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On board the "Sante Fe" were vital supplies for the Wehrmacht; 1278 tons of mixed materials including petrol, ammunition for both ground weapons and aircraft as well as 10 Stugs and 2 Jagdpanzers!
At around 05.50 hours the forward hold was rocked by a violent explosion, probably as a result of a torpedo attack. The resulting fire soon took hold and at 06.36 another large internal explosion broke the ships back. In a few violent moments the "Sante Fe" disappeared beneath the waves. Of her crew, 28 were lost, 16 of whom were never recovered.
The Germans logged the reference point where she sank as 45 05 degrees North, 33 16 degrees East. Research has proved this reference to be wrong. It actually lies at 46 06.225' degrees North 33 16.580 degrees East. She lies a mere 21 meters from the surface, the wreck projecting some 10 meters from the seabed.
If the Wehrmachts records are accurate then the "Sante Fe" had 12 AFV's on board. Of these two have already been recovered, the Stug III featured on these pages and a Saukopfs mantlet version now on loan to the Lubuskie Museum in Poland.
The two men responsible for their recovery were called Karatov & Panko.
The discovery & recovery of original German military hardware was always going to be a potential cause of friction and this was to be sadly the case for the "Sante Fe" and her cargo. The rivalries increased. The Saukopf Stug went to the Lubuskie museum, the trapezoidal Stug III to Panko.
The individual who financially backed this operation has lost all his money!
The "Sante Fe" has yet again released two more Stug III! One is offered for sale by the group responsible for the recovery, this Stug is restorable using parts of the fourth vehicle also raised recently.
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