Scientists exploring wreck of sunken U-boat off Rhode Island

Scientists are using submersibles to explore a German U-boat sunk 7 miles off the Rhode Island coast the day before Nazi Germany surrendered in World War II, and they’re streaming the attempts online as they work to learn more about shipwrecks and how they affect the environment. The submarine, U-853, was sunk in the Battle of Point Judith by Coast Guard and Navy ships on May 6, 1945, the day after it took down the SS Black Point, the last U.S. merchant ship sunk in the Atlantic during the war.

It’s really a big experiment…We’re trying out a lot of things. There’s some technical challenges, which is expected when you’re doing ocean research.

Dwight Coleman, director of the Inner Space Center.

The scientists from the University of Rhode Island’s Inner Space Center, Connecticut’s Ocean Exploration Trust and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy hope to explore both wrecks during the five-day trip that lasts through Sunday. By Friday, they had made several attempts that were hampered by the conditions and technical challenges, but they planned to keep trying over the weekend. Scuba divers have been visiting the U-Boat and Black Point for decades. The U-boat is considered a war grave and is the property of Germany.

It was very challenging. We thought it was going to be an easier dive. It wasn’t.

Dwight Coleman, director of the Inner Space Center.

U-boat Odd News