Dear John,

As you do research on uboats, you are aware different sources do not always agree upon a particular event. We all do our best to document events as best we can with the info available.

The fate of U683 as given in our database in [historisches-marinearchiv.de] is based on:
- TNA record ADM199/1786;
- an investigation by MoD/NHB-FDS in 1991 into the loss of U1208 and;
- last, but certainly not least!, a re-assessment into the loss of 5 uboats by Dr.A.Niestlé dated 1991 with corrections in 1999.

Should other information come to our attention at a later date, the fate of U683 in Projekt DUIKBOOT might be modified, but the above explains somewhat why TODAY we attribute the loss of U683 to HMS LABUAN (ex-Harvey, ex-USN PF80), a Colony class frigate built in the USA (at Walsh-Kaiser, Providence, Rhode Island) and under a lend-lease contract delivered to the Royal Navy.
LABUAN to our knowledge was not French.

A description of the Colony class can be found in Peter Elliott's "Allied escort ships of WWII".

Regards,
Frans & Walter