Ship sunk by infamous Nazi sub in 1944 found off coast of Maine
Summary
The wreck of the Canadian steamship SS Cornwallis, sunk by a German submarine off Maine in December 1944, was found in July nearly 400 feet underwater, according to the Nomad Exploration Team. The same submarine, U-1230, had landed two German spies in Maine four days before sinking the ship.Key Facts
- The Cornwallis was a 5,458-ton merchant ship built in Vancouver and launched in 1921.
- U-1230 torpedoed the ship on Dec. 3, 1944, as it traveled along the Maine coast.
- The ship sank in less than 10 minutes.
- Of the 48 people aboard, five survived; one other person who reached a life raft died of hypothermia.
- The five survivors were rescued by fishing boats and taken to Rockland, Maine, aboard a U.S. Navy ship.
- U-1230 had landed German agents Erich Gimpel and William Colepaugh near Hancock, Maine, on Nov. 29, 1944.
- The Nomad Exploration Team used side-scan sonar to locate the wreck and later dives to confirm its identity.
- Gimpel and Colepaugh were sentenced to death by a military court, but their sentences were later changed to life in prison.
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