On May 31, 2001 a research team made up of marine archaeologists from C & C
Technologies, Inc. and the Mineral Management Service along with
representives of British Petroleum and Shell verified the location of the
German U-boat U-166 through an ROV survey.
The U-166 was located and tentatively identified in March of this year by C
& C marine archaeologists Robert Church and Dan Warren using sonar,
multibeam, and pinger data from C & C's Autonomous Underwater Vehicle the
HUGIN 3000 collected during a pipeline survey for BP and Shell. Through
the generous support of BP and Shell further investigations were conducted,
including the ROV survey that verified the findings.
The U-166 was the only U-boat lost in the Gulf of Mexico. History had
recorded that the vessel was sunk by a US Coast Guard Plane two days after
sinking the freighter Robert E. Lee. However, based on the recent findings
it now appears the sub was destroyed by the patrol craft PC-566 shortly
after torpedoing the Robert E. Lee. The patrol craft had been escorting
the freighter from Trinidad to New Orleans. The U-boat bombed by the
Coast Guard plane was another vessel operating in the Gulf the
U-171. According to historical records the U-171 was not damaged in this
attack and made it back to France where it was sunk by a submerged mine.
Further information on the U-166 find will be posted in the near future on
the C & C Technologies, Inc. website at www.cctechnol.com
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