WWII GERMAN U-BOAT DISCOVERED

News Release JW Fishers Manufacturing Inc. July 25, 2011

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<DIV>The remains of the German
submarine U-513 were recently discovered off the coast of Brazil. The sub was sunk by
bombs dropped from an American plane in July 1943. Only 7 of the 53 men on board
survived the attack.  One survivor reported, “suddenly the
bombs began to fall, one fell off the starboard side, and 3 fell right in front,
then exploded...”.  Although Brazil had been technically
neutral at the beginning of the war, it allowed the US to establish air bases
from which it could launch attacks on submarines that were becoming a serious
threat to allied shipping. As a result, Brazilian ships became a prime target
for the U-boats. During the first half of 1942, German subs sank 13 Brazilian
merchant vessels.  In August, the U-507 sank 5 Brazilian ships
in 2 days killing more that 600 people. In all, 21 German and two Italian
submarines were responsible for the sinking of 36 Brazilian merchant ships,
causing 1,691 drownings and 1,079 other casualties. The sinkings were a major
reason the Brazilian government ultimately declared war against the
Axis.
   
Researchers from Kat Schurmann Institute and Vale do
Itajai
University located the U-513
almost 68 years to the day after it sank. Using a combination of high tech
equipment the 252 foot long submarine was discovered lying at a depth of 245
feet, 75 miles off the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Members of the
Schurmann family, founders of the Kat Schurmann Institute, were actively
involved in the search.  The family had procured a JW Fishers
side scan system shortly after opening the institute, an organization that was
devoted to fostering sustainability and preservation of the oceans and coastal
habitats. The primary use for the sonar was to map the reef structures off the
Brazilian coast. The hunt for the submarine started out as a hobby for family
patriach Wilfredo when he was told the story of the sub’s demise by a fellow
mariner while sailing the Caribbean. 
Over the next eight years he spent many hours gathering information. He
studied official accounts of the sinking, read survivors stories, talked to
submarine officers in the Brazilian Navy, and even acquired a book titled “The
U-Boat Commanders Handbook”.  But one of the most useful
sources of information proved to be local fisherman.  They
told him about the “rippers”, obstructions on the ocean floor that would grab
fishing nets and tear them up. Wilfredo was provided with the coordinates of
some of these rippers.  Combining pieces of information
gleaned from historical accounts along with the position coordinates, the
researchers were able to determine the most probable locations that would hold
their prize.  At every opportunity a group from the institute,
including Schurmann’s sons, would take the side scan out and survey the
underwater obstructions.  The youngest son,
Wilhelm,  had attended a training course at 
Fishers factory in Massachusetts and was well versed on
the operation of the side scan and use of the SONAR VIEW software. 
On July 14, 2011 their hard work paid
off and the side scan produced definitive images of the remains of a pressure
hull on the ocean bottom.  The final resting place of the
U-513 was had been uncovered.
   
Interestingly, the submarine was captained by Friedrich Guggenberger, who
was one of the seven survivors of the sinking.  The captain
had gained notoriety in the submarine corps while commanding another U-boat in
1941. He torpedoed the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which despite the British
Navy’s efforts to tow it to port, sank the next day.  After
the war, the German Navy was reestablished and Guggenberger joined the service
again. In the 1950s he travelled to US and studied at the
Newport
War
College in
Rhode Island.  He
eventually rose to the rank of admiral in the German Federal Navy and went on to
become Deputy Chief of Staff in the NATO command Allied Forces
Northern Europe.</DIV></BODY></HTML>