The Rebikoff-Niggeler-Foundation has discovered a submarine of the German Kriegsmarine, which was sunk 75 years ago, at a depth of almost 900 meters, and produced high-resolution video material for the wreck.
The wreck was populated by cold-water corals and has turned into an artificial deep-sea reef. Exactly 75 years after these events, the wreck is a unique discovery for the exploration of the deep sea. The high-resolution video recordings made by the team of the research submarine LULA1000 through the PLEXIGLAS® dome provide valuable insights into how And under what conditions coral reefs develop in the deep sea.
Kirsten and Joachim Jakobsen, who are behind the LULA1000 operated by the Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation, knew these reports. A few years ago they began their own research on U-581. They talked with the timers, studied the records and could define an area in which the wreck had to be found.
The search was done with the approval of the Portuguese authorities, however, with the exclusion of the public from spring 2016. Previously, the accompanying catamaran had been equipped with elaborate technology, such as Multibeamsonar for the creation of 3D maps of the sea and a towed sonar with 2200 meters cable, which had high-resolution acoustic Taking up the sea floor to a depth of 1000 meters.
The wreck was found in September 2016. In addition to the historical aspect, this wreck is a unique scientific opportunity for marine biologists. So far it is relatively unclear how quickly and under what conditions cold water coral reefs grow in the deep sea. Since the date of U-581 is well known, the formation of the ecosystem on the wreck can be dated. Some of the coral species in the deep sea can be several hundred or even several thousand years old, an exact age determination is difficult. However, everything that lived on U-581 must be less than 75 years old and could be a new benchmark in research.
The work has not yet been completed for the foundation. By means of modern lighting technology further high-resolution pictures are to be taken. From these a virtual 3-D model of the originally approximately 70 meters long ship is to be created, which today is broken into two parts. A television documentary about the history and the scientific value of the sunken German war ship is also planned.
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