The U-853 is located close to me in RI and I dove it in June 1988 and July 2005. There has been significant deterioration over that time span. I dove the U-85 in August 2004 out of Nags Head, NC. All 3 of these dives left me in awe with a lump in my throat as I had studied the histories and knew that the conditions that find them now as graveyards.
I have twice been scheduled for dives on the U-352 but have been axed both times because of nasty weather. This U-boat is probably the most visited one off of the US by scuba divers as it sits in the Gulf Stream and thus can often offer warmer water and good visibility.
New Jersey has the U-869 which is the feature of the best selling book Shadow Divers. This boat sits in 230' and is obviously well out of range for most divers.
In addition to these U-boats there are several others that folks have visited via scuba diving. These include the U-1105, which unlike the U-853, U-85, U-352 and U-869 which were sunk during the war, the U-1105 was initially turned over to the US after WWII in 1945. After study by the US Navy in Washington, DC, she was towed out into the Potomic River and used for demolition practices in 1949. In 1985 some sport divers found her and then in 1994, she became Marylands first historic shipwreck preserve. Reportedly, she is a difficult dive in that she is laying in thick mud in an area known for terrible visibility.
I have seen a map showing the general locations for the U-521 and U-548 off of the coast of Virginia but I have not read that they have been located.
NC also has two other reported U-boats including the U-701 which was reportedly found in 1989 by the same person (Uwe Lovas) who located the U-1105 in MD. Diving on this boat has been discouraged but appears that it is now occuring with some regularity and recommendations.
The other reported U-boat off of NC is the U-576 which is 550' deep off of Hatteras. Apparently divers attempted to dive this boat in 1994 but were unsuccessful. I don't know if there have been any other attempts since these.
The last U-boat that I have heard about being identified along the eastern United States is the U-2513 off of Key West. This ship was also turned over to the US after WWII and then used for target practice in 1951. It has been dove a number of times but at a depth of 214', it too is out of the range of most divers.
There are also two other known U-boats in-land. Perhaps the most famous is the U-505 which is in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry. This boat was captured at sea in 1944 and then towed back to the US. The capture of this boat marked the first capture of an enemy warship by the US Navy since 1815!
The Great Lakes also has another U-boat in its ranks and this is the UC-97 in Lake Michigan. This boat was procured by the US in 1919 after WWI. She toured a number of American ports along the Great Lakes including Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan. Though scheduled to visit Lake Superior ports as well, the U-boat had to cut short its voyage because of wear on the engines. Thus, in August 1919, she was delivered to the Great Lakes Naval Station until 7 June 1921 when she was taken out into Lake Michigan and sunk as a target during naval reserve gunnery drills. She was relocated in 1992 at a depth of 250' but this location has been closely guarded and I have not heard of divers outside of the recovery team visiting her.
The U-550 is reportedly 70 miles south of Nantucket Island, MA but to my knowledge has not been found.
I also seem to recall a U-boat found off of Canada (Nova Scotia?) a couple of years ago as well as have heard of 2 off of CA. I have not been able to confirm any of these boats.
My hope is to dive the U-352 and the U-1105 over the next year or two. I also plan to continue diving the U-853 annually as it is a local dive for me. There are also a number of US submarines around this country and I'll try and post some information about those in future threads if folks seem interested.
Edited by ScubaGypsy, 03 March 2006 - 10:33 AM.
