Operation Caesar, Dec 1944.

[Karoshi]

It was British code breakers at Bletchley Park who learned the details of the operation - even the names of the German and Japanese scientists and engineers on board U-846 5th December 1944, according to a forthcoming BBC Timewatch documentary.

 

The Hunt for U-864 will be broadcast on BBC2 on 5 January at 2100

 

 

 

 

[ArtistsRifles]

This is the U-Boat currently upsetting the Norwegians by leaking Mercury into the sea - yes????

[Karoshi]

Well,....YES

[Jack]

This is the U-Boat currently upsetting the Norwegians by leaking Mercury into the sea - yes????

 

 

Got anymore details there Neil?

[ArtistsRifles]

Report from the BBC News jack:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6193979.stm

 

Apparently the U-864 left Kiel laden with 1,857 canisters of Mercury destined for Japan to be used for the production of weapons and equipment, primarily jet engines.

Cutting a long story short she was intercepted by one of HM Submarines - the Venturer - who sunk her, along with her crew of 73 off the Faroes.

She was found by the Norwegian navy in 2003 and the Mercury was found to be leaking into the sea. Now the Norwegians are planning to seal the U-Boat and her crew under a barrier of 12m deep sand and gravel.

[Jack]

Thank you very much Neil - I will use that as news item tomorrow :-D

[Karoshi]

Well submarines are very much in the news this week. Following on from the U846 storey, the PRO has released yet more documents on secret U boat activity.

 

Three previously unknown wrecks of German WW2 submarines sunk in British waters have been disclosed. The wrecks are just seven miles offshore of Newquay Cornwall, but no official U-boat losses are recorded in that area.

 

Their presence in the area was realised when British Intelligence intercepted and decoded radio signals from one of the U-boat commanders. A deep water minefield was laid to trap them.

 

For over 60 years the losses have remained secret, as has the minefield.

 

What other secrets does the PRO hold I wonder.

[ArtistsRifles]

Hmm - wonder where the KreigsMarine have these boats recorded as lost then??

And why the positions vary???

[Karoshi]

My guess to that would be in the Irish Sea or Western Approaches.

 

Sadly at this time the U-boats identities are know (revealed).

 

When the U-Boat cipher was intercepted we seeded a deep water minefield, leaving the surface free for shipping to access the Bristol Channel.

[Karoshi]

Had a bit of a poke around and found this, an extract from a National Paper;

 

22 December 2006

GOT U!

Three wrecked Nazi subs reveal success of secret British mine trap

By Richard Smith

THE discovery of three Nazi U-boat wrecks has shed light on a deadly British minefield trap that remained secret for 60 years.

 

Divers found the remains of the Second World War vessels all lying close to each other seven miles off Newquay in Cornwall, where no U-boats had ever been recorded as being lost.

 

But using de-classified wartime documents, historians revealed they were victims of a deep minefield laid to defend supply lines.

 

 

The secret project was sparked when a U-boat commander sunk a British destroyer after finding a gap in a minefield protecting supply ships heading to Cardiff and Bristol between Cornwall and Ireland.

 

 

He radioed the news to Germany but the message was intercepted by British intelligence.

 

 

The deep mines were laid to allow surface ships through safely while destroying the deadly U-boats.

 

 

Naval historian Eric Grove said the fate of the U-325, U-400 and U- 1021, which disappeared in late 1944 and early 1945, shows just how successful the trap was.

[ArtistsRifles]

Interesting!!! Now - if you go to http://www.uboat.net you can find where these boats were originally recorded as havng sunk:

 

U-325 - http://uboat.net/boats/u325.htm - Type VIIC/41 - Oblt. Erwin Dohrn - Listed as missing on 7 April, 1945 in the North Atlantic or on the south-west coast of Britain. - No ships sunk in her service life.

Previously recorded fate U-325 reported for the last time on 7 April, 1945 from approximate position 56N, 20W.

One report, not yet confirmed, claims that a wreck of a German U-boat has been found in position 50.31,4N, 05.22,9W. This location is within U-325's operational area.

No explanation exists for its loss. 52 dead (all hands lost).

 

U-400 - http://uboat.net/boats/u400.htm - Type VIIC - Kptlt. Horst Creutz - Sunk after 15 Dec, 1944 probably by mine off Cornwall. 50 dead (all hands lost). - No ships sunk in her service life

Previously recorded fate (Last revised by during January 2005)

Sunk 17 Dec, 1944 in the North Atlantic south of Cork, in position 51.16N, 08.05W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Nyasaland. This attack sank the U-772 instead.

 

U-1021 - http://uboat.net/boats/u1021.htm - Type VIIC/41 - Oblt. William Holpert - Missing since 14 March, 1945 in the North Atlantic south of the Bristol Channel in approximate position 50.34N, 05.07W. 43 dead (all hands lost). - No ships sunk in her service life

Previously recorded fate (Last revised by FDS/NHB during November 1990)

Sunk 30 March, 1945 in the Minch Channel (Hebrides), in position 58.19N, 05.31W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Rupert and HMS Conn. This attack actually resulted in the sinking of U-965.

[Jack]

But why was this so secret? The minefield that is.

[Mark]

To catch U-Boats I suppose

 

[Jack]

To catch U-Boats I suppose

 

 

:computerterror2: I mean why has this only just been released?

[Mark]

Might be the 60 year rule, or whatever it is maybe it was illegal and some mines are still there?

[Richard Farrant]

But why was this so secret? The minefield that is.

 

 

Jack,

 

The fact that a German message was intercepted and decoded, would be reason for secrecy, so that the Germans would be unaware of the minefield and reason for it to have been laid.

 

From the records, these U boats had no records of sinking ships so were relatively inexperienced maybe?

 

Richard

[Karoshi]

The key issue on the secrecy issue was the disclosure of the fact that we had code breaking knowledge.

 

Remember our knowledge of Enigma was not "Official" untill the 70's

[Jack]

 

 

Remember our knowledge of Enigma was not "Official" untill the 70's

 

 

Wow - didn't know that!