Where Archaeology and History Diverge: how the archaeology of mystery U-boat wrecks challenges official history but yields insights into the realities of anti-submarine warfare in World War Two.

Summary

Research into the archaeology and distribution of 29 U-boat wrecks in the English and Bristol Channels, sunk in 1944 -1945 reveals that over a third of them do not match the losses recorded in the official histories of World War Two.

Through historical research and archaeological recording these mystery sites can now be tentatively identified. What this process has revealed is how and why the Allies did not correctly assess the losses during wartime. It gives a unique insight into the challenges of anti-submarine warfare at the time.

This paper will present the archaeological case for the losses of six of the mystery U-boats, revealing the circumstances that diverted the Allies' attention away from the actual reasons how they were destroyed. It will serve to show how the complimentary study of archaeology and the historic text in a modern context can yield revealing insights into the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Southampton Dock: Vessels of Conflict and War   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 106