Another U-Boat Found off NC

[AWP]

Fascinating. A mate of mine dove a U Boat in Long Island sound years ago, that would be an amazing experience (the bastard also dove Truk Lagoon and Scapa Flow).

Have you by chance read Iron Coffins by Herbert Werner?

No, but that's on a lengthy list of books I want to read.

 

[pardus]

No, but that's on a lengthy list of books I want to read.

You and me both...

 

[Red Flag 1]

The Eastcoast of the US was great place for the Greman U-boats to run up some tonnage. The DOD saw no reason to dim/blacken the Eastvoast. All the U-boats had to do was get there. They would observe Naval/Merchant traffic with great backlighting from every house, business, and auto traffic. They sank all manner of allied sailing vessels. It stands to reason, that with so many German U-boats taking part in the action, that there are quite a few U-boats that were sank there as well.

 

[Red Flag 1]

Fascinating. A mate of mine dove a U Boat in Long Island sound years ago, that would be an amazing experience (the bastard also dove Truk Lagoon and Scapa Flow).

Have you by chance read Iron Coffins by Herbert Werner?

That is one of the better books written by naval U-boaters!!!!

 

[AWP]

The Eastcoast of the US was great place for the Greman U-boats to run up some tonnage. The DOD saw no reason to dim/blacken the Eastvoast. All the U-boats had to do was get there. They would observe Naval/Merchant traffic with great backlighting from every house, business, and auto traffic. They sank all manner of allied sailing vessels. It stands to reason, that with so many German U-boats taking part in the action, that there are quite a few U-boats that were sank there as well.

Blair disputes this somewhat based in part upon interviews with surviving skippers (Reinhard Hardegen who sank a tanker off the coast of Jacksonville Beach, FL is still alive. He had either the highest or second highest tonnage sunk off of the US coast). His contention (and Blair was a US sub officer in the Pacific) is that a number of environmental factors had to be right for coastal lights to help the U-boats. They weren't the 24/7 menace they are made out to be. He did state that several skippers benefitted from our lack of a blackout, but the bulk of our losses in early 42 were due to bad decisions, lack of available air and surface craft, and poor TTPs. He touched upon the economic argument made by local governments, but never took a side or followed up his paragraph or two on the subject.