S/S STEN STURE ex.
​S/S MOUNT VERNON

Wreck with probably the most intersting and mysterious history in this area. Mt. Vernon was a cargo ship (1030 GRT) built in Bergens M/V in Bergen in 1900. On January 26th she sailed out on her last cruise from Gdynia to Helsinborg with a load of coal. Then became lost with 18 people on board until 1997 when the ship remains were identified by polish divers. The bell that was recovered on this occasion can be viewed in National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk. To date the reason for sinking is not clear - it was even the subject of an investigation by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two most popular theories speak of sinking on a WWII mine or deliberate sinking by the Polish border guards or Russians. According the Captain's last letter to family he expected that it will be a dangerous journey, the manned list disagreed with the starting list and there were more people on board than he should have. This could suggest that the ship was smuggling political refugees from Poland... Now rests on 29 m depth north of Władysławowo.

S/T BURGERMEISTER PETERSEN

Oil tanker (2788 GRT) with steam engine, built in Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell and Co. Ltd. in 1889 for Siemers. [This shipyard built the world’s first ocean-going tanker and completed 100 others up to the outbreak of war in 1914. Some twenty of them were for the German register]. Since 1891 Burgermeister Petersen carries oil for Deutsch - Amerikanische Petroleum Gesellschaft (DAPG),  Hamburg.  During WWI it serves in Kaiserliche Marine supplying U-boats. In 1915 it is moved to Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. After less than a month gets hit by a mine and sunks north of the Hel Peninsula at ca. 32 m. Twenty people from thirty four person crew gets killed.

"DREDGER"

Wreck of unknown dredger. She is lying on its side on 40 m depth, north off Jastarnia.

BOELCKE

Kriegsmarine seaplane tender (Flugsicherungsschiff K V - Karl-Meyer-Klasse), with a characteristic moving on rails crane that could load a seaplane on board, identified by Wojciech Jechna, Sławek Paćko and Dimitris Stavrakakis in 2013 as Boelcke (961 GRT). Built in 1942, Boelcke was sunk three years after by russian bombers Iljuschin Il-2 four nm east off Hel, despite shooting down one of the attackers. It managed to stay on the surface with fire on board till the next day attack. Picture above was taken just after the hit. 20 crewman were killed. The ship lies on its keel at 75 m depth. On the port side in the stern section there is a seal entangled in old fishing nets.

V-315

Obraz
Photo of Vorpostenboot (source unknown)
Ex. trawler BRIS (589 GRT) built in 1941 for the USSR in Norderwerft Koser & Meyer shipyard in Hamburg. Taken over by Kriegsmarine right after. Sunk after collision with S/S Hendrik Fisser 7 in 1945. In my humble opinion one of the best wreck in the area. She lies on sandy bottom at 60 m depth and is covered with heavy fishing gear. Unfortunately upper wheelhouse has collapsed recently.
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