Sweden Identifies Wrecked Soviet Sub

04.12.2012 In Russia, diesel-electric torpedo submarine S-6 started her last deployment in Aug 1941 is still considered missing in action. However, representatives of Swedish Navy who recently examined an unknown sub lying in Swedish territorial waters are sure that S-6 is found, reports Central Navy Portal referring to a letter received by St. Petersburg Submariners' Club from Capt Christian Allerman, assistant to Swedish Navy Commander. In his letter, the officer refers to results of the expedition sent on his initiative to the wreck site of the Soviet submarine.

Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov will be formally notified about the founded sub in the nearest future. According to Central Navy Portal, a letter endorsed by Swedish Navy Commander Rear Admiral Jan Thörnqvist has been already written to him. The letter informs Russian Navy command on the found submarine and the site of her wreck.

The sunken sub was examined by the crew of Swedish submarine-salvage ship Belos which was sent to the Gotland Island specially for that purpose. Brief results of that expedition are put in the abovementioned letter written by Swedish Navy Commander's assistant to the St. Petersburg's Submariners' Club Igor Kurdin. According to Allerman, the rescue ship not only detected the sub but found her precise coordinates which are not exactly the site earlier mentioned by a Swedish diving team.

Recall that Swedish divers found wrecks of Soviet WW2 submarine back in summer 2011, but their identification needed much time. Diving team "250 Bar" chanced upon the sunken sub when diving near the Gotland Island.

St. Petersburg Submariners' Club and Central Navy Portal hope that Swedish colleagues would help in fastest official identification of the sub. If so, overdue tribute to lost Soviet submariners would be paid. It is impossible without descendants of the S-6 crewmembers, that is why FLOT.com and St. Petersburg Submariners' Club are looking for relatives of the lost submariners.

Historical background

S-6 is a Soviet diesel-electric attack submarine (IX-bis series, S-class, sometimes mentioned as Stalinets) participated in the Soviet-Finnish and the Great Patriotic (WW2) wars. She was laid down on Dec 28, 1935 at Shipyard No. 189 in Leningrad under serial number 279 and letter number N-6.

The submarine was put afloat on March 31, 1938 and commissioned on Nov 27, 1939. On Aug 2, 1941 the submarine started her last deployment to the Bornholm Island (Denmark); then the contact was lost, and the sub's further fate was unknown.