Goslar Shipwreck

Partly-submerged German merchant ship deliberately scuttled in the Suriname River in 1940

The Goslar is a partly-submerged German merchant vessel resting in the Suriname River, visible from the waterfront as a rusting hulk at low tide. She was deliberately sunk by her crew in May 1940 to prevent capture by Dutch colonial authorities after Germany invaded the Netherlands, and has lain there ever since.

The wreck is not accessible for close inspection from shore, but it is clearly visible from the Waterkant embankment and from any boat on the river. It makes for an unexpected historical talking point — a piece of Second World War history stranded in a South American river.

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A story
In May 1940, when Germany invaded the Netherlands, the crew of the German merchant ship Goslar realised they were trapped in a neutral port that was about to become hostile territory. Rather than allow the ship to be seized, the captain gave the order to scuttle her. The Goslar settled in the shallows of the Suriname River, where she has remained ever since — a visible reminder of the Second World War reaching even this remote corner of South America.

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