Bum Luck
Silver Member
- May 24, 2008
- 3,482
- 1,282
- Detector(s) used
- Teknetics T2SE, GARRETT GTI 2500, Garrett Infinium
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
from Subsea World News:
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has informed that the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst has been located off the Falkland Islands.
The Scharnhorst, an armoured battlecruiser and the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron, was sunk on December 08, 1914, during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War.
Working methodically through the designated search area, and using equipment including side scan sonar and a multi-beam echo-sounder, Scharnhorst was discovered on the third day of the search 98 nautical miles south east of Port Stanley at a depth of 1610 meters.
from the The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust:
LONDON, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust is pleased to announce that the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst has been located off the Falkland Islands. The Scharnhorst, an armoured battlecruiser and the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee's East Asia Squadron, was sunk on 8 December 1914 during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War.
This discovery is a major breakthrough in the quest to locate all of the ships that comprised the German squadron lost during the battle. The search began on the centenary of the Battle in December 2014 but was initially unsuccessful. Five years later, the mission was resumed using state of the art subsea search equipment. Working from the subsea search vessel, Seabed Constructor, the search operation involved the deployment of four Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), exploring a search box of approximately 4,500km[SUP]2[/SUP] of seabed. Working methodically through the designated search area, and using equipment including side scan sonar and a multi-beam echo-sounder, Scharnhorst was discovered on the third day of the search 98 nautical miles south east of Port Stanley at a depth of 1610 metres.
Scharnhorst rolling coal
sonar image
At rest.
Mensun Bound, the leader of the search, said:
"It is with mixed emotions that we announce the discovery of SMS Scharnhorst, the armoured German battlecruiser that was sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914. After a search that began five years ago, on the centenary of the battle, we are very proud to be able to shed further light on what was a defining point in WWI, and therefore a landmark moment in modern history.
"The moment of discovery was extraordinary. We are often chasing shadows on the seabed, but when the Scharnhorst first appeared in the data flow, there was no doubt that this was one of the German fleet. You could even see the impact crater. We sent down an ROV to explore and almost straight away we were into a debris field that said "battle". Suddenly she just came out of the gloom with great guns poking in every direction.
"As a Falkland Islander and a marine archaeologist, a discovery of this significance is an unforgettable, poignant moment in my life. Our work on this important project is not done. We will continue to assess the images that we have captured and, in time continue to search for the remainder of the fleet, in order to provide greater understanding of the events of that day, and to ensure the protection of the site."
Wilhelm Graf von Spee, head of the Graf von Spee family, said:
"Speaking as one of the many families affected by the heavy casualties suffered on 8 December 1914 at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the discovery of SMS Scharnhorst is bittersweet. We take comfort from the knowledge that the final resting place of so many has been found, and can now be preserved, whilst also being reminded of the huge waste of life. As a family we lost a father and his two sons on one day. Like the thousands of other families who suffered unimaginable loss during the First World War, we remember them and must ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain."
There was no attempt to rescue the crew. All 860 officers and men on board, including Admiral Spee, went down with the ship.
Gneisenau, Leipzig, and Nürnberg were also sunk at the battle, and the search is presumably on for them as well.
The action was particularly important because as a consequence of the battle, the German East Asia Squadron, Germany's only permanent overseas naval formation, effectively ceased to exist, bringing an end to commerce raiding by German warships.
The Wiki article of the Scharnhorst, good description of the battle if you're interested.
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has informed that the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst has been located off the Falkland Islands.
The Scharnhorst, an armoured battlecruiser and the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron, was sunk on December 08, 1914, during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War.
Working methodically through the designated search area, and using equipment including side scan sonar and a multi-beam echo-sounder, Scharnhorst was discovered on the third day of the search 98 nautical miles south east of Port Stanley at a depth of 1610 meters.
from the The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust:
LONDON, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust is pleased to announce that the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst has been located off the Falkland Islands. The Scharnhorst, an armoured battlecruiser and the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee's East Asia Squadron, was sunk on 8 December 1914 during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War.
This discovery is a major breakthrough in the quest to locate all of the ships that comprised the German squadron lost during the battle. The search began on the centenary of the Battle in December 2014 but was initially unsuccessful. Five years later, the mission was resumed using state of the art subsea search equipment. Working from the subsea search vessel, Seabed Constructor, the search operation involved the deployment of four Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), exploring a search box of approximately 4,500km[SUP]2[/SUP] of seabed. Working methodically through the designated search area, and using equipment including side scan sonar and a multi-beam echo-sounder, Scharnhorst was discovered on the third day of the search 98 nautical miles south east of Port Stanley at a depth of 1610 metres.
Scharnhorst rolling coal
sonar image
At rest.
Mensun Bound, the leader of the search, said:
"It is with mixed emotions that we announce the discovery of SMS Scharnhorst, the armoured German battlecruiser that was sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914. After a search that began five years ago, on the centenary of the battle, we are very proud to be able to shed further light on what was a defining point in WWI, and therefore a landmark moment in modern history.
"The moment of discovery was extraordinary. We are often chasing shadows on the seabed, but when the Scharnhorst first appeared in the data flow, there was no doubt that this was one of the German fleet. You could even see the impact crater. We sent down an ROV to explore and almost straight away we were into a debris field that said "battle". Suddenly she just came out of the gloom with great guns poking in every direction.
"As a Falkland Islander and a marine archaeologist, a discovery of this significance is an unforgettable, poignant moment in my life. Our work on this important project is not done. We will continue to assess the images that we have captured and, in time continue to search for the remainder of the fleet, in order to provide greater understanding of the events of that day, and to ensure the protection of the site."
Wilhelm Graf von Spee, head of the Graf von Spee family, said:
"Speaking as one of the many families affected by the heavy casualties suffered on 8 December 1914 at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the discovery of SMS Scharnhorst is bittersweet. We take comfort from the knowledge that the final resting place of so many has been found, and can now be preserved, whilst also being reminded of the huge waste of life. As a family we lost a father and his two sons on one day. Like the thousands of other families who suffered unimaginable loss during the First World War, we remember them and must ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain."
There was no attempt to rescue the crew. All 860 officers and men on board, including Admiral Spee, went down with the ship.
Gneisenau, Leipzig, and Nürnberg were also sunk at the battle, and the search is presumably on for them as well.
The action was particularly important because as a consequence of the battle, the German East Asia Squadron, Germany's only permanent overseas naval formation, effectively ceased to exist, bringing an end to commerce raiding by German warships.
The Wiki article of the Scharnhorst, good description of the battle if you're interested.
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