...would you like to take a look at this, please? That's a section from THIS FORUM with English translation of a letter we received some time ago. The letter runs this way:
'[...] Let me then shortly describe the event: the m/v Northern Horizon
cruised on the North Sea its oil fields. Her tasks were i. a. checking the pipelines freshly-laid on the sea bed from one Large Barge (I donR17;t remember her no.): a large barge indeed, full of pipes and Polish welders). The ship had i. a. over the Arovi R11; a small submersible craft on wheels to embrace the pipe and go forwards kilometer after kilometer; if anything occurred, the video casette with the recorded path was transported to the survey ships, responsible for production. They generally carried helicopters. I transported our casette to the survey and had to wait for documents. As the weather was OK, we went alongside and they invited us for coffee. In a room aboard ran the earlier casette; the crew of the ship watched the slowly running pictures one by one; they watched a submarine lying on the sea bed.
I saw the eye of the camera scan the submarine its deck from port to starboard.
I noticed big bull-eye windows on the sail, and one small structure before it being actually its part. There was no cannon on the fore deck as if on a U-Boat. She lay on her keel listing some 5 degrees to starboard. I do not want to speculate about the Orzel, but the shape of the sail of that wreck was gently angled and there was a rectangular opening without any manhole. As I handed over my casette to them, they switched their device off and changed the casette. I asked them where had they their casette from? Their answer was that it was recorded earlier that day. The ship preceded us checking the sea bed for obstacles. They said as well, that the wreck did not obscure the way of the pipeline. The location of that wreck is not known to me. The pipeline went from the Norse coast down to Germany along Jutland peninsula.[...]"
All the markings are mine. Would you please tell us, what is the target area of your expedition? That interesting one to us would be the track of that pipeline from Norway to Germany. Anyway I cross my figers for the success of Yours. God speed and good luck from - Stary_Wraq here!
Edytowany przez Stary_Wraq dnia 28-07-2005 07:10
To be very honest, this letter could be hoax. Several details are, at least, questionable. There was a deckgun, it was partly covered by a streamline fearing, but the barrel should be very noticeble. The letter says the rov went across the deck, why are the doors for the deck torpedotubes not mentioned? the rov was almost sitting on top of them.
Offcourse I hope this letter is true, but then ORP Orzel should be easy to find, just follow either Norpipe, or Europipe 1, or Europipe 2. Just a question of checking 1200 m of pipe.
...or wrong, but what's the problem to check the wreck there? I am eager to find Her at last as we all are here. But nevertheless I cross my fingers for Your success!!! As you say - Nederland Boven!
The message from that letter needs checking anyway.
By the way: rumours are that the sea bed of the NS is almost full of wrecks of any sort; how are they going to identify the O-13 or the ORZEL?
Well, at the moment the STEUBEN is here the hero of the moment, as the wreck, that was discovered and explored from above by units of our Navy. And the Penners they find no money, no funds to find the ORZEL themselves! Gottverdomme!!
You asked how the sunken subs are identified, I think this could be easy:
1. Conning Tower, O-13's is rather simple, like a VIIc almost and Orzel's is fitted with portholes and much larger.
2. Deckgun, O-13's freestanding, like a VIIc and Orzel's is partly covered with a streamline fearing.
3. Net cutter, O-13's runs thru to approx. 1 meter above deck and Orzel's not.
4. Deck tubes, O-13 has one set of deck tubes and Orzel has two sets.
If the thin steel plating of Orzel's conning tower is rotted away, then the pressure vessels containing the Anti-aircraft guns should be visible, this would be also a point of differance.
About the dutch destroyer Gerard Callenburgh that was seized by the germans in 1940 and used by the germans as ZH-1, I am making scans of pictures for you including measurements taken during her sea trials. At this moment I am busy re-decorating my computerroom, so it will take some time to have everything ready.
During a routine excercise, Hr. Ms. Luymes spent 24 hours to search for O-13. Unfortunatly, during those 24 hours and beyond, sea state was so bad that Hr. Ms. Luymes could not use her sophisticated sonar arrays.
Result: nothing, opportunity lost due to bad weather.
