Unbelievable Find: German U-boat off New Jersey!

[@carolvedder3555]

I read " Shadow Divers" several years ago, twice. Seeing this documentary has been a great renewal. You have been so respectful and had put lots of effort to find the families. You all are wonderful.

[@paulcoopmans4288]

Awesome book.

[@charlesbartholomew2910]

Having served twenty years in the U.S. Navy, Silent Service, I find this very intriguing, to say the least. It pulls you in and does not let go. Thank you for bringing this view of history to us. To the fellow submariners who lost there lives in this boat, RIP.

[@HistoryX]

Looks like we have a fellow history buff here! History has a way of pulling us in, doesn't it Charles?

[@charlesbartholomew2910]

@@HistoryX Yes it does. And many times for good reason.

[@chrismaverick9828]

Given that much of the Kriegsmarine was still steeped in the traditions that came before the nazi uprising and had little love for it, it's all the more sad that so many lost their lives for a cause that was using them. On land you can be the master of your own circumstances. The sea is forever the master of all that sails on and below it, sailors learn this quickly and that is why they are generally a brotherhood in spite of being at odds in war. Peace be to all those still on patrol so long after the explosions have drawn silent.

[@michaelward9880]

Former USN submariner here. Like most submariners, I was intrigued by this story as well. As far as I'm concerned, I have total empathy for all submariner, no matter what nationality or politics. I feel a sadness when I read or hear a story of a sub sinking, whether it be from combat or machinery failure. These guys deserve a big Bravo Zulu for their perseverance and genuine zeal in solving this mystery. Thanks, guys!

[@Forge5304]

I worked as a machinist in a shipyard with a few guys who were at Holy Loch. I have tremendous respect for you guys. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us who took a different path.

[@tramlink8544]

U-862 almost suffered the same fate off the coast of Australia as U-869 did. U-862 was a sister Type IXD2 sub that spent 1945 patrolling around New Zealand and Australia. it used an acoustic homing torpedo called Zaunkönig T5 which had been rolled out by the kriegsmarine in 1943. as it targeted a freighter off the coast of Australia. the torpedo could pick up sound vibrations in the water from ships propellors and it would hone in on them. if the torpedo didnt detect a ship, or missed, it had a set timer within its gyro that would after several 1000s of meters make the torpedo do a 160 degree turn in the direction that was set. the idea was that if it missed it would zig zag several times through a convoy until it detected and hit something or its batteries died. Now U-862 actually survived the war (being interred in Japan in 1945) and her Kapitänleutnant, Heinrich Timm who served on the boat from October 43 to wars end survived the war also and wrote a report on the event. basically they found a lone Australian coastal freighter and fired one such torpedo at it. the torpedo missed the ship, came around, and the acoustics picked up their own submarines propeller. as the sonarman was tracking the torpedo with his listening device and heard it get louder Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Timm quickly realised the danger and had them dive to below periscope depth at full speed. the torpedo could follow the sound but not change depths from the preset depth. usually set to 2-3m for pistol impact or 5m for magnetic impact. Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Timm reported they heared the torpedo go overhead twice before it ceased to be heard, presuming the batteries died. U-869 could very well have had the same situation occur off the coast of the US but didnt decent from persicope depth. given the explosive damage appears to have hit at around the 3-4m depth mark, its a very likely scenario

[@x-morph4996]

as a german .. first of all i d like to thank you for the respect you had and have for the former enemys but still treated as sailors ! hats down to all the divers .... my condolences also go out to these left behind from the fatalitys.... all in all THIS was a great footage and i REALLY enjoyed watching it !! .... THANK YOU ALL !!

[@Contact_Info]

Have pride German fellow.

[@dlb3512]

As a retired submarine sailor having served on 3 diesel Electric WWII boats and 3 Nuclear FBM boats I found the videos of the boats condition very interesting. Thank you for posting the video.

[@HistoryX]

Wow, that's awesome! Thanks for watching, and I appreciate your feedback.

[@mountaininfidel2060]

My Dad told me a story passed don to him by his Dad.My grandfather was in the reserves stationed in Lakehurst naval base during WW2. He was assigned duty on the patrol blimps that were looking for German Sub activity. He had heard that the previous day a crew on a blimp sighted a sub and dropped several bombs from their rack onto the sub and confirmed an explosion. This sighting was off the coast of Pt Pleasant about 40 miles North East. I told some folks about this and they said it was never confirmed. That is until I read the article in the Asbury Park press from the 90s. I still have the article.

[@HistoryX]

Wow, that's some serious family lore you've got there! Can't imagine the thrill of being on a patrol blimp during WW2.

[@mountaininfidel2060]

@@HistoryX There is a documentary on here about the blimps and their role in the sub hunting. I have pics of the blimps that my Dad left me of my grandfather in them. My Grandfather was on the Langley and was involved in the Airship program. He flew on the Akron and was at Lakehurst when the Hindenburg went down.My Dad was old school navy also.WW2 and Korea.

[@mikeklakowicz1186]

I'm from jersey and heard about a German u boat off the coast in the early nineties

[@mountaininfidel2060]

@@mikeklakowicz1186 I have the article from the Asbury Park Press about the find.

[@mountaininfidel2060]

From what I recall what makes this one interesting is that there is no r record of it being in the water off the coast.

[@cliffordjohnston2106]

Very interesting. My father was aboard the HMCS Brandon going down the U. S. coast to the Bahamas. Off the shore, exact location unknown to him, they located a German U-boat and dropped depth charges on it. In the moonlight they could see an enlarging oil slick forming and a debris field. They were under orders to not go back to confirm the sinking - too dangerous. Dad felt that it was a kill, but they could not claim it. When the crew saw the enlarging debris field, they became silent. They had their victory, but they felt sorry for the lives lost and their friends and relatives. I was quite struck by this emotional statement. Even in war they realized that the enemy was doing its duty, as were they. There was no cheering. They were all silent. So, there is probably at least one more German U-boat, resting on the ocean floor somewhere off the eastern seaboard. Go find it. Good hunting and good luck.

[@chrismaverick9828]

Probably more than just one. They built a lot of them. Look how long it took to find the wreck of the Wahoo. One has to imagine if in a thousand years or so whether history will see discoveries from WWII like what we still find today of the various civilizations' fleets from antiquity over in the Med.

[@jessvolina6007]

Incredible story, thanks for posting.

[@mikeycraig8970]

​@@chrismaverick9828Those concrete bunkers will be around for millenia. Concrete doesn't reach it's full strength for a hundred years.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

@@mikeycraig8970 They definitely wont be around for millennia. Reinforced concrete has a major weakness. Concrete is porous which allows water to work into it. The steel inside it rusts. When the steel rusts, it expands. When the steel expands, the concrete cracks. Modern reinforced concrete is not even remotely the same stuff as roman concrete. Given how insanely thick those builds are, it's difficult to judge for sure how long they will last. It certainly won't be millennia though. Optimistically, probably less than a century.

[@chasemcintyre6806]

Hmcs brandon....let's go brandon

[@echo5delta]

I was a bubble watcher on that dive. I always thought I made this story up in my head! My dad was the dive master and wouldn’t let me dive East Coast wrecks until I got more experience. John Chatterton was really the one that told my dad no way I am diving this. I was 12-14yo when they dove on it the first time. I was PADI certified when I was 8, NAUI had a min age back then in the late 80’s. This was right before everything splintered off into “East Coast Divers” or you were “Atlantic Wreck Divers”. My dad stayed with East Coast Divers. Chatterton took me through my open water certification at the quarry Willow Springs. Fun times!

[@HistoryX]

What an incredible experience! It must have been amazing to learn from John Chatterton.

[@echo5delta]

@@HistoryX I’m now just getting caught up on what was going on during the late 90’s-2000’s. Didn’t get a lot of TV or internet the places I was so this was really cool find today! I completely forgot about it but I’ve told that story multiple times to my buddies. Both this guy seemed so much older than me back then I thought this was his son!

[@billmcyrus]

Wow I live near Willow Springs and will be diving there this weekend. Do you make it up to there or Lake Allure these days?

[@davidstrother496]

This is a great video. Regardless of how people feel about war graves, I think it was probably good for the families of the crew to actually know for sure where to submarine actually went down. That does not change the loss, but at least gives some little bit of closure, in my opinion. And it is always good for us to learn a little more about history. Thanks Ritchie, and History X.

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for your comment. So glad you enjoyed it, David!

[@Dr.Pepperdave]

Someone is saying, "Why don't he write...

[@daviddoherty2841]

😢plane crash or car wreck isn't a "grave" site.

[@kinggooseman5373]

@@daviddoherty2841ships full of remains are

[@AbbyNormL]

I was an EM1(SS) on a US fast attack submarine in the early 1980s. I was a nuclear trained electrician that operated the electric generation and distribution systems on the submarine. One of my jobs was charging the batteries, which on a submarine is a big deal to the point you had to pass a qualification interviews with the engineering officer and commanding officer before they let you do a battery charge. The battery produces a lot of hydrogen during a charge and several US submarines have had explosions because of H2 levels being too high. I saw photos of the inside of a submarine that had suffered a hydrogen explosion. This was discussed as part of our safety training when doing battery charges. The battery back then was located on the very bottom of the boat directly under the torpedo room. Subs had three levels, upper level, middle level and lower level. From what I can remember after 40+ years, when the explosion occurred, had pushed the three deck levels upwards to within a few feet of the inside of the hull. The cause was traced back to a design error and a human mistake. When the boat was designed, the ventilation fan located in the battery compartment was a DC motor. A DC motor has a commutator with carbon brushes riding on it which allows current to flow through the windings in the rotor. When the motor is running, small sparks can occur between the brushes and the commutator. The electrician doing the battery charge forgot to turn on the vent fan, allowing hydrogen to build up in the battery compartment. When the electrician received a high hydrogen level alarm, he reached up and turned on the fan which immediately initiated the explosion. From that point forward, they used AC motors which do not spark.

[@HistoryX]

Wow! Fascinating stuff right here! First off, never knew that AC motors didn't spark. Second, sounds like Hydrogen gasses are heavier than air maybe? Explains the need for the ventilation fans. Also explains how the schnorkel device used on later U-boats might not ventilate the hydrogen gases effectively. Thanks for this comment!!!

[@johnfig120]

RX RX I

[@AbbyNormL]

@@HistoryX Hydrogen is lighter than air (it is what blew up the Hindenburg), but the battery compartment is a confined space to keep seawater from getting to the batteries and releasing chlorine gas into the boat. So without ventilation, the H2 can build up to explosive levels. All tools taken into the battery compartment to perform maintenance are brass to prevent sparks. I was standing watch in the engine room one time and other electricians were working on the battery. Each battery cell is about 1’x1’ and 7’ tall. They are connected to each other by large copper buss bars. One of the electricians dropped a wrench which short circuited about 10 cells (about 20 volts DC) which blew one of the buss bars apart. Scared the hell out of me. There is a huge amount of energy stored in a submarine battery.

[@ronaldharding3927]

​@@HistoryXhydrogen is lighter than air. Both oxygen and nitrogen which comprise air have heavier atomic weights.

[@michaelsvestka8040]

Hi, I was ET2(SS) on an SSBN 1978 - 1983, Navigation Center Supervisor (et al). Do you remember what year that battery explosion happened? And when they replaced DC ventilation fans with AC fans? As you said, 40+ years ago when I qualified in Submarines, and I don't remember if that battery compartment vent fans were DC or AC, but I'm guessing AC by 1978. I'm interested in what you have to say about it / them. Thanks!

[@jamesstewart3505]

I made a deep sport dive in 1977 off the North Tongue of the Ocean in the Bahamas. It was 100 ft to the first step,and yes the nitrogen neocosis kicks in there. We then moved to the cliff and looking down I believe was told it descends over 1000 ft and over we went down to 210 ft. were we found the "Black Corral". Now remember this is 1977 and not today. The six of us made this dive to see this rare eerily beautiful Corral a life experience. All of this brings back our preparation, figuring our bottom time with pencils and paper. Stopping to balance air pressure in ears, clean shaving my mustache off to seal my mask, hanging tanks at different depths to stop as he says to allow the nitrogen to dissipate from your joints. Down bottom time 10 minutes awesome to think by sport divers on straight air all math done and calculated without electronics dive calculator. Yes the generation where we drank out of hose in the summer,rode in the back window of our car on vacation and rode our stingrays bikes without helmets. What a wonderful life growing up free in America. God blessed me

[@Danny344S]

The real America you grew up in sadly it’s looking horrible today the future looks grim

[@Thestephouse1]

I've been through about 7 copies of Shadow Divers, each time I've lent it to friends it's never come back. I'm the only non diver ! Thank you Richie for sharing this amazing adventure with us

[@HistoryX]

I know what you mean. I've loaned copies of Shadow Divers and they never seem to make it back to me!!!!

[@thornunia5057]

My first dive I was Jamaica. I'm female 65 now and I wish I had never stopped diving. Life and finances seemed to get in the way. I love shows like yours, and as a child I never missed an episode if Jacques Cousteau. Thanks for bringing this to us.

[@HistoryX]

So glad you enjoyed it! Your comment made me smile :)

[@jamest6837]

this is fantastic Richie is a beast..i have the book shadow divers..i dove the u 352 which is a warm beautiful clear water dive..i can see why they were obsessed with finding out what boat it was but you really just dont know how dangerous a dive like this is...

[@HistoryX]

Exploring the depths of the ocean is like solving a mystery, but with extra danger!

[@cw2gtc]

@charlieb308 … or, expensive.

[@Dingoroaming]

Beast?......grave robber theif with very little morals more like.

[@StevenKeery]

Fascinating story. I have dived on a WW1 ammunition ship sunk of Cornwall, England. It was an interesting experience. It still had unexploded shells lying among the wreckage. The Ship for some reason was also carrying lots of crockery. I remember thinking at the time that was rather odd, for a war time cargo. This dive took place in 1978.

[@HistoryX]

That's wild! Did you manage to bring back any souvenirs from the shipwreck dive?

[@StevenKeery]

@@HistoryX Yes, I was bringing an unexploded shell up to the surface but the Dive-Master told me to leave it as they could explode once back in the air. So I brought an exploded one to the surface and kept it as a door-stop for another few years until I moved house, then it went into a skip. It had concentric rings of lead balls about the size of marbles as shrapnel. I remember thinking how much precision went into killing people. I think the ship was Canadian. I must dig out my old dive log book as I'm sure I will have recorded the ship's name. Cornwall is a great dive location, lots of wrecks over the years. Seen Blue- Sharks and Basking Sharks up close. A wonderful experience. I've dived around Crete and only seen one fish and an Octypus. Seemed to be fished out, which was very sad. The Ausralian Great Barrier Reef was the best place I have dived. The amount and variety of fish there was wonderful.

[@StevenKeery]

I had a cousin of my Mother's went down in HMS Porpoise, the last British submarine sunk during WW2 in April 1945. She was a mine laying submarine and had just finished her mission and radioed back to her base in Australia. The signal must have been detected by the Japanese as they sent Destroyers out after her. So this story of the German U-Boat struck a chord. I hope when the end came that it was quick and painless. My Mother said her cousin was a very nice, friendly young man. I wonder sometimes if we shall see the like of his Generation again. They truly were a breed apart. God bless them all.

[@DrewBlankMusic]

Awesome show, and I paused it to watch the Nova episode when you mentioned it: made for a complete story. Thanks for adding the second chapter, great job!

[@HistoryX]

I always enjoy hearing from people that were there behind the scenes of an expedition or mystery like this! It was a thrill for me.

[@terrisomers7843]

I'm not a diver; I hunt for other artifacts on land. But I read Shadow Divers years ago, and I couldn't put it down. This video was awesome! Thank you guys for putting it out here! ❤

[@HistoryX]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@evorider4133]

In I believe it was 1988, I was 14 years old and went on a dive to get my deep water certification, with Bob Delory, the owner of Underwater Discovery, to raise, and recover in 90 feet of water, an anchor, from a U-boat. And we did so successfully. I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. That anchor was in front of UDI on RT. 37 in Toms River NJ, until Bob sold the property. I don’t know where the anchor went to unfortunately.

[@raymondclark1785]

I never knew the history behind that anchor

[@evorider4133]

@@raymondclark1785 I forget how many miles off the inlet in point pleasant we were. It was a long time ago.

[@raymondclark1785]

@evorider4133 you need to be a long way out to get to deep water.

[@jamesvalenti9288]

Very interesting. I am surprised Richie did not mention, but not long after the NOVA documentary aired in the US, a relative of one of the sailors called in. She lives in Maryland, not very far from where the wreck was found.

[@joefera8947]

Actually, Richie found her. It’s shown in the Nova special.

[@repairtech-b7m]

In the book it mentions the USS Core, my wife's grandfather was on the Core when they were assigned to hunt this sub

[@michaelsicowitz362]

I've heard many stories from former German sailors talking about their subs off the coast, mostly the gulf. It was common. During WW1 (1916) we welcomed their subs's visits. I've become a giant history fan of Germany's daring failures.

[@HistoryX]

Germany's daring failures certainly make for intriguing stories, don't they?

[@BasementEngineer]

Why failure? The U-boats sank enemy ships successfully didn't they?

[@michaelsicowitz362]

@@BasementEngineer They lost. Read Iron Coffins

[@BasementEngineer]

@@michaelsicowitz362 They lost, so what? It took the entire capitalist and communist world almost 6 years to defeat a small European country. Germany was outnumbered by people and resources probably around 10 to 1. The Germans out fought every other nationality. The west was so bad in their men and armament that they had to make common cause with the communists, the most murderous regime that ever existed in modern times. Aside: Compare U-boat losses with USA aircraft losses over Germany.

[@jeffsidle4060]

A fascinating account of solving the mystery of U869.

[@HistoryX]

Who needs Sherlock Holmes when we have the mystery of U869 to solve?

[@gilbertarzner]

If anyone wants to know. The U-Boat is U-869. U-869 (Kptlt. Hellmut Neuerburg). The boat was sunk on Feb 11 1945 off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts USS Howard D. Crow and USS Koiner. Maybe!

[@daveflood1555]

Very interesting video. Thanks. I can understand how Richie likes to dive around the UK. I used to club dive in the 60s and it didn't take long for us to go wrecking. Being such a maritime country the UK waters are littered with wrecks, many are so broken up they are disintegrated and unidentifiable. Often the only remains are mainly copper and bronze. One event I will never forget is having to get a conger eel out of the way so we could inspect a hold. When it swam out I saw the eel was about 9 foot long and was a bit pissed off. Fortunately they aren't too aggressive and it was just fleeing; but it was still scary. The event wasn't a movie and I wasn't under nitrogen narcosis!

[@karlbark]

I read this book shortly after it came out. -Extremely interesting to see the people (since I feel I know a lot about them already). -The stories (tellings, - I'm searching for the right word, not "stories") ....about the dives to the Andrea Doria were no less interesting to me ! -Cheers from 🇮🇸 Iceland, -K.

[@Cadadadry]

Thanks a lot for this great story deserving a 1:40 hour long watch. Subscribed. My 5 cents theory for what happened to that U-Boote : it was laying on the seabed to rest perfectly stable, the crew was moving a torpedo from one torpedo room to the other when for some reason the torpedo exploded, at least one day before the US destroyers found it...

[@richardcarter8134]

There are records of depth charging a u boat in that location

[@robertscheinost179]

I have the book "Shadow Divers" and have had it for many years. The book is the best I've ever read! These guys are heroes.

[@johnfranklin8319]

1:35:00 Connor Kilgour when asked about his thoughts, he said after being in several US subs, “you can definitely tell there’s a size difference”. U-869 looks smaller. I looked and Connor is correct, 1944 Type 9 Uboat is just over 11 feet in diameter, and 1944 US Gato Class sub between 16 and 17 feet, much larger.

[@HistoryX]

Wow, that's a cool insight about the size difference in subs! Thanks for sharing this fun fact with us!

[@mchurch3905]

Struck by Richie’s evolution from treasure hunter to marine archeologist/ethicist , helping to bring closure to the families of the relatives of the fallen sailors. I’ve been a fan of the Shadow Divers book and Richie Koehler and John Chatterton since it first hit book shelves years ago. Thank you.

[@norbertschmitz3358]

I'm sure there are at least 3 different books around. A pity the old skipper, a drunk, who got the numbers from a fishing captain, never got the real credit on this Video.

[@MadLudwig]

The concentration of remains in the control room is important and could be an indication of what actually occurred. It could indicate that the sub had bottomed before a catastrophic event. Frames bent outward inducates an internal or delayed penetration explosion. If for example, the sub was damaged by an air attack 40 miles out (in roughly 135 - 150 feet of water) and remained underway but submerged, it could have moved further offshore to its present location. The crew may have been unable to make repairs and as water levels slowly rose it would have eventually lost power and settled upright on the bottom. Hydrogen and chlorine gas would eventually build up to dangerous levels with batteries submerged in salt water. That could trigger a massive hydrogen gas explosion in the control room area, blowing the conning tower off to the side. Its important to understand that currents are fairly strong in that location. The depth is 230 feet and the drop off to Hudson Canyon is nearby. Had a torpedo hit amidships, debris would be scattered further from the wreck site, and the conning tower would possibly be located further away from the main wreck.

[@HistoryX]

I've often thought that many of the sailor survived the sinking to the bottom and they gathered in the control room

[@geronimo5537]

Looking at the damage. Both inside during the late part of the video and the outside. And given that the bodies were found more in the middle. I think this submarine landed on the bottom to evade patrol completely intact. While on the sea floor it was hit by a depth charge in the aft very suddenly. As the metal there is very sunken inward. And this caused the crew to rush to the middle area locking their bulkheads. The crew knew they were doomed and perhaps tried to blow remaining ballasts attempting to rise. Except it did nothing or there was a blockage. So they all perished in the middle area. After some time passed and perhaps decay. The pressure, gasses, and gases from the bodies all created a lifting force in the middle of the ship. This pressure found a weak point and it popped. I spent most of the video thinking to myself how odd it was for the conning tower to be directly next to the wreck. As any wreck with a torpedo or struck while moving will have such a feature far from the ship. Making this "odd" in the terms of wrecks that have sunk. Looks like she had a crippling blow while sitting on the bottom trying to hide and was hit in the electrical room. Half the ship filled with water and the crew ended up in the middle waiting out the rest of their time. Then over a period of time the top of the soda bottle popped in a sense. This is the best explanation I could form after seeing all the details provided.

[@MadLudwig]

Another possibility is the detonation of a scuttling charge on the bottom by a member of the crew after realizing escape was impossible.

[@ssherrierable]

That’s in your opinion not fact

[@BrianRosborough]

This video is captivating! You’ve edited everything masterfully as well! Loved the way you cut back and forth between the Nova folks and the interview with Richie. Your channel is truly one of KZbins ( non so ) hidden treasures. Keep up the great work ! God speed mate!

[@jr260cc5]

There are a few that were sunk off off New Jersey. The U-boats would sit off of Cape May and pick off ships coming out of Delaware Bay. A canal was built across the Cape May peninsula to help to deal with the German threat. My Mom's family had homes on the Jersey Shore. As kids we would hear their stories of blackouts, U-Boat sitings, etc. Definitely an untold and over looked part of American WW2 history.

[@JerryTucker-wc8bc]

I never even knew they got that close. News to me

[@operationhighjump4656]

Thank you for identify the U Boat and all the obstacles you to overcome to prove it . just awsome

[@outfield1988]

Thank you all for this video and to all the divers. Fantastic video.

[@joemarino6944]

i dove many times off the seeker and dove on the u853, lots of good times with them back in the 80's.

[@HistoryX]

Is the Seeker still operating? Was that a wooden hull?

[@joemarino6944]

@@HistoryX don't know if it's still in use. Fiberglass hull

[@patchmack4469]

i love that Richie mentions Jacques Cousteau - i recently watched the entire series of 37 programs, i was amazed he had pioneered deep sea diving, something i had not taken in as a child when the programs first aired - but he was so much more of a pioneer with all kinds of equipment, like the mini sub, even the crane at the aft, in a time when we might think money was no object, but he did have some very cool backing - sad to think he and his son are no longer with us, but interesting to see the Calypso will be brought back for educational purposes (currently having a major refit in Greece, but itself has had quite a history) i completely understand Richie's ethics of responsibility for the wreck, not only the crew but also the three divers who have perished in bringing the wrecks whereabouts to the crews relatives, and also it makes what you do very relevant and puts your name on the map, what did he do, and be recorded in history - it is hard for a relative to take in and understand when they are concerned with your life, but we adventurous types all dice with death, bungee jumping, driving a car, everyday our lives dangle on a string, life is very fragile but boundaries need to be pushed the inside video footage is incredible to see, my reckoning is that the build up of sand inside may have buried many interesting artefacts which would be a wonder to see - see an intact U-boat or any boat for that matter is one thing, see a wreck is another, but finding things that have survived inside preserved for all those years is something of a miracle

[@HistoryX]

Jacques Cousteau was the original underwater adventurer. Makes you want to start a GoFundMe for your own mini sub?

[@patchmack4469]

@@HistoryX well lets not do that, been done, and wasn't a pleasant trip for the few who went to Titanic - that was extremely sad - i have had many thoughts on the issues, but we actually have a documentary in a few days on that subject, i have read some interesting issues regarding carbon fibre and its conductivity - but the design i thought was rather simple in its execution, flawed from the drawing board and should have been seen from that point - i remember a documentary about the booster rockets on the shuttle and how they made the joining rings have more surface area to prevent failure, that's perhaps a little complex to explain

[@nawdawg4300]

I respect the fact that he edits out the remains, but man does it lessen the impact of the reality of this sub and what it went through. Maybe it's just morbid curiosity but I'd appreciate seeing them.

[@HistoryX]

I'm kind-of reluctant to admit it, but I totally agree with you.

[@celticman1909]

There used to be an old German man in Hamburg that maintained a U-boat registry. Saw him consulted by some British Divers that found a U-boat and wanted to report it to him and find out what the back story on the vessel was.

[@Walter-ny7dx]

I have read Shadow divers three or four times. That being said is because it's the only book about u boats that has made feel as if I was there. Absolutely riveting and very freaking scary. That took some balls to dive!!

[@johnholmes6897]

We have been diving that since I was 16 1975. My uncle and i just thought everyone knew about it. In 1972 a big storm wiped out the dunes on island beach which uncovered a black german rubber dingy from ww2. Everyone down the shore has stories about germans walking around down there in ww2

[@HistoryX]

Wow that's incredible! Any chance you have a photo or two from back then?

[@psl54rsniper]

My grandfather had a welding shop at Hough neck in Quincy mass and he cut up two german subs the after the war, he had benchs and tabels all steanless steel that all locked together and were coverd with german wrighting in his shop he had the rollers for torpedos he used for rolling peases of steel stock and floodlights from those subs, they cut them to the waterline than dragged the rest out and cut that up for scrap.

[@jasperrabbit8132]

This was such a great video. I love the opportunity to explore with you.

[@HistoryX]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mikebrase5161]

I bought a copy of Shadow Divers prior to deploying to Iraq. It was an excellent read. Im guessing this just popped up on my feed cause a week ago I watched a video of Richie Kohler working alongside Robert Ballard. Im a GenX kid of the 70's-80's. In elementary school Robert Ballard and Woodshole were all over in school.

[@BR549guy]

Excellent job, Richie. Content, continuity, clarity; great job all around. Having put literally over 50 dives on the U-853 (also a Type IXC40), this was a trip down memory lane. Although I did the Doria a few times, the 240 ft(?) of the U-869 was not going to be on my dance card, since I was also doing straight air back then. You did a great job of explaining the complexities. It took multiple redundancies and a clear head.

[@kl0wnkiller912]

There used to be one sitting in the sand off Fort Pierce Florida when I was a kid in the 70s. My dad was a pilot and we flew over it several times. One of the deck guns is in a museum in Ft. Pierce. I don't know what happened to it or if it is still there.

[@orlandoabreus2596]

Loved the show!! I am from Elmhurst, Queens NYC. In 1994 I started following Daniel Berg book for the dive locations. I had NYC Dive Club out of Sea Horse Dive shop on Queens Blvd. We would go to Stingray Divers on Grand Street, Brooklyn. I got my first book on mixed Gas Diving from Tom Mount (rest his soul, one of my friend and mentor ). Thank you. I am in cave country. But there is nothing lile wreck diving to me. I.A.N.T.D. 9088 Thank you

[@Ro6entX]

I read the book several years after it was released. It was a great book and glad not only was the boat identified but the crew as well. The quest to do so certainly had its hardships directly and indirectly involved; worse being the deaths of three divers.

[@michaelschwartz2034]

Has anyone considered a Hydrogen Gas explosion created by Salt water and Batteries for submerged propulsion, I owned and Operated the RDV Bluefinn IV and V from Wildwood NJ and dived on many ww-2 ship wrecks that were depth charged . I was most fortunate to Meet Ritchie Kohler and John Chatterton in the early 90's at a North Jersey Dive Expo and Show ,The Late capt Sam Still Introduced me to Me Chatterton. This video of the Sub was Fantastic, Thank you for sharing . Capt Mike

[@Gundog55]

As I diver when I was reading Shadow Divers I found myself breathing in and out through my mouth as if I had a regulator in my mouth. It’s that good of a book!

[@HistoryX]

That's the mark of a truly immersive book!

[@BobSmith-fx5tt]

Interesting story and well presented. The respect given to the wreck , its crew and family members was nice to see.

[@Carbiniz3r]

1:11:22 As a soldier who was in Afghanistan, I dont think i would have been offended at all knowing my gear, weapon anything i used in the war would be collected, studied and placed on display to educate the public.

[@redryder3737]

That was really interesting. Thanks for doing the interview for us!

[@philipcobbin3172]

I read Shadow Divers, wish I still had the copy. It was riveting.

[@HistoryX]

I loaned my first copy out to someone. never got it back. The copy I have now I actually found in a Goodwill store. I'm never loaning it out again!

[@AbbyNormL]

I read Shadow Divers back when it came out and greatly enjoyed it. I still have it somewhere around here.

[@HistoryX]

Don't loan it to anyone, you'll never get it back

[@deanfranklin6870]

I find myself intrigued by the story. Especially since my adopted father told me that during WW2 he was a spotter flying with the CAP off of Rehoboth Beach Delaware when they spotted a German Submarine. It was destroyed with a bomb into the Conning Tower. I didn't see it on the map shown.

[@HistoryX]

That's a fascinating story! It's amazing to hear about these personal connections to historical events.

[@deanfranklin6870]

@@HistoryX that's just what Dad said. He never knew what submarine they sank.

[@herehere3139]

First ive even heard of this ! An absolutely incredible story, Thanks

[@billywilds1779]

Submarine duty for 23 years in the US Navy. For me, this is a tome, that should be respected. It may have been a foreign submarine, but they were our brothers as well, let them be.

[@TRIChuckles]

I always had a respectful question about that? Meaning if the families of these men wanted to bring them home, is it still disrespectful? I think only people who have served could really understand and appreciate, as well as answer this. I have never served. But many family.

[@HistoryX]

That's a solid question. If a family wanted to bring their son, father, brother home, they'd have to identify the remains. Too challenging to accomplish without disturbing the remains of others I would assume.

[@dougdobbs]

Sometime after March, 1942 my mother was living on the north shore of Staten Island. One day she heard an enormous "whomp, whomp, whomp" from the harbor. She bundled up my sister and oldest brother who was a babe in arms and walked the few blocks down to the shoreline. There she saw what she described as a ring of US Navy destroyers throwing depth charges inside the ring. After a while she returned to their apartment. That evening here upstairs neighbor came home. He was a destroyer captain named Gordon Kasan (sp?). The two families were friendly and so she went up to ask him what had been going on that day. He told her that officially it was a drill, but that in actuality they had cornered and sunk a Nazi submarine in the harbor, then hooked onto the wreck and drug it outside the harbor and dropped it in deep water. I've never been able to find any scrap of evidence of this incident occurring, but my mother was a devout Methodist and comes from a long line of truth tellers. Whatever she saw she told me what she truly believed. If anyone has any idea what might have happened that day, I'd be most interested to know.

[@HistoryX]

I'm going to research for destroyer captains with the first name of Gordon. But it sounds like your mom had a front-row seat to a real-life action movie! Who needs Hollywood when you have such thrilling family tales?

[@petercliff4023]

Great video, Richie is amazing, just ordered the Shadow Divers book. Not far from me is the U-534, went inside of it years ago when it first arrived, brilliant but claustrophobic! Supposedly big plans for the U534 in the future?

[@HistoryX]

Thank you for your kind words! Richie is indeed amazing, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'm not sure what the deal is with the U534

[@pmc2999]

Years ago I toured the USS Nautilus in Groton, CT. Pretty tight quarters. I can't the bravery of the submariners in WW1. To be crammed into such a tiny area with the noise and smell of the engines and no rescue. At least a ship had lifeboats and life vests and at least some hope.

[@davejohnson3474]

​@@HistoryXBirkenhead was being sold off for development so U-534 would have gone to scrap if they didn't cut it up and make it into a walk round outdoor exhibition. Its quite good though i've been to see it a few years ago when i went to Liverpool. Having never seen a U-boat in person it i got that wonder feeling inside seeing the depth charge damage at the rear and just how thin the pressure hull was.

[@veteranhoffman6776]

This is interesting stuff, if anyone would like to see an intact U Boat, just go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the only type IXC U-Boat still in existence. It also has a very interesting back story about it and how it ended up in Chicago.

[@HistoryX]

You are so right! It's an incredible display and a great reason to visit that museum!

[@echo5delta]

There was bitter rivalry between East Coast Divers and The Seeker team. I know that we definitely dove that wreck on a different boat and crew at least twice. I want to say it was “Mister Bill” or something? It was out of Indian River Inlet Delaware. I hope I can figure out the name of that dive boat. He ended up moving up the coast to a slip on one of the NJ barrier islands. I left for the Marines shortly after so I have no idea what happened to either of the teams after 1993-94. I don’t have any pictures of those days. They have to be out there and I hope I get to see my dad or even me in some documentary interviews about East Coast wreck diving in the 80’s-90’s. I’m so glad this popped up on my feed today!

[@HistoryX]

Dive into those memories, buddy! Maybe a trip down memory lane will lead you to those missing pictures.

[@reneeparker7475]

Great find and detective work. I find submerged wrecks from WWII to be totally fascinating. Good job, gentlemen.

[@exsubmariner]

I'm a retired submariner living in Kent England there are three world war one u boats on the mudflats on the River Medway they form part of 21 u boats towed for scrap after the treaty of Versailles there is one hull which is recognisable the other two are cut down two thirds after spending years digging inside hull and ballast tanks in between tides i have managed to find enough brass fittings with the imperial german navy tag marks to establish the identification of the boats not one valve or brass piece of machinery was stamped with the u boats number instead the build or werk no. was used it's my personal theory that because so many boats were. ordered by at least three different yards the boats were assigned their u numbers by the navy on completion the best find so far is an early hydrophone encased in a sealed steel barrel shaped container compete with copper wire and lead seals on each castle nut a bit like the ones found on gas meters the unit weghs over 80 KG needs to go to a museum but they don't seem interested the reason I think it's a hydrophone is the electrical wiring extruding from a brass gland and. It's located facing fwd at the front of the box keel also I was a sonar man

[@Thestephouse1]

Plymouth here (with the sub base) so disappointing that no one is interested in your finds

[@HistoryX]

Looks like you're diving deep into the mysteries of the past, quite literally! Keep up the great work, Captain!

[@mulletoutdooradventures6286]

I've gotten to dive the uboat off NJ 3xs in my life. It is an amazing thing to see up close. It looks like it's just sitting on the bottom ready to lift off. It is a dark and scary dive. One trip out to it we had about a 15ft great white hanging over the area so we moved to the Texas Tower and that is another amazing dive and piece of history. The majority of the wrecks i dive were victims of German subs. My favorite is the Varanger off AC. Vis is usually good and the spearfishing is excellent. People don't understand that you can't just dive anytime you want. I fish more then i dive these days and having your trip dependent upon the weather is a losing fight. The majority of my fishing is usually in the area of this wreck and the many wrecks in that area and it can go from flat to 20ft seas in literally 5min and off NJ it's brutal

[@johnemerson1363]

Mr. Kohler: I have followed the story of this submarine for many years. I made comments when "Shadow Divers" was discussed and the possibility of a circular run killing the sub. Thank you for the new look in the sub.

[@HistoryX]

Thank you for following the story of the submarine for so long!

[@johnemerson1363]

@@HistoryX I live in Ocean County NJ and was a rec diver. I have never been as deep as this wreck. So close and yet so deep.

[@dereklarson8024]

What an awesome interview. Really fascinating.

[@HistoryX]

Thank you so much!!!

[@shieldsj92]

Cape henlopen in Delaware had plenty encounters off the coast. The cannons reached out in to south Jersey. The curators of the museum will tell you that the had more than a hand full of encounters with German ships and uboats which is not widley known to many people. If you come down to the beach in Delaware you will will see many of the spotting towers still standing.

[@shieldsj92]

Also there’s even a map that they have displayed which will show you the engagements from the batteries that they had. The guns that are there now were not the ones used. I do believe they have the 16 inch from the Iowa there for comparison of the biggest battery that once rocked the coast. Used to take my poppop down there to see the 155 which he operated in the bulge 754th artillery division A battery

[@raymondclark1785]

My father was on YMS 417 and said there was a rock near Boston that looked like a conning tower and got shelled a lot.

[@texaswader]

When I got the book it was one of those that you just hated to put down. Great story, amazing divers and detective work. Well done!

[@gregmerritt4278]

Great video guys. Thanks you all for putting this together

[@jenniferl.devillez5302]

Read Shadow Divers so long ago. This video was great to watch!

[@DIVERBLOKE1]

Similar experience off the south coast of England. Plenty of wrecks visited. Our club divers were as experienced and adventurous. Legendary stuff. Glad you guys are diving the same Ocean but thousands of miles away.

[@scottgellerman8554]

Nicely done gentlemen! A very interesting and well done mini-documentary!

[@HistoryX]

Our pleasure!

[@matthewturner7888]

After watching the Nova Documentary and reading the book a couple of times, it was neat to hear it from Ritchies perspective. I was born in 93 and I think the discovery of the u-boat occurred in what 89? After 30+ years, the story of U-869 is still and will for always be very much alive. I do have a minor question, with all the deterioration, would it ever be possible to someday go inside of the forward torpedo room, or is the room likely crushed from depth charge damage.

[@douglasmesina6922]

I aslo served in the Navy. I only got nauseous twice. The first time I went underway, and one time in high seas. This show really moved me. Thinking about the men that served and died.

[@NorthwoodsShooter]

Your best video yet! Thank you!

[@nickanderson1121]

Absolutely amazing ,thank u john and Richie 4 ur persistence

[@Jenna08848]

I was a crew on a dive boat in Brielle NJ in the 80"s I think the Seeker was moared there also.

[@Jenna08848]

Maybe it Belmar NJ. We had been docked there earlier.

[@HistoryX]

Did you find any sunken treasures on your dives?

[@Thestephouse1]

It was!

[@Patrician9000]

Shadow Divers is my absolute favorite book! I own the audiobook, hardcover and eBook. The number one thing I want to do when I retire is hunt for the rest of the lost Uboats.

[@vevenaneathna]

cool story. wondering if there will ever be unedited footage of the wreck with the remains blurred. i think just being able to identify the location of the sailors would be useful for weighing the theories of what happened.

[@jamesberlo4298]

I saw the Documentary and this was fantastic !!!

[@HistoryX]

It really was a great one to watch!

[@CelticLobsta]

My grandmother lived on block island when that happened...told me about the explosions she saw,said it was loud...she could see they could hear the whisper of the bombs...she was there when they brought the dead sailor on the beach from the sub...i still have her book that they gave the people on block island of what to look for...planes,subs,ships...has drawings of planes and stuff...if they even thought they saw something they had to go to the radio tower to tell them...they would send planes from quonsett point to check it out..she said there were planes always flying low around island searching.....great story you did..thx

[@williamh3823]

Dead sailor?? Mita been 1 or 2 to go out torpedo hatch..many survivors from both wars lived to tell of horror

[@donaldklapproth8091]

Excellent show to try and tell us exactly what was exposed by divers who were involved in this unique find off our US north coast!FWCS⛵️⛵️

[@darkzak47]

There is a great book which I am actually lucky to have a copy of because I think my father purchased it many years ago it’s called “Iron Coffins“ by Werner. The book is basically a detail of a German sailor from his progression as an officer of a U-boat to ultimately a captain. He talks about all the difficulties of life on board of U-boat and the initial phases of the German U-boat fleet successes in the early parts of the war to later where they were basically being killed off faster than they could make subs

[@TheMysterian]

An amazing story, what a find.

[@Rook1-72]

Loved the documentary amazing

[@Helpline5815]

My dad dove the wrecks near there off the Wahoo, he was familiar with this story and the boat and diver rivalries. Him and my mom would tell me dive stories. It got me into wreck diving and wanting to do it and fulfill his dream to dive the Doria. He had to quick due to time, money, and a family and dangerous sport. I can't do it myself for the same reason, never got to. But he dove the Almirante, San Diego and Texas Tower 4. He gave me what was left of his dive gear and a 30-06 bullet he recovered from the San Diego before that made it illegal.

[@sharonwhiteley6510]

Absolutely amazing story. Prayers to the families of the lost divers and the crew

[@michaelsvestka8040]

At :15::10, Richie says that the image displayed is himself on the U-boat wreck--is tgat right? I'm a US submarine vet and commercial diver ~25 years. (I went to the same dive school John Chatterton attended only I went there in 1989). Anyway, it looks like he's diving a single 80 cubic foot aluminum tank w/o a bailout bottle. My question is: Richie's diving this setup on a wreck that's >200' deep?? Unless he did a bounce dive, it doesnt seem to me tgat he has enough breathing gas to spend more than 1-2 minutes at depth. IS he on U-869 or did I miss something?

[@brucerumrey8894]

Totally Awesome Video and very respectful diving

[@HistoryX]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@R.T.Schaefer]

Odd little thing I noticed, in the 1997 video at the 25:00 minute mark you can clearly see the vice “red circle” around it on the workbench. However, later in the 2020 video at 1:26:17 minute mark, the top half of the vice is gone… Makes me wonder, most vices are cast iron or solid steel… So, it lasted all that time and just now… Finally rotted away? Or have others been taking things they shouldn’t be?

[@joek511]

Given the statement that the captain was scorned for using too much fuel. I would suggest another possibility. He set sail to the US, ran out of fuel and while trying to stay hidden, the batteries died. They sat on the bottom unable to surface and died. Along comes the USN, the Sub and all on board are already dead as she sits on the bottom. They drop the charges and hit the Sub, there's no oil / fuel because they ran out. This is my theory.

[@HistoryX]

I like this theory. Definitely needs to be added to the mix!

[@joek511]

@@HistoryXI would also add the human remains. They all seemed to be located in one area. Sugesting a last ditch effort to conserve energy (lights) and stay warm. The final observation is, no reports from a ship of any kind saying they were fired upon by a torpedo / submarine. I don't think they were hit by their own torpedo

[@wmd40]

this is so awesome! wonder how many more are out there... so exciting to think about.

[@jimdenton1571]

LoL, I drive over the road and got Shadow Divers on Audio Book when it came out, (fabulous book). My brother and I scuba dive also so it’s great to see your coverage of this.

[@BruceKoretz]

Great video! Very well told and put together. I haven’t read the book or watched the NOVA video, does anyone know if research has been done on what actually sank off Rabat if it wasn’t U-869?

[@NorthwoodsShooter]

Absolutely amazing!!! Thank you for sharing!

[@HistoryX]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@geronimo5537]

Looking at the damage. Both inside during the late part of the video and the outside. And given that the bodies were found more in the middle. I think this submarine landed on the bottom to evade patrol completely intact. While on the sea floor it was hit by a depth charge in the aft very suddenly. As the metal there is very sunken inward. And this caused the crew to rush to the middle area locking their bulkheads. The crew knew they were doomed and perhaps tried to blow remaining ballasts attempting to rise. Except it did nothing or there was a blockage. So they all perished in the middle area. After some time passed and perhaps decay. The pressure, gasses, and gases from the bodies all created a lifting force in the middle of the ship. This pressure found a weak point and it popped. I spent most of the video thinking to myself how odd it was for the conning tower to be directly next to the wreck. As any wreck with a torpedo or struck while moving will have such a feature far from the ship. Making this "odd" in the terms of wrecks that have sunk. Looks like she had a crippling blow while sitting on the bottom trying to hide and was hit in the electrical room. Half the ship filled with water and the crew ended up in the middle waiting out the rest of their time. Then over a period of time the top of the soda bottle popped in a sense. This is the best explanation I could form after seeing all the details provided.

[@paulcosentino1140]

If the torpedo hatch was open, was there a chance that a sailor tried to escape at some point?

[@HistoryX]

That's a great question!!! I never thought of that. Someone must've opened the hatch to try

[@williamh3823]

A few may hav..beingso deep they didnt surface alive

[@scottsmith4612]

I have read the book and seen the Nova movie. This was just as interesting and well worth watcing.

[@brentbauer8258]

I wonder what the world would be like if governments could not lie. I’m glad these guys took the time to investigate history.

[@charlesbartholomew2910]

Guam is a great place for diving. Pulled into Guam off of patrol and went to the exchange and picked up some snorkel gear. Really fantastic sea life. A lot of WWII planes and wrecks there to see. Of all the poisonous fishes/sea life in the ocean, 13 species of them live there.

[@HistoryX]

Looks like Guam has some "killer" sea life! 13 species of poisonous fish? That's quite the underwater adventure.

[@charlesbartholomew2910]

@@HistoryXJust think of swimming around in that environment always looking over your shoulder.🤣🤣🤣