WW2 WRECKS AND HUMPBACK WHALES

EXPLORE POLAR SEAS WITH BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS AND WHITES MANUFACTURING

Big Fish Expeditions has teamed up with the industry leader in drysuit technology Whites Manufacturing to bring you the first in a new series of Polar Seas Expeditions.

EXPLORE THE BELL ISLAND WRECKS

Join us on a week long expedition to explore four historic WW2 ship wrecks off the coast of Newfoundland. Each wreck is over 400ft long and covered in a blanket of colorful marine life. Then, swim with humpback whales on their summer migration through Eastern Canada's emerald seas.

July 8th-14th 2012 $1995 + 15% tax (dble occ)

Price includes: 6 nights (dble occ) accommodation, 4 days of wreck diving, 1 day of free-diving/snorkeling with humpback whales, breakfast, lunch (on diving days) and airport transfers.

Whites Drysuit Divers receive a 10% discount!

Join us for the trip of a lifetime!

info@BigFishExpeditions.com

EXPEDITION ITINERARY
Day 1, July 8th:
Arrive at the lodge. Meet and greet with White's Polar Seas Expedition Leader Andy Murch. Check into your room and get your gear in order for the next day's dives.

Day 2, July 9th:
Two dive day on the PLM-27 and Saganaga. The shallowest of the four wrecks. The PLM 27 (50 feet to the deck), will be a great start to your shipwreck diving adventure. The second shallowest of the wrecks, the Saganaga features some amazing swim-throughs.

Day 3, July 10th:

Venture out on custom built zodiacs to intercept and snorkel with humpback whales. Bring your wide angle lenses!

Day 4, July 11th:

Two dive day on the Lord Strathcona and Rose Castle. The second deepest of the wrecks, the Strathcona is very well preserved. The deepest of the wrecks, the Rose Castle is in even better shape. The rigging is still intact and the Marconi Radio Room is not to be missed!

Day 5, July 12th:
Two dive day on two of the Bell Island wrecks. The evening on Day 4 features your complimentary transportation to George Street for a cultural experience. Check out Christians bar where you can become an honorary Newfoundlander! (Don't worry, it doesn't hurt that bad!)

Day 6, July 13th:
Final two dive day on two of the Bell Island wrecks or we can chase humpback whales - Group decision!

Day 7, July 14th:
Time to head back to the heat until the next Big Fish / Whites Polar Seas Expedition

MARINE LIFE OF THE BELL ISLAND WRECKS

After seven decades on the ocean floor the bell island wrecks have become havens for all manner of cold water exotic species such as lumpfish, wolffishes and giant northern lobsters. Photographers will be torn between beautiful panoramic scenes of the fields of plumose anemones encrusting the wrecks and portraits of the strange creatures that inhabit every nook and cranny.

JOIN THE BELL ISLAND WRECKS EXPEDITION:

The Bell Island Sinkings
Bell Island is one of the few locations in North America that German forces directly attacked during the Second World War. U-boats raided the island twice in 1942, sinking four ore carriers and killing more than 60 men. The events highlighted how potentially vulnerable Newfoundland was to enemy attack, and it is perhaps not surprising that Canadian authorities, at the request of the Newfoundland Commission of Government, developed defensive plans in case the Germans tried to capture St. John's.
Scotia Pier after Torpedo Attack, 1942

Newfoundland lay across the vital trans-Atlantic convoy routes that supported the Allied war effort. Allied ships navigated these paths to bring vital supplies to Britain, but were often attacked by roving packs of German U-boats. Certain areas were more prone to attack than others and these were designated “Dangerous Waters.” Newfoundland was surrounded by such waters and this was made more than apparent on September 5, 1942 when a U-boat sank the SS Lord Strathcona and SS Saganaga off Bell Island.

The Attacks
U-513, under Kapitän-Leutnant Rolf Ruggeberg, had arrived off Newfoundland in August and patrolled the Strait of Belle Isle. Having had no success, Ruggeberg decided to try his luck closer to St. John’s. Noticing steamers coming in and out of Conception Bay, he followed the small Evelyn B into the Bell Island anchorage on the surface after dark on September 4, and then spent the night on the bottom in 24 metres of water. The next morning, Ruggeberg rose to periscope depth and in quick succession, sank the Strathcona and Saganaga. Twenty nine men were killed in the attack, all from the Saganaga. Shortly thereafter, the U-513 escaped on the surface.

The next attack at Bell Island occurred almost exactly two months later, on November 2, 1942. This time, the U-513’s sister ship, U-518 under K/L Friedrich Wissmann, crept into Conception Bay, again under cover of darkness. Wissmann maneuvered the U-boat near the cliffs so as to escape detection, and kept so close that the deck crew could see car headlights traveling along the cliff edge above them.

After the attack in September, the Wabana anchorage had been fortified with guns and searchlights, and Wissmann decided to make a hit and run raid on the surface. He maneuvered through the narrow entrance between Bell Island and Little Bell Island, and saw two steamers silhouetted by the searchlight beams. He fired at the first, the Anna T, and missed. The torpedo went under the stern of the Flyingdale tied up at the Scotia Pier and blew up against the pier itself with a loud explosion. The defenses now alerted, Wissmann knew time was running out and quickly fired at the Rose Castle, sinking it with the loss of 28 men.

The Rose Castle and PLM 27
Interestingly enough, this was not the first time a U-boat had attacked the Rose Castle. The ship had been present in September when the U-513 sank the Saganaga and Lord Strathcona. Further, it had also been attacked in October by the U-69, which was on its way home after sinking the North Sydney to Port aux Basques ferry, the SS Caribou. At that time, the Rose Castle was lucky – the torpedo was a dud and even though it hit the steamer, it bounced off without exploding.
Regardless, the Rose Castle was not as fortunate during the November attack and went down quickly with the loss of most of its crew. Local divers discovered the body of one of the torpedoes that sank the Rose Castle in July 2000, and the O-ring that once held the warhead was presented to the mayor of Wabana.

Next in Wissmann’s sights was the PLM 27, a Free French ship. It went down quickly and with the loss of 12 crew members. Wissmann now did an about face and sailed out the way he had come, escaping undetected even though the corvette HMCS Drumheller and two Fairmile fast motor boats were patrolling Conception Bay.

Spy Suspected
Both the authorities and civilian population were in shock at the destruction and loss of life, which occurred so soon after the September attack and Caribou sinking in October. They began to believe that a spy was involved and suspicion fell on the captain of the PLM 27. He had not been on board the night his ship was sunk, and had sold his piano to a Bell Island resident just a few days before the attack. The fact that he was French and his country occupied by the Germans only contributed to his appearance of guilt – perhaps the Nazis had somehow coerced him into working for them. An investigation ensued, but officials concluded that neither the captain nor any other spy was involved. However, it was later discovered that a spy was indeed at the anchorage that night – on board U-518 was Werner von Janowski, an agent of Germany’s Abwehr intelligence service.

Successfully eluding the Royal Canadian Navy after the attack, the U-518 made its way along the south coast of Newfoundland and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Wissmann’s orders were to put von Janowski ashore at a secluded spot in the Baie des Chaleurs between New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula. At 1:20 a.m. on November 9, von Janowski was landed not far from New Carlisle, Quebec. However, within 24 hours he was in the hands of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police having raised the suspicion of an innkeeper’s son with out-of-date money and Belgian matches. Von Janowski was eventually used as a double agent of dubious value.

Article by Paul Collins. ©2006, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site

Join us for the trip of a lifetime.

info@BigFishExpeditions.com