I just returned from another successful week of dives on the SS Atlas with the Battle of the Atlantic Research and Expedition Group (BAREG). They are a phenomenal gang of highly skilled technical divers with whom I am fortunate to dive. BAREG is dedicated to accurately documenting Battle of the Atlantic shipwreck sites, and surveying wrecks like the SS Atlas is a vital part of its charter and what drives its dedicated members. The wreck is home to myriad sea life, including many sand tiger sharks, also called grey nurse sharks, and spotted ragged-tooth sharks who patrol the wreck.
On 9 April 1942, the SS Atlas was sailing from Texas to New Jersey, loaded with over 84,000 barrels of gasoline, when it was attacked by the U-552, a German Type VIIC U-boat nicknamed the Roter Teufel (“Red Devil”) after her mascot of a grinning devil, painted on the conning tower. The U-552 fired two torpedoes. The first disabled the vessel but gave the crew a chance to escape—the second set the SS Atlas ablaze, which cost the lives of two sailors. The SS Atlas is just one of the many victims of German U-boats in World War II.
When working on wrecks off the North Carolina coast, offshore weather is always challenging. Rough seas, long transit times, and afternoon thunderstorms can all impact operations. While last year brought afternoon thunderstorms and lightning, we only had heavy wave action to worry about this year. Over the years, BAREG has surveyed several wrecks off North Carolina. Data collected by BAREG divers has been used by NOAA to document the wrecks’ conditions and prepare site maps and dive slates.
