World News

Missing WWII Sub Discovered in Gulf of Mexico

PRNewsWire - 8th June, 2001

Oil companies BP and Shell today announced discovery of the long-sought undersea wreckage of the German World War II submarine U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery was made as the companies were surveying a planned underwater pipeline route, and was reported to the U.S. government, which confirmed the find and notified the government of Germany. The U-166 was the only submarine sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during the war.

The discovery was made by an unmanned, remotely-controlled submarine, or autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), operating in waters almost one mile deep. Named the Hugin-3000, the vessel was developed and operated by C & C Technologies, Inc. on contract to BP and Shell. The AUV utilizes sonar and other equipment to provide detailed images of the sea bottom needed for determining optimum pipeline routes.

The U-166 lies near another casualty of World War II, the American passenger freighter S.S. Robert E. Lee, which was sunk by a torpedo from the U-166 on July 30, 1942. Twenty-five passengers and crewmembers on the Robert E. Lee died as a result of that attack. The U-166 was sunk shortly afterward by the U.S. military, resulting in the loss of all 52 members of the submarine crew. Both vessels are resting in approximately 5,000 feet of water about 45 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The site of the sunken Robert E. Lee was previously known.

Last week, BP and Shell voluntarily funded a video investigation of the sunken vessels, using an Oceaneering, Inc. remotely operated vehicle. The video captured detailed images of the wreckages and provided information needed by archeologists to document the discovery of the U-166. BP and Shell are continuing to work with the U.S. and German governments to provide information about the discovery, in an effort to help bring closure to these events from nearly 60 years ago.

The U-166

U-166 was a type IX-C German submarine that sank 7,593 tons of Allied shipping during its first patrol before the submarine was itself sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. The Navy patrol vessel PC-566, escorting Robert E. Lee when it was sunk on July 30, 1942, immediately dropped depth charges on a suspected submarine after sighting a periscope. An oil slick appeared after the depth charges exploded. The U.S. Coast Guard is credited with sinking U-166 on August 1, 1942, two days later, after a patrol plane sighted a submarine on the surface and then dropped a depth charge seen to explode nearby. The discovery of what appears to be U-166 near the Robert E. Lee may spur renewed interest in this chapter of World War II maritime history and help determine exactly how U-166 was sunk -- the only German submarine lost in the Gulf of Mexico during the war. German submarines operating there sank 56 Allied ships.

The wreckage of U-166 is located approximately 45 miles off the tip of the Mississippi River Delta. The submarine lies upright, approximately 5,000 feet northeast of the Robert E. Lee wreck site, in approximately 5,000 feet of water. The submarine's bow section apparently separated during the sinking, and is lying 500 feet away from the main hull. The submarine is facing north.

The S.S. Robert E. Lee

The U.S. passenger freighter S.S. Robert E. Lee was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico by the German U-boat U-166 on July 30, 1942. The ship, headed for New Orleans, Louisiana, had more than 400 passengers and crew onboard. Ten crewmembers and 15 passengers were killed, with the remainder rescued by US Navy ships PC-566, SC-519 and the tugboat Underwriter.

The wreck site of the Robert E. Lee, which was known previously, is approximately 45 miles off the tip of the Mississippi River Delta. The ship is lying upright and essentially intact in approximately 5,000 feet of water, with what appear to be four lifeboats on the ocean floor nearby.