Undersea Battleground Explored Off North Carolina Coast-- Part 2

Every member of the SS Bluefield's crew survived the attack by the U-576.  Every member of the U-576's crew died and are still aboard.

The expedition found that the submarine's dive planes were tilted up with the intention of surfacing.  The ship's captain had done all he could to help his crew escape.

After the German submarine sank the Bluefields, it came under attack by Navy planes which dropped depth charges and it was also swept by machine gun fire from another merchant ship in the convoy.

During the course of the Battle of the Atlantic, nearly 1,600 sailors, including 1,100 merchant mariners, died just off the North Carolina coast.  Most of these deaths came in 1942 which was the time of the most severe fighting.  After that there weren't too many attacks.

Dives to the ships are being made in a mini submarine.  The approaching storm, however, has temporarily delayed the exploration which has returned to Beaufort.

--GreGen