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| Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - Secrets of the U-352 & May Newsletter From Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings From Olympus Dive Center!
Following a successful U-352 Memorial Weekend, we are concluding the untold history of the U-352 and adding a new chapter to this story; Claude Hull’s first dive on the U-352!
The Untold History of the U-352: Part II
This concludes the story of the locating of the U-352 started in the previous newsletter. Missed Part I? Check it out on the website.
When George, Rod and Dale descended down the anchor line towards the mass below they were greeted with a sight that would change their lives forever. Although visibility was only about 20ft that day, they immediately recognized the chunk of metal as the hull of a World War II German Submarine, the U-352. The discovery had them all excited and cautious-- with the previous Loran-A navigation system, there was no guarantee they could ever return to their exact location again. The group vowed to keep the location a secret; they needed to be absolutely positive of the location before announcing what they had discovered. With the exception of Claude, the divers told no one what they discovered that day.
It would be several weeks before they could return to the site, and they were thrilled to find the accuracy of the Loran-C system could return them to within 10 feet of the sub. Soon word started to travel around the diving community that George and his fellow divers had discovered a new wreck and the Atlantis II frequently had to play 'cat and mouse' games to keep other boats from following them out to the site of the U-352. In late 1975, almost 9 months after the first dive on the wreck, the world learned the location where the U-352 finally came to rest on the ocean bottom.
Since its discovery, George set out to notify the surviving crew of the find and to bring them to Morehead City. In September of 1985 Olympus Dive Center hosted the first reunion of the survivors. During that reunion, the 'Funkmeister' (radio operator) Kurt Kruger came to George with a request. Kurt described in great detail the location of his personal locker on board and told George that there was a pistol and other personal effects in his locker. He requested George to bring up the contents of his locker on a future dive. George agreed and brought up the contents of the locker-- many of the clothing items had been broken down by the Atlantic, but a coat remained in almost perfect condition. Kurt was able to positively identify it as his based on the radio operators patch sewn onto the coat. George also recovered a camera and pistol and while it is likely the camera belonged to Kurt, no positive identification can be made on the pistol. Kurt has asked George to keep his personal effects on permanent display at the shop so that everyone can enjoy these beautiful pieces of history.
Claude Hull dives the U-352
Saturday, May 10th was a historic day for Olympus Dive Center and for the man who is responsible for locating the U-352. As you probably know from reading the history of the U-boat, Claude Hull is the man who infected George with the quest to locate and explore this wreck. Ironically George would ultimately devote his life to diving wrecks like the U-352 and Claude would not dive again for over 30 years. Joined by George and Robert Purifoy, Jon Belisario, Nema Triplett and Chris Walker, Claude returned to the water and enjoyed his first U-boat dive on Saturday. The dive began with screams of excitement as Claude reached out and touched the metal hull that he devoted so much of his life to locating. We could not have asked for a more prefect dive as Claude swam around taking in the entirety of the sub. Just when everyone believed the dive could not have gone more perfectly, a pod of dolphins dropped by to say hello to their old friend Claude on the safety stop. It was a weekend that will be remembered by everyone for a very long time and Olympus Dive Center would like to congratulate Claude on this achievement.
Charters
May 17th Extended Day Charter to the Lobster Ledges aboard the Olympus
Full Day Charter aboard the Midnight Express
May 18th Full Day Charter aboard the Olympus and Midnight Express
May 25th Half Day Charter
May 26th Full Day Charter
May 31st Full Day Charter aboard the Olympus
May 31st Twilight and Night Dive to the USCG Spar aboard the Midnight Express - dive with Sand Tiger Sharks at night!!!
June 1st Full Day Charter to the U-352 aboard the Midnight Express
Half Day Charter
Take Photos Like a Pro
John Thompson, our Underwater Digital Photography Instructor and Photo Pro, can help you take underwater pictures that validate your claims of how large that fish really was! Throughout the summer we’ll be offering Underwater Digital Photography classes taught by the professional photographer that will help you capture those special dives.
What Makes You Breathe?
Did you know that it is actually not a lack of oxygen that causes us to inhale? When our lungs have excess carbon dioxide built up our body naturally wants to purge that by exhaling that gas and inhaling a fresh supply of air. This is one reason why underwater we want to breathe deep and slow rather than shallow so that the carbon dioxide in the ‘dead air spaces’ of our regulator is replaced. If you learned something just now think what you’ll learn from one of our instructors during a class with Olympus. Our instructor team can supply you with the knowledge you need at the location you want! Call us today to setup some additional training for your next trip.
Calendar
Ever wonder what we do on the dates that we have not listed above? Chances are that we are diving. Please continue to check our calendar or give us a call so that we can assist you in booking your charter with us.
Local Information
We know that the price of gas can make traveling tough, so we have setup a list of ways to save money while diving the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Check out the Economical Travel Tips for ways to save this summer.
Until Next Time!
-The Staff & Crew of Olympus Dive Center
Information regarding the sinking of the U-352 is from Henry Keatts's text U-Boats, Vol 3. Published in 1994
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| | Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - Secrets of the U-352 |
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Greetings From Olympus!
In preparation of the upcoming anniversay of the sinking of the U-352, we've put together a two part series about the real history of the U-352's discovery, as told by George Purifoy, the first diver on the wreck. The second half of the series will be available following the U-352 Memorial Weekend, May 9th-11th.
The Untold History of the U-352: Part I
The U-352’s story starts in May 1941 when the German military built the first of the Type VIIC U-boats with more fuel capacity and torpedoes than its predecessor. Commanded by Capt. Kellmut Rathke, the U-352’s 45 man crew prepared in October 1941 to set sail for the waters of the Atlantic. After several months of drills, testing, and exercises, the U-352 was deemed action ready and set sail. Almost immediately the crew spotted a convoy and prepared to take action when it was realized they had been spotted. The U-352 barely survived the barrage of depth charges and continued on towards American waters. Less than 5 months later, the U-352 would be sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic.
May 9th, 1942 marked the last sunrise the ship would witness; the boat had moved into the Cape Lookout area looking for convoys. That morning a silhouette on the horizon marked the sight the crew had been searching for- a merchant ship. Capt. Rathke prepared his ship to attack and fired a single torpedo and then was shook with dismay when he realized the ship was not a merchant vessel but was the Coast Guard Cutter Icarus. The torpedo missed its target and the Icarus began an attack of depth charges. The U-352 was quickly crippled in the first wave of charges and the order to abandon ship was given. Many of the crew were killed in the initial attack and the sub's engines were disabled, leaving Rathke no choice but to order the remainder of his crew to surface the boat and abandon ship. Five minutes later, after bursting to the surface, the U-352 found her final resting place below about 26 miles from the inlet. Several members of the crew were picked up by the Coast Guard: 4 wounded men were treated and 30 other crew members were brought aboard the Icarus.
The U-352 remained lost to the Atlantic until 1975. Claude Hull, a history fanatic, had infected several friends, including George Purifoy, finding the location of the U-352. Claude, George and numerous other divers spent countless days running grid patterns with inaccurate navigation aids hoping to get lucky. During their search for the U-352, they discovered the USS Schurz; although the divers were unable to return to the location of the site for over 10 years. With the development of the Lorane-C navigation aids, George Purifoy, Rod Gross and Dale McClough set out for another day of hunting with a rough set of coordinates given to them by Claude.
This April 1975 morning presented less than favorable conditions for the divers; seasoned diver George Purifoy ‘wished he would die’ from the vicious bouts of sea sickness that he faced. As the Atlantic violently threw the small Atlantis II boat around, George and his buddies Rod and Dale continued the never-ceasing grid patterns. Unsure of the accuracy of the new Lorance-C system, the divers also employed techniques such as trolling for amberjack which commonly hang out at the wrecks. The first pass came up empty. The second pass, however, showed a distinct object lying on the bottom. George, Rod and Dale were cautiously optimistic; they had gotten similar signals from numerous large rocks and other wrecks. Sea conditions continued to beat George’s stomach, but he was able to control his sea sickness long enough to jump into the water with Rod and Dale. What they found below brought the group to a vow of secrecy for almost a year….
To be continued in the following newsletter...
U-352 Memorial Weekend
If your appetite for U-boat history was just sparked by the U-352 then you will not want to miss the memorial weekend honoring the sinking of the U-352 this May 9th through 11th. We will be making trips to the U-352 on the 9th, 10th and 11th so you can take in this special piece of history. Saturday evening, join us for a private dinner prepared by Chef Floyd Olmstead where George Purifoy and Claude Hull will join you in reliving the history of the U-352’s discovery. Space is limited so call today to book your space on this very special charter. The charter trips this weekend are run in support of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and all proceeds from the event will be donated to support the dive programs offered there.
Lobster Trip Wrap-Up
Last Saturday the Midnight Express headed back out to the lobster ledges in hopes of bringing back more food from the ocean. Divers were not left disappointed as everyone brought back more lobster than the coolers could handle! As Nema tells it, there was a feeding frenzy of lobsters underwater. The feasting did not stop with lobsters; divers also brought back heaps of grouper and Bobby brought home a hog snapper. Enjoy the pictures in our photo gallery.
Coming up
May 9-11th: U-352 Memorial Charter
May 17th: Extended Day Charter
May 31st: Spar Night Dive
June 1: U-352 Trip
Check out our Calendar for a complete listing of May and summer charters
Until Next Time!
-The Staff & Crew of Olympus Dive Center
Information regarding the sinking of the U-352 is from Henry Keatts's text U-Boats, Vol 3. Published in 1994
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| | Monday, April 21, 2008 - Greetings from Olympus! April Newsletter |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center!
Well it's that time- time to pull that wetsuit out of the closet, dig out those regulators, and get ready for diving season. Things at Olympus are already in full swing; we are diving every weekend and resume daily diving early June. The water's getting warm and the sun is shining, time to come diving!
Lobster Trip Encore!
We had such great success on our lobster trip this past weekend that we've scheduled another trip for next Saturday, April 26th on the Midnight Express. Divers brought back lots of lobsters and enjoyed a cookout on the dock upon their return. In light of such great success we've decided to go grab more bugs on the lobster trip encore next weekend. Seats are limited on this Extended Day Charter so call today to catch your bug! Call us today to book your seat and catch some dinner! If you are curious to see some pictures of what you missed from last weekend, check out the lobster 08 gallery in our photo album!
 Dive the U-352
Olympus Dive Center is a proud sponsor of the dive program at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. As a sponsor, we do our best to raise funding and awareness of this program which enables volunteer divers to work in this remarkable environment. In support of the Aquarium, we will be diving the U-352 on both Saturday May 10th and Sunday May 11th aboard both the Olympus and Midnight Express. Additionally, we will be hosting a dinner at Floyd's 1921 on Saturday evening. The highlight of this dinner will be the incredible "down east" food that Chef Floyd Olmstead prepares, but we will also have two very special guests on hand. A little known fact about the history of diving the U-352 is the man who did all of the research to find it: Claude Hull. Claude will be joining our very own George Purifoy, who was the first diver on the wreck along with Rod Gross and Dale McCullough. Please give us a call for more information and to reserve your spot. All proceeds go to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
Notes from the Training Desk
Coming to dive with us this summer? Why not expand on your skills with a course from our expeirenced training staff. Our instructors can teach virtually any class at any time to work around your vacation schedule and to get you the training you need at the location you want. We offer PADI, NAUI and TDI courses. And don't forget, if you are not already Nitrox certified, we offer weekly Nitrox classes so you can make the most of each dive in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Check out our training pages!
Underwater Digital Photography at Olympus
Learn to take photos like the pros with our very own photo pro, John Thompson. John will be offering underwater digital photography classes throughout the summer so you can learn to capture those special moments. Don't have an underwater camera? No problem, we have a selection of cameras and strobes available to rent.
Dive with Olympus
Chances are you already know why Olympus Dive Center is The Better Way to Dive North Carolina, so be sure to visit our calendar and schedule your trip to dive history's greatest wrecks. We have several exciting events throughout the summer, including our annual Wreck Hunt, night dives to the Spar, our liveaboard trip, and of course, the best diving in the Atlantic. The water is getting warm, the weather is beautiful, and its time to log some bottom time!
Upcoming Charter Information
- Spaces are now available for the Extended Day Trip on May 17th
- A few spaces have come up for Memorial Day weekend's Full Day Charter
- Visit our online calendar-- updated daily!
See ya' on the bottom!
-The Staff and Crew of Olympus
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