Submarine Wreck - Cartron Point

bodhrandude

I remember when I lived up in Sligo in the late 1980s/early 1990s that there used to be an old submarine wreck at the coastal bit near Cartron Point quite near the Rosses Point Road. Was looking up the Irish Shipwrecks database and I see no sign of a submarine wreck in there http://www.irishshipwrecks.com/. I remember the conning tower was completely rusted but it was unmistakeable as that of a U-Boat design so probably a World War II wreck. I'm really surprised its not in the data base.

rizzodun

bodhrandude wrote: »

I remember when I lived up in Sligo in the late 1980s/early 1990s that there used to be an old submarine wreck at the coastal bit near Cartron Point quite near the Rosses Point Road. Was looking up the Irish Shipwrecks database and I see no sign of a submarine wreck in there http://www.irishshipwrecks.com/. I remember the conning tower was completely rusted but it was unmistakeable as that of a U-Boat design so probably a World War II wreck. I'm really surprised its not in the data base.

Never heard of this, a quick google search brought up this page though, don't know if this helps as it's further north up the coast?

http://homepage.eircom.net/~kevm/Ships/Sligo_Wrecks.htm

Local fishermen indicate the presence of the wreck of a German submarine dating from 1942 or 1943 between the Duff and the Drowes Rivers on the Leitrim coast. The wreck is fairly close to the shore. There is no official record of any loss in this area. A story also relates the seeing of the wreck from a helicopter. The story is unconfirmed.

red sean

There was an old rusty metal marker buoy (similar to the one on the beach in Rosses Point) lying on the shore at Standalone Point as you go out the Point road after Cartron.
Not sure if it's still there, but I wonder is op mistaken by it.

It's unlikely a u-boat came up to Sligo harbour due to the length and depth of the channel from Rosses Point.
They usually stayed in open sea and deep harbours where they could make quick escapes. The channel into Sligo is too shallow for a sub.

Son Of A Vidic

Does anyone remember that back in the Eighties, the army/navy scuttled on old ship out in the bay. I remember my dad drove us down and we watched them blow a hole in the hull so it would sink. We watched from Austies and it was straight across the bay from that viewpoint. I haven't been down there in years so I don't know what's left of it. But I'm just wondering would the old rusting wheel house, now be mistaken for a conning tower?

red sean

No Corvus. It's still there. The wheelhouse on that boat was wooden. It was an old fishing boat being towed to Killala
to be blown up as part of the filming of "The Year of the French". She broke from the towboat and drifted up on the sandbank and refused all efforts to move her afterwards! She's gradually rotting away and in time will be invisible. (Like us all!) I think it was around 1979/80.

Kettleson

red sean wrote: »

No Corvus. It's still there. The wheelhouse on that boat was wooden. It was an old fishing boat being towed to Killala
to be blown up as part of the filming of "The Year of the French". She broke from the towboat and drifted up on the sandbank and refused all efforts to move her afterwards! She's gradually rotting away and in time will be invisible. (Like us all!) I think it was around 1979/80.

Is that the grey looking hulk that can be seen at low tide out in the bay?

red sean

That's it. There was several attempts to re-float her on the high tide at the time but she refused to budge.

Kettleson

red sean wrote: »

That's it. There was several attempts to re-float her on the high tide at the time but she refused to budge.

Thanks for that, it might be there for a good while yet if the tree stumps that I noticed recently at Gibraltar are anything to go by..:) They must be ancient, literally. Do you know anything about them? How old?

rizzodun

So what about the story of a submarine sunk somewhere near Tullaghan (my link above)? It seems interesting, but never heard of it before.

Kettleson

rizzodun wrote: »

So what about the story of a submarine sunk somewhere near Tullaghan (my link above)? It seems interesting, but never heard of it before.

Yes. seems a bit strange. "Unconfirmed" but not the sort of thing you'd make up.

I would have thought that local divers, would have been aware of its existence, if indeed it does exist.

Kettleson

rizzodun wrote: »

So what about the story of a submarine sunk somewhere near Tullaghan (my link above)? It seems interesting, but never heard of it before.

I wonder is this the source of what might have been confused between a U-Boat "Patrol" and ditching of the plane. (Source: SligoHeritage.com).


Covert ship at Killybegs

"Other concessions followed. The establishment in June 1941 of an armed air/sea rescue trawler, the 'Robert Hastie', manned by eleven British personnel, at Killybegs fishing port was shrouded in secrecy. Its purpose was to provide assistance to shipping casualties and to supply planes that had run out of fuel.

The need for such a vessel was clearly illustrated the previous April when Pilot Officer Denis Briggs, returning from a routine U-boat patrol, was forced to ditch his Saro Lerwick sea-plane in the sea off Tullan Strand, Co. Donegal when he ran short of fuel. Watching the descent of the stricken plane Irish army observation posts shortly afterwards beheld the unusual sight of an airplane being towed to Bundoran by a passing fishing boat and immediately reported the incident to HQ"

rizzodun

Very good, although the plane was towed and didn't sink, interestingly, Sligo Sub Aqua club posted a video only a few days ago of a news report about a sunken sub somewhere off the coast of England, so I commented on it to see if they know of the story.

Like you say though, could be an easy mistake that was never really cleared up.

Son Of A Vidic

red sean wrote: »

No Corvus. It's still there. The wheelhouse on that boat was wooden. It was an old fishing boat being towed to Killala
to be blown up as part of the filming of "The Year of the French". She broke from the towboat and drifted up on the sandbank and refused all efforts to move her afterwards! She's gradually rotting away and in time will be invisible. (Like us all!) I think it was around 1979/80.

Christ, it's further back than I thought. Looks like my childhood imagination ran a bit wild and I probably thought the tow attempt was them preparing to blow it up. Also suspect my dad was taking the piss with me.:(

the_syco

http://www.rte.ie/news/special-reports/2012/1115/345783-shipwrecks-off-coast-of-ireland/

The HMS Audacious (above), a 23,000-tonne dreadnought battleship, considered to be unsinkable, sank in 27 October 1914 off Malin Head, Co Donegal, after striking a mine.

This be what you heard about?

Also; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79278514

Kettleson

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Christ, it's further back than I thought. Looks like my childhood imagination ran a bit wild and I probably thought the tow attempt was them preparing to blow it up. Also suspect my dad was taking the piss with me.:(

Have a read, particularly paragraph 2. Affects us all. I think your dad is off the hook!

http://www.human-memory.net/processes_recall.html

rizzodun

Kettleson wrote: »

Have a read, particularly paragraph 2. Affects us all. I think your dad is off the hook!

http://www.human-memory.net/processes_recall.html

I remember reading that article some years back, in between missions when I flew jets in the US Air Force... :pac:

It's probably a rumour that stuck, which is a pity, would be a nice thing to dive and see, depending in condition of course.

bennyc

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Christ, it's further back than I thought. Looks like my childhood imagination ran a bit wild and I probably thought the tow attempt was them preparing to blow it up. Also suspect my dad was taking the piss with me.:(

Don't feel to bad , my mate had no reason not to believe his dad that this was the plug to the ocean until he was about 10 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/824535