Dampskipet Peter Bornhofen ble bombet av russiske fly den 17 august 1944 i Reinsundet under en reise til Kirkenes med forsyninger til den tyske hær som trengte å forsynes. Skipet var bygget i 1919 og eiere befant seg i Hamburg, men i likhet med mange andre sivile skip, ble hun chartret av Kriegsmarine under den andre verdenskrig. Ombord på skipet befant det seg forskjellige forsyninger til den tyske hær, og blant det mer populære for sportsdykkere er en stor haug med hestesko som kan bli funnet i det aktre lasterommet. Saga Shipping ( ex Høvding ), som også tok seg av vrakene Tirpitz og Donau etter den andre verdenskrig, eier vraket og har ikke noe imot at man tar med seg noen hestesko hjem som en souvenir. Vraket av Peter Bornhofen hviler idag på en dybde av tjuefem til femtifem meter stående på kjølen som et " Donald Duck " vrak. En advarsel for dårlig sikt og sterk strøm på vrakstedet...

The steamer Peter Bornhofen was bombed by Russian airplanes on the 17th of August 1944 in Reinsundet during a journey to Kirkenes city with supplies to the German army which needed to be rearmed. The vessel was laid down in 1919, and the owners was located in Hamburg, but just like other civilian vessels, she was chartred by Kriegsmarine under the second world war. Onboard the vessel there were several different supplies to the German army, and among the more popular for sports divers is a big pile of horse shoes which can be located in the stern cargo room. Saga Shipping ( ex Høvding ), who also took care of the wrecks Tirpitz and Donau after the second world war, owns the wreck  and has nothing against that people takes a few of the horse shoes back home as a souvenir. The wreck of Peter Bornhofen rest today on a depht of twenty five to fifty five meters standing on her keel as a " Donald Duck " wreck. A warning for bad visibility and strong current on the wreck site...

 

Name:
Former names:
 Material:
Dimensions:
Peter Bornhofen
 Kurland
Steel
72,9x 10,9x ? m.
       
Tons: Built: Homeport: Cargo:
1345 grt Krimpen ( D ) 1919 Hamburg ( D )  

 

Underwaterpicture: © Kai Garseg

 

Supplementary information provided by Kiril Klementeuv:

17 Aug 1944 from 11.00 till 11.05 7 Soviet tactical air strike groups of VVS
SF (including 36 planes - 19 A-20 "Boston", 5 IL-4 and 12 IL-2 under the
cover of fighters) attacked German ships in the Kirkenes area. In this airstrike
soviet planes sank 2 german freighters -one of them "Peter Bornhofen"with a cargo of 1323 tonnes
of food and "Sebu" (1894 grt) and 3568 tonnes of ammunition. Also some oil tanks in Kirkenes burned and 8 man in the harbour were wounded. Soviet lost a total of nine airplanes - 2 A-20, 2 IL-4, 2 P-39 and 3 P-40`s. Besides ships the Germans also lost two Bf-109 \ G-6 fighters.

 

Edited 29.06.2007