A year ago, as Baltictech, we set ourselves the goal of finding the last 5 (undiscovered so far) shipwrecks participating in Operation Hannibal - the largest maritime evacuation of the world. An evacuation during which the Germans lost 247 ships.
About 100 were recovered after the war, and the rest is still lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, including the three most famous: Gustloff, Goya, Steuben. Most of the wrecks are very damaged and some are small boats and barges impossible to identify. The biggest ones not found so far are:
Orion, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Baltenland, Gerrit Fritzen
Last year we found and identified the SS Karlsruhe and a week ago the SS FRANFURT.
The ship was sunk by the Soviet Air Force on 22 March 1945. on its way to Gdynia to pick up German refugees.
The wreck lies 40 nm north of Rozewie at a depth of 82 metres. According to the report she was not carrying any cargo and the whole crew survived. The wreck is in good condition, the stern slightly buried in the bottom. The rest is heavily axed but looks beautiful. The unit is "militarized", that means it has anti-aircraft gun sockets at the bow and stern.
Identification is 100% thanks to inscription on the bell.
