Norwegian Divers, Rescue Divers from Norway - Yenra

Norway's Naval Diving and Special Forces School trains ordinary divers, mine divers and special naval service units.

A project by Deep-C, Promare and Maiden Media

The untold story of a German attempt to send 10 submarines to Argentina in 1945

In the final death throes of the Third Reich in May 1945, with the collapse of Germany imminent, certain individuals were keeping their heads and were busy making escape plans both for themselves and for their masters.

From recently discovered sources, it would appear that at least 10 submarines were ordered to flee the Allied encirclement of the Fatherland with instructions to make for Argentina. Although similar accounts have been told since the war, new information, which stems from sources in Argentina and Norway, sheds new light on the story and indicates that some submarines did indeed make it to South America.

It is our goal to locate one or more of these submarines to prove that the story is correct and to document this through a TV documentary and in the media in general.

It is a historical fact that two German submarines officially surrendered in early July and late August respectively at Mar Del Plata, the main naval base of Argentina. Also several Argentine and Brazilian newspaper articles mention submarine sightings in mid- July 1945. Many credible witnesses saw at least two unidentified submarines off the Argentine coast. In addition, the Argentinean Navy has now opened up their archives for the first time to show that the Navy sighted and attempted to sink an unidentified submarine in the San Matias Bay in the same month.

In 1998, the Argentine branch of ProMare was approached by a prestigious national newspaper, Ambito Financiero, requesting help in locating an alleged German WW I I submarine in Patagonia. In the 1970s this newspaper received a letter from an individual who reported that he had come to Argentina in a submarine after the war. This U-Boat commander wrote that, on Hitler's specific orders, ten submarines, each with fifty officers and crew, were to sail to Argentina to help found the Fourth Reich. The editor regarded this as just another tall story and the letter was filed away and was forgotten.

However in 1997 the same newspaper received another letter from another person recounting a similar tale. This writer gave his full German name as well as his commander's identity number. According to both commanding officers the submarines, which were all of the long-range XXI type, were sunk in shallow water in the San Matias Gulf.. Based on an aerial photograph of two objects resembling submarines in shallow water in the area, a Norwegian-Argentine team performed a ten day side-scan sonar search and magnetometer survey in the Gulf but no submarines were located. The objects in the photos turned out to be black sandstone.

Recently, new information regarding the submarines in Argentina emerged in Norway. Deep-C obtained almost identical information from a Norwegian citizen who claims to be in possession of German documents found in Norwegian archives in the 1950s. This person allegedly worked in an archive department of the Nazi Navy, a large part of which was stationed in southern Norway during the War. During his time there he came across classified information which he considered could one day be useful to him, namely the exact positions of certain submarines. These documents also include the position of a lost German submarine in Patagonia and outlines a story that is almost identical to the Argentine version. There are however some interesting differences. According to this Norwegian version, eleven submarines were sent from Norway, Denmark, and Germany and were supposed to rendezvous in the Atlantic. Due to intense Allied anti-submarine activity, all but three were lost on the way to the rendezvous point. It is a well-known fact that an Argentine coastal pilot was rescued from a sunken submarine off Denmark at this time, thus adding credence to the whole story. These three submarines managed to get to Brazil, but were attacked there and one sank. Another sank later off the River Plate estuary but the crew managed to sail to the San Matias Gulf in the only remaining submarine where, due to a failed engine, she was scuttled and the crew came ashore on rubber dinghies. Compared to the other story where as many as seven of the submarines arrived and discharged their crew and cargo before scuttling themselves, this sole submarine apparently sank with all its contents still on board. Rumour has it that some ten tons of gold, that was loaded on to her in Hamburg, still remains in its cargo hold.

Based on the fact that both stories point to at least one submarine arriving in the San Matias Bay in July 1945 and, given that the second source also contains an exact position, the search team made an attempt to locate the missing U-Boat in the spring of 2002 using a side-scan sonar. One sonar target very close to the position indicated by the Norwegian documents showed many similarities to a submarine. The object has the same dimensions and shape as a submarine but it can not be decided if it is actually a submerged U-Boat before we visually examine the target. A new expedition is therefore planned in the autumn of 2002 to re-locate and film the target using an ROV and a specialist diving team. The expedition will be undertaken in co-operation with the Argentine Navy and will be using one of their ships as a base. The search team has waived all rights to any discoveries made. If something interesting is in fact found then it will be up to Argentine authorities to decide on its fate. The search team will however have exclusive media rights for the project and to any discoveries they may make.

Living in Norway - A pictorial tour throughout Norway of days gone by in quiet solitude between the grand fjords with the majestic mountains on all sides. The book is divided into the four seasons: fall, winter, spring and summer. You can experience the beauty of Norway through all seasons. Winter time in Norway is long, and the daylight hours few, but the homes are gaily decorated throughout the dark winter days. When it comes to antiques, here you can see them in their natural surroundings. This book offers hundreds of color photographs, but don't forget to read the text, it is a fantastic tour of Norway. The "hytta" or cabins the norwegians used in the summer days are featured, many of the old hytta still exist and open their doors to guests as do American bed and breakfasts. Some of the hytta remain with the original families, others have been purchased for private use or for overnight stays. Traditional rosmalling on the walls and the "box beds" will guide you through times gone by. An intimate tour through the summer home of Edvard Grieg and his wife will delight you and amaze you to discover that this is also the final resting place of the Greig's. But more awaits. The modern Norwegian homes are smartly represented also, from a simple concrete structure in Oslo decorated to please someone with an eye for new-age artwork, these glimpses inside the homes of Norway and excellent stories about their histories may leave you wondering how to find these places. No fear, among the last pages of the book are addresses for each of these homes if you would like to include one of these homes on your next trip to Norway. No matter if you wish to visit a Nordland harbor with it's peaceful calm fjord, or a Gudbrandsdalen farm which is linked to the 3 series trilogy written by Nobel prizewinner Sigrid Undset (The Bridal Wreath, The Mistress of Husaby, The Cross), you will find a rich selection of Norwegian homes, interior and exterior, modern or antique. As you read the book, it will look handsome on your coffee table. It makes an excellent gift for a family member who would enjoy reading about days gone by in Norway and living in modern Norway. If you desire to decorate your home norwegian style, ideas abound in the book. This book is rich in text and photographs.