A World War II German submarine containing the remains of more than 50 sailors and spies has been found four miles east of Cape Cod where the U.S. Navy sank it in 1944, a commercial diver says.
Edward Michaud said he found the U-boat U-1226 in just 41 feet of water, partly buried in shifting sand, on June 5 after three years of research.He said his research of naval archives revealed U.S. forces had been looking for a sub carrying spies to the United States.
"We may learn a lot about what was going on toward the end of the war," Victor Mastone, director of the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, told The Boston Globe.
Mastone said Michaud, 36, of Framingham, has a "proven track record of reliability."
Michaud said the search began with Allen Stewart of Yarmouth, who used to fly for Hyannis Air Service and eight years ago saw what looked like a submarine.
"It had always been rumored to be in these parts," Stewart told the Globe.
When Michaud heard of the sighting, he began researching naval archives and learned of circumstance leading to the sinking.
The 251-foot-long sub was sunk Oct. 28, 1944, after its commander used a Coast Guard emergency radio frequency to communicate with Germany in code.
Michaud said a Coast Guard recruit at Chatham broke in and demanded silence, thinking a local sailor was abusing the emergency frequency.
The sub commander kept sending and a naval squadron in Hyannis was alerted.
Within six minutes, pilots sank the U-boat with one 50-pound bomb, Michaud said.