Coastal Review Online

The free symposium from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature divers, underwater archaeologists, scientists and historians sharing presentations on the LV-71, The Merak, The Mirlo and the U-Boats that patrolled the East Coast. CSPAN will film the symposium to be aired later.

Five large German submarines, or U-boats, crossed the Atlantic 100 years ago and operated against the lightly protected shipping off the North American coast.  Several of the U-boats would get as far south as the North Carolina coast, where they sank three ships just a few miles from the Outer Banks, according to a release from the museum.

The largest of these German submarines was the U-140, a U-cruiser designed to overwhelm merchant ships. The U-140 struck Aug. 6, 1918, the Light Vessel LV-71 Diamond Shoal.  There were no casualties. It later struck and sank the British tanker Mirlo Aug. 16, 1918.

“This WWI Symposium provides a unique opportunity for the maritime community to share their experience and knowledge about the German U-Boats off the coast of the Outer Banks,” said North Carolina Maritime Museums Executive Director, Joseph K. Schwarzer, said in a statement. “We are excited that CSPAN realizes the significance of these historic events and wants to come to Hatteras.”

The museum is at 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras.

Symposium Schedule