The coast of North Carolina was called Torpedo Alley during the Battle of the Atlantic as German U-Boats sent 100s of ships to a watery grave. But the German U-boats paid a price too, and the discovery by NOAA of a WWII freighter in close proximity to a U-boat brings home the price of war. NOAA writes,
“A team of researchers led by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries have discovered two significant vessels from World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic. The German U-boat 576 and the freighter Bluefields were found approximately 30 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Lost for more than 70 years, the discovery of the two vessels, in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, is a rare window into a historic military battle and the underwater battlefield landscape of WWII.”
“This is not just the discovery of a single shipwreck,” said Joe Hoyt, a NOAA sanctuary scientist and chief scientist for the expedition. “We have discovered an important battle site that is part of the Battle of the Atlantic. These two ships rest only a few hundred yards apart and together help us interpret and share their forgotten stories.”
[box type=”bio”] The Battle of the Atlantic raged off North Carolina’s shores. Learn more about the recent discoveries at NOAA.[/box]