SUBMARINOS U-BOOT

During the Second World War, the German submarines, when they fought against the allies and harassed the American and English merchants in the North Atlantic, used the Ría de Vigo as a refuge, from where they supplied food, fuel and rest for the crew. Vigo in turn became a city of spies who warned the allies when a Nazi submarine departed or approached. As a result of the attack by the allied forces, more than one German submarine was hit by their weapons and sunk in the vicinity of the Ría de Vigo. The existence of 4 of them is known in its waters:

• U-134. Sunk on August 24, 1943 off the Cíes Islands by the British Air Force "Royal Air Force Britanica".
• U-506. On July 12, 1943 it was sunk off the Cíes Islands by seven depth charges launched by the US B-24 “Liberator” bomber.
• U-523. Sunk off the Cíes Islands on August 25, 1943, after being bombarded by the British corvette HMS Walflower and the British frigate HMS Wanderer.
• U-760. Attacked and damaged by the British plane "Wellington" off the coast of Finisterre. He ended his days on September 8, 1943 in the surroundings of the Ría de Vigo, where he went to seek refuge. He surrenders in Vigo, but is transferred to Ferrol. At the end of the War, he is handed over to the Allies. Sunk in December 1945 in Northern Ireland in "Operation Deadlight" (elimination of the German submarine fleet).

These wrecks are found at great depth, as the seabed falls shortly after leaving the Cíes Islands. Almost impossible for divers, as it would take a robot or a bathyscaphe to reach them.

Various sources