You Guys Will Love This...

[Dennis7423]

Hey all, check this out!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060727/ap_ ... f_zeppelin

-Dennis S.
Greeley, CO

[Paul Krumrei]

You beat me to it. I just read that too!

Cool! Hope they put up a website with more information on it!

[TAdan]

Wow, I had no idea the Graf Zeppelin was ever even launched! I presumed it was scrapped during construction. This is a very cool story! I cant wait to hear more.

[tom d. friedman]

i wonder what the russkies did with her??? experiments??? just scuttle it??? retrieve nautical technology?? i remember an old wix thread on the subject too. scott.... start digging!!

[airnutz]

I don't remember why the Soviets turned 'er into a target, Tom. I would guess
that the Graf might have been too expensive to complete construction or/and,
...aircraft carriers at the time were outside of their strategic doctrine.

They loaded her up with explosives and took her out to the scuttle area
and set her off. 25 Pe-2's dropped 100 bombs on her..of which 5 found
their mark. Internal explosions continued into the night as she drifted. The
next day, 3 Torpedo Boats fired fish at her of which 1 hit. A Soviet
destroyer fired a torpedo into her to finish her off. Bad aim and German
engineering took 2 days to sink her.

Some sonar images of the Graf Zeppelin...
http://xs304.xs.to/xs304/06303/GZ_1.jpg

http://217.74.70.37/media/img/103/103221_e_big.jpg

http://217.74.70.37/media/img/103/103221_f_big.jpg

Might grab the images if ya want 'em, I'm not sure of bandwidth limitations
of the host site. Some video may be available over the next few days or
weeks...

Edit..
Forgot to mention, she lies at a keel depth of 80 meters.

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Last edited by airnutz on Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

[astixjr]

Well, you learn something every day. I would have lost a bet on this one. I had no idea that the Nazis ever built a carrier. I've never heard any stories about the allies trying to sink it even at the ship yard. Did it every make it to sea under it's own power? What planes were the Germans planning on using? Is there any movie footage of it? This is really interesting info.

[airnutz]

Well, you learn something every day. I would have lost a bet on this one. I had no idea that the Nazis ever built a carrier. I've never heard any stories about the allies trying to sink it even at the ship yard. Did it every make it to sea under it's own power? What planes were the Germans planning on using? Is there any movie footage of it? This is really interesting info.

Yepper...we can hook you up...Suhh! We got Me-109T's...Ju-87C's, a story
of sacrificing the Graf's completion in trade for increased U-Boat production
....and of course you have Hitler confusing himself with someone who could actually competently command his forces.

[airnutz]

Wow, I had no idea the Graf Zeppelin was ever even launched! I presumed it was scrapped during construction. This is a very cool story! I cant wait to hear more.

Welll ....she wasn't really launched, the Graf was towed away as a
semi-complete hull, most of the heavy work was done tho!!! There was
even speculation at one point, when the Germans killed the Graf project
...the catapult gear was transferd to the Italian proto-Carrier, the Aquila.
However, it's appearing it was a consultation thing and the Graf retained
her gear.

[mennie]

Thanks, I did not even know they had that!
Found more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_aircraft_carrier_Graf_Zeppelin

On 12 July 2006 a ship belonging to Petrobaltic (a Polish oil company) found a 265 m long wreck close to the port of Łeba which they felt was most likely the Graf Zeppelin. On July 26 the specialists of the Polish Navy ORP Arctowski commenced penetration of the wreckage to confirm its identity, and the following day the Polish Navy confirmed that the wreckage is that of the Graf Zepplin.

[tom d. friedman]

sounds as if the russkies needed to hone their target aiming skills. with those hit score results we had nothing to fear during the cold war!!

[airnutz]

with those hit score results we had nothing to fear during the cold war!!

That may be true...unless they were using Nukes!

More images at this Polish Navy website. At the bottom of the page are the
best 2, IMO. When you click on the thumbnail, a box will pop-up and
load the picture(slowly, if you're dial-up). Scroll down and click on the left
script "Powiekz", for a full screen image. Sorry these aren't a B-32 at the
bottom of the Nansei Trench folks...one o these days...

www.dzh.mw.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=arctowski_graf

[tom d. friedman]

great news of a great find, great pics too!! prior to this thread i never gave the liquid covered graf a 2nd thought. assumed she'd been cut up with the rest of the spoils of war. i'd love to see some close up r.o.v. shots!!

[airnutz]

Hopefully soon, Tom. The Poles made a big deal about reading the name
of the ship for positive ID. Maybe they'l at least show that one the earliest
to quell any skepticism...altho the sonar images couldn't be anything else.

[DaveM2]

http://www.feindfahrten.de/wbb2/thread. ... er=&page=7

[tom d. friedman]

WANT FEINDFAHRTEN?? EAT BAKED BEANS!! i know..... bad juvenile joke, but i couldn't resist!! on the more serious side, great detailed pics!! those pics must have been buried plenty deep in soviet soil!!