News Releases
Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us  

NLIS 2
October 2, 2000
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

 

Torpedo locking ring to be retrieved

Jim Walsh, MHA-Conception Bay East and Bell Island, will be on hand today on behalf of Charles Furey, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, as divers retrieve a brass locking ring from a World War II German torpedo, which was discovered earlier this summer in waters off Bell Island.

"I am delighted to accept the locking ring on behalf of Minister Furey and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Mr. Walsh. "This locking ring has great value not only because it is such a rare artifact, but also because of its association with a tremendously important series of events in Newfoundland�s history."

"In 1942 during World War II, four large iron ore carriers, including the famous Rose Castle, were sunk by enemy action off the coast of Bell Island and several lives were lost," said Martha Drake, of the provincial archaeology office. "This torpedo belonged to one of the enemy German carriers, and lies dormant on the ocean floor. It was certainly an exciting find this summer, and we are anxious to retrieve the locking head, before it is removed by others and lost forever." The locking ring will immediately go to the provincial conservation lab for treatment.

The torpedo and locking ring were discovered by Ingo Vollmer, a German underwater photojournalist and professional diver. The locking ring is the mechanism by which the German warhead was attached to the body of the torpedo, and it is currently lying near the torpedo near the wreck of the Rose Castle off Bell Island. Mr. Vollmer originally discovered the torpedo through archival work and will be a part of the recovering team. Ocean Quest, a local boat charter company, has been retained to provide transportation to the recovery team.

Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Communications, (709) 729-0928.

2000 10 02 12:05 p.m.


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement