Shipwreck · Long Beach Island, New Jersey
U-869
A Type IXC/40 U-boat, lost with all 56 aboard on or about 11 February 1945 some 60 miles off the New Jersey coast, where no German or American record placed a submarine. The wreck was found in 240 ft of water on 2 September 1991 by divers from the Brielle boat Seeker, called the U-Who for six years, and identified on 31 August 1997 from a spare-parts tag; three divers died on her in the search. The official record credits the destroyer escorts USS Howard D. Crow and USS Koiner; the divers' theory is a circle-running torpedo of her own, and the heavy damage at two places on the hull leaves it open. The story is Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers (2004). A deep technical dive, the hull broken forward of the conning tower; a war grave.
Quick facts
| Type | Shipwreck, Type IXC/40 U-boat |
|---|---|
| Lost | 11 February 1945 |
| Built | 1944 |
| Depth to the top | 73 m (240 ft) below the surface |
| Position | 39.5637°N, 73.0344°W (approximate, ±2000 m) |
| Position known from | One rough record: approximate |
| Source | New Jersey Scuba Diving (njscuba.net); Wikipedia |
Further reading: German submarine U-869 on Wikipedia.
On the website for now. This shipwreck is in the web viewer first. The CoastFinder app covers the North Carolina coast today; follow @coastfinderapp to hear when more coasts arrive.
Nearby
- Jacob HaskellShipwreck · 4.1 km
- Herbert ParkerShipwreck · 7.9 km
- CorvallisShipwreck · 18 km
- Winneconne and KennebackShipwreck · 23 km
- R.P. ResorShipwreck · 18.3 m · 41 km
- Isabel B. WileyShipwreck · 45 km
Not for navigation. Positions and depths come from public charts and records, with their sources named above; they are for looking, not for piloting a boat.