U-853 A look inside

[Soggy]

i don't think identifying them is the issue

but getting the bones out and having a communal grave would go a long way

Probably true. It would be quite an undertaking. The thing is crazy full of silt and obviously tight inside.

Hopefully this summer I'll get a chance to swim through her.

 

[H2Andy]

i have never been inside a U-Boat

it is one of my top goals in diving ...

 

[ArcticDiver]

It really doesn't matter who is whom. They died serving their country, no matter how misguided it's ideals may have been to our sensibilities. Even if only some of the remains were retrieved, it would surely bring some comfort to the surviving family members.

Right On!

No matter how late, or how few the remains the fallen deserve to be brought home to their country, comrades and family.

 

[Soggy]

The life of a Uboat submariner was a rough one. As I understand it, they had about a 25% chance of surviving their mission. Towards the end of the war, the captains were in their early 20s.

The U853 is a special wreck. It was the last Uboat sank in WW2 in American waters. A dive I hope to do someday is a U-853 dive followed by the Black Point, which was a collier that was torpedoed by the U-853 just prior to her sinking.

Unfortunately, my 2 dives on the 853 have been in very poor conditions, so I don't have a good picture of the wreck, with the exception of the remains of the stainless steel periscope shaft sticking out of the conning tower.

 

[paulthenurse]

Actually, I really want to dive her also, but I don't think I will. I admit having reservations about doing so because of the remains of her crew. I had every intention of diving her until I saw Dennis' video for the first time last year, and saw the crew remains. (I don't mean to imply that Dennis's video is in any way disrespectful. I've never met him but from his posts here on SB I believe him to be an honorable gentleman.)

I don't want to be disrespectful and a voyeur, and I know that I would feel that way if I dove on the sub to indulge myself, and came across crew remains. Those men deserve to rest in peace and not be disturbed and gawked at every weekend by boatloads of thrill seekers. And that's what we're doing when we dive a site like that. Ask yourself how would feel if your grandfather died on the USS Arizona and and every weekend people were scuba diving on and thru her? It's absolutely no different.
P

 

[Soggy]

Ask yourself how would feel if your grandfather died on the USS Arizona and and every weekend people were scuba diving on and thru her? It's absolutely no different.
P

I see diving the wreck as honoring their memory and history more than anything else, but I respect that you feel differently.

 

[dbg40]

I see no reason to feel badly about diving it. It's no different than visiting any grave, just don't be a grave robber. The wreck is starting to get tight inside, and as stated, is an absolute mess. the remains are everywhere you look, and god knows what's under the heavy silt. I believe 53 or 52 men were aboard when it was hit, and rumour has it that one body was retrieved by Navy divers after the sinking. The remaining were left in the manner in which they met thier end. It's an odd feeling to go through, and view the remains. It makes the war a little more real to those of us that were too young, or not born yet. And I would hate for it to be "cleaned" by any government. It's thier final resting place, and should remain so. I would like to see it remain as it is, as a monument to a time when the world went mad. It's quite a reminder to those that can visit her.b

 

[mdmbike to scuba]

I can see your point dbg40, But, If people cant leave the remains along then maybe we should remove the remain with respect and ship them back to Germany. Now I would love someday like most here to see this wreck and be able to go inside but I dont want to disturb the remains of these men or anyone else. So I'm ok with people with respect getting the remains and placing them in a box and shipping them back to there home. To be done right. Mark

 

[paulthenurse]

I see no reason to feel badly about diving it. It's no different than visiting any grave, just don't be a grave robber.

I disagree. To me it is quiet different. I am a veteran. I've been shot at while serving my country doing drug patrols in the Coast Guard. It does change your perspective when you have to duck. So I won't dive there. That's me. You may choose to go and dive there. Does't make you a bad guy. You have your life experiences and I have mine. I'll dive elsewhere that weekend and maybe we can hook up the following weekend and dive somewhere else.
P

 

[dbg40]

I've had to duck plenty, and not from a boat. Lots of people have thier own life experiences, some very real. I never really considdered myself a gawker when I visit there, nor do I considder myself a gawker when I go to visit brothers in the Veterans cemetary. I find the experience to be a calming, and reflective time. Not a side show. If it were my grandfather, or own brother, I would be proud to have others visit thier grave to remember them, as long as they were left alone. It's all just a matter of perspective. I visit out of respect.