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
Location
Cape Burnas, Romania
Result Soviet submarine sank
Belligerents
Kingdom of Romania Romania
 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 BV 138C 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 to a German seaplane attack[4] or from a Romanian field barrage "S-30".[5]

At the same time, one source reported that two Soviet submarines were 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 the M-118 and Shch-206, sunk on 9 July 1941.[7]

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. ^ "Великая Отечественная - под водой". www.sovboat.ru. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  5. ^ "ТРАГЕДИЯ ТРАНСПОРТА «ЗАЛЬЦБУРГ» И ГИБЕЛЬ ПОДВОДНОЙ ЛОДКИ «М-118» - PDF Скачать Бесплатно". docplayer.ru. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  6. ^ David T. Zabecki, World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, 2015, p. 708
  7. ^ Preston 2001, p. 72

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