Shipwreck · Nags Head, North Carolina
U-85
A Type VIIB German submarine sunk on 14 April 1942 by the destroyer USS Roper off Bodie Island, the first U-boat destroyed by US forces in the Second World War. All 46 crew were lost; 29 bodies were recovered and buried at Hampton National Cemetery. The intact hull lies in about 100 ft (30 m) and is a popular technical dive.
U-85 is a war grave. All forty-six of her crew died when she was sunk. Nothing is taken from the site.
Open in the viewer from Bodie Island Lighthouse →
Quick facts
| Type | Shipwreck, Type VIIB U-boat |
|---|---|
| Lost | 14 April 1942 |
| Charted depth | 30.5 m (100 ft) below MLLW |
| Position | 35.9134°N, 75.2869°W (approximate, ±250 m) |
| From Bodie Island Lighthouse | 27 km (17 mi), bearing 67° ENE |
| Source | Curated (NOAA AWOIS / NC DMF / NPS) |
How to see it
Underwater, so there is nothing to see from the shore. From Bodie Island Lighthouse, 27 km (17 mi) away, CoastFinder draws it below the horizon at its bearing and distance, with its charted depth.
Further reading: German submarine U-85 (1941) on Wikipedia.
Point your phone at the real thing. The CoastFinder app draws this shipwreck over your live camera view from any beach, pier or boat near Nags Head, with its distance and depth, and it works with no signal.
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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.