The Vigsnes (Wreck)

 Second World War 1939-1945, shipwreck, invisible, draw only border

OBERLEUTNANT JURGEN KUHLMANN took over U-1172 in April 1944 when she was first commissioned, and commanded the U-boat for the whole of her short operational life. In fact he died with her and all his 38 crew when caught by Royal Navy escorts as he attacked coastal shipping in late January, 1945, writes Kendall McDonald.
Kuhlmann's command was one of hundreds of VIIC boats turned out during the war, with yearly improvements on each batch.
U-1172 was a VIIC (1944 type) of 860 tons, 67.2m long, with a beam of 6.2m, driven by two 1400hp diesels on the surface giving 17 knots, and two 375hp electric motors when submerged, at just 8 knots. She carried 14 torpedoes for one stern and four bow tubes. In 1944 they changed the guns to a 3.7cm, with two twin 2cm guns for anti-aircraft use.
On 21 January Kuhlmann was working with Kapitanleutnant Rolf Nollman in a sister-sub, U-1199, attacking the UK coastal convoy TBC 43 near the Lizard. After claiming to have sunk the US Liberty ship George Hawley (she was only damaged and was towed to Falmouth, beached and later refloated), Nollman suddenly stopped transmitting and was reported as sunk by the convoy's anti-submarine escorts.
Kuhlmann on the same day claimed to have torpedoed the Norwegian steamer Galatea from the TBC43 convoy. Two days later, he reappeared attacking ships in MH1, another coastal convoy in the Irish Sea.
One ship in that convoy was the 1599-ton Norwegian steamer Vigsnes. She left Cardiff with a cargo of 1936 tons of Welsh coal on 21 January, and headed north for Glasgow.
Travelling in a similar direction was U-1172.
U-boat met collier in the Irish Sea just after midnight on 23 January, 21 miles from the Isle of Man. The Captain of the Vigsnes spotted something light-coloured in the water to port. He must have glimpsed the wake of a torpedo from Kuhlmann's bow tubes, for moments later one exploded in the engine-room, bringing the Norwegian to a swishing halt.
The Vigsnes was filling with water, so the Captain ordered his crew to abandon ship. The vessel seemed to stabilise on an even keel, so the routine was straightforward. Vigsnes didn't founder until 4.50pm.
Kuhlmann went deep, surfacing only to radio his success back to base and then set off in the convoy's wake in search of other victims. He fired a torpedo at one of the escort ships, the lease-lend frigate HMS Manners, but was wildly inaccurate in claiming to have sunk her.
In fact, on 26 January, Manners, along with three Lease-Lend frigates, HMS Aylmer, Bentinck and Calder, depth-charged U-1172 out of existence in the Irish Sea, 32 miles north-east of Dublin.