AH-WR-1876

U-85

Type VIIB U-Boat · Germany · Lost 1942 · The Outer Banks

The first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy off the East Coast, lost with all 46 hands off Oregon Inlet in 1942.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

U-85 was a German Type VIIB U-boat built at Lübeck in 1939, one of only 24 of her type. On April 14, 1942 she was sunk by the destroyer USS Roper off Oregon Inlet, the first U-boat sunk by U.S. naval forces off the East Coast. All 46 aboard died. She lies on her starboard side in about 90 feet of water.

Vessel

Built: 1939
Builder: Flender Werke AG, Lübeck
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 220 ft
Beam: 20 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Diesel-electric
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 14, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 14 miles east of Oregon Inlet
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 46
Lives lost: 46
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 90 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; war grave

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

Precise wreck position not taken into this record.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

Precise position is not taken into this record.

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Particulars, loss date, attacker and survivors. Site depth and protected status.