Battle of Cape Burnas

Battle of Cape Burnas
Part of the Black Sea Campaigns of the Eastern Front of World War II

Romanian gunboat Stihi Eugen
Date1 October 1942
LocationCape Burnas, Romania
Result Inconclusive; Soviet submarine accomplishes her goal of sinking the German ship, but is subsequently sunk herself by Romanian gunboats
Belligerents
Romania Romania
 Nazi Germany		  Soviet Union
Strength
2 gunboats
1 transport ship
1 flying boat		 1 submarine
Casualties and losses
1 transport ship sunk 1 submarine sunk
16-19 killed
2,000 Soviet POWs killed aboard the sunken German ship

The Battle of Cape Burnas was a naval engagement between the Soviet and Romanian navies near the Burnas Lagoon in October 1942.

On 1 October 1942, the Soviet M-class submarine M-118 attacked and sank the German transport ship Salzburg, which was carrying on board 2,000 Soviet prisoners of war. After attacking, the submarine was located by a German BV138C flying boat, and the Romanian gunboats Sublocotenent Ghiculescu and Stihi Eugen were sent to the scene. The two Romanian warships attacked the Soviet submarine with depth-charges, sinking her with all hands.[1][2][3]

Alternative versions

Recent surveys in the area failed to find the wreck in the alleged sinking location and it has been raised the alternative version that M-118 was lost due German seaplane attack [4] or a Romanian field from barrage "S-30"[5].

At the same time, one literary source attests that two Soviet submarines were confirmed to have been sunk by Romanian surface units.[6] There are several Soviet submarines claimed to have been sunk by Romanian surface warships, but the two most valid claims are M-118 and Shch-206, sunk on 9 July 1941.

References

  1. ↑ Antony Preston, Warship 2001-2002, p. 79
  2. ↑ Donald A Bertke, Gordon Smith, Don Kindell, World War II Sea War, Vol 7: The Allies Strike Back p. 179
  3. ↑ Mikhail Monakov, Jurgen Rohwer, Stalin's Ocean-going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935-1953, p. 266
  4. ↑ http://www.sovboat.ru/ship/m118.php3 M-118 on sovboat.ru (Russian)
  5. ↑ http://docplayer.ru/amp/27819615-Tragediya-transporta-zalcburg-i-gibel-podvodnoy-lodki-m-118.html Tragedy of transport "Salzburg" and the loss of submarine "M-118" (Russian)
  6. ↑ David T. Zabecki, World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, 2015, p. 708

Coordinates: 45°53′N 30°19′E / 45.883°N 30.317°E / 45.883; 30.317

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