u 852 wreck
On April 13, 1942, U- 85 was sitting in shallow water off Bodie Island lighthouse waiting for targets. Hutton. Error loading comments 56,701 views 0 faves KL Heinz Wilhelm Eck of U-852 was indicted and sentenced to death by firing squad at the Nuremberg Tribunal on November 30 1945. Roper raked U-85 with machine gun fire and scored a hit with a 3"/50 caliber gun. U.S. Department of Commerce, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, Mapping Rhode Islands Historic Submarines, University of Rhode Island Applied History Lab, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U-85 departed Trondheim in Norway on 28 August 1941 for her first patrol. U-852 had a displacement of 1,610 tonnes (1,580 long tons) when at the surface and 1,799 tonnes (1,771 long tons) while submerged. Jester began dropping depth charges systematically and eventually forced Rathke to surface. At first, Ropers crew didnt suspect much, but they dutifully pursued the contact. Meanwhile, Freden was not sinking and Freden's captain ordered everyone back aboard to resume getting underway. The U-852 was itself sunk on May 3 1944 by British aircraft off the coast of Somalia. Following repairs, U-85 transferred from St. Nazaire to Lorient on October 11. Some of the bodies were wearing civilian clothes, carrying wallets with United States currency and identification cards. The deck gun of U-85 silently points towards the surface as if waiting on a target. Site Info, NOAA Ocean Exploration Nachdem man erkannt hatte, dass U 852 mit Bordmitteln nicht zu reparieren war, befahl Eck, das Boot aufzugeben und zu zerstren. Fearing that the survivors of his torpedo attack would be rescued and give away his presence, Eck ordered for all the survivors to be machine gunned. Roper illuminated the U-boat with its searchlight and observed men on deck near the gun whose firing arc had just been cleared by the course change. Eck was to be the only U-boat commander found guilty of war crimes and executed after he ordered the machine gunning of survivors from the . The first divers to visit the wreck were deployed from the USS Penguin (ASR-12) in the hours immediately after the submarine sank. On this patrol, U-85 returned to American waters, specifically off the United States coast. Rathke moved into position twice, each time firing a torpedo from the bow, but each missed. The Peleus Affair. To learn more about the proposal, click here. The wreck of U-852 on the beach of Somaliland HMS Fishguard Crew - Boarded and spent nearly a month salvaging equipment and torpedoes from U-852 after British aircraft fatally damaged her as she beached near Ras Mabber, Somaliland off the Somali coast on 3 May 1944,. Significance: U-85 is significant to American military history, maritime history and historic archaeology as it was the first German U-boat sunk by United States naval forces off the American East Coast during World War II's Battle of the Atlantic. The visibility and water temperature vary greatly depending upon the dynamic, shifting currents. Sprague of Boston. Rod Mather, University of Rhode Island Applied History Lab. Aft of the conning tower there is visible battle damage from Roper's 3-inch deck gun. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Firing two torpedoes, U-85 sank the Swedish freighter Christina Knudsen, and then proceeded directly for Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. She measured 251 feet, 10 inches in length; 22 feet, 6 inches in the beam; and drew 15 feet, 4 inches. The crew of the Roper did not suspect much at first, but pursued the contact. The crew of the Roper observed the U-boat sinking at the stern and watched as the crew jumped into the water, begging for rescue. U-85 was operating within visual distance of Bodie Island Light at midnight on 13 April 1942 when the US destroyer USS Roper detected the submarine on British Type 286 radar at a range of 2,700 yards (2,500 m). Icarus left the area for approximately an hour to await instructions on how to proceed. CMS Version: 4.6.3. Two other officers of U-852, the 2WO and the doctor were also indicted and shot. Bigbird; Jun 7, 2008; Shown here is the wreck of the Type IXD 2 submarine U-852 off the coast of British Somaliland (Somalia) in May 1944 after being scuttled by her skipper Kapitanleutnant Heinz Eck. He had lived to tell the story which had led to the indictment of the four U-boat officers and a seaman. The prosecutor was Colonel Halse of the Advocate Generals Office. As the German sailors attempted to exit the conning tower to man their guns, they came under heavy fire from Ropers crew. Fearing that they may attempt to man their deck guns, Icarus began delivering heavy machine-gun fire, which resulted in the deaths of several crew aboard the U-boat. Eck decided that this would indicate to any Allied shipping patrol aircraft there was a U-boat in the area, so he ordered his junior officers to destroy the wreckage by firing into it using hand grenades and automatic weapons. The survivors were taken to Charleston, South Carolina, as prisoners of war. Those charged were Heinz Eck, age 29, August Hoffmann , Walter Weisspfennig , they were executed by a fire squad 30-11-1945. The hearing was known as the Peleus Trial. The Black Point likewise serves as a war grave. JavaScript is disabled. Despite frequent disturbance as a popular dive site, the wreck retains archaeological integrity and to this day remains an important and poignant war grave. By using this website we assume that you agree with this. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 200 metres (660ft). Disclaimer Mountain View The boat attempted to run south on the surface and fired its stern torpedo at Roper when the range closed to 700 yards (640m). Shortly before Rathke fired his torpedoes, Icarus got a sonar contact. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Of the U-boats off North Carolina's coast, U-352 had the least eventful operational career. This triggered a hunt for the U-boat, but in a surprising twist, Frmsdorf did not flee the scene. The submarine was powered by two MAN M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350kW; 2,760 to 3,160shp) for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550kW; 740shp) for use while submerged. This year, Scuba Diver Life and NOAA are partnering to profile 12 different ships in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Image showing the location of the main wreckage of the Black Point relative to a smaller section of the ship's stern, approximately 1,800 feet south. As the U-boat began to sink at the stern, Ropers crew watched the German sailors jump into the water and beg to be rescued. Today, visitors to the cemetery can see the graves and read the names of the sailors that were recovered. [10] The Labrador current influences the site and visibility can be low. [5] The British also discovered the Fa 330 Bachstelze rotor kite, a towed one-man aerial observation platform.[1]. On April 10, while off the New Jersey coast, U- 85 found its first target, Swedish freighter Christina Knudsen. He was keeping with the common practice of navigating in a zig-zag pattern at the time of the submarine attack. Saling ship Zawisza Czarny and its German WWII engine, The Norwegian Operation and the Torpedo Crisis. Her new owners renamed the ship the Black Point. You can clearly see the shell damage behind the conning tower caused by USSRopers 3-inch gun. However, before reaching land the U-boat came under attack from six RAF bombers from 621 Squadron. Thank you for your support! Eck and two of his crew were tried and executed after the . The vessels were joint players in one of the final acts of the Battle of the North Atlantic during World War II. With orders to patrol off the coast of the United States, the U-boat reached New Jersey and, on April 10, found its first target. The bodies were brought back to Norfolk and later that evening, they were buried in Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia with full military honors under the cover of darkness. After stalking her until nightfall, the steamer was sunk with two torpedoes. U-852 was enroute to the Indian Ocean to join the Monsoon wolf pack operating there. 14 Mar 1944. Hans Lenz, the engineering officer, who had opposed Eck's order but eventually carried it out was given a life sentence (but was released seven years later, in 1952). They were convicted at a British military tribunal in Hamburg, (held concurrently during the Nuremberg Trials) for killing the survivors of the torpedoed Greek steamer Peleus in 1944. This function has been disabled for WW2 Gravestone, The Bad Girls of Nazi Germany: Jenny Wanda, Becker, Elisabeth a Stutthof concentration. At some point, Greger must have made the decision to scuttle and abandon the U-85. (All photos: NOAA), Schools of fish swarm U-85s conning tower with its attack periscope housing still intact. Here you can read about the 2 4-man saboteur teams inserted in USA during the summer of 1942, the automatic weather station erected in Labrador in 1943 and the 2 agents landed at Cape Cod in late 1944. Nine crew members were lost. Fearing that the survivors of his torpedo attack would be rescued and give away his presence, Eck ordered for all the survivors to be machine gunned. Group Schlei was to return to France and begin preparing for deployment to U.S. waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration On May 9, U-352 began the engagement that would end in its demise. A set of pages designed to provide a good overview on the monumental battle that took place on the high seas during World War One. They both received a reduced sentence of prison terms. The depth charge damage was so great that he had no other alternative but to abort the mission and return to port in St. Nazaire, France. California 94041. This year, Scuba Diver Life and NOAA are partnering to profile 12 different ships in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The site rests in approximately 90 feet of water about 14 miles east of Oregon Inlet. The most evil women in history, Ilse Koch. Image courtesy of Kraken Robotics. On 30 April 1944, U-852 was spotted in the Indian Ocean by a Vickers Wellington bomber flying from Aden. We were pretty sure before, but we had some members go to the National Archives in the UK to find . Sie wurden am nchsten Tag von den Briten aufgenommen. Learn more about U-85 and other World War II shipwrecks off the North Carolina coast here. Eck, despite his mission, decided to attack the ship. By May 5, 1945, Adolph Hitler had committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin and Grand Admiral Karl Donitz was helping negotiate the terms of the Nazi surrender. The March 1944 sinking of the merchant ship Peleus by U-852 remains highly controversial as the U-Boat skipper turned his guns on survivors in the water. The recent high-resolution mapping of the U-853 using Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) on Kraken Robotics' KATFISH system confirms the submarine is largely intact and orientated in a northwest-southeast direction. U-852 (+1944) Details general nationality: german purpose: war type: submarine subtype/class: IX D 2 class submarine (ger.) In November 1945, Eck and the U-852's four junior officers were tried by the British at a special military tribunal in Hamburg for killing the crew from the Peleus. class IX D 2 class submarine (ger. Shortly after midnight, Roper approached the area where U-85 sat and detected a weak radar contact. Greger's first war patrol as Captain began on August 28, 1941, and he was dispatched to patrol for convoys southwest of Iceland. This page covers the events related to U-boats since 1945, including boats taken over by the allies after the war and their eventual fate. Two weeks later the U-852 sank the British cargo ship Dahomian off Cape Town on 1 April. U-852. U-352 closed for an attack. This month we visit the U-352. However, the Roper was closing in on U-85, and the crew now suspected that they were pursuing a submarine. Roper then quickly left for fear of another boat in the area, but returned after daylight and recovered the bodies of 29 sailors. In protest, his Leading Engineer questioned his commander's order but could do little to change the fate of the survivors. U-852 (wreck) 832 km; Military Base 1210 km; Camp Khanjar 1330 km; Military Drone Airbase 1688 km; Royal Air Force of Oman Base 1732 km; Al Sulayyil ballistic missile base 1785 km; Mandar al Dhibiyan 1962 km; Masirah Island 2295 km; Royal Air Force of Oman Base 2312 km; Indian Island 2320 km We visit this site on average 2-3 times per week, so come check it out and become a part of history with us! [4], Numerous men were observed in the water, but no rescue attempt was made until daylight. And with its 88-mm gun pointed toward the surface, U-85 looks like its still looking for Allied vessels to sink. Image courtesy of Kraken Robotics. Their suspicions came true when the crew witnessed the track of a torpedo narrowly missing the Roper as it ran down the port side. The site is heavily encrusted with coralline algae and supports an array of cnidarians, such as sea anemones and corals. By this time, the United States had entered the war and Germany quickly brought U-boats to the East Coast of the United States. On 30 April 1944, U-852 was spotted in the Indian Ocean by a Vickers Wellington bomber flying from Aden. This month well visit the Caribsea. In early 1944, the Kriegsmarine dispatched U-852 on a top-secret mission to disrupt the Allies' Far East war effort by attacking sea lanes in the Indian Ocean. As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, we may earn a commission when you click on these links and make a purchase. During this time, Roper believed it had another sonar contact and not wanting to take any chances of another possible U-boat, Roper rode right through the mass of sailors in the water and dropped an additional 11 depth charges. She docked at St. Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast on 18 September. [3], The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 20.8 knots (38.5km/h; 23.9mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 6.9 knots (12.8km/h; 7.9mph). U-85 took part in four wolfpacks, namely: U-85 was operating within visual distance of Bodie Island Light at midnight on 13 April 1942 when the US destroyer USSRoper detected the submarine on British Type 286 radar at a range of 2,700 yards (2,500m). Sea life at the site of U-352 is prolific and typical of a sub-tropical marine ecosystem. Privacy Policy May 2 1944, U-852 beached on Cape Gardefui after attack by RAF aircraft. The much smaller stern section lies approximately 1,800 feet further south. As the crew of U-352 prepared to scuttle, several began emerging from the conning tower preparing to jump overboard. Synthetic Aperture Sonar imagery of the German U-853, showing that the submarine is largely intact. There are tidbits of useful info for us in locating the wreck, such as the sand, the ladder to climb the cliffs, the destruction of large bow and stern sections and the (hopefully exaggerated) 200m to the shore line (100m measured on google maps for . Roper evaded the torpedo and U-85 turned sharply to starboard when the range closed to 300 yards (270m). The Only War Criminal. The U-853 was a type IXC/40 German submarine launched on March 11, 1943, and commissioned June 25 that same year. The U-852 was itself sunk on May 3 1944 by British aircraft off the coast of Somalia. Amid the sinking wreckage were the survivors jammed packed in lifeboats and rafts. This month we visit the F.W. In January, U-352 transferred from Kiel to Bergen, and set out for its first patrol on January 20. After completing his training in 1937 he spent five years on minesweepers, commanding one from 1939. Two other officers of U-852, the 2WO and the doctor were also indicted and shot. On February 8, U-85 along with U-654 found and attacked the Southwest bound Convoy ONS 61. However, the British tribunal rejected his plea of operational necessity and sentenced him to death. Image courtesy of Kraken Robotics. This time the U-852 left rather than attack the survivors. Unlike U-85 and U-701, U-352 rests south of Cape Hatteras, off Cape Lookout in more stable conditions and more inviting Gulf Stream water for the average diver. As it turned out, not all the survivors were killed. U-852 was proceeding to the Indian Ocean to join the Monsun wolfpack when its commander committed an act that made it infamous. Additionally, the Leading Engineer and a seaman were complicated in the incident. Even as the crewman were reaching their battle stations, the Wellingtons were starting their second strafing run. On 30 November 1945, Eck, Hoffmann and Weisspfennig were executed by naval firing squad.[6]. (Photo: NOAA), This post is by a guest blogger. U-85s attempt to shake Roper failed. Did they finally blow it up and leave the wreckage behind? To view additional dive slates click here. She was commanded by Kapitnleutnant Heinz-Wilhelm Eck, who led her through her sea trials and onto her first war patrol on 18January 1944. Over the course of the battle, eight Allied convoy vessels, 78 merchant freighters and tankers and four German U-boats sank off North Carolinas coast. On May 9, 1942 it was sunk by the Coast Guard Cutter Icarus. This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. Many thanks in advance and best regards. Gross Tonnage: 761/865 tons (surfaced/submerged) Cargo: N/A, Built: 1940, Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges, Flensburg, Schleswig-Holsein, Germany, Hull Number: 471 Port of Registry: Germany, Sunk By: USCGC Icarus Survivors: 33 of 48 survived (15 dead). Just off coastal North Carolina, the remnants of many of these ships are scattered on the ocean floor. The crew was interned and sent to POW camps, after which they were charged when the war ended. SAS imagery of the Black Point showing that the hull, including the bow, of the ship is largely intact and rests upside down on the seafloor. This event has been described as an amazing story of ineptitude on both sides. Heinz Eck had survivors and wreckage from the Greek steamer Peleus machine-gunned with the intention of erasing all traces of the sinking. The U-boat had been claimed to have been sunk by depth charge hedgehogs off the coast of Massachusetts on 7 April 1945 by USS Gustafson and was also thought to have been possibly sunk by USS Coffman. Throughout the entire Second World War, the Kriegsmarine had only one U-boat commander convicted of war crimes. 1361 et seq.) [4] More recent investigation by sport divers has raised questions about Navy reports on the wreck.[7]. Roper not only had the advantage of more surface artillery but were also able to reach their guns sooner. [6] U-85 lies in less than 100ft (30m) of water; the United States Navy briefly attempted to salvage her. (Photo: NOAA), A photomosaic, site plan and dive slate are a few of the products produced for U-85 by Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo: Steve Sellers, ECU/NOAA), NOAA-UBOAT-143 NOAA diver tracks a sand tiger shark as it circles U-85. Either way, as the Black Point came into range off Point Judith, Rhode Island, at 5:40 pm on May 5, Frmsdorf fired a torpedo that upon impact blew away about 40 feet of the merchant ships stern. Throughout the entire Second World War, the Kriegsmarine had only one U-boat commander convicted of war crimes. The U-85 is a very rare Type VIIB U-boat, one of only 24 built, and was the only Type VIIB U-boat lost off the U.S. East Coast during the war. The hatch of U-85 is on display in the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum; the submarine herself still serves as an attraction for divers. If so, are there still some parts of U-852 near Somalias coast, that can be found? Heinz Wilhelm Eck: U-852, the only U-Boat War Criminal with the sinking of SS Peleus. (Photo: NOAA), The forward torpedo tubes located on the wreck of U-85. This year, Scuba Diver Life and NOAA are partnering to profile 12 different ships in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. German submarine U-852 was a Type IXD2 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. It is unclear whether the German U-boat commander received Donitzs order to cease attacks or whether he willfully ignored it. In protest, his Leading Engineer questioned his commanders order but could do little to change the fate of the survivors. As Roper began to close in on U-85, the crew suspected that they were pursuing a submarine. He joined the Kriegsmarine in April 1943 as part of Crew 34. The hearing was known as the Peleus Trial. Setting sail from St. Nazaire, France, on March 21, 1942, U-85 was making its third and final journey. The U-852 was itself sunk on May 3 1944 by British aircraft off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. Navy requisitioned the vessel, originally named the Fairmont, in February 1918. Report an Error, Site Index They dived the wreck to a depth of approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 m) in the MIR submersible from the Russian research ship Akademik Mstislav Keldysh. Eck was forced to run aground on a coral reef (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}932N 5059E / 9.533N 50.983E / 9.533; 50.983Coordinates: 932N 5059E / 9.533N 50.983E / 9.533; 50.983) about 20km (12mi) from shore. She was sunk in April 1942 by the US destroyer Roper. They confirmed the pressure hull had been breached and that the bodies of many of the 55 deceased German submariners were still on board the stricken vessel. The story of the incident really began on a summer day of March 13, 1944. From January to the end of August 1942, German U-boats attacked more than 285 vessels in North American waters. ): U-860 (+1944) propulsion: diesel and batteries date built: Data Collected on Site: Still and video photography; site plan; high and low resolutions multibeams; 3-D video, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This year, Scuba Diver Life and NOAA are partnering to profile 12 different ships in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. She measured 251 feet, 10 inches in length; 22 feet, 6 inches in the beam; and drew 15 feet, 4 inches. Website Satisfaction Survey This month we visit the Tamaulipas. Amid the sinking wreckage were the survivors jammed packed in lifeboats and rafts. [1], The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.9 knots (33.2km/h; 20.6mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15km/h; 9.2mph). Although, U-352 encountered no serious damage on its first patrol, no ships were sunk either. HMT Bedfordshire is one vessel included in the proposal. Diving U-85is the closest that many of us will come to experiencing what it was like during a World War II naval battle, says NOAA archaeologist Tane Casserley. Image courtesy of the U.S. History and Heritage Command. Download image (jpg, 377 KB). Significance: U- 352 is significant to American military history, maritime history and historic archaeology as it was the first U-boat sunk by the United States Coast Guard off the American East Coast during World War II's Battle of the Atlantic. Its a truly haunting image.. She was 55 feet in the beam and rated at 5,353 tons. After taking on fuel and fresh provisions, Greger was ready to take U-85 on a second war patrol, but this one too was a very frustrating and disappointing patrol. Today, the U-352 is one of North Carolina's signature wreck sites. Shown here is the wreck of the Type IXD 2 submarine U-852 off the coast of British Somaliland (Somalia) in May 1944 after being scuttled by her skipper Kapitanleutnant Heinz Eck. German submarine U-40 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.. U-40 was built in Bremen by DeSchiMAG AG Weser as yard number 945. Today, the submarine lies on the ocean floor almost within sight of the former Newport Torpedo Station which helped develop and test the underwater technology used to destroy it. During this time, Roper believed it had another sonar contact, which was likely the U-85 as it sank. The prosecutor was Colonel Halse of the Advocate General's Office.The presiding judge was Major A. Melford Stevenson. Click above to view a dive slate for U-352. At the beginning of May 1945, the Black Point departed Newport News, Virginia, for Weymouth, Massachusetts, with her cargo holds full of coal. This website makes use of cookies to ensure that the website works properly. The remains of this little-known battlefield serve as the final resting place for 90 ships and nearly 1,700 men lost during the Battle of the Atlantic. The drumbeat of the U-boats had grown louder through February and March. 2020 All Rights Reserved. They spent several weeks at sea, which were largely uneventful. Some of these tubes still have visible torpedoes inside. In 1927, Hawaiian Steamship Company sold her again, this time to C.H. Child soldier in the Soviet Union, 1944.. KL Heinz Wilhelm Eck of U-852 was indicted and sentenced to death by firing squad at the Nuremberg Tribunal on November 30 1945. Left the area for approximately an hour to await instructions on how to proceed to cease attacks or he. Time of the incident really began on a target decision to scuttle and abandon the.. Questioned his commander 's order but could do little to change the fate of the U.S. requisitioned. Attacks or whether he willfully ignored it departed Trondheim in Norway on 28 1941... Advocate General & # x27 ; s signature wreck sites points towards surface! 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