U-111 Teamwork, Technology and Wreck Identification
On January 29, 2021, I received an e-mail from dive legend and writer Gary Gentile. In this e-mail Gary suggested to our team that a recently discovered submarine rekindled his interest in finding the long-lost U-111. Gary stated, “You need to investigate that site as soon as possible.”
Dive Legend & Author Gary Gentile on the U-111 Identification Trip June 2022
Extensive and exhaustive research by multiple team members, based on the research Gary started over 30 years prior, revealed the locations of not one, but two wrecks - one recently discovered submarine and the missing German U-boat U-111. The final resting sites are 70 miles distant from each other.
The U-111 location determined by the researchers was very close to a popular deep water fishing location for which we had numbers. This was thought to be the Olinda by a retired dive boat captain from Maryland. U-111 was literally the last “Billy Mitchell” wreck and reported to be in deep water. However, in Gary’s 1992 book Shipwrecks of Virginia, the book’s published coordinates were only 3.8 nautical miles from this wreck. The research team corroborated the U-111 location, and this set the wheels in motion to visually survey and identify this shipwreck.
Historic U-111 location from Erik & Gary compared to actual location
The 2021 dive season came and went, and our faithful RV Explorer 1.0 was sold and moved to her new home in Jacksonville, FL. The RV Explorer 2.0 was in full production, and we would now have to wait for a 2022 completion to “investigate” the submarine as suggested by Gary Gentile.
While construction of RV Explorer 2.0 was heading to the finish line, team member Ross Baxter developed a partnership with Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) manufacturer Blue Robotics. Blue Robotics is the best-in-class ROV for price, quality and simplicity of use to 1000-foot depth. The ROV is supported by an amazing support team in California. By the spring of 2022, the ROV was on site, training complete and the vehicle was ready for a deep-water survey.
Erik Petkovic prepares to launch the Blue Robotics ROV in June 2022 to ID the U-111
RV Explorer 2.0 was completed in June of 2022. After a maiden voyage to a local dive site, she was ready to “Investigate” the mystery wreck.
On June 21, 2022, the RV Explorer 2.0 on its second trip ventured the 75 miles south to survey the deep-water fishing site. On board were Rusty Cassway, Ross Baxter, Erik Petkovic, John Haws, Michael Haws, Dan Quinlan, Gary Gentile, John Copeland and Jim Walsh. (The trip was funded jointly by all team members).
RV Explorer Crew with Blue Robotics ROV
We located the wreck immediately and dropped a 150-pound disposable grapnel down 400’, landing and snagging the wreck. Due to a ripping current, the team devised a plan to make a weighted leash. The ROV was then deployed with the leash in its claw and then followed the anchor line down to the wreck. Good fortune had the anchor landing next to the conning tower of a submarine.
As Ross piloted the ROV, features of the submarine from historic photos were compared to the live video stream by Erik Petkovic and Gary Gentile. There was no doubt that this wreck originally discovered by commercial fishermen was the remnants of the U-111.
Happy team Erik Petkovic, Ross Baxter & Gary Gentile after positive identification of U-111.
The following video shows the amazing ability of the Blue Robotics ROV in 400’ of deep dark water. The onboard video camera and lights worked flawlessly. RV Explorer is the now a dealer and training center for Blue Robotics ROV. Please reach out to us if you are interested in getting your own ROV. https://www.explorercapemay.com/store
The Submarine was further side scanned by Eastern Search & Survey in the summer of 2022 to confirm the wrecks exact measurements and was positively compared with the U-111. (see Eastern Search & Survey U-111 write up on Facebook for more details regarding this submarine) https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid028ZedWyt5eUHT9wDr5A6doJvDsbgbWea5EZJPnAv5RFrdDZvwgFiqDwgxMhYXVZqRl&id=100063552943247
August 25, 2022 Side Scan by Ben Roberts of Easter Search & Survey points out all the features of the submarine that were seen in the video. (Image Credit Ben Roberts & Eastern Search & Survey).
A follow up trip was made on Labor Day 2022 and a team from National Geographic joined the expedition. Team members Ben Roberts and Pat McLaughlin joined this trip. We replicated the June expedition for the writer and photographer. National Geographic interviewed our entire crew on this 16-hour expedition. Each team member had the opportunity to share their role in the identification with National Geographic and their story was published online in September 2022. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/.../exclusive-wreck-of...
Ben Roberts, Kristin Romey, Ross Baxter and Gary Gentile study the live video stream from the Labor Day U-111 follow up expedition.
The U-111 identification project was a team effort with every person making their contribution. This shipwreck wreck was not discovered by the RV Explorer team since the site was long ago discovered by commercial fishermen. What the RV Explorer team did was through hard work, technology, research and teamwork, discover that this wreck site was the final resting place of the long-lost U-111. This positive identification of the U-111 was fueled by those that came before us in a multi-generational team.
This story concludes with a quote from a Gary Gentile book “Each generation takes the torch from the previous generation, fuels the flame for a while, then passes the fiery brand to the next generation. Now the turn is yours take the torch.”
It’s an exciting time for the next generation of wreck divers. Teamwork and technology are sure to lead to more exciting shipwreck discoveries and identifications.