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On September 1, 1944 HMCS Saint John sank U-247.
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U-247
U-247 was a Type VIIC boat, laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel, on December 16, 1942. She was commissioned under Oblt. Gerhard Matschulat on October 23, 1943.
On July 5, 1944 U-247 sank the British fishing trawler Noreen Mary by gunfire about 20 miles west of Cape Wrath, Scotland.
U-247 had two patrols, the first from Oct. 23, 1943 until May 31, 1944, and the second from June 1, 1944 until her sinking on Sept. 1, 1944.
U-247 was sunk in the Channel near Lands End, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS Saint John and Swansea. All 52 crew were lost.
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U-247 wreckage
LtCmdr. Stacey with a charred locker door from U-247
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U-247 wreckage
LtCmdr. Stacey (right) holding a life raft recovered from the wreckage of U-247. The locker cover, life raft and breathing apparatus, were to be given to the New Brunswick Museum in 1945.
Museum staff have checked their donation and loan records and other correspondence, and cannot find any record that these items were indeed given to the museum.
The current location of these artifacts is unknown. Therefore, Admiralty records are now being researched to confirm the disposition of these artifacts. |
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