Libyan ports

[TP Alexander]

How many Panzers are still sitting in the holds of ships, inside or just outside the harbors of Tripoli and other reception points?
It is my understanding that because of munitions that were on board the same vessels, that many of the wrecks are still sitting at the bottom of the harbors, unable to be salvaged because of the possibility of detonations.
Tim

[ENGLISH BOB]

How many Panzers are still sitting in the holds of ships, inside or just outside the harbors of Tripoli and other reception points?
It is my understanding that because of munitions that were on board the same vessels, that many of the wrecks are still sitting at the bottom of the harbors, unable to be salvaged because of the possibility of detonations.
Tim

I've often thought that Tim,somewhere just off the coast of Libya is a StugIII D sitting all by its lonesome,what a prize that would be to find...A copy of the ships log a sonar and a crane

Bob

[TP Alexander]

I've often thought that Tim,somewhere just off the coast of Libya is a StugIII D sitting all by its lonesome,what a prize that would be to find...A copy of the ships log a sonar and a crane

Bob

Obviously, you know a story that I don't!!
Enlighten me, please.


Also, I was thinking of ships that were freshly harbored, waiting to unload PzKw III's fur Die Afrika Kprps, that were bombed and sunk by the British.
I believe that there are two shiploads of them in the Tripoli harbor or maybe just outside, on the approaches.
I wonder how deep the water is there?
I'd do a little research and go to look if it weren't for the murderous political situation there.
I will go if I can win the lottery in a big way!!!

[Ironcrown]

And what about italian tanks, these are even rarer than the german ones!

[Lloyds]

70 years in saltwater = not great condition + maybe wartime damage

[ENGLISH BOB]

70 years in saltwater = not great condition + maybe wartime damage

Depends on depth,the deeper it lies the better the condition it will be in (less Oxygen),would need the ships log that these 3 stugs where transported back to Britain in,why they suddenly decided to toss one over the side not long after leaving port i do not know,but its there waiting to be found...
Ref. the other two stugs IIID one ended up as a hard target on the Pirbright range,I think recovered by Bob Fleming and then went to Kevin Wheatcroft's collection,then traded with Jon Phillips who worked a miracle and bought it back to life and can now be seen at shows like War & Peace in the UK.
The other StugIIID ended up in a Museum in Sweden.I don't know the back story to this one other than its in excellent condition.

Anybody can add to this please do

Bob

[ENGLISH BOB]

Obviously, you know a story that I don't!!
Enlighten me, please.


Also, I was thinking of ships that were freshly harbored, waiting to unload PzKw III's fur Die Afrika Kprps, that were bombed and sunk by the British.
I believe that there are two shiploads of them in the Tripoli harbour or maybe just outside, on the approaches.
I wonder how deep the water is there?
I'd do a little research and go to look if it weren't for the murderous political situation there.
I will go if I can win the lottery in a big way!!!

Hi Tim,
I would love to get involved in a project like that,I bet there's some real gems just waiting to be found,you could probably say the same about the desert too but as you say the political situation there won't make a recovery operation feasible anytime soon.....The stug IIID however is feasible for recovery if it could be found.
Cheers
Bob

[Lloyds]

but back in the real world a bombed ship with bomb damaged or destroyed stugs and 70 year + live ordinance all at the bottom of the sea corroding away in a unfriendly area were no one is interested and most of all who will finance the recovery (really expensive)
on top of all that they would be in crap condition like the Gibb stug(ex sunken ship) it was and still is a poor example the only thing that saved that restoration was a lot of cash and a ex finish donor stug as nearly all of the raised stug was to bad to use

[TP Alexander]

As someone mentioned previously, certain areas of the water are oxygen free and very cold. This prevents deterioration of metal, even in salt water.

It’s all an exercise in wishful thinking anyhow, as I am just a poor American citizen who doesn’t wish to die, by any method, in Libya.

It’s just intellectual curiosity anyhow.
But I’d bet that there could possibly be shipping manifests that are known to have been sunk prior to unloading on the shores of North Africa.

but back in the real world a bombed ship with bomb damaged or destroyed stugs and 70 year + live ordinance all at the bottom of the sea corroding away in a unfriendly area were no one is interested and most of all who will finance the recovery (really expensive)
on top of all that they would be in crap condition like the Gibb stug(ex sunken ship) it was and still is a poor example the only thing that saved that restoration was a lot of cash and a ex finish donor stug as nearly all of the raised stug was to bad to use