|
Wreckhunter.net |
Hunting New England Shipwrecks
U-550
Click on thumbnail image for a larger view
U-550 surfaced while
Pan Pennsylvania burned
(U.S. Navy photo)U-532 - Another
Type IX-C boat
U-550 wreck location map
(Daily Mail)U-550 sonar image - 2012
(Brad Sheard's press release)The table below provides historical and statistical data on the vessel. Some of the information may be incomplete. If you have additions or corrections, please e-mail us at the address listed below.
|
Shipwreck Data |
|
| Vessel Name | U-550 |
| Other Names | |
| Vessel Type | German submarine (Type IX-C) |
| Owner | German Navy |
| Length / Beam / Draft (feet) | 232' / 22' / 15' |
| Tonnage | 750 |
| Hull Construction | Steel |
| Propulsion | Diesel / Electric / Screw |
| Cargo | |
| Built | 1943 at Hamburg, Germany (Deutsche Werft AG) |
| Date of Loss | April 16, 1944 |
| Reason for Loss | Depth charges and gunfire from American destroyer escorts, following the U-550's torpedo attack on the American tanker Pan Pennsylvania, which was lagging behind its wartime convoy. |
| Fatalities | 44 (12 survivors) |
| Location | Approximately
70 miles south of Nantucket Island (MA), near the wreck of the Pan
Pennsylvania. The U-550 wreck was located by divers in 2012. For more information on the U-550, see the U.S. Coast
Guard's U-550
data page . Also see... Brad Sheard's press release http://www.bradsheard.com/u550.html Daily Mail page http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180845/German-U-boat-coast-Massachusetts-68-years-sunk-U-S-Navy.html Garry Kozak's site http://www.2kozak.com/index.html For more information on the Pan Pennsylvania, see our Pan Pennsylvania data page. And for more information on U-boats in New England waters, see our page called U-boat Facts and Legends . |
| Coordinates (Lat/Lon) | 40.09N / 69.44W (per U.S. Coast Guard records) |
| Coordinates (Loran C) | |
| Water Depth (feet) | Approximately 300' |
| Typical Visibility (feet) | |
| Wreck Condition | Upright and mostly intact |
| Diving Considerations | A very deep dive - for experienced tech divers only |
| Other Information | Immediately after the U-550 torpedoed the Pan Pennsylvania, the destroyer escorts USS Joyce, USS Peterson and USS Gandy, which were accompanying the convoy, hunted down and depth charged the sub. Following the depth charge attack, the wounded sub surfaced, engaged in a brief gun battle, then sank to the ocean floor. |
Attention Divers The information on this page was obtained from a variety of sources. Although we have attempted to make it as accurate as possible, it may contain errors. For your personal safety, use extreme caution when diving on this wreck. For more information on this wreck's location and history, and water and diving conditions in the area, contact local dive shop personnel, dive charter boat operators and local fishermen. Also check out the other shipwreck Websites listed on our Favorite Links page.
To go to other pages on this site, use the Site Navigator at left, or click here to go to our Home Page.
Comments or questions
editor@wreckhunter.net
Copyright © 2001 by Dave
Clancy
All Rights Reserved
