Irish Wrecks On-Line - U-260 (No. 948a)

*Vessel Type:*	Type V11C U-Boat	*Location:*	Co. Cork
*Date of Loss:*	12th March 1945	*Place:*	Galley Head at '78 rock'
*Cause of Loss:*	Mined	*Boat Dive from:*	Baltimore
*Charted Depth:*	44m	*Irish O.S. Map:*	Discovery Series No. 88
*Height of Wreck:*	6m	*Admiralty Chart No:*	2129
*Hull Material:*	Steel	*Latitude:*	51 29 09 North
*Type of Seabed:*	Sand & rocks	*Longitude:*	09 06 14 West
*Average Visibility:*	10 - 15m	*Diving Experience:*	Experienced

No image listed.

Diving Information:

Lies in a south-southwest direction with a 60' port list and is almost intact.
Aft gun is still attached to the stern deck and twin propellors are still there.
Conning tower plates have fallen off giving access to the control room.
Torpedoes are still visable in the bow tubes.
Congers frequent the wreck.
Best dived half an hour after local high or low water.
Warning! Do not touch live ammunition lying around.

Historical Information:

A VIIC class, she was commissioned in March 1942 and measured 67.05 x 6.22 x 4.74 metres.
She had four bow tubes and one stern tube, plus 1 x 3.7 & 2 x twin 2cm guns.
Was suspected of being involved in covert operations at the time of loss.
Thought to have struck a mine near an uncharted pinnacle now known as "78 Rock".
Secret papers and code books were recovered along with the captain's personal log and are now in the military archives in Dublin.
The crew escaped and were interned for the remainder of the war.
Her commander was Captain Klaus Bevcker.

Source Publications:

"Irish Wrecks Database"

by
Roy Stokes & Liam Dowling

"Shipwreck Index of Ireland"

by
Richard & Bridget Larn

Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd 2002 - ISBN: 1900839970

"Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast 932 - 1997"

by
Edward J. Bourke

Edward J. Bourke 1998 - ISBN: 0952302713

"The U-260"

by
Jerry Smith

"SubSea" magazine Autumn 2000

Aquaventures

Internet Site (2003)

Last update - 05-Dec-2005