U853 video

[AfterDark]

This from New images of Rhode Island’s historic sunken submarines help URI historian make case for protection

“There are no restrictions on divers visiting any of the sites now, and I don’t anticipate that would change in the future,” Mather said. “But managing the sites would involve having the Navy and the state keep a closer eye on them, monitor their degradation, and think about creating interpretive documents so people would understand them better. People are more willing to protect sites if they know more about them.”

Let's hope so!

 

[king_of_battle]

You had mentioned the L8 before and it's also in that article. Seems like it would be totally divable - it looks relatively intact - I'm surprised I never hear of anyone going to it. Maybe the company with salvage rights isn't permitting it?

The USS L-8: Mapping and Assessing Rhode Island’s Historic Submarines Using Synthetic Aperture Sonar: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

 

[AfterDark]

You had mentioned the L8 before and it's also in that article. Seems like it would be totally divable - it looks relatively intact - I'm surprised I never hear of anyone going to it. Maybe the company with salvage rights isn't permitting it?

The USS L-8: Mapping and Assessing Rhode Island’s Historic Submarines Using Synthetic Aperture Sonar: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

Well you've heard of me I dove it a few times, so that's one you've heard of. The link you gave is about protecting that wreck and others, there are no salvage rights, the Navy owns it. Most people don't remember it anymore.

You want to dive it, get enough divers together to hire the Priority and dive it! I'm in if you want to go I'd like to see the old girl again!

 

[swimlikethefish]

If you need people to fill a boat, I could commit 2 capable divers. Obviously pending the chosen day.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

Y
The L-8 was launched in 1917 and used as part of a top-secret effort during World War I to counteract German submarines. It was towed behind a decoy merchant ship to lure German submarines to attack the decoy, enabling the U.S. submarine to attack the German sub. After its active career ended, the L-8 was used in a secret Navy research program to develop a torpedo that detonated beneath a submarine rather than upon contact with the submarine. The L-8 became a test target for this new technology and was sunk at the entrance to Narragansett Bay in 1926

They started building torpedo belts into warships to prevent penetration by contact torpedos, hense the development of a torpedo with a prox detonator (Mk6, was a pile of trash to start). L-8 was the test target. First shot never went off, second did. That was the last test shots they did before moving to Gould Island and using the sound for torpedo test shots.

 

[Sean222]

You had mentioned the L8 before and it's also in that article. Seems like it would be totally divable - it looks relatively intact - I'm surprised I never hear of anyone going to it. Maybe the company with salvage rights isn't permitting it?

The USS L-8: Mapping and Assessing Rhode Island’s Historic Submarines Using Synthetic Aperture Sonar: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

There are no salvage rights on the wreck. Anyone can dive it. The reason no one dives it regularly is that the visibility is usually lousy. We used to dive it out of my diveboat but it had bad vis almost all the time. The one time we had decent vis was also the one time I had a camera with me. If you go to Dave Clancy's website "hunting new England shipwrecks" you will see an image I shot of my wife at one of the vents on the deck. That is not typical vis!

 

[jencks23]

I've probably got alittle over 50 dives on the 853 over the past 10 years, everytime I dive it I find something new but that comes from extensive research on Uboats of that era and class.

With this years dive season coming to a close and COVID having wrecked havoc on my own season due to work. If you guys hit the L-8, I'd be in for the trip with probably one other diver if you'd have us

 

[diver0004]

If you need info on the tight rope walker look up Capt Billy Palmer who I believe has written a book or two on that wreck .

JMTC