NOAA Finds Sunken WWII Patrol Boat

In the darkest day of World War II, when German submarines were patrolling the waters alongside the Eastern seaboards of the United States, many a trawling and fishing vessels were pressed into active duty, outfitted with small cannons and machine guns, and sent out on patrol. Large numbers of these vessels fell prey to experienced U-Boat commanders, which torpedoed them with every chance they got. One such casualty of war, a ship named YP-389, was recently discovered in an area of the ocean known as “The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” where many ships and submarines sunk.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discovered the converted fishing trawler resting some 300 feet (91 meters) below the surface, about 20 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The area is littered with ship wrecks, which resulted from the Battle of the Atlantic. American, British and German ships alike found their end there, alongside members of their crews. When YP-389 sunk, on June 19th, 1942, it claimed the lives of six sailors. Fortunately, 18 others survived, LiveScience reports.

“She rests now like a literal skeleton, a reminder of a time long ago when the nation was at war,” Monitor National Marine Sanctuary archaeologist Joseph Hoyt, who is also the projects' principal investigator, says. The wreck was found standing upright in the water, with much of its outer hull plating broken down. The internal structure was, however, well preserved. Overall, the former US Navy patrol boat is now a small ecosystem in itself, accommodating many fish species and other marine wildlife.

“The story of the YP-389 personifies the character of the Battle of the Atlantic along the East Coast of the United States, where small poorly armed fishing trawlers were called to defend American waters against one of Germany's most feared vessels. It is one of the most dramatic accounts of an engagement between Axis and Allied warships during the dark days of World War II,” Monitor National Marine Sanctuary superintendent David W. Alberg, also the leader of the current expedition, adds.

According to written documents, the ship was attacked by German submarine U-701, on a day when its onboard three-inch cannon was broken. This was the only solid piece of armament on the craft, alongside two 30-cal machine guns. They fired ineffectively at the submarine, which eventually managed to penetrate the ship's hull with a torpedo, and send it plummeting into the depths.