Known as Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat), the attacking force was comprised of five IX class, long-range U-boats. Under the command of Admiral Karl Donitz, Germany’s U-bootwaffe (German for boat fleet) launched their first series of strikes against American shipping in the final days of 1941. The HistoryĪs most Atlantic wreck divers know, many of North Carolina’s Outer Bank wreck sites were the result of the “Battle of the Atlantic.” During the early stages of World War II, Germany’s marauding U-boats brought their ocean campaign of destruction right on our doorstep, and they proved to be one of the most fearsome and effective weapons in the history of naval warfare. As I worked the wreck for a few choice images, the non-photographer in me wandered down a different path. Yet, even when considering that this was my fourth dive on this particular U-boat, the act of resting my hand on one of these man-made predators still stirred my imagination. Most were victims of Germany’s U-bootwaffe who managed to turn this region of the US coast into what history called Torpedo Alley. Since 1999 I had the opportunity to dive a large number of wrecks from the Hatteras inlet south. Listing 45-degrees over on its starboard, is an amazing sight as it is one of the most intact German U-boats in recreational diving depths. While still largely intact, most of what you see on the bottom is the remains of the pressure hull, as the majority of the U-352’s outer casing has rusted away. Located some 35 miles offshore, the U-352 lies within close proximity of the Gulf Stream, which oftentimes rewards divers with visibility upwards to 100 feet. Stern section of the U-352 German U-boat of the North Carolina Coast Even with the dive briefing fresh in your mind, seeing the U-352 materialize off the bottom, sitting with a 45-degree list to starboard, is an amazing sight. For divers making the journey to Morehead City, it stands near the top of the list. The U-352 is one of North Carolina’s signature wreck dives. But life on a U-boat with a maximum width of just 20 feet struck me as incomprehensibly claustrophobic – even if no one was shooting or dropping explosives on you. I knew that living quarters on most medium-size attack class warships from the World War II era were far from luxurious. Following the descent line toward the bottom, my first impression of the wreck was utter surprise at its relatively slender diameter.
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