Dive into History

U-boat dive sites in US Waters

This map shows 7 positions of U-boat dive sites off the US coast. The map is clickable and zoom-able (with the mouse-wheel).

indicates war loss, indicates post-war scuttled boat.


U-85

Sunk on 14, April 1942 she was the first U-boat to be sunk in US waters in the war. The boat was lost with all hands of 45 when the US destroyer USS Roper sank her. The wreck is located approximately 18 miles east of Nags Head, NC. The depth is about 100 feet and currents can be very strong in that area making this an advanced dive.

This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such


U-352

Sunk on 9 May, 1942 by the US Coast Guard cutter USS Icarus in position 34.21N, 76.35W. The boat, discovered in 1975, lies in 110 feet deep water east northeast of Morehead City, NC. 15 were killed when the boat was lost but 32 survived. Currents can be very strong in that area making this an advanced dive.

Update: You can see some diving images of this boat here.

This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such

U-550

Announced discovery on 23 July 2012.

Discovert dive team site: http://www.bradsheard.com/u550.html

U-701

This boat lies in 100 feet (33m) deep waters of Cape Hatteras, USA. She was discovered in 1989 by a team led by Uwe Lovas.

This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such

Update: You can see some diving images of this boat here.


U-853

This boat lies in 130 feet (42m) deep waters roughly 6 miles north east of Block Island and south of Newport, USA. The boat still contains remains of most of the 55 men who perished when she was sunk on May 6, 1945, in the last U-boat action as such in WWII.

This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such


U-869 / U-Who

This boat was located on 2 Sept, 1991 by a team led by John Chatterton. Over the next few years repeated dived were made on it to establish its number and evidence steadily grew until she was finally confirmed recently to be U-869. Before that she was famous as U-Who. This location is at 39.33N, 73.20W in about 230 feet (around 73m) of water. She is thus a very advanced dive site.

This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such


U-1105

The boat was sunk during US Navy trials in the lower Potomac River of the coast of St. Mary's County on. Mistakes in archiving the coordinates of the site resulted in the boat being lost until it was re-discovered on June 29, 1985 by a team led by Uwe Lovas. The boat lies in 91 feet deep water with 65 feet of water over her.

The U-1105 site is one mile west of Piney Point, Maryland at latitude 38.08.10N, longitude 76.33.10W. This is now a Maryland historic shipwreck preserve dive site.


U-2513

This XXI boats lies at 228 feet depth (ca. 75m) at 24.53N, 85.15W near Dry Tortugas, west of the Key West, USA. This boat has been dived to by US Navy divers, the first dive was probably made in 1952 by 12 divers.


See a map of Cape Hatteras showing 3 of these sites.

Dive Into History