Irish Wrecks On-Line - U-1003 (No. 948b)

*Vessel Type:*	U-Boat	*Location:*	Co. Londonderry
*Date of Loss:*	22nd March 1945	*Place:*	Portstewart
*Cause of Loss:*	Underwater collision	*Boat Dive from:*	Portstewart
*Charted Depth:*	68m	*Irish O.S. Map:*	Discovery Series No. 4
*Height of Wreck:*	3m	*Admiralty Chart No:*	49 / 2798
*Hull Material:*	Steel	*Latitude (GPS):*	55 17 892 North
*Type of Seabed:*	Sand & rocks	*Longitude (GPS):*	06 44 589 West
*Average Visibility:*	10 - 15m	*Diving Experience:*	Very experienced

No image listed.

Diving Information:

Lies 7 miles North of Portstewart.
Conning tower blown.
Dive 6.30 hours before High Water Belfast.
Warning!! Has torpedoes on board.

Historical Information:

A Type 7C class, she was on her maiden voyage.
Rammed by Frigate "New Glasgow" on 20th March 1945.
Collision severed the schnorkel and damaged the periscope.
Water entered the conning tower via the schnorkel tube.
With the lower hatch sealed she lay on the bottom until depth charges forced her to the surface.
She dived again but the pumps were draining the batteries so her commander LT. Strubling had no choice but to abandon the U-boat on the night of the 22nd. just after midnight.

Source Publications:

"Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast 932 - 1997"
by Edward J. Bourke

Edward J. Bourke 1998 - ISBN: 0952302713

Other Sources:

Norman Woods

December 2001

Last update - 13-Dec-2001