A Russian reconnaissance and diving team has found the wreck of the German military vessel Utlandshörn on the floor of the Barents Sea, more than 80 years after it sank in 1942. The team announced the discovery in its group on the social network VKontakte.
The ship was the first vessel sunk by Soviet motor torpedo boats during the Battle of the Arctic. It was built in Hamburg in 1927 and originally named Cartagena, later renamed Golfo de Panama, before receiving its final name, Utlandshörn, in 1939.
Wartime service
At the start of World War II, the German navy leased the ship to carry military cargo across the Baltic, North and Norwegian seas. After the start of what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War, it began supplying German forces in the Arctic, making runs to the ports of Kirkenes and Liinahamari.
The diving team said the ship was sunk in spring 1942 at the mouth of Pechenga Bay by a mine laid by Northern Fleet torpedo boat crews.
Identifying the wreck
Divers identified the vessel by its bell, which still bore its original name, Cartagena. The team plans to continue studying the Utlandshörn through underwater filming and archival research, with the goal of eventually producing a documentary film.
