A conundrum that has baffled scholars for over eighty years has at last been resolved. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
A French U-boat, which was lost during the Second World War, has been located off the shoreline of a stunning Spanish city, bringing to a close a quest that has captivated historians for over eight decades. A team of investigators have verified the locating of the wreckage of Le Tonnant, a submarine of the French Navy purposefully scuttled – destroyed by its own personnel to prevent its sophisticated technology from falling into enemy hands – throughout the 1942 Allied landings in North Africa.
This extraordinary find was accomplished through the collaboration of a Franco-Spanish group of investigators and divers hailing from the University of West Brittany and the University of Cadiz. The team, guided by oceanographer Erwan L’Her, commenced their expedition by carefully studying an extensive collection of archival records, a task made difficult due to inconsistencies found within the historical data. As an illustration, while the investigators possessed knowledge that the 302ft-long remains had to be situated somewhere on the ocean floor between Spain and Morocco, its precise coordinates were unknown. They also carried out preliminary dives in zones such as the Guadalquivir estuary, yet without any success.
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Nevertheless, the pivotal moment came when researchers from Cadiz scrutinized decades-old journals and nautical documents, which facilitated the refinement of the search to a particular area near Cadiz. Employing multibeam sonar technology, the team then recognized a sunken vessel with specifications and a configuration that closely resembled those of Le Tonnant. Specialists have declared that the gathered proof is now substantial enough to ascertain the submarine’s identification.
It is understood that Le Tonnant was deliberately sunk by its French company during Operation Torch, the extensive Allied incursion into French-controlled Morocco and Algeria in November of 1942. Subsequent to France’s capitulation to Nazi Germany in 1940, the succeeding Vichy France administration – frequently labeled as a Nazi puppet state by historians – endeavored to uphold approval with Hitler, hoping to acquire a favorable peace agreement.
In the year 1942, France took pride in possessing the world’s preeminent submarine armada; however, numerous ships, among them Le Tonnant, were anchored and not prepared for engagement when the assault by US forces got underway on the 8th of November. Le Tonnant suffered irreparable damage, and its commanding officer, Paumier, perished during the shelling.
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The sonar readings obtained by the investigators distinctly display the submarine’s frontward diving fins, command tower, and pivoting torpedo systems. The stern is partially sunk into the seabed, approximately 20 feet beneath the adjacent ocean bottom.
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Researchers have emphasized that the wreckage will remain undisturbed. It will instead be documented as a submarine war memorial and a site of historical significance, offering a fresh understanding of a predominantly obscure segment of the Second World War’s narrative in southern Spain.
This noteworthy finding emerges merely days after the declaration that the relics of several individuals from around 3,300 years ago had been unearthed at a UK wind farm. The investigators have characterized the discovery as a “mysterious mass burial event”, interpreting it as a sign of a calamitous occurrence that transpired in the late Bronze Age.