St Helena - Salvage Possibility – a nine strong Defence Equipment and Support Team is heading to the South Atlantic to survey a tanker sunk by a German U-boat in World War Two.  The Team had been working of the wreck of the Battleship ROYAL OAK (sunk in October 1939) in Scapa Flow (Orkney Islands).   A fortnight will be spent surveying the wreck of the RFA DARKDALE, the first British ship sunk south of the equator during the War when the German U-68 put four torpedoes into the side of the ship which was at anchor off Jamestown (St. Helena) in the early hours of 22nd October 1941.   It was reported that the RFA DARKDALE eSt. Helenais one of the remotest xploded and turned over and sank within five minutes with the loss of 41 lives.    Oil is gradually seeping from the hull into the 40 metre deep waters of James Bay and the Survey will decide what, if any, action is needed to prevent an environmental hazard.    The Survey Team includes personnel from its Marine Salvage Units at Devonport and Greenock and will operate remotely controlled underwater vehicles and multibeam sonars – a scientist and three contractors (to provide environmental expertise) will fly from RAF Brize Norton to Ascension Island and will then transfer to the Royal Mail ship ST.HELENA (managed by Andrew Weir Shipping) for the final leg of the journey.