Wreck Diving: Battle of the Atlantic

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] reported this week that it will lead a research expedition through July 26 to study the wrecks of three German U-boats sunk in 1942 off the North Carolina coast during the infamous Battle of the Atlantic. The battle was not just the longest engagement in the ‘Great War’, it was also the most important.

North Carolina’s rich military history includes this great battle for control of the Atlantic shipping lanes linking Great Britain, the United States and Canada, which allowed the Allies to take the ground and air war to Europe and the heartland of Germany itself.

The NOAA expedition is part of a larger, multi-year project to survey a number of historically significant shipwrecks during WW-II, including British naval vessels and merchant marine ships. Partners in the expedition will be the Minerals Management Service, the National Park Service, the State of North Carolina, East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute.

It’s too late to get in on this expedition, though phase 2 is scheduled for the summer of 2009 and will investigate the many Allied wrecks in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” off the Outer Banks. But you needn’t wait that long, as Wreck Diving is already a regular big business on North Carolina’s coast!

If you’re certified to dive to 150 feet, you can sign on to Wreck Diving Magazine’s Outing in September, and still manage to work in some visits to North Carolina’s storied coastal lighthouses, beautiful beaches, Cape Fear area nightlife, and other coastal wonders.

Make your reservations quick, as this dive project is bound to fill up fast. You can call Wreck Diving Magazine at (864) 244-9861 or email heidi[at]wreckdivingmag[dot]com.

Links:

Wreck Diving Magazine: NC
Surveying German Subs Sunk Off North Carolina
Battle of the Atlantic

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Filed under Adventure, Military, Carolina Coast, Carolina History, Lighthouses, North Carolina |