THE 'SEEHUND' RECOVERY

Towards the end of World War II, a German two-man submarine of the Seehund Seal Class with two live torpedoes grounded on the Dutch coast near Egmond aan Zee. The sea and the sand did their work and it dissapeared from sight, subsequently to be completely forgotten until a classic North Sea winter storm partly exposed the hull. The Dutch Navy ordered recovery of the sub so the torpedos could be safely disarmed.
April 2002, complying with strict regulations, SVITZER Salvage and partner Woud Wormer sank a cofferdam around the still partly sunken sub. Carefully sand was removed and even more careful handling exposed the torpedoes which were disarmed by specialists.
Despite the submarine had broken, it is hoped nonetheless that it will find a place in a local museum to serve as a reminder of past time.

[@roberthendry6492]

I lived in Holland in 1996/7 and how these people could do with water,what they needed to accomplish/to complete whatever they needed, never ceased to astound me....and they live below sea level, thanks to their own ingenuity!👍

[@Dirtbug473]

Ive learned much from my bro-in-law a retired EOD Specialist...who has trained with all EOD people of other countries years ago involved with NATO. These guys in this clip are "guttsy" . Im told they train, train, train and learn...to avoid getting hurt. Hats off to such a gifted bunch who help protect us all.!!!

[@bernieshort6311]

These mini subs sinking 100,000 tons of shipping in the latter years of the war is astounding. That’s a lot of tonnage given the times and the small size of the mini submarines. A very interesting video, thank you.

[@1980RPMC]

This mini sub now rests at it’s final place in a museum. Bunkermuseum in IJmuiden. They rescued the mini sub from the because it was going to scraped etc. They even had contact with the former captain and have quite a lot of info about this mini sub.

[@johnjephcote7636]

The contractors having plenty of experience in moving sand, is an understatement for the Dutch.

[@h2energynow]

Nice video and explanation on why it was done this way. Glad everyone was safe.

[@frederickburns1739]

History continues seventy years later!!! Great video!!!

[@maxdwyer8761]

@Bill Williams You say that like the "world'" had nothing do do with it.

[@alexwild4350]

To those who ask "Why didn't they just blow the torpedo’s in place and save all the money ?" The answer is it would have spread all the other recoverable pollutants all over the place and cleaned up nothing. That is the lead from the internal batteries, the copper and brass from the wardhead casing which after 70 odd years 'still shined'. The wiring, other brass fittings, oil from the engine, alloys and so the list goes on, all would have been spread far and wide, and not cleaned away.

[@samfrancisco8095]

Not if covered with blast pads.

[@FJPETER]

The true reason is they have unlimited budget paid from Germany

[@philiphorner31]

Yes lead does not come from the earth.

[@ricksmith4736]

Greta said not to

[@andyhastings5950]

@@philiphorner31 pissant question. Oil also comes from the ground. You want me to spread a 55 gal drum of used oil all over your living space???? Same with lead, especially lead oxide that is found in acid filled batteries. Now do you get the message??

[@m.g.540]

Nerves of steel working so close to those torpedoes , you would find me one mile down from those things!

[@MrDriftspirit]

yeah, must be made for jobs like these. but the human psyche has normally a protective "device". the more time you spend at a danergerous situation(explosives, fire, speed, on a roof or at clibing, parachuting ...) the more you loose the fear in it. only respect and carefulnes remains (if the people were clever and not addicted in adrenalin)...but a little tiny risk still remains, as seen in göttingen in 2013 as 3 very experienced war material removers were killed while prepreparings for a dismantling of a 500kg bomb with an acidic detonator..

[@robkunkel8833]

This type of work, which I thought was called “cofferdam” (an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out) seems so complicated. Yet, it has been used for centuries. Good work. Music background? … well, it ain’t that bad.

[@kismeaholyoufoks3390]

if you see the welding at 4.50 you know why it collapsed

[@Shadowofthesoldier]

17:00 That's a masive plume of water! I lived in Saint-Nazaire, and we regularily got EOD teams at work in town and at the beach because of all the german activities and allied bombing during ww2.

[@Highspeedoffset1]

Really, And what was the size of the triggering charge?

[@mileshigh1321]

And people are complaining about fishes dying....Where do they think they can explode these on land safely?

[@jameseastwood4984]

My grandfather Commander Tom Boyd took part in the St Nazaire raid and won the DSO.

[@Schlappenschleuder]

my eyes are burning from the corrupt framerate of the video

[@wjp255]

Awesome video. I enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@elizabethannferrario423]

Oh my dear lord thank god no one was hurt ! A great job ! A privilege to see this excavation! How dangerous,

[@rickmaggie1]

Interesting, I did not even know about this type of German U boat.

[@parker1ray]

I know it's part of history, but there is nothing left!

[@stevearizona521]

....and the CSS Hunley which sank in 1864, is in far better shape, while it's being restored in a museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

[@thomaslabantt6625]

Should of restored it for history

[@samjam2376]

i like when the one guy says "everytime we do this there's something special" like they recover submarines everyday.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

+Glen Collins -- The Dutch salvage firm Mammoet recovered the sunken Russian submarine Kursk, so perhaps they don't recover submarines every day, but surprisingly often.

[@samjam2376]

+Kevin Byrne ok

[@asArsenic]

They kinda do. They are professional salvers.

[@sullybiker6520]

Dutch engineering is just amazing.

[@abnurtharn2927]

Six years ago, any updates?

[@Gremriel]

The remains are on display at the Bunker Museum Ijmuiden (NL) bunkermuseum.nl/expo-atlantic-wall-2/

[@duanelohr1869]

If I were Danish, I would have to ask why? I think drill holes around the sub, put in a few tons of TNT, get everyone out of there, and just blow up the sub and the torpedoes into smaller pieces. Cost? A lot less than what was spent.

[@onthetracksof007]

Why Danish?

[@davidpawson7393]

Deaf too?

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

Pretty good charge for an old bomb.

[@originalwolf8297]

Funny what beautiful things are possible with stop motion filming. This Lego movie looks so real it's amazing.

[@bwghall1]

why risk it by taking on board ship/ why not blow it up in the dingey.

[@samjam2376]

does seem like a major project for what is being done

[@MrTimothytim]

True, but worth it if it cleans of the explosives from your swimming/living area by time :)

[@matthewcoldicutt5951]

Absolutely, Sam. One has to admire the skills and efficiency of the Dutch salvors. Real pros

[@davidpawson7393]

@Dragomir Ronilac What's your solution? Let kids find it after a storm and blow up?

[@joelonzello4189]

Wow ! Still deadly after all these years....

[@rogerhazen3664]

Great video, thanks for recording such event. History is important

[@theephemeralglade1935]

Okay, but the videos is giving me a nervous tick.

[@nickforgie4290]

Seehund is the nickname of type of sub it was, the XXVII midget sub. the one they are digging up is the u-5095.

[@the_jcbone]

Who encoded this? My eyes hurt.

[@mmi16]

No mention of what the cost of the operation was with men, materials and equipment - what ever it was - it wasn't cheap!

[@Gremriel]

About €1.000.000 at that time.

[@bogomir67]

Why are These SVITZER vides always so jerky? The audio is smooth, but not the video?

[@me109g4]

Excellent video, thank you very much. Too bad the sub was in such bad shape, hopefully something can be done to it to make it look like a sub again. JT

[@wayinfront1]

That was one heck of a bang at around 17 minutes in.

[@clifforddodson5459]

They where still live ! That explosion 💥 was huge!

[@RubenKelevra]

Yeah but that was only a tiny section of the explosive force those torpedoes can unleash.

[@heloripascal8997]

So. how much of that explosion was actual torpedo and how much of it was the charge used to set it off ?

[@conormcmenemie5126]

WIJSMULLER? Is that the same tug/salvage company which produced TOM WYSMULLER, the late former NASA meteorologist?

[@maurice9551]

Framerate? Which framerate?

[@mikeray1544]

Did they send the disposal bill to Germany?

[@pedrolistacarey4880]

Quit smoking grass, dude...

[@davidpawson7393]

So drlling offshore creates greater shock waves than the surf zone during a storm?

[@thepostman41]

Good lesson on how government wastes money...

[@theonlybuzz1969]

Very cool explosion of the warheads,

[@philiphorner31]

That's a pretty nice explosion.

[@michaelmace924]

Good job guys

[@damianousley8833]

Build a coffer dam and dredge out the sand and remove the heavily corroded mini submarine and the torpedoes which were heavily corroded. It would have been more fun to implace some explosives and blown it and the torpedoes up insitu and then allow the sea to fill in the hole with sand. A rusty bit of metal in a museum which has limited appeal considering most of the German minisubmarines were scrapped or sunk in deep water at wars end.

[@blipco5]

No mention of the souls on board?

[@sirbash6787]

Sure the marine life was well happy about the 20m depth

[@klausvonschmit4722]

Finally, our brothers in Europa have realized there is life after wearing banana hammock for swim wear! 😂

[@xiro6]

no minisubs where hurt in the recording of this documentary.

[@DL6UK]

The sailors who were inside did a clever job beaching it and so saving numerous lives and theirs!!!!!We all can be proud of them nomatter what nationality we are.

[@michaelmckinnon9169]

Was the Seehund preserved and restored to static display condition?

[@garywheeler7039]

Its a pretty deteriorated and rusty bit of mangled metal.

[@jlhighfield9116]

How much $$$$ did this project cost

[@heyabusa1]

We really dont need the 'music'

[@oleriis-vestergaard6844]

Thats really a wreck

[@ozziemederos]

awesome video

[@finscreenname]

Holland just let it sit on the beach for 50 years with live torpedoes under it????

[@asArsenic]

The submarine is just one of the tens of thousands of tons of unexploded munitions in the Netherlands. There has been a clean-up effort ongoing since the end of WW2 and they are STILL busy. The submarine was stable and away from a populated area. The chance of anyone getting hurt was extremely low and the cost of removal was fairly high.

[@bigglesworth480]

and they could have spent the money on making new weapons?

[@asArsenic]

roderick fysh Why would they do that?

[@phyllisbentley5067]

I'm not so sure it's that easy to cause a torpedo to detonate, especially after being UNDER a beach for decades. But then, it's German ordinance, I don't know what type of detonator it used and the only expert I know on the subject died in a stupid auto accident 50 years after the war was over. Unbelievable that he survived so much in WW2 and died because some young, drunken fool wanted his side of the road too.

[@waskozoids]

just in case.

[@ArtVanAuggie]

Those two explosions were (are) stock footage of unrelated incidents.

[@akan626]

I wanted to see how they took the screws off the detonator.

[@bwghall1]

how many fish were stunned?

[@garrydavis3475]

Great great job with getting rid of the torpedos

[@ttesheba]

Increible rescate.

[@catchaser52]

Someone made a lot of $$$$$ Why didn't they just blow it up !!

[@Hurricaneintheroom]

What a weird little submarine. I think they did a great job. I know nothing of torpedos or submarines so I bow to their knowledge on the subject. Does Seehund translate out to SeaDog? Per comments below yes it's true that Americans don't have the same experiences with the many munitions that were placed around Europe during many wars. We get cannonballs that are still active or every now and then an unexploded torpedo or bomb. Worse over there. Great job! From Phoenix.

[@arnekrug939]

Yes, Seehund literaly translates to sea dog and it's the German name for seal. And we really have tons of explosives still waiting to be discovered. Almost every year they find a dud or two at construction sights and there are even more mines, torpedoes, bombs but also artillery shells and grenades that simply didn't blow up during the war or were cheaply disposed.

[@SteveBueche1027]

All this concern about vibrations only to load it onto a dingy to the ship. Lol

[@DanDeVoto]

There was no mention of the crews fate.

[@williamwoods8022]

They were probably murdered along with the other over 12 MILLION Germans that were murdered during the war including the millions of German POWs that were put in open fields without food or shelter after the war ended that you can find exposed on the Jesus, Hitler and Wizard of Oz post if you Google Paisley Expressions that exposes the TRUTH about Hitler and WW2 and how we have always been getting lied to.

[@granskare]

this will make for some nice work for archeology students

[@ericlakota6512]

Y they dident just dig whole blow the torpedo would of ben efective and cheaper

[@clydecessna737]

Jerky images kill the enjoyment of the video.

[@davidschwartz5127]

I'm sure glad for the zodiac Caption that there was no unusual shocks or vibrations as he was delivering the torpedo warheads out out to the ship that was taking the warhead out to sea for detonation.

[@MrProject350]

I would like to see this on a non Big Tech platform. Please.

[@finscreenname]

I do love the fact the reason they did this was because they "were afraid off shore drilling causing tremors" (unproven by the way) but all that heavy equipment and supplies moving around the beach and then driving all those sheet piles were not going to set them off? And the sub could only be reached during a low tide with a easterly wind in a unpopulated area. so even if they did go off it most likely would have been under feet of water and them more feet of sand. Should have just left them Last, they transfer the ready to go off warheads from the zodiac to the ship while they both were underway at a good speed. Did they need the extra challenge or were they not worried about it going off if it banged into the ship?

[@MrBugsier5]

nope, they where inpact detonators, still really stable afte all that time under water/sand.

[@EdHunter55]

drilling for oil doesn't cause the tremors it's the removal of oil or gas that does. therefor working around it with heavy machines is not the issue. Tremors like the province of Groningen has from time to time due to gas extraction with tremors in excess of 3.0 on the Richter scale could in a worst-case scenario.

[@derekrohan9619]

4:51 I don’t comment often. However that precise weld looks like hammerd dog sh$t. Any welder worth his salt knows you don’t weld down hill, you can only see it for a second but it literally looks like someone stuck bubble gum all over. I understand it’s temporary but it is supposed to potentially hold back a lot of water and sand.

[@Steve25g]

a shame, so long was waited...

[@csinspain]

'The elements take no prisoners' - unlike the Germans

[@tellmesomething2go]

You cover with blasting mats. Safe. Very unstable to move. Plus the salvage costs. Not much left for a museum.

[@higgydufrane]

Arthur Bradley - They were worried about the heavy metals in the batteries and toxicity of other components. They said so in the video. There are usually reasons......

[@kennethbellotte8678]

It wasn't worth saving...the cost outweighs the prise at the end

[@memyselfandi9365]

At the beginning of the program it was said that the submarine was to be salvaged because of the chance of the torpedoes going off due to off shore drilling?!? Then they remove one of the torpedoes by explosion cutting?! Makes no sense , except a good excuse to salvage a seehund and lots of boys out stuff..

[@TractorMan104]

Interesting but hard to watch because of the wind up potato it was filmed with. Not a very good stop motion film in my opinion.

[@paulwhalentahsis]

Can you tell me what the final cost of this operation was ? Oh BTW, the propellors from the torpedoes -They were no where to be found, correct me if I am wrong. Bedankt

[@chapiit08]

Of course not, someone sold it to a foundry right after the craft was beached.

[@MrBugsier5]

they where stil on the remains after the "salvage". (in fact y have seen them just 2 days after the recovery.)

[@davidpawson7393]

@Dragomir Ronilac Great answer. You should be a politician.

[@RonanSmithUK]

Why would a land mine or shell cases be around the sub?

[@arnekrug939]

Because vast areas of beaches in Western Europe were mined in preperation for the Allied invasion.

[@josebenitez3732]

While my father was stationed on Guam the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal)Team would come in every year to the schools and show us how and what happens to those who handle or manipulate ordinance. NEVER HANDLE ORDINANCE!!! CALL POLICE OR MILITARY!!!

[@arjanwilbie2511]

Every year there are reports of people in the Netherlands dying of ordnance explotions in sheds by idiots using grinders. They deserve it...

[@glennwall552]

Glad I'm not paying the hourly rates...lol

[@bondophobic]

nice job

[@danjohansen1002]

Weismoller job?

[@googlebad3540]

wait longer next times, perhaps it will rust away fully

[@stephenhoward6829]

Given the sad, heavily-deteriorated state of the hull, it would have been quicker, easier, and far more economical to have simply bored-down underneath the hull, placed explosives, detonated the whole mess, including the torps, and then scooped-out the remains, sifted the sand, and returned it to normal.

[@HandFromCoffin]

How about this. Maybe experts who know more about the subject and conditions chose to do it this way for a reason. Shocking I now.

[@Beemer917]

It won't start?

[@Nightfall69]

How much sea life was lost due to the detonations?

[@Doc_Rainbow]

fewer than the Batteries and Tropedos would kill if there left it there

[@pedrolistacarey4880]

What about the MILLIONS of explosions of torpedoes and depth charges thrown all over the oceans during the 6 years of WW2...?

[@Brommear]

If anyone ever claims that men and women should earn the exact same, show them this video and tell them to count the number of women on this site. We make different choices so we have different outcomes.

[@pixelpatter01]

At 4:50 'welders'? LOL

[@gwilliamromer9119]

Almost like the coffee dam built at pearl Harbor after Dec 7th

[@MyPrw]

Coffer

[@nevilledarman8n21]

Great job no one hurt

[@the_jcbone]

Just my eyes.

[@felixthecleaner8843]

seemed a tad dangerous to take them on board the Diving Vessel when they already had them in the Zodiac...image if they'd gone off when on deck....'bye-bye Diving Vessel'. Should have sank them from the Zodiac. (in my uniformed opinion)

[@MrBugsier5]

Bit to heavy to trow them over the side.... (and exploding by itself landing on the sea bed...)

[@imbalos]

But how would they explode without the detonator? Stable explosives don't go off for no reason.

[@kennethmccomiskie988]

4.45 I thought my welding was bad?

[@benji2363]

The poor little fishies that were minding their own business... then...... “BOOM” No more little fishies!

[@normandate4495]

Brilliant comment , thanks

[@FJPETER]

These people are masters in making the most money out of the smallest problem, must be nice to get paid to play around

[@rainergoertz2070]

Die Niederländer sind Super Profis... Repekt aus Aachen .... aber was ist mit den Resten des Seehundes... bevor es verrottet fragt ob ein lokales Museum vor Ort oder das Deutsche Museum intresse hat....

[@rainergoertz2070]

hab gelesen es ist in einem lokalen Museum gelandet. !!! sehr gut !!! Welches Museum ist es ?