about 30 November 1944, however the area was not mined until two weeks after her departure for Australia.
There was sufficient time for such a voyage. U-862 left Djakarta two weeks earlier for Australia and reached new Zealand at the start of January 1945 after lurking off Adelaide and New South Wales for two weeks. Heaps of time.
The account of landing "Nazi loot" is not implausible either. Germany was shipping Uranium oxide to Japan in 1944 and we know from I-52 that Japan was paying for Uranium with gold.
