Hi Craig,

I agree, it is a great spot to visit. There is now also an authentic U-boat artifact to be seen at that location, as well. In 2004 I was contacted by History Professor, Dr. Gary Wray, of the Fort Miles Historical Association Museum. He was teaching at the nearby Delaware Technical & Community College and was approached by a school custodian who told him they found a "big machine gun" surrounded by weeds and briars, behind a storage shed on the school's grounds. He inspected the find and identified it as a 1,500 pound, Mauser twin 20mm automatic anti-aircraft Fleigerabwehrkanone "Flak" gun. We tracked its origin and found that it had been salvaged from the wreck of the Type IXC/40 U-853 (OLzS Froemsdorf) which was sunk in 130 feet approximately 6.7 miles East of Block Island, Rhode Island, on May 5/6 1945. It had been recovered by Melvin Joseph in 1969, and was "donated" to the school for restoration. Apparently, it had been forgotten for years, and became overgrown with vegitation. I have seen photographs of the gun, and it was in remarkably good shape for having been submerged in salt wated for 24 years, then stored outside, exposed to the elements for another 35 years! Dr. Wray and his team are now restoring the gun, which should be displayed at the museum when completed.

On another note, are you Captain Craig McLean from NOAA? Just wondering. If you are, we worked together in the past.

Most Sincerely,

Paul