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U-85
 Nags Head, NC
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Max Depth: 91-100ft/28-30m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 3.50 by 6 divers
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U-85 is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Nags Head, NC. This dive site has an average rating of 3.50 out of 5 from 6 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 91-100ft/28-30m.
35.55N, 75.13W
Type VII-B, U Boat, 753 tons on surface, 218 ft long. Sunk by the destroyer USS Roper on April 14th 1942, with the loss of all hands. The top of the conning tower is at an approximate depth of 85 ft, with a maximum depth of 100 ft. The U-85 operating off Hatteras, was cruising on the surface just after midnight when it was found by the radar of the USS Roper. Trying to evade, the U-85 was able to get off one torpedo that missed the Roper. The Roper was able to get a spot light on the U-85 and responded with machine gun fire killing the U-85 gun crew. The Roper then began shelling the U-85 eventually hitting her directly behind the conning tower. This was a fatal blow to the 85 , some of the crew managed to escape the sinking hulk, but to no avail. The Roper fearing another U-boat in the area ran through the survivors multiple times dropping additional depth charges. None of crew escaping the sinking submarine survived the depth charges. The U-85 was the first German U-boat to be engaged and sunk off the coast of the United States during WWII. The U-85 is probably the most accessible German U-boat to dive, just 12 miles off Nags Head, North Carolina. The structure of the U-85 is very much intact with the pressure hull showing the breach created by Ropers shell. The wreck is upright listing about 15 degrees to starboard. Although the exterior sheet metal has been damaged by the ocean the pressure hull is intact and provides an excellent opportunity to see a WWII German submarine. The torpedo tubes are still attached and the deck gun is raised as it was during the action just before it sank.
Name: U-85
Type: Submarine (VII-B)
Date Sunk: 4/14/1942
Cause: Depth-charged by USS
RoperSize (ft.): 218 x 20 x 15
Tonnage: 1040 displacement tons submerged, fully loaded and crewed
Propulsion: Two diesel engines/two electric motors
LocationMISCELLANEOUS & CONSTRUCTION NOTES: (
Westwood, Wynn)Constructed between 1936-1940, the VIIB boats were slightly larger than their predecessor, the type VII, but had a much greater surface range. (9400 nautical miles to 6800 nautical miles, at 10 knots, combined diesel/electric drive) Their maximum surface speed was 17.2-17.9 knots and their maximum submerged speed was 8 knots. The type VIIB carried 14 torpedoes (4 in forward tubes, 8 in forward torpedo compartment, 1 in aft torpedo tube and 1 aft torpedo compartment) and unlike type VIIs, the aft torpedo tube was inside the pressure hull casing and was thus reloadable. The orginal VIIB design included a 88mm deck gun mounted forward of conning tower. This was removed in surviving type VIIBs after 1942 due to the increased danger from enemy air attack. The boat was designed to carry 48 men (4 officers and 44 enlisted men) There were only 24 of the VIIB boats built.
SHIP HISTORY: (
Westwood, Wynn)
Built: Flenderwerft, Lübeck
Keel laid: 12/18/1939
Launched: 4/10/1941
Commissioned: 6/7/1941
Commander: Oberleutnant Eberhard Greger (6/1941 to 4/14/1942
Patrols: 4
Ships Sunk: 3 (15,060 gross registered tons)
DIVING NOTES:Diving Depths: 90-100 ft.
Visibility: I suspect usually less than 30 ft.
Current: n/a
Summer Temperature: warm at the surface; hi 50s on the bottom
Points of Interest:Hey! It’s a U-Boat! What more needs to be said?
Fish/Animal Life: More of the fish species which frequent the colder water climates of NC
Description: My first and only dive on this wreck was in August, 1979 and it was a trip I will never forget. First it was my birthday. Second, there were approximately 70 divers on the boat making the dive! Yes, 70! I have never (or since) seen such a variety and amount of gear. We all gathered on a large head-fishing boat called the
Crystal Dawn. I felt sorry for the divemaster. It took a couple of hours for everyone to have their assigned "dive window" on the wreck. Third, there was bad viz (less than 10 ft) and it was cold! We were used to the warm Gulf Stream waters south of Hatteras Inlet. Little did we know what awaited us down on the wreck. The temp dropped 25 to 30 degrees! Our heads achedno hoods!and those in shorties had our legs turn blue! Needless to say, as new baby diver, I learned a lot that day. I don’t remember much about the wreck, except that it appeared to be less intact than the U-352. I would like to go back, this time with a camera....and more neoprene!
nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/U352/U352.HTMLWeb site for videos of various wreck sites in the area-
olympusdiving.com/PhotoGallery/VideoGallery/tabid/115/Default.aspx