2008 Argentina

South America’s Relationship to the Third Reich

In January 2008, Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983), spent several weeks in Argentina, looking into the old rumors that many survivors of the Reich, many of very high rank, had escaped to the various countries of South America.

What follows is a story told with the aid of many, many photographs that will bring this time in history into crisp, sharp focus.

We begin with some of the sights and people in Buenos Aires. This is a modern, cosmopolitan city, as you will see in photos here.

HARRY with Sharkhunters Member EDUARDO GERDING	at the seat of Government

A “must see” is the final resting place of Evita!	And a Somber Memorial to those who fell in the Malvinas War
Friendly Argentineans greet HARRY (the Hat)	– they sure make you feel welcome!

This sure is a friendly place, but you didn’t click on here to see all this about Buenos Aires – there are about a zillion websites with fantastic photos of BsAs……well, maybe not so many that were as much fun, but really nice.

REMEMBER! A great many photos will be posted on this page because there are just far too many to be included in our monthly KTB Magazine – but the secret files are ONLY in our KTB Magazine, either the printed paper issue or the eKTB that comes to Members via the Internet. This data is only sent to Members. for details how to join and Membership rewards including a FREE hand-signed photo of a veteran.

Some of the secret files that were in KTB #207 include:
* German Communications Centers in South America between 1939 – 1946 with agents’ names and assigned countries;
* “Black Boats” coming from …well, from a port in Europe;
* Detailed report by a radioman aboard a “Black Boat“…and a great deal more.

We will return to Argentina and Chile.
You can help and possibly go with us.

fill it out and mail it to Sharkhunters at P. O. Box 1539, Hernando, Florida, USA 34442. Make your check or charge out to Sharkhunters International Submarine Research Institute (SISRI) to make sure you receive your tax deduction. Now let’s look at more of these fantastic photos!

Goodbye to Buenos Aires for now and down to the Navy Base Mar del Platte

EDUARDO had secured a bus ticket for HARRY to ride to the Navy Base where two U-Boats surrendered months after the end of the war. The thought of riding a bus through the pampas of Argentina conjured up thoughts of that shabby old bus in the movie “Romancing the Stone” filled with pigs, chickens, and goats among the passengers.

HARRY is pleased to report that these busses are nothing like that! They were like airliners – really new busses with wide reclining seats, movies, snacks, upper deck, toilets plus a smooth and quiet ride for hundreds of miles across some beautiful countryside. This is THE way to see Argentina!

Check back periodically for more photos – and more breaking historical news you won’t find anywhere else. Get a head start on this upcoming information; get the book “Escape from the Bunker” and you will see where this is going.

The two boats that surrendered at this base were U-530 (under command of Sharkhunters Member OTTO WERMUTH 1344-1990)that surrendered late July 1945 and U-977 under command of Heinz Schaeffer surrendered early August 1945…..the surrender order came early May 1945! One must wonder why these boats took so long to surrender and why both in this same place but we will get to that later – and the other U-Boats that made the run to various South American ports during – and AFTER – WW II. But first, a look at this beautiful city of Mar del Plate.

Above – Sunrise views of the beach out of the window of HARRY‘s hotel room. The hotel is right at the beach, and it operated by the Argentine Navy. Let’s look at more of the city…

A beautiful city to be sure – but we are here to	visit the Argentine Navy Base …in specifics, the SubBase
Above – entrance to the Submarine Museum	Above – bell from USS CHIVO (SS-341), given to the Argentine Navy by the U.S. Navy.
They remember the submarines they received from the United States Navy	This Navy has their UDT as well

AS YOU KNOW – A great many photos will be posted on this page because there are just far too many to be included in our monthly KTB Magazine – but the secret files are ONLY in our KTB Magazine, either the printed paper issue or the eKTB that comes to Members via the Internet. This data is only sent to Members.  for details how to join and Membership rewards including a FREE hand-signed photo of a veteran.

Some of the secret files that were in KTB #208 include:
* Comments by an Abwehr agent on the ships that went to Argentina, how they avoided close inspection;
* Secret documents tossed overboard from U-530;
* Two Type IX-B “Black Boats” were in a Spanish port – one went to South America AFTER May 1945;
* We list the many GRAF SPEE officers who returned to Germany to continue their duty;
(some remained in various South American countries for clandestine work)
* There is data on the special LILA 2 Code and the KROKODIL mobile radio transmitted at the end of the war;
* We check into two “Black Boats” scuttled in an Argentinean bay
RIGHT WHERE Don Angel said at least one would be in his book;

for details how to join and Membership rewards including a FREE hand-signed photo of a veteran.

This area and this country is also known for some major drama of World War II – and a lot of clandestine operations before and during the war – and after the war. All these files are being released in the KTB Magazine of Sharkhunters, available only to Members. Only our Members will read this extremely volatile and never before seen historical information.

The panzerschiff GRAF SPEE left her mark on this country.	Her secret files are here as we see in this photo
All the files from U-530 and U-977 are here	as well, and HARRY looked them over.
More secret files from the U-Boats	U-977 looked pretty bad at her surrender.

On Board SANTA CRUZ

Some random photos aboard the	Argentine submarine SANTA CRUZ
This is a HUGE torpedo room (fwd.)	The cook is ordering supplies – or talking with his girlfriend…

We will return again to Argentina and Chile soon. You can help and possibly go with us.

fill it out and mail it to Sharkhunters at P. O. Box 1539, Hernando, Florida, USA 34442. Make your check or charge out to Sharkhunters International Submarine Research Institute (SISRI) to make sure you receive your tax deduction.

After a superb visit where HARRY was warmly welcomed by the main Staff at the Submarine Base, it was time to leave.

Above left – The Admiral Commanding the Flotilla meets HARRY;
Above right, from the left:
* Submarine Petty Officer, HARRY’s guide;
* Captain Sanchez, ComSub;
* Admiral Commanding the Flotilla;
* HARRY COOPER, Sharkhunters President;
* Lt. Cdr. Sambucetti, Skipper of SANTA CRUZ.

AS WE REPORTED – A great many photos will be posted on this page because there are just far too many to be included in our monthly KTB Magazine – but the secret files are ONLY in our KTB Magazine, either the printed paper issue or the eKTB that comes to Members via the Internet. This data is only sent to Members.  for details how to join and Membership rewards including a FREE hand-signed photo of a veteran.

Some of the secret files that were in KTB #209 include:
* How Wilhelm Canaris found a place in 1915 that Großadmiral Dönitz later referred to as:
“The Shangri-La for the Führer”
* We refer back to the “U-Plätze” in the Magellan Straits where ships could hide;
* We identify the German Baron who cared for this “Shangri-La” early on;
* Why is there a German School and a German Cultural Center in a tiny town in Argentina?
* Why was a magnificent 5 Star hotel built in 1938 in a tiny Argentinean town?
* Why was General Eisenhower at that hotel sometime before 1952?
* Why was a large plastic surgery clinic built in 1945 in a tiny Argentinean town?
* We are running a file from another country’s Intel Agency on Mengele – did he really die in the ocean?
* A crewman off one of the “Black Boats” comments on the book by Don Angel;
* We begin information on the house where …someone of great importance, lived after the war;
* Data on ‘Operation HIGH JUMP‘ and the dis-information there;
* German presence off – and OVER – Antarctica in 1938;

Into the town – San Carlos di Bariloche
But before we go to Bariloche, we must first understand how and why it was selected for …well, we’ll get to that later. After the ‘Battle of the Falkland Islands’ in World War One where the cruiser squadron of Admiral Graf von Spee was all but wiped out, only the cruiser DRESDEN (photo below) survived, and she went through the Straits of Magellan – through what is called in German “Feuerland“; in Spanish it is Tierra del Fuego …it is the Land of Fire – and the land of mystery.

There was a young officer on board who seized this opportunity, and he charted many “U-Plätze” along the route. “U-Plätze” are hidden harbors, little coves where a ship or ships could hide from searching ships of an enemy navy. In true German fashion, he noted the precise information about each one of these hidden harbors – sailing directions to the entrance, how large and dimensions of the harbor, how deep the water, what kind of bottom for anchoring, how tall the trees to mask ships, how many ships of what size could be hidden, the prevailing winds, distance from any civilization, distance from shipping channels – everything a Skipper would need to know to enter and hide his ship while transiting the Straits.

	This officer was young Oberleutnant zur See Wilhelm Canaris – later Admiral Canaris, head of the Abwehr who was executed along with hundreds, a result of the plot to bomb Hitler at Wolfsschanze. Sharkhunters Members know the meaning of these charts as this was in our KTB Magazine recently. Not a Member? Sorry, you won’t know the meanings and no, the charts were not marked over in our KTB Magazine. They are marked over on this page because this information is for Members only. The actual charts were clearly seen in an issue of our KTB Magazine.

In 1938, the old linienschiff SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN retraced this route and updated the charts and the specifics for each of these many “U-Plätze” – it is easy to understand why this was done. We remember that, during the famed ‘Battle of the River Plate‘ the panzerschiff GRAF SPEE (photo below) was trapped in Montevideo, Uruguay and sailed out to her doom – but prior to her coming into Montevideo, she radioed to Navy High Command, asking permission to run for one of these “U-Plätze”. High Command was concerned that the British cruisers would follow GRAF SPEE and learn of the existence of these hidden harbors and so permission was denied. With her fate sealed, GRAF SPEE went into Montevideo – but where was her supply ship ALTMARK? That ship unexplainably disappeared for a couple months – can you guess where she was?

Back to 1915 and Oberleutnant zur See Canaris. When DRESDEN was overtaken, her engines shot and unable to defend herself, many of the crew including Canaris, were interned in Chile. Canaris was able to escape – possibly bribed his captors – in any event, he departed Chile and on horseback, he went over the Andes mountains. He came close to being killed more than once on this trek, but what he found on the other side of the Andes made his troubles and dangers well worthwhile. It was just like Bavaria!

Could this be the place that Großadmiral Karl Dönitz called the “Shangri La for the Führer“?

The town square looks like a Bavarian village
The German Cultural Center	The German School	Warsteiner is one of my favorites in Germany

Standartenführer (SS Colonel) ERICH PRIEBKE (7598-2011) was very active in the German Cultural Center and was head of the German School until he was found in this little town, arrested, deported and tried in Italy where he served a life sentence under house arrest until he passed away in 2013.

Perhaps one may think it strange that, in this little town in the far reaches of Patagonia hundreds of miles from any really large towns, one would find a large German Cultural Center (above left), a large German School (above center) and while HARRY loves his Warsteiner beer…..in Germany, he was really surprised to find it readily available at just about every restaurant in this little town. Good beer – but out here? In the pampas of Argentina?

Check back periodically for more photos – and more breaking historical news you won’t find anywhere else. Get a head start on this upcoming information; get the book “Escape from the Bunker” and you will see where this is going.

High Above San Carlos di Bariloche

	Left – after driving for what seems hours, they arrived at a little place called “the Berghof” built before the war and situated VERY high above the town of Bariloche, seen far below in the photo right.
The island in the foreground is the one on which German scientists built a nuclear research laboratory compound – two years AFTER the end of the war.

Above left – a building at “the Berghof”;
Above center – one of the sleeping rooms in the upper floors of “the Berghof” – quite Spartan indeed;
Above right – the man who built “the Berghof” long before there was a road. This guy was tough!

Let’s Get Fancy for a Moment…..

What a beautiful hotel! But why are we wasting your time looking at a hotel that, today, has a rating ABOVE Five Star and Five Diamonds? Wait – let’s look at more of this fantastic place…

We look down a long hallway (upper left) and into the main room (upper right). Really beautiful! But why are we here?

We really aren’t sure of the history of this place – the REAL history, but it was built in 1938 …the year before World War Two began. This is a magnificent hotel and it is huge with hundreds of rooms – so why was it built just outside ‘Stadt’ which, in 1938 probably didn’t have 500 inhabitants? And it was hundreds of miles away from any towns of any size? We know of some German veterans from WW II who were here after the end of the war.

Probably the biggest question that we could not answer – why was Five Star General Dwight Eisenhower here sometime after the end of the war? A photo of General Eisenhower standing in front of this hotel hangs on the wall in one of the long hallways – what was he doing here?

Check back periodically for more photos – and more breaking historical news you won’t find anywhere else. Get a head start on this upcoming information; get the book “Escape from the Bunker” and you will see where this is going.

Another Magnificent Hotel

HARRY and Sharkhunters Member NAHUEL COCA (7304-2008) crossed the Andes in search of another hotel of great grandeur – out in the middle of nowhere. One must wonder why these magnificent hotels were built so far away from anything – and like the other hotel mentioned above, this was also built in the late 1930’s …just before the outbreak of World War II. Coincidence?

They must wait while some wild horses cross the highway, then they arrive at the gate and must identify themselves to the security personnel in the guard shack before proceeding to the hotel complex.

It sure is a beautiful hotel – far out in the middle of nowhere. We are told by locals that a great many German veterans would gather in this hotel every year for a huge celebration on 20 April. You MUST know the significance of that date!

Up these stairs and inside – it is indeed beautiful. Okay – maybe not everyone knows the significance of 20 April and why there was a big annual celebration here, so we will tell you. 20 April was the birthday of Adolf Hitler.

We are informed that the celebrations ceased a few years ago partly due to the advancing age of the participants and partly because one of them (Erich PRIEBKE, a prominent SS Colonel) was found, grabbed and sent back to Europe where he remains today under house arrest for the rest of his life.

The “Estancia”
We have written about the place we call “Estancia” which was at the far western end of a rail line direct from a secluded bay on Argentina’s east coast where …well, it was a busy place for a remote bay during the war and for a couple years after. It was actually to “Estancia” that young Wilhelm Canaris came by horseback over the Andes. This ranch, comprising millions of acres, had long been the property of the German princely house of Schaumberg-Lippe and the man who managed this massive empire was Ludwig Baron von Bülow. If that name appears familiar, our friend Kapitän zur See OTTO von BÜLOW (305-1987), Skipper of U-404 and holder of the Knights Cross with Oak Leaf was of the same family.

Sharkhunters Member OTTO von BÜLOW in white hat, lighting up a cigar with his Obersteuermann after returning from a mission. Photo on the right is the Knights Cross with Oak Leaf. Only 28 Skippers were so decorated.

On the dusty road which led to – well, nowhere …HARRY and NAHUEL stopped at a lonely hill in the middle of nowhere, and visited the grave of Ludwig Baron von Bülow. The view from the gravesite is fantastic but it does not appear that anyone has tended to this grave in many long decades or maybe the giant Argentine pine is rapidly overtaking the area.

One last look around the Baron’s grave, and the two Sharkhunters Members set off down this road (photo below left) which is paved with …actually, it isn’t paved at all! Soon they turn off onto the road that leads to the main part of “Estancia”. Look closely at the photo lower right and you’ll see the sign over the road.

Okay, so the road is paved (?) with something like crushed pumice – great on the tires! After passing beneath the sign, they went on for quite a ways and eventually came to a house which appeared to be an outbuilding from the main house. They parked and walked to within perhaps 100 feet of this house and NAHUEL clapped his hands together loudly, as is the local custom, to alert anyone in the house that they had visitors.

Suddenly there was a thunder of hoofbeats and two guanacoes (sort of a short-haired version of a llama) raced up to the guys.

Before NAHUEL could turn to face them, the male guanaco slammed him hard in the back with his head then kept advancing toward him. These animals apparently are quite territorial and aggressive …watchdogs without teeth – they just spit! Gooey and nasty slimy green stuff comes at you in a high-speed blob if they are angry. Fortunately for NAHUEL, not today.

A lady came out of this small house and was answering questions when the manager of “Estancia” came from the main house. He was a young man, perhaps 40 and he spoke both Spanish and English – and both with a German accent. He answered all their questions easily and without hesitation, until they asked about the man who lived here in 1945 …but we will get to that later.

Two Very Special Destinations
There were two very special places they needed to visit, both accessible only by water and on this day they are blessed with wonderful weather – clear skies, calm water, and warm temperatures as they headed out on this Alpine …sorry, this Argentine Lake. It was sometimes difficult for HARRY to remember that this is Argentina and not Bavaria – the scenery is the same.

Didn’t we already read that this was the impression by young Oberleutnant zur See Wilhelm Canaris when he came over the Andes on horseback in 1915? He thought this area was just like Bavaria.

Above left – NAHUEL heads for the Zodiac inflatable they hired for the day.
Above right – NAHUEL and HARRY during the hour-long boat ride to …well, that comes later.

But to reach their destination, they must pass under the scrutiny of this watchtower. Well, not much scrutiny in these days but this tower was built in this very remote and primitive area around the time of the war and anyone coming to the place this expedition was going was forced through a narrow neck of water and right past this tower.

In the 1930’s, 1940’s and even into the 1950’s the only way to reach the nearby town of Bariloche was by rail to ‘Estancia’ then by car, truck, wagon etc. the next 20 or so miles to the town. Then to reach …well, to reach where HARRY and NAHUEL are going – was by boat or by seaplane.

In this closer photo of the tower, we see its size. It had sleeping quarters for ten men with cooking facilities etc. Any boat that was headed for. …where they are going this day, had to pass within a very few meters of the tower and naturally, occupants of such a boat would come under close scrutiny by the men in the tower. Naturally, this information was immediately sent on by radio to …to where they are going. Photo upper right HARRY looks back at the tower they have just passed.

The tower is now on private property next to the owner’s home and used by the owner for whatever, probably relaxation.

While that tower was the main watch station for boats coming from that direction, there were other places along the shore where a boat’s progress could be watched as it went toward …where they are going today.

NAHUEL used his ‘long lens’ to take this photo of an abandoned shelter on the hillside along the shore almost to …where they were going this day. The photo upper right – they are at their destination and HARRY, who cannot speak Spanish at all, assumed that ‘No Pasar‘ is the same as the German ‘Eingang Verboten‘ which we all know means ‘Sharkhunters Are Welcome Here!‘

This place they went was not only far, far out along a lake but then up a long bay of this lake that, back in the 1930’s and well through the 1950’s was extremely remote and far removed from anything. Keep this fact in mind as we more forward.

From the Other direction…

We have seen already, how the approach to …well, where these two Sharkhunters were going, was protected by the watchtower and some of those photos are just above on this page. But what if an intruder would come from the other direction on this lake?

We walk through the heavily overgrown path made many decades past – what’s at the end?

A bunker! Out here on a lake in the middle of nowhere in Patagonia? NAHUEL is pointing at the lake and in the photos below, we see that this bunker was situated on a point by another narrow passage on this lake. The positions of the tower at one approach and this bunker at the opposite approach to …well, that’s later but these two locations are tactically perfect.

Photos left above and below – we see how far this bunker commands the lake in this direction…	Photos right above and below – we see how far this bunker commands the lake in the other direction…

It was impossible for any boat to approach either of the two critically important locations on this lake without passing beneath the watchful eyes of the watchtower from one direction or this bunker from the other direction. Let’s have a look at this bunker.

At the entrance to the bunker (above left)	and down into the bunker (above right)

This bunker was not built like those at Lorient, France with seven meter (24 feet) thick steel reinforced walls capable of withstanding multiple bomb attacks. These walls were about one meter thick and probably constructed more for a small group of lookouts to live rather than for heavy combat. There were bunk and cooking facilities here.

What was the watchtower and this bunker protecting?

HARRY (photo below) points in the direction we go next.

Okay – it is time to move on to two very important and critical phases of this expedition. We have already seen the two security points on this very large lake. To reach either of the two places we are going on this expedition, one can only approach by boat or by seaplane. And as we have also seen, to reach either of these places, the boat would have to pass the watch tower from the one direction or the bunker from the other and their presence would be reported to the estate where Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun//Hitler lived. These were very secure locations.

the Estate

First is this estate, which was built just before the war by …we’ll come to that later. Its most interesting resident was – well, that comes later as well. But here are photos of this estate taken in January 2008.

This estate is tucked away at the end of a very long finger of this very	long lake which, until recently, was extremely remote.
As they near the beach, the size and complexity of the estate	becomes more clear as you will see in other photos.
The boat approaches the little strip of sand and our	explorers are ready to ‘hit the beach’…
…and they are on the march toward their objective.
They have reached their objective for today!
Heading for the main house.	Here is the main house – let’s go!

“Knock! Knock!” Nobody answers the door. Of course not – the estate is abandoned. We cannot reveal how HARRY got into the house, but he said that picking those old-fashioned locks was difficult. Don’t know what he meant by that…

Who slept in this room?	Who took their meals in this dining room?
…and who relaxed in this parlor?

A great location – the mountains with no road behind the estate – the lake in front – impossible to reach here undetected.

Naturally, being so far away from the prying eyes of civilization – the residents of this estate had no electricity other than what could be provided on the premises – and in a little building near the main house we locate the source of the electricity. This small building with the sign that says “Sharkhunters Welcome Here!” is perhaps 50 yards from the main house – far enough away so the noise of the diesel engine turning the generator would not disturb the residents but apparently the diesel-powered generator was merely the backup electrical generating system.

In the photo above right and also below right, we see the generator still in place but the small diesel motor has long since been removed. In the photo below left we see the very clever main method of generating electric power – hydroelectric! The mechanism under the circular housing is a water wheel and, although difficult to make out, the dark area under the name is actually a water pipe that allows water to come in and turn the turbine. A fast running little creek runs directly beneath this building. Drinking water most likely came from this fresh mountain spring, as it is quite pure.

It gets very cold in this region in winter and being this far removed from civilization, they had to create their own heat.

No, this is not where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs lived …this is the little building where the heating was generated for the main house. Like the little building with the electric generating equipment, this is also removed a little way from the main house to cut down on noise and smoke. Above right we see the actual furnace but what we can’t see in this photo is the pipes that go into the ground from the furnace and carry the heat to the main house. Pretty good engineering for the time.

Guest House
There were several small cottages within a few hundred yards the main house, but this one was right next to it.

It is really a nice place, isn’t it?	Ramon, our small boat handler, also inspects.
Who slept in this room?	Who put their clothes in this locker?
…and who enjoyed a warm fire here over a cold Argentine winter?

If you remember in the book by Sharkhunters Member DON ANGEL ALCAZAR de VELASCO (158-1985), former agent working for the SS Intelligence, he stayed in just such a place when he was summoned to South America in August 1953. In the book he stated that he thought he was over Antarctica because everything below was totally white, covered with snow. But our friends in this area of Argentina tell us that the Argentine winters here are bitterly cold and usually have a great deal of snow. Did DON ANGEL go to Antarctica? Did he really come here and only think he was at Antarctica? Or did he know that he was here and only write that he was landed in Antarctica as typical “Spook” dis-information? Read the book and make your own decision.

Is this really the place where he was met by the man in the uniform of an SS colonel? PRIEBKE lived here at that time and he held the rank of Standartenführer (SS Colonel) …Was it PRIEBKE who met his plane in the snow-covered wilderness

All the answers, questions and suppositions were covered in the KTB Magazine of Sharkhunters over the next many issues.

the Boathouse
Remember we said the only way to and from this estate was by boat or in rare occasions, by seaplane. It is still here.

Ramon, their small boat operator, tells HARRY and NAHUEL not to go into the boathouse because it is overrun with rats – and when you have rats, you have rat …well, you know – rat poop and Ramon warns that even the very air in the boathouse is toxic.

Well, they are explorers and upper left, NAHUEL heads right into the boathouse and (photo upper right) they discover – what IS this stuff, anyway? They held their breath as long as possible, but eventually, it seemed like a good idea to breath so they covered nose and mouth with sleeves and remained in the dilapidated boathouse for a short time, exploring and taking photos.

Okay – inside is pretty much a mess…	…and from the outside, it doesn’t look much better.

Standing on the boat ramp, the nearby dock doesn’t look any better maintained than the one HARRY fell through at the atomic research laboratories that were …sorry, we are getting ahead of ourselves here.

NAHUEL checks out the ramp as HARRY shoots some photos. And what is next for us on this voyage back more than six decades? You already have a hint in the lines above …more photos to be added soon. Don’t miss this next section!

That water sure is clear, isn’t it? It is quite cold and sweet for drinking – really pure.

YES – There WILL BE a Sharkhunters “Patrol” to this area in January. Do YOU want to participate? Keep reading.

We see what this estate looks like today – these photos were shot in January 2008. But what did it look like decades ago when it was an operating estate with an occupied home and related buildings on the property? Look at the photo below. Interesting, eh?

Who built this estate? When was it built? For whom was it built and who lived here from 1945 until 1955? Those questions will be answered in the KTB Magazine of Sharkhunters for our Members …but let’s not dwell on this too long. Ramon has the boat waiting and we depart this enigma and head out again onto the clear, cold lake. Where to now?

Deserted Island
Once again, they are on their way across this huge, crystal clear lake.

The explorers heading out on the lake – NAHUEL on	the left, HARRY on the right.
They draw near the dock – on a deserted island	– in the middle of a lake in the middle of nowhere.
Whose boat was this? Who built the dock – and didn’t bother to maintain it. The first one off the boat, HARRY dropped sort of through the dilapidated dock, leaving some skin and blood there in Patagonia.

Step Aside, Indiana Jones!
The two explorers head off into the brush and what they find is just like an Indiana Jones movie!

Pretty spooky? It gets better………….MUCH better!

Doesn’t this just send shivers up your spine? But wait – there’s more! Sounds like a television commercial, but there IS more.

Spooky alright………….but what is this place?
We’ll chop through this foliage and get inside	this building – but what is it?
This was solid construction, as NAHUEL checks out the rebars (steel reinforcing bars) in the cement. Only the stone, steel and brick part of the construction of this first building remains. The wood has long since rotted away – or was taken away.
	Well – maybe not ALL the wood is gone. One end of the first building looks like a porcupine with all these timbers protruding and we were unable to determine what was their purpose. Any ideas?

Now we go on to the second building

NAHUEL finds the way into the second building through this partially open door.

Will YOU be with us when we return? If you want to be part of our next expedition, please contact Sharkhunters HQ by email, letter, telephone etc. and tell us you are interested. We will send the details.

We go through the door that NAHUEL is holding open in the photo above – here is what we found.

Entering through this door we find …a very large empty room. This building was one of the laboratories.	Laboratory? But what kind of laboratory? When was this entire facility built? Built by WHOM? All these answers and many more will be in the pages of the Sharkhunters KTB Magazine. Not a Member yet? Log onto the website below for full details
As we continue, we find another building nearby.
This building, like the others, has been abandoned for decades.	And what is this that they found outside this building?

No, we are not going to tell you what this is …because we have no idea what it is. This thing, whatever it is, measures about two and a half feet across and the inside appears to be made up of some kind of fibrous …stuff. How’s that for scientific. Maybe when the group returns in January 2009, they will figure this out. Will you be with the group? We are only taking a handful.

What does one suppose this is?

This is what HARRY and NAHUEL found (photos above) when they climbed about twenty feet up the side of a cliff. This was on the top – but why would anyone pave a parking lot up here? This is a small island – no roads, no vehicles – a parking lot? And one might wonder why (photos below) there are air vents at this “parking lot”.

They are not sure – but underground bunker is a possibility. When the group returns in January, they will look into this closely to determine exactly what this large area of pavement really is.

Yep – more air vents (upper left). NAHUEL climbs the stairs to …to what? Let’s go and see what’s there. Are you ready for a surprise? I mean a REAL surprise? The next group of photos to be added will rock your beliefs of the end of World War II.

We come to the third building in this complex and we must ask ourselves – why is this…

…the only one of the five major buildings that was blown up?

Maybe one these photos might give a clue when you see what they found outside this building.

At the time they were here, they had no idea what these cylinders were, so they had no worries about putting their water bottles on them, leaning on them sitting on them – to them, they were nothing but giant steel cylinders. They would figure them out later.	Upper right – idiots go in where angels fear to tread, and HARRY goes in the main hallway – under the sagging cement roof. We do indeed believe that God protects people too dumb to look out for themselves.

And these cylinders …they learned some weeks later, that they are called…
Control Rod Refuelling Ports!
You figure it out …but so far, neither HARRY nor NAHUEL glow in the dark – not yet!

And like the television commercials say – “But wait! There’s more!”

We will return to Argentina and Chile in 2009. You can help and possibly go with us.
fill it out and mail it to Sharkhunters at P. O. Box 1539, Hernando, Florida, USA 34442. Make your check or charge out to Sharkhunters International Submarine Research Institute (SISRI) to make sure you receive your tax deduction. Now let’s look at more of these fantastic photos!