| NORTHEASTDIVER |
UNTERSEEBOOT 853 (U-853)
U-853 is the first U-Boat I ever touched
down on after being certified as a scuba
diver. This type IXC/40 boat was sunk by the
US Navy during WW II after a day of chasing
& trying to destroy her, the US Navy
declared the vessel dead on May 6, 1945.
The U-Boat was 251 feet long, 22.5 feet wide
and displaced 740 tons. Today the U-853 sits
in a 130 feet of water off Block Island, she
sits upright and intact on a sandy bottom.
Penetration is possible but, should only be
done by trained and experienced divers.
* Note*
Artifacts taking from this shipwreck is now
forbidden, She was declared an Official War
Grave.
down on after being certified as a scuba
diver. This type IXC/40 boat was sunk by the
US Navy during WW II after a day of chasing
& trying to destroy her, the US Navy
declared the vessel dead on May 6, 1945.
The U-Boat was 251 feet long, 22.5 feet wide
and displaced 740 tons. Today the U-853 sits
in a 130 feet of water off Block Island, she
sits upright and intact on a sandy bottom.
Penetration is possible but, should only be
done by trained and experienced divers.
* Note*
Artifacts taking from this shipwreck is now
forbidden, She was declared an Official War
Grave.
A History Lesson
By Rich Micus
Unterseeboot 853 (U-853) was a type IXC/40 sumarine of the Kriegsmarine. Her keel was laid
down on June 21, 1942 by AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on June 25, 1943 with
Kapitanleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 conducted three patrols, sinking two ships
totalling 5,783 tons. She was known to her crew as der Seiltaenzer ("the Tightrope Walker").
From May to June of 1944, U-853 was assigned to weather-watching duty. Meanwhile, the escort
carrier USS Croatan (CVE-14) had been hunting weather boats for nearly a month and had
already sank U-488 and U-490. She now turned her attentions to U-853. The three weeks of being
hunted placed an enormous strain on U-853 and her crew. Oberleutnant zur See Helmut
Froemsdorf took command on June 18. Kptlt. Sommer and a large number of the crew was
declared unfit for duty.
On April 23, 1945 U-853 sank USS Eagle 56 (PE-56) which was towing targets for US Navy
dive-bombers just off the coast of Maine. On May 5, 1945, Commander in Chief of Submarines
ordered all U-Boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases. U-853, lying in wait
off Point Judith, Rhode Island, did not receive that order. Soon after, her torpedoes struck
SS Black Point, within 15 minutes, the Black Point had capsized and sank in 95 feet of water, the
last US-flagged merchant ship sunk in WW II.
One of the rescuing ships, SS Kamen, sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by four
American warships. They was the USS John D. Ericsson (DD-440), USS Amick (DE-168), USS
Atherton (DE-169) and USS Moberly (PF-63). The ships dropped more than a hundred depth
charges through the night. On May 6, 1945 the U-853 was dead along with all 55 crew members,
the last U-Boat sunk during WW II.
By Rich Micus
Unterseeboot 853 (U-853) was a type IXC/40 sumarine of the Kriegsmarine. Her keel was laid
down on June 21, 1942 by AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on June 25, 1943 with
Kapitanleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 conducted three patrols, sinking two ships
totalling 5,783 tons. She was known to her crew as der Seiltaenzer ("the Tightrope Walker").
From May to June of 1944, U-853 was assigned to weather-watching duty. Meanwhile, the escort
carrier USS Croatan (CVE-14) had been hunting weather boats for nearly a month and had
already sank U-488 and U-490. She now turned her attentions to U-853. The three weeks of being
hunted placed an enormous strain on U-853 and her crew. Oberleutnant zur See Helmut
Froemsdorf took command on June 18. Kptlt. Sommer and a large number of the crew was
declared unfit for duty.
On April 23, 1945 U-853 sank USS Eagle 56 (PE-56) which was towing targets for US Navy
dive-bombers just off the coast of Maine. On May 5, 1945, Commander in Chief of Submarines
ordered all U-Boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases. U-853, lying in wait
off Point Judith, Rhode Island, did not receive that order. Soon after, her torpedoes struck
SS Black Point, within 15 minutes, the Black Point had capsized and sank in 95 feet of water, the
last US-flagged merchant ship sunk in WW II.
One of the rescuing ships, SS Kamen, sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by four
American warships. They was the USS John D. Ericsson (DD-440), USS Amick (DE-168), USS
Atherton (DE-169) and USS Moberly (PF-63). The ships dropped more than a hundred depth
charges through the night. On May 6, 1945 the U-853 was dead along with all 55 crew members,
the last U-Boat sunk during WW II.
