U-869: A Story of Tragedy and Closure

In 1991, off the coast of New Jersey, deep sea diver Bill Nagle was investigating a site which was referred to him as possibly being a wreck. It wasn't until divers from Nagle's boat went down to inspect the hunch that not only was the site confirmed to be a shipwreck, but that of a German U-Boat from World War II.



An example of a Type IX C U-Boat

 Over the next six years, and at the loss of three divers' lives in the process, an investigation of the identity of the U-Boat was conducted. Spearheaded by the research and bravery of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, the diver's first clue to the boat's identity was the discovery of a knife inscribed on the handle with the name 'Horenburg'. The only Horenburg serving in the U-Boat service was posted aboard U-869. However, this was not enough to solidly conclude the ship's identity.

In the end, a plan was devised to gain access, with a staggering degree of difficulty and danger involved, to the sub's electric motor room, and there to attempt to find a spare parts box, usually inscribed with the boat's number in order to make sure the manufacturers shipped the part to the right boat. In this effort, on August 31, 1997, a box for a spare part of a torpedo aiming mechanism was found, and inscribed on the label: U-869. The identity of the wreck was officially confirmed.

This was monumental not only because it positively identified a wreck where there were supposedly none, but also rewrote history in that it was originally recorded that U-869 was sunk off Gibraltar. Also, it has given a sense of closure for the surviving family members of the crew, who have never known the fate of their loved ones, save that their ship was sunk.

After the wreck was positively identified, the question now was how did U-869 come to rest where she is today? Through the exhaustive research of Chatterton and Kohler, the story can mostly be pieced together. U-869 left for her war patrol in late 1944, bound for the east coast of the United States. However, her commander decided to take a less direct route into the Atlantic, burning more fuel than was originally calculated. U-Boat Command then sent orders to make for Gibraltar in order to hunt there. All the while, the Allies were intercepting their transmissions.

They knew there was a U-Boat headed for the US, and was ordered to Gibraltar, but due to atmospheric conditions over the Atlantic, it is assumed that U-869 did not receive her new orders, instead continuing for her original destination. An Allied hunter-killer group was assembled in order to sink her, but they never do. Plus, since there was a suspected U-Boat sunk off Gibraltar at this time, it is assumed by the Allies and history that U-869 was sunk off Gibraltar, not New Jersey.

There were several theories presented for how U-869 was destroyed. the ship's identifiers, Chatterton and Kohler, proposed that U-8699 met her fate due to a 'circle-runner': a torpedo equipped with acoustical targeting systems, which failed to hit its intended target, and instead homed in on the sub's engines. However, this theory is not recognized by the US Coast Guard, who after their own investigation concluded that the sub was damaged first by hedgehog bombs from the destroyer Howard D. Crow and later finished by the destroyer Koiner. This theory is supported by two holes in the wreck, which disproves the circle runner theory, as there would be only one hole from that. Therefore, the Howard D. Crow and the Koiner are credited for the kill.

However, amidst all this, it cannot be forgotten that except for one crew member, who was taken ill before the ship left for her patrol, U-869 was lost with all hands, and their memories should live on with respect, as fellow casualties of a devastating war. For a more detailed account of U-869's discovery and identity, I would recommend reading Shadow Divers, by Robert Kurson, or view the NOVA special "Hitler's Lost Sub". Until next time, take care, and thank you.