Shadow Divers

Chatterton and Kohler both researched the wreck. Chatterton submitted requests to archivists at the Naval Historical Center in Washington, DC; Kohler recruited members of a German American club in New Jersey to help translate German books on U-boats, and he reached out to Herbert Werner, a retired U-boat commander who lived in New Jersey. Werner was unwilling to share information, instead referring Kohler to the book he had written. Chatterton and Kohler both reached the same conclusion: No U-boat had ever been recorded as sinking within 100 miles of the wreck location. Chatterton convinced Nagle to put out a press release asking the public for information. This inspired a “media frenzy,” and many people provided ideas or information. The German embassy in Washington, DC, reached out to inform Chatterton that Germany claimed ownership over all sunken U-boats and threatened legal action if the American divers continued exploring the wreck. Although Chatterton sympathized with the embassy’s goal of protecting the dead sailors’ dignity, he told them that he would not stop until he positively identified the boat. Additionally, he showed a videotape of the wreck to experts in weapons, ordnance, and demolition at the Naval Weapons Station in New Jersey.