German Submarine in Mar del Plata

 German Submarine in Mar del Plata

At 7 a.m. on July 10, 1945, the silhouette of a submarine, whose profile did not resemble that of Argentine ships, unexpectedly surfaced a few hundred meters from some coastal fishing boats and a mile and a half from the port of Mar del Plata. Immediately, flashes of light began to be seen from the bridge of the submarine, attempting to contact naval authorities. A few hours earlier, the crew of the German U-530 submarine had thrown its main deck armament, torpedoes, electronic equipment, codes, and logbook into the sea.





Corvette Captain Ramón Soyuz, commander of the submarine "Salta" and in charge of the Mar del Plata Naval Base at the time, authorized the entry of the German vessel, which slowly docked in the Submarine Dock, near the "Belgrano" Coast Guard. The U-530's commander, 25-year-old Lieutenant Otto Wehrmut, lined up his 54 subordinates on deck, most of whom were between 19 and 24 years old and almost all undocumented.

Interrogations According to chronicles from the time, the sailors were "bearded and emaciated." Wehrmut had been appointed commander of the vessel in January 1945, having served as first officer since September 1944. The German sailors were immediately identified, and an initial interrogation was conducted with the help of Ecker, an Argentine conscript of German descent.

The U-530 surrendered at the Mar del Plata Naval Base on July 10, 1945 - Photo taken from the Family Photos section of the La Capital newspaper.




According to the captain, the U-530 had departed from the Kiel base on February 19, and after resupplying in Kristiansand, they were informed of the end of the war while heading towards the coast of New York. After the interrogations, Otto Wehrmut officially signed the surrender, and the Argentine flag was raised on the submarine's mast. "At the end of World War II in 1945, two German submarines surrendered at the Mar del Plata Naval Base. On July 10, 1945, U-530 surrendered with its 54-man crew under the command of Oberleutnant Otto Wermouth; on August 17, U-977 surrendered with 31 men under the command of Oberleutnant Heinz Zchaffer. Here, Argentine and German officers are seen on the submarine's conning tower after the surrender" - Photo taken from the Family Photos section of La Capital newspaper.




The U-530 departed from the port of Mar del Plata on July 15, towed by the ARA "Ona" and escorted by the destroyers ARA "Misiones" and ARA "San Juan," heading to Río Santiago, where it would later be boarded by 33 Americans who arrived by air. The German crew was temporarily interned on Martín García Island before being sent to the U.S. for further interrogations.




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