CBC News on the possible discovery of remains of a German WW2 submarine in Labrador:
The German government says it is possible, but added that it would be “sensational and unusual,” that a submarine could have ended up so far inland.
“We do know that German U-boats did operate in that region,” said Georg Juergens, the deputy head of mission for the German Embassy in Ottawa.
He notes that a Second World War-era, battery-operated weather station was found decades after being left in Labrador by a U-boat. It is now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
“We must brace ourselves for surprises,” Juergens told CBC News, while stressing that the submarine has yet to be positively identified.
More than a dozen U-boats may still be unaccounted for, he said.
If the mystery find is proven to be a submarine wreck, the German government does not favour bringing it to the surface.
“That would be against our tradition and our naval customs,” Juergens said. “This site then would be declared a war grave at sea.”
He said Canadian policy dovetails with German policy on such matters.
According to Juergens, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is now involved in efforts to authenticate the possible wreck.
