Discovery of U-869 Talk by Divers @ Mystic Seaport 19 APR 07

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U-869 AND THE WINTER OF 1945
Thursday, April 19, 2007

John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, ship wreck explorers, talk about their discovery of the German submarine U-869 in 230 feet of water 60 miles off the New Jersey coast, the subject of the New York Times bestseller, Shadow Divers. They describe their personal experiences in finding the mystery wreck and their six-year struggle to identify the submarine, her crew, and to correct a fascinating segment of World War II history during 1945 while the Battle of the Atlantic was being waged.

Afternoon program (begins at 2 pm) Non-member adults $12. Evening program (begins at 7:30 pm) Non-member adults $15.

Early registrations are recommended, especially for the evening series. Please call 860.572.5339 to reserve tickets.

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24 FEB 07 Tickets are

24 FEB 07 Tickets are almost sold out.

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This is the synopsis of

This is the synopsis of the talk/book signing recently done in Vail, Colorado.



Get deep with sea diver Richie Kohler

Daily Staff Report
February 21, 2007

VAIL -The Vail Symposium and Vail Library hosts deep sea diver Richie Kohler on Thursday for a talk with slides and video footage of his adventures. Program part of the symposium's Unlimited Adventurer series.

While Kohler has long been one of the best deep wreck divers in the world, it wasn't until the 2004 publication of Robert Kurson's bestselling book, "Shadow Divers," that he became a household name.


In the fall of 1991, Captain Bill Nagle discovered the resting place of an unknown wreck 60 miles off the New Jersey coast, and brought Kohler, his partner, John Chatterton, and a small team of divers to explore the site. The wreck, laying 230 feet below the waters of the Atlantic was that of a World War II German U-boat, "a wartime loss with the 56 man crew still aboard." Amazingly, neither the U.S. nor German Naval Authorities could provide any record or explanation as to the identity of the ship or the fate with which it was met.

The identification of the vessel proved to be a long, costly, and difficult endeavor. Current diving technology, as well as the team's physical and mental endurance, were repeatedly pushed to their limits in numerous descents to the deep wreck site. In 1997, Kohler and Chatterton's four-man team finally discovered the evidence that conclusively identified the vessel as the U-869. The mission to determine the identity of the sub and its crew took six years, and cost the team three lives, including those of a father and son.

Upon the identification of the mystery wreck, Kohler traveled to Germany and contacted as many of the families of the U-869's crewmembers as he could find. "Letting the families know where their loved ones were and that they no longer lay anonymous at the bottom of the sea, was for me my proudest accomplishment," Kohler said. The details of this daunting undertaking were documented in a two hour NOVA program, "Hitler's Lost Sub," as well as in Kurson's bestseller, soon to be a major motion picture by 20th Century Fox.



Water baby

Raised in a boating family on the East Coast, Kohler began diving with his dad when he was 9 years old. When he turned 15, he became a certified scuba diver, and has been diving for the last 25 years. He has explored deep beneath the waters of the English Channel, Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, Nova Scotia, Dry Tortugas, North Sea, and South Pacific, to name a few. He has been spearfishing, cave diving, as well as trying his hand at underwater photography. However, it is wreck diving that has always been his passion.

"There's something about swimming down a ship that's been lost that excites me," Kohler said. "It's the history, the human drama, but also that whole 'boldly going where no man has gone before' thing." This lifelong passion has brought him to famous wrecks around the world, including the site of the SS Andrea Doria, and in August of 2005, to the RMS Titannic.

"The Titannic is the iconic shipwreck of the world," Kohler said. It is surrounded by mystique because it was "the greatest ship ever built," on her maiden voyage, and yet it saw such a grievous loss of life.

Kohler said the dives he did to the wreck of the Titannic, 400 miles of the coast of New Foundland, two and a half miles beneath the water's surface, was some of the most exciting work he has ever done. His findings from these dives have been called "the most significant discoveries concerning the Titannic since the wreck was first found," changing the whole theory of how the great ship actually sank.

In addition to being an experienced technical wreck diver and shipwreck historian, Kohler is one of the co-hosts of the History Channel's television series "Deep Sea Detectives," a consultant for the film and television industry on shipwreck and diving projects, and one of the hosts of the new DVD video magazine "Dive Portal."

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While looking for more up-to-date

While looking for more up-to-date info about the U-869 I came across this relatively new website by one of the two divers who did the lion's share of the diving and research on this U-boat. Lots of new stuff. Also it's in English or German.

http://www.u869.com/ A website by one of the two major divers, Richard Kohler Jr. who dove on, researched and finally identified this U-boat. Information and fotos of the crew. Fotos of artifacts and the boat. Links to other U-869 relevant websites.


OTHER WEBSITES ABOUT U-869

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/tour.html This is an excellent site by PBS. Super graphics.

http://www.uscg.mil/history/WEBCUTTERS/ ... oiner.html The USCG's account of this.

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/U869.html More USCG collected information.

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Here's another thing that diver

Here's another thing that diver John Chatterton has been doing. He is involved with The Underwater Warriors Foundation, a US non-profit and educational organisation that was launched in March 2006 to teach scuba as a therapeutic recreation to wounded soldiers and their family members, and operates without cost to the participants.


http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script ... 012714.htm

Warriors’ visit to be documented by a ‘Shadow Diver’
Friday, March 16, 2007


World-renowned underwater videographer and co-host of the History Channel’s successful Deep Sea Detectives series, John Chatterton, will be documenting the visit to Cayman Brac this month by the Underwater Warriors Foundation (UWF).

UWF is a US non-profit and educational organisation that was launched in March 2006 to teach scuba as a therapeutic recreation to wounded soldiers and their family members, and operates without cost to the participants.

Their first visit to Cayman Brac on 24 to 31 March is assured international exposure by Mr Chatterton’s participation, according to Melissa Wall, UWF Program Director and Fundraising Coordinator.

“We are so grateful that John has accepted our invitation to promote our ongoing project to bring wounded servicemen and women to the underwater splendor of the Sister Islands,” she said.

“Attracting John Chatterton to Cayman Brac will greatly benefit the Island, as well as UWF, because of the worldwide attention a professional of his caliber will undoubtedly receive,” said Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell.

Mr Chatterton has offered to make the raw footage available to UWF to use as they wish, and he will use some of the footage in a segment for his video magazine, Dive Portal DVD.

“I think people are going to find the Warriors and their stories inspirational. They are heroes in more ways than one,” said Mr Chatterton. “My goal is to try to capture some of that magic on video.”

The footage he takes of the visit will be used to create greater interest in the Warriors program, and some of this video will make its way into news and promotional pieces, he said. However, the end goal is to attract interest in a larger project for broadcast.

“For the Warriors themselves, it is about addressing challenges, building self-confidence and making friends. When we see these individuals overcoming their physical and emotional obstacles to ultimately achieve their goals, we can’t help but ask ourselves, ‘What excuse do I have?’

“When divers enter the water, it is a challenge between the individual and the elements. To better manage the inherent risks, we rely on one another. That is why divers have a genuine sense of community,” said Mr Chatterton.

“There is nothing more important for us to do than to help the members of our community that can use some help. Divers have always done this. By helping them, we help ourselves. The dive community could not ask for better representatives than the Warriors, their instructors and their supporters,” he added.

Mr Chatterton is one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known wreck divers, who has participated in numerous historic diving expeditions, including one to the most famous shipwreck of them all - the RMS Titanic – in August 2005.

Diving the wreck to a depth of 3,786 meters in the MIR submersibles from the Russian Research Ship, Keldysh, their exploration was featured on the History Channel special, Titanic’s Final Moments - Missing Pieces.

The best selling and highly acclaimed non-fiction book, ‘Shadow Divers’, written by Robert Kurson, told of Mr Chatterton and diving colleague Richie Kohler’s remarkable discovery and exploration of a German U-boat off the coast of New Jersey.

This expedition was the subject of several television documentaries, including, ‘Hitler’s Lost Sub’ (a two hour special for the popular NOVA series on PBS). 20th Century Fox plans to turn ‘Shadow Divers’ into a movie to be released in 2007.
http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script ... 012714.htm

Warriors’ visit to be documented by a ‘Shadow Diver’
Friday, March 16, 2007


World-renowned underwater videographer and co-host of the History Channel’s successful Deep Sea Detectives series, John Chatterton, will be documenting the visit to Cayman Brac this month by the Underwater Warriors Foundation (UWF).

UWF is a US non-profit and educational organisation that was launched in March 2006 to teach scuba as a therapeutic recreation to wounded soldiers and their family members, and operates without cost to the participants.

Their first visit to Cayman Brac on 24 to 31 March is assured international exposure by Mr Chatterton’s participation, according to Melissa Wall, UWF Program Director and Fundraising Coordinator.

“We are so grateful that John has accepted our invitation to promote our ongoing project to bring wounded servicemen and women to the underwater splendor of the Sister Islands,” she said.

“Attracting John Chatterton to Cayman Brac will greatly benefit the Island, as well as UWF, because of the worldwide attention a professional of his caliber will undoubtedly receive,” said Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell.

Mr Chatterton has offered to make the raw footage available to UWF to use as they wish, and he will use some of the footage in a segment for his video magazine, Dive Portal DVD.

“I think people are going to find the Warriors and their stories inspirational. They are heroes in more ways than one,” said Mr Chatterton. “My goal is to try to capture some of that magic on video.”

The footage he takes of the visit will be used to create greater interest in the Warriors program, and some of this video will make its way into news and promotional pieces, he said. However, the end goal is to attract interest in a larger project for broadcast.

“For the Warriors themselves, it is about addressing challenges, building self-confidence and making friends. When we see these individuals overcoming their physical and emotional obstacles to ultimately achieve their goals, we can’t help but ask ourselves, ‘What excuse do I have?’

“When divers enter the water, it is a challenge between the individual and the elements. To better manage the inherent risks, we rely on one another. That is why divers have a genuine sense of community,” said Mr Chatterton.

“There is nothing more important for us to do than to help the members of our community that can use some help. Divers have always done this. By helping them, we help ourselves. The dive community could not ask for better representatives than the Warriors, their instructors and their supporters,” he added.

Mr Chatterton is one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known wreck divers, who has participated in numerous historic diving expeditions, including one to the most famous shipwreck of them all - the RMS Titanic – in August 2005.

Diving the wreck to a depth of 3,786 meters in the MIR submersibles from the Russian Research Ship, Keldysh, their exploration was featured on the History Channel special, Titanic’s Final Moments - Missing Pieces.

The best selling and highly acclaimed non-fiction book, ‘Shadow Divers’, written by Robert Kurson, told of Mr Chatterton and diving colleague Richie Kohler’s remarkable discovery and exploration of a German U-boat off the coast of New Jersey.

This expedition was the subject of several television documentaries, including, ‘Hitler’s Lost Sub’ (a two hour special for the popular NOVA series on PBS). 20th Century Fox plans to turn ‘Shadow Divers’ into a movie to be released in 2007.

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I attended a talk by

I attended a talk by the two wreck divers, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler at the Mystic Seaport on 19 APR 07. I did not take notes but the next day I wrote this down from memory. About 3/4ths of the program was taken right from the book. Still fotos were shown on a large screen using a Power Point display.

A WELL-ATTENDED, WELL-RECEIVED TALK. This program was sold out a couple of months before. The room was filled, about 300 seats -- they had added on an extra hundred seats beyond the room's usual number. What shook me up was that by starting time of 2:00 PM almost all of the seats were filled and the program started at 2:00 PM within the minute. The group was mostly a bunch of retirement age folks......... about 50/50 very roughly male/female, with maybe about 10 percent or more males. I have no idea how many were retired submariners or EB employees. But the Greater New London area is area central for submarines and some Navy retirees. The people at the Seaport had been trying for a couple of years to get Richie Kohler and John Chatterton as speakers. The presentation went back and forth between Riche Kohler and John Chatterton, with one of them talking for a few minutes then the other one following up with more details. This worked out very well and when one forgot something or an added comment was needed the other diver put in his own two bits. The whole talk ran seamlessly.

SELECTING AN AUTHOR FOR THEIR STORY. The divers discussed their initially being approached by Robert Kurson, the now author of the book "Shadow Divers" he wanted to talk to them for only a short time. The short time stretched into an intense 14 hour question and answer period.-- while Kurson's very pregnant wife patiently waited and waited. The time dragged on and Richie and John were impressed by the compulsive obsession of Kurson's enthusiasm. He had become crazy and obscessed with this project. After he left Ritchie and John had absolutely no doubts that they wanted him to be the author for their story.

THE UNSPOKEN. They deliberately avoided talking about the diving deaths of the father and son diving team, but when the question was asked about them they gave the very uncomfortable stepwise details of the accident and their ultimate deaths.

FEW IN GERMANY CARE ABOUT THE FATES OF MISSING U-BOATS. Back in Germany the only people who care about the last details and locations of U-boat wrecks are the veterans themselves -- and the next of kin of the missing. The vets are the ones who have contributed most to the German U-boote Archiv in Cuxhaven, Germany -- contributing most in their labor as well as artifacts and information. And in typical Germanic precision they initially refused to believe the initial evidence about the identity of the sunken U-boat. In fact initially there was even a serious question initially by all whether or not this sub was our's (US Navy's) or theirs (Kreigsmarine's). Finally when the equipment ID tags (of nonmetal material) were recovered that had the U-boat's 869 number everyone grudgingly accepted the identity.

The younger generation in Germany does not care very much for the old WWII veterans and they blame the older generation for the current woes and shortcomings of their country. German companies, who had supplied stuff to the war may or may not be warm and cuddly to the request for technical information or providing any assistance to reconstructing history. In contrast, US DoD contractors often have supplied assistance to US military museums in the form of money for a particular project or by supplying the volunteered services of their interested workers -- even when it was for rebuilding a piece of German military equipment.

MORE HASSLES IDENTIFYING MISSING U-BOATS . There is a problem worth remembering when trying to identify a U-boat wreck. At the end of the War the US Navy first determined which reports US Navy log reports really indicated a most probable U-boat sinking: where, when, signs of a sinking and then they cross-checked this against the highly classified Enigma U-boat transmission intercepts that indicated which U-boats were operating in a particular area. Then the slightly more difficult cases were tackled. Those situations that were much more difficult were left to the end and then there was considerable pressure to quickly wrap up this project and declare the project done. So cases towards the end of this project were completed by some quick guessing, sometimes wrong,.

A major initial stumbling block was the extreme initial secrecy of the decodes. During WWI the Allies had broken the German codes and then, after WWI was over, this information was kept classified, well into and then after WWII. This information had details of U-boat locations, destinations and such. And this information was kept classified and unavailable

But then, when a book came out about the Enigma machine most of this information was declassified. But then the information was not readily available to researchers and one had to have the time and the ability to slowly and thoroughly sift thru the messages and then to perhaps come across any alternate hypotheses of what might have happened. John and Richie had discovered an analyst's alternate theory which explained why this wreck could have been U-869.

After the book came out the Coast Guard has been trying to claim credit for sinking this U-boat. However there is massive damage to the middle of the U-boat's hull. This is most likely torpedo damage. But John and Richie did note some possible damage at the stern,. Maybe the 869 was hit by depth charges at a later date. The written record shows only a slight sheen of oil on the surface. However the massive damage in the middle of the U-869's hull would have formed a humongo oil slick of hundreds of yards wide and about 20 miles long. There would have been lots of oil aboard this U-boat.

Thus endeth.