Wreck of the U869

Drawing by Captain Dan Crowell, reproduced in the frontispiece of Robert Kurson's terrific book, Shadow Divers (Random House, 2005).  It's subtitled, "The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II." In it, he recounts the extraordinary achievement of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler in discovering (in 1991) and eventually identifying this sunken Type IXC U-boat in over 200 feet of water off of the coast of New Jersey.  The book is well worth the read.  I couldn't put it down.  (Their experience was also the subject of a 2000 PBS "Nova" special entitled, "Hitler's Lost Sub.")

Atlantic wreck diving is extremely dangerous, and a father and son tragically lost their lives diving on the U-boat wreck with Chatterton and Kohler.   Their story is told in another book:  Bernie Chowdhury, The Last Dive. (HarperCollins, 2000). 

May 10, 1943