Sunken wrecks of World War II Sherman tanks

Listen to this article After nearly 70 years, divers have found the wreckage of the legendary American M4 Sherman tanks, built for Allied forces during World War II. The find is located near the shipwreck of The Empire Heritage, once owned by the British Empire. Dozens of armoured weapons rest on the seabed in a

ByMałgosia Brykała

Published: December 25, 2013 - 09:32

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 03:34

Sunken wrecks of World War II Sherman tanks

Listen to this article

After nearly 70 years, divers have found the wreckage of the legendary American M4 Sherman tanks, built for Allied forces during World War II. The find is located near the shipwreck of The Empire Heritage, once owned by the British Empire.

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Dozens of armoured weapons rest on the seabed in a variety of positions around Cape Malin Head, the northernmost point on the island of Ireland. The Empire Heritage – the ship weighing 15702 tonnes that transported them – was torpedoed by a U-boat in 1944. Its two house-sized chimneys still protrude above the surface of the bottom at a depth of 66 metres.

The Inishowen Peninsula is famous for its beautiful rocky coastline and the largest number of sunken U-Boats and transport ships and is one of the best deep wreck diving sites in Europe. Most of the ships were sunk on the Atlantic shipping routes from Europe to Canada and the United States during the war effort. During the First and Second World Wars, convoys of huge transatlantic ships with military equipment to Europe passed through here and it is here that some of the most spectacular wrecks in the world lie such as: HMS Audacious, HMS Laurentic, SS Empire Heritage and an incredible number of other large vessels.

One of the ships, as decided by Derry City Council, was to be lifted and placed in a maritime museum in Ebrington. Technically the operation was not complicated, but it was interrupted by the tragic death of a diver.

As the site is rich in a number of valuable discoveries, we can conclude that it is one of the largest underwater archaeological sites in the world. Undoubtedly, the Northern Ireland area has not only tourism potential, but also untapped opportunities to explore marine resources.

Source: breakingnews.ie