 The
Glandore Sub (U-260) is located about 4.5 miles south of Union Hall, West
Cork, Ireland.
Towards the
end of the second World War, U-260, a class V11 C vessel was travelling
aproximately 20 miles south of the Fastnet Lighthouse. There is some speculation
about why this sub-marine was off the south coast of Ireland towards the
end of the war. Official transcripts indicate that she was bound for Africa.
Others suggest that she was involved in espionage liaison.
Transcripts
further state that at 22:30 hrs on the 12 March 1945, U-260 struck a mine.
The Commander, Captian Klaus Becker, headed for the Irish coast, intending
to make repairs. However such was the extent of damage, that after several
hours she became un-manageable and surfaced. Becker managed to keep his
vessel afloat by running the exaust gasses from the diesel engines into
the ruptured ballast tanks. Fially orders came by radio from Germany to
scuttle the U-260. The crew of 3 officers and 42 ratings boarded rafts
and dinghies. Two crew members came ashore at Galley Head and raised the
alarm, with the lighthouse keeper. The Courtmacsherry lifeboat was launched
and the remaining crew were brought safely ashore. All crew were saved.
They were arrested and interned at Curragh Camp until the end of the war.
In 1975,
Colin Barnes, a keen fisherman, lost some fishing gear off Glandore. He
suspected that it had snagged on some wreckage and made note of its location.
Some ten years later Colin was using a proton magnetometer in the same
location, which indicated that there was some wreckage below. He asked
a diving friend, Joe Barry, to investigate. Joe surfaced with exciting
news that he had landed on the conning tower of a submarine. This was
later confirmed to be the U-260 and locally became known as the Glandore
Sub.
This Extract
is from the Sub Sea Irish Underwater Council magazine, and this particular
article was written by Mareid Egan, with material supplied by Paddy O'Sullivan,
and photographs by John Collins.
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