Battle of Cape Burnas

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Battle of Cape Burnas
Part of the Black Sea Campaigns of the Eastern Front of World War II
Locotenent-Comandor Stihi Eugen 1935.jpg
Romanian gunboat Stihi Eugen
Date1 October 1942
Location
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Flag of Romania.svg Romania
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany
Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  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.

Contents

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 M-118 and Shch-206, sunk on 9 July 1941. [7]

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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′N30°19′E / 45.883°N 30.317°E / 45.883; 30.317