The Facts
Throughout World Wars I and II, German U-boats prowled the east coast of the United States and Canada in search of merchant and military ships. They sank numerous ships in World War I, but were a much more deadly threat during World War II. Early in World War II, they sank many vessels. But as time went by, the U.S. and its allies developed new equipment and techniques for foiling the U-boat attacks and destroying enemy subs. By 1944, the tables were turned, and the allies were sinking U-boats in large numbers and doing their best to protect merchant ships.
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There are three documented sinkings of German U-boats in the waters off New England during World War II. Below are some details on these sinkings.
The U-550 was sunk by US Navy destroyer escorts on April 16, 1944, after it torpedoed the American tanker Pan Pennsylvania, while traveling in a convoy. Twelve members of the U-550s crew, and 56 members of the Pan Pennsylvania's crew survived the incidents. Both the Pan Penn and the U-550 sank near each other, approximately 70 miles south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The wrecks of these two vessels have both been located by divers in recent years, but at a depth of about 300 feet, they are off limits to most recreational divers.
On May 5, 1945, the U-853 torpedoed and sank the American collier Black Point off Newport, Rhode Island. When the Black Point was hit, the Navy immediately chased down the sub and began dropping depth charges. The next day, when an oil slick and floating debris appeared, they confirmed that the U-853 and its entire crew had been destroyed. In recent years, the U-853 has become a popular dive site. Its mostly-intact hull, with open hatches, is located in 130' of water off Block Island, Rhode Island.
And far to the east of Boston (about 200 miles), lies the wreck of the U-215. That boat was sunk by depth charges in 1942. The exact location of the U-215 wreck was unknown for many years, but in the summer of 2004, it was located and identified by a group of Canadian researchers. The wreck lies at a depth of 270 feet, in Canadian territorial waters.
When the war with Germany ended in May 1945, all German military vessels were ordered to surrender to allied forces. Soon after that order was given, a number of U-boats patrolling our east coast surrendered to the U.S. and Canadian Navies. Since the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (at Portsmouth, New Hampshire) was the largest submarine base on the U.S. east coast, four subs were towed to Portsmouth to be studied by the Navy and await their fates. The subs surrendered at Portsmouth included the U-234, U-805, U-873 and U-1228. The U-505, captured earlier by the U.S. Navy, was later towed to Portsmouth to join the collection.
The surrendered subs remained at Portsmouth for a year or two while they were examined by the Navy. Then eventually they disappeared from the yard. Navy records of their final dispositions are lacking in details, but indicate that they were towed out to sea and scuttled in deep water somewhere off the New England coast. The only one that stayed at Portsmouth was the U-505. It remained there until 1954, when it was towed through the Great Lakes to Chicago. There it became a permanent walk-through exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Today the U-505 is the only German U-boat on exhibit in North America.
One other U-boat surrendered off the U. S. east coast in May 1945. The U-858 surrendered at Fort Miles, DE and was later taken to the Philadelphia Naval Yard for study. According to Navy records, the U-858 was eventually scuttled in deep water somewhere off the New England coast.
The Legends
Legends about German U-boat sinkings from Rhode Island to Maine are commonplace in New England. Over the years, a number of magazine articles, newspaper stories and Web pages have been written on the subject. None of these legends have ever been verified, but if all of them proved to be true, the coastline would be dotted with subs. It's very likely, however, that one or more of these legends is based on facts, and if that's the case, we may someday hear of an interesting discovery.
The Quest
With all these German U-boats reportedly sunk off the New England coast, the question on the minds of most divers is - where are they located? And the answer is - no one really knows. Most of the real ones are probably sunk way beyond the depth limits of scuba divers. But we'll never know for sure until someone finds them!
Links to Related Websites
Uboat.net (Excellent U-boat research site)
Map of East Coast U-boat Wrecks (from Uboat.net)
SeacoastNH.com (History of the Portsmouth U-boats)
Hazegray.org (Canada's surrendered U-boats)
Hitler's Lost Sub (NOVA - TV production)
U-505 (Museum of Science & Industry - Chicago)
U-505 Photo Gallery (on this website)
Surrendered U-boat (New York Times article)
Portraits of War (Portsmouth U-boat photos)
uboataces.com (U-boat photo gallery and more)
FortMiles.org (U-858 surrender report & pictures)
