Dockside Chat - Battle of Pt Judith; WWII U-boat warfare

I only learned about this, maybe 5 years ago.
In the closing days of the European front in WWII, the Germans issued a cease-fire for all naval operations. U-boat 853 never received the orders and torpedoed the coal freighter USS Black Point off of Point Judith, Rhode Island.
Four US Navy warships and two blimps responded to the scene, and tracked down the U-boat, and destroyed it.

http://soundbounder.blogspot.com/2010/05/battle-of-point-judith.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-853

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-853#Battle_of_Point_Judith

Anyone with additional information would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Memorial Day!

EXCELLENT Work! :thumbsup: I cruise this area all the time and never knew.

Thanks for sharing

EXCELLENT Work! :thumbsup: I cruise this area all the time and never knew.

Thanks for sharingThanks Grunt!
Yeah, I have become real fascinated with this. There is also another sunken sub off New Jersey that NOVA did a special on. A fishing dragger snagged it in 1991:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/tour.html

This is in today's Providence Journal

http://www.projo.com/news/content/U-BOAT_05-31-10_5OIL5DE_v38.13efe0e.html

There's one sunk in the Potomac also.

I have dove both wrecks. The visability usually sucks on the blackpoint but is generally decent on the 853. The sub is really deteriorating. Not sure if I would go through it anymore. One of my favorite dives.

It is certainly an underwater grave site, no shortage of bones and sculls. I cannot imagine the fear the submariners had when they got hit (multiple times).

I have dove both wrecks. The visability usually sucks on the blackpoint but is generally decent on the 853. The sub is really deteriorating. Not sure if I would go through it anymore. One of my favorite dives.

It is certainly an underwater grave site, no shortage of bones and sculls. I cannot imagine the fear the submariners had when they got hit (multiple times).On one of the dive sites, I read that Blackpoint is in really bad shape too. It's split in half and deteriorating fast.

Then again, it was sunk 65 years ago. I guess that is to be expected.

Soundbounder,

Interesting stuff, right in my neck of the woods too.

Have you ever heard of or read the book "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson? It'll put you on the edge of your seat. It's about the guys (divers) that found a previously unkown U-boat off the coast of NJ. Awesome book.

Dave

Soundbounder,

Interesting stuff, right in my neck of the woods too.

Have you ever heard of or read the book "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson? It'll put you on the edge of your seat. It's about the guys (divers) that found a previously unkown U-boat off the coast of NJ. Awesome book.

DaveYou are the second person to recommend that book to me this week, so I am certainly going to have to track it down. I did however see the PBS NOVA special on U-869 off New Jersey.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/tour.html

I also found this site


http://www.uboat.net/

This is an interesting story about German saboteurs who landed in Amagansett



http://www.montauklife.com/history/history_night_of_the_nazis.html

I read about this a few years back as well. Most people are astonished to know some of the details. Most people know about the U boat off Block, but no one thinks to ask why it is there.

This is one of the best accounts I have found on the history.

http://www.desausa.org/de_photo_library/battle_of_point_judith.htm

I read about this a few years back as well. Most people are astonished to know some of the details. Most people know about the U boat off Block, but no one thinks to ask why it is there.

This is one of the best accounts I have found on the history.

http://www.desausa.org/de_photo_library/battle_of_point_judith.htmThat is excellent. Seems very well researched!!!

:thumbsup:

PE-56 which was also sunk by u-boat 853


http://www.stephenpuleo.com/en_review.htm

Just received this email:

Russia finds Nazi arms ship in Baltic

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10231227.stm