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British Submarine Found<br />
WW2 Submarine tomb found after 71 years<br />
<strong>The</strong> wreck of a Second World War<br />
submarine containing the bodies of 71<br />
British sailors has been discovered by<br />
divers in the Mediterranean. A team of<br />
experts from Italy tracked the British T-class<br />
submarine, called HMS P311, to a location<br />
off Sardinia's north east coast near the island<br />
of Tavolara. <strong>The</strong> 84-metre sunken tomb still<br />
contained the corpses of the servicemen who<br />
died when it sank without trace in 1943.<br />
Genoa-based wreck-hunter Massimo<br />
Domenico Bordone said he found the sub<br />
lying on the sea bed 100m down. It was<br />
reportedly in 'excellent condition' with only<br />
the front part of its bow showing damage. He<br />
is quoted by La Nuova Sardegna as saying: 'It<br />
looks like she probably went down with air<br />
sealed inside, meaning then crew eventually<br />
died of oxygen deprivation. It's important to<br />
have the utmost respect for wrecks in cases<br />
like this.' She is thought to have been lost in<br />
either late December 1942 or early 1943<br />
before she could be officially given the name<br />
Tutankhamen. At the time, she had left Malta<br />
and was on her way to La Maddalena,<br />
Sardinia on a mission to destroy the Italian<br />
battleships Trieste and Gorizia. <strong>The</strong> Local<br />
reports that the sub disappeared following a<br />
final signal in late December and was<br />
reported 'overdue' on January 8 1943. It is<br />
thought she hit a mine but experts believe its<br />
inner chamber would not have been flooded<br />
as a result of the explosion. Describing the<br />
moment he found the wreck, Bordone said:<br />
'Immediately I thought of the destiny of the<br />
men who met their deaths down there 'It was<br />
a fate shared by so many men, submariners in<br />
particular, fighting on all both sides of the<br />
conflict.' <strong>The</strong> Royal Navy told <strong>The</strong> Local it<br />
was unlikely the vessel would be moved. A<br />
spokesman is quoted as saying: 'Wrecks are<br />
only raised if there are extremely compelling<br />
historical or operational reasons to do so.<br />
Once a military vessel sinks it becomes a war<br />
grave and is left where it lies.' Read<br />
more:here<br />
| 6 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk
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