Explorers find downed German U-Boat

[W.G.Ewald]

Explorers find downed German U-Boat off Massachusetts nearly 70 years after it sank | Fox News

Divers have discovered a World War II-era German submarine nearly 70 years after it sank under withering U.S. attack in waters off Nantucket.

The U-550 was found Monday by a privately funded group organized by New Jersey lawyer Joe Mazraani. It was the second trip in two years to the site by the team, some of whom had been searching for the lost U-boat for two decades.

Using side-scan sonar, the seven-man team located the wreck listing to its side in deep water about 70 miles south of Nantucket.

Sonar operator Garry Kozak said he spotted the 252-foot submarine during the second of an exhausting two days of searching. Kozak said the team asked him if they'd found it, then erupted in joy without a word from him.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Interesting narrative:

The sailors saw the U-boat's bow break the surface and both Gandy's and Peterson's commanding officers gave the order to ram. At the same time, the three destroyer escorts opened fire on the helpless Germans but the two Coast Guard-manned warships ceased firing as the Gandy unadvisedly sailed between them and the submarine. Peterson veered off as Gandy closed with the German submarine.

Gandy slammed in to the U-550 abaft the conning tower, damaging the U-boat further and Peterson fired two depth charges from her "K" guns, which exploded along the side of the German submarine. Once Gandy was clear, all three destroyer escorts again opened fire, preventing the German crew from attempting to man their deck guns. Nevertheless a number of U-boatmen attempted just that and were cut down as they exited their hatches. When Gandy ceased firing, more Germans attempted to man the after machine gun and actually managed to open fire briefly before the concentrated fire from all three destroyer escorts mowed each one down and laid waste to the conning tower.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History

The photo below would seem to have been taken between the Gandy's ramming and the resumption of fire. A lull in the firing that the submariners no doubt interpreted as either a good time to try man the guns or to abandon ship