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Scientists Explore Wreck of Sunken U-Boat off Rhode Island

Scientists are using submersibles to explore a German U-boat sunk off the Rhode Island coast the day before Nazi Germany surrendered in World War II.
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Scientists are using submersibles to explore a German U-boat sunk 7 miles off the Rhode Island coast the day before Nazi Germany surrendered in World War II, and they're streaming the attempts online as they work to learn more about shipwrecks and how they affect the environment.

The submarine, U-853, was sunk in the Battle of Point Judith by Coast Guard and Navy ships on May 6, 1945, the day after it took down the SS Black Point, the last U.S. merchant ship sunk in the Atlantic during the war. The scientists from the University of Rhode Island's Inner Space Center, Connecticut's Ocean Exploration Trust and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy hope to explore both wrecks during the five-day trip that lasts through Sunday.

By Friday, they had so far made several attempts that were hampered by the conditions and technical challenges, but they planned to keep trying over the weekend. They are using the National Science Foundation's research vessel Endeavor as a base and working 24 hours a day to get access.

Image: Submersible
Scientists hope to explore a sunken German U-boat 7 in the waters off Rhode IslandAssociated Press

In addition to streaming online, the scientists are broadcasting three times a day on the local PBS station. "It's really a big experiment," Dwight Coleman, director of the Inner Space Center, said from the boat Thursday. "We're trying out a lot of things. There's some technical challenges, which is expected when you're doing ocean research."

Related: How an Expedition to Study a Sunken Nazi U-Boat Rescued a Reputation

All that has come in from the Nazi Sub U-853, which torpedoed a collier off Pont Judith, R.I., shortly before the German Capitulation, is this assortment of wreckage and clothing. Included above are the captain’s cap, artificial lungs, a mattress and pillow, a liferaft, a towel, and what appears to have been part of her flagstaff. The sub was destroyed by depth charges dropped in shallow water by the USS Atherton, a destroyer escort shown May 16, 1945.
All that has come in from the Nazi Sub U-853, which torpedoed a collier off Pont Judith, R.I., shortly before the German Capitulation, is this assortment of wreckage and clothing. Included above are the captain’s cap, artificial lungs, a mattress and pillow, a liferaft, a towel, and what appears to have been part of her flagstaff. The sub was destroyed by depth charges dropped in shallow water by the USS Atherton, a destroyer escort shown May 16, 1945.AP file

The scientists first tried to get to Black Point, which is closer to shore and in shallower water than U-853, which sits 130 feet below the surface. "It was very challenging. We thought it was going to be an easier dive," Coleman said. "It wasn't." He said they were constantly fighting winds and currents to stay in the same place because the ship doesn't have dynamic positioning.

At U-853, they had technical problems with the submersible, then a change in the wind speed and direction made exploring the site unworkable Friday. Instead, they decided on Friday to try diving a different wreck: the schooner barge Montana, which was carrying coal when it sank just off Block Island in 1907. Coleman said while most ocean research cruises last several weeks, this one is only five days as part of a state-funded effort to provide local researchers and teachers access to Endeavor.

Related: Wreck of Nazi U-Boat 576, U.S. Freighter Found Off North Carolina

Scuba divers have been visiting the U-Boat and Black Point for decades. The U-boat is considered a war grave and is the property of Germany. The team notified the German embassy of the expedition and assured them they wouldn't actually touch the boat, according to Michael Brennan, an archaeological oceanographer at the Ocean Exploration Trust.