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Naufrages en pays de Lorient
Supplemented version
Naufrages en pays de Lorient
The best of!
Epaves en baie de Lorient
Twelve perils of the sea around Lorient shores
L'Armorique
The Ghost of Landévennec
S-BOOTE
Toutes les versions des vedettes lance-torpilles de la Kriegsmarine
U-Boote
De victoires en défaites
U-Boote
et la base de Keroman
Narval et Rubis
L'épopée des sous-marins FNFL
U 526
Histoire d'un U-Boot
Les Gardiens du Silence
Submarine wrecks over the world
Les Messagères de l'Histoire
South Brittany shipwrecks
L'Aumônier d'Escadre
Personal diary of a Squadron Chaplain
L'épopée des transports type Annamite
The Annamite class troopships Story
La Pierre des Portes
The sinking of the steamer Hilda
Gauss & Beijerland
DVD
Deep Rescue
The VMF rescue submarines story
The name MESSER has been associated with expertise in industrial gases for more than 100 years. MESSER Group manufacture and supply oxygen, nitrogen,
argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, helium, inert welding gases, special gases, gases for medicinal use and a wide variety of gas mixtures. From acetylene
to xenon, the MESSER Group has one of the most diverse product portfolios on the market – it produces industrial gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon,
carbon dioxide, hydrogen, helium, shielding gases for welding, specialty gases, medical gases and many different gas mixtures.
In 2012, MESSER Group becomes a preferential partner of l'Expédition Scyllias for deep dives on a WWII wrecks site off île de Groix. These ships,
laying far from coast by 85m to 95m deep, are difficult to access but their historic interest is big. The divers of l’Expedition Scyllias have
already made several investigations on two of them.
After researches, it turns out that these wrecks, up to here unknowns, could indeed be the former German submarine chasers UJ 1420
(ex. Eylau) and UJ 1421 (ex. Hela) who were poured on July 15th, 1944 during the escort of a cargoship (also sunk) by
three allied destroyers. A violent naval battle took place between both units of Kriegsmarine, belonging to the 14th flotilla of submarine chasers based
to Lorient, and the HMCS Haida, HMS Tartar and ORP Blyskawica. The German boats were sent by the bottom after an almighty
fight.
From left to right : Patrick Le Cossois, Jean-Louis Maurette and Vincent Gautron (photo : Alain Le Garro).
On May 16th, a binomial consisted of Vincent Gautron and Jean-Louis Maurette dived again in the discovery of these mesmerizing vestiges. Gases
were naturally provided by MESSER whereas Aquasport brought its technical support and whereas the security was ensured by Alain Le Garro and
Patrick Le Cossois, major personality of the dive in Lorient who came aboard his support-ship, Moana, and gave its maritime knowledge.
Every diver brought a trimix 17/40 for the bottom and an EAN 40 for the deco stops from -30m, the pure oxygen being used for deco stops at -6m and -3m.
The depth was of -89m.
On the left : Vincent Gautron and Jean-Louis Maurette are ready to dive.
On the right : Appropriate equipments for this deep dive
It is about a remarkable but completely ignored page of maritime history there, which took place in front of our coast and about which l’Expedition
Scyllias wishes to rerelease from the forgetting. It is happy to see that a big industrial group known all over the world as MESSER gets involved
actively beside this dynamics team in this sports and cultural activity that is the wreckdiving with, in purpose, the promotion of the immersed heritage
and the expansion of the knowledge.
A gauche : Vincent Gautron is diving in the... nothingness.
Au centre : After having fixed an Ariadne's clew on one of the wrecks, Vincent canvasses into this ghostly atmosphere.
A droite : Vincent at the deco stop.
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