BAREG Update II – Late Summer 2024

U-869 – 25 AUG

Five BAREG divers made our group’s first dive on the U-869, the wreck made famous in the book Shadow Divers.  The U-869 lies 56 miles offshore from Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey, in about 220 fsw.  For four of the BAREG team it was their first dive on the U-869.  Conditions on the U-869 can be challenging and the dive requires advanced tri-mix certification and experience in cold, dark water.  We planned for a 25-minute bottom time and our deco obligations were about one hour.  Water temperature on the wreck was 43 degrees F, with a much warmer 70 degrees F at the 20-foot deco stop.  Viz was about 30 feet.  We dove in two teams, with one tasked to collect video of the exterior of the wreck and the other to photograph the U-boat’s engines to look for indications of the operating condition at the time of the sinking.  Significant information was obtained, but more work is needed and BAREG is planning to dive the U-869 in 2025.

U-1105 – 31 AUG

Four BAREG divers visited the U-1105 in advance of a sample collection dive that was scheduled for a date in September.  The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) approved the removal of samples of the U-boat’s stealth coating for conservation and analysis.  The rubber coating, known by its code name as Alberich (after the invisible dwarf in Wagner’s operatic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen) was applied to absorb active sonar “pings” from allied warships.  The dive teams identified the locations where Alberich samples would be collected in September.  Water temperature was 76 degrees F and viz was 3-4 feet.

U-1105 Commemoration Event, Piney Point Museum – 14 SEP

BAREG divers traveled down the Potomac River in the D/V My Purpose Holds to the Piney Point Museum to participate in an event commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the final sinking of the U-1105.  The wreck lies on the bottom of the Potomac River in 85 fsw one mile from the museum.  Two families connected with the story of the U-1105 were present at the event: the family of Dr. Hellmuth Walter, the German engineer who was responsible for the development of the schnorkel as an effective capability for submarine warfare, and the family of LCDR Hubert Murphy, USN, the U.S. submarine captain who commanded the U-1105 on its crossing of the North Atlantic in December 1945. Aaron Hamilton, author of U-1105 ‘Black Panther’ – The Naval Archaeology of a U-boat, was the keynote speaker at the event.  U-1105 was unique among WWII U-boats in that it was equipped with Walther’s schnorkel, a passive sonar dome, a burst transmission radio, and the Alberich.  At the end of the event, D/V My Purpose Holds got underway for the U-1105 dive site to collect Alberich samples.

U-1105 – 14 SEP

After a 25-minute transit from the Piney Point Museum pier, the D/V My Purpose Holds tied into the U-1105 mooring buoy and commenced dive operations.  However, before splashing the dive teams a powerboat came recklessly close to our dive site and had to be warned off with the danger signal and a lot of shouting.  Five BAREG divers dove to support the Alberich collection.  The samples were collected and immediately bagged on the wreck with water from the site.  The water temperature was 74 degrees and visibility was about four feet, but viz decreased as sediment was disturbed during the collection.  There was no current and so disturbed sediment hovered on the wreck.  Six samples were collected and transferred to NHHC staff on the dive boat.  The BAREG and NHHC collaboration on the U-1105 is a significant event for our group.  The collection of samples from the U-1105 was a first for BAREG as all our prior maritime archaeology project dives have been only to collect information by site mapping, photography, and videography.  Our thanks to NHHC for their collaboration and support for BAREG’s work on the U-1105. We also thank Maryland Historical Trust for their support of our work in the state’s U-1105 ‘Black Panther’ Historic Shipwreck Preserve.

Upcoming Events & Activities

Nautical Archaeology Society Training – 5&6 OCT

Space available.  Location, Tall Timbers, MD.

Scapa Flow Trip – 27 OCT – 2 NOV

Trip full

Business meeting – 16 NOV

At this year’s annual business meeting we will hold our board election as the current five-year term is ending.  Location is TBD.

Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) 2025 Conference (SHA) 8-11 JAN

BAREG is returning to SHA after a six-year hiatus.  The PI for our 2021-2022 survey of the U-1105, funded by the Maryland Historical Trust, will make a presentation on the project.  Additionally, we will have a poster presentation on BAREG’s first eleven years supporting maritime archaeology.  The 2025 conference is being held in New Orleans.

Buoy Ops – 7&8 DEC

Open to experienced buoy ops divers.

2025 Symposium – 25 JAN (T)

The tentative date for the 2025 symposium is Saturday, 25 January.  The location is TBD.