|
At TechPursuits we believe in
“Doing It” not
just “Talking About It” when it comes to technical diving. Which is
why our TechPursuits Manager & IANTD Instructor Phil Grigg joined
the
Innes McCartney (Periscope
Publishing) hunt for
the infamous Nazi Raider Warship, the HK KOMET.
As one of the nine strong team, Phil
was among some seriously good company – including the likes of Innes
and Patricia McCartney (Obviously); Mark Callaghan; Greg Marshall;
Sarah Jepson; John Cobb; James McGuinness; and Robert van der Meer.
The July 2006 expedition set off from Dartmouth, on board the
MV Maureen,
armed with no more than a ‘possible’ location of the wreck; several
Ambient Pressure Inspirations;
a Megladon
and a spirit for adventure.
The HK KOMET
Armed Merchant Raider
The HK KOMET was
one of nine freighters converted into Surface Raiders by the German
Navy in World War II. She was among the most successful of these
Merchant Raiders, claiming approx 43,000 tons of Allied Shipping on
her first cruise alone.
After successful
decryption of Enigma signals, the Royal Navy sent nine Destroyers
and eight Motor Torpedo Boats to intercept the KOMET and her escort,
as she attempted to break out of European Waters.
The Royal Navy
discovered the KOMET at 0058 on the 14th October 1942,
and a short but fierce engagement ensued. The end result, although
controversial, was the KOMET exploding in a mighty fireball, before
plummeting into the depths, leaving a square mile of ocean ablaze
with ignited aviation spirit (from her two seaplanes).
This controversial
end was attributed by the Royal Navy to the Torpedoes of the Motor
Torpedo Boat # 236 (who’s Commander was awarded the DSO), however
this is strongly refuted by several German eyewitnesses. These eye
witnesses state that the shellfire from the unseen British
Destroyers was actually responsible for the KOMETS catastrophic end
!
With these unanswered
questions, as to her final hours, to be resolved and the fact that
all eight of the other Nazi Raiders had been sunk or broken up, the
teams mission of discovery was an important one. One that got a
lucky break early on in the trip, when Innes located the wreck with
sounding equipment.
The luck wasn’t all
theirs, as the incredibly strong tides and very short periods of
slack, meant the team needed a further “two days to establish the
best time to dive”. This said, when they actually descended, the
team struck gold (well steel anyway !), as they found a 40m-long
stern section, at a depth of approximately 70m.
As
the team progressed slowly around the wreck they advanced over a
debris field of ladders; steps and rigging, off the starboard side.
Unfortunately however, due to the hostile conditions the team were
unable to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the
final hours of the KOMET, and her eventual sinking.
So
with the expedition drawing to an end, and the MV Maureen returning
to port, the team mused quietly over their success. Although no true
un-equivocal evidence was sighted or gathered, due to its size;
location and armoury, this heavily armoured non-navel ship, could
simply be nothing other than the KOMET !
A gallery of images from the wreck
can be found by following the links from the “Galleries” link at
http://www.periscopepublishing.com/ or
alternatively Innes McCartney can be contacted at
komet@periscopepublishing.com |
