German submarine U-85 (1941)

U-85 was a German Type VIIB U-boat sunk on April 14, 1942, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by the destroyer USS Roper, making it the first U-boat sunk by United States forces in World War II. It rests in the Atlantic waters off the Outer Banks, an area often called the Graveyard of the Atlantic due to the number of wartime wrecks scattered along this stretch of coast. The wreck lies broken on the sandy bottom at a depth generally cited as around 30 metres, consistent with the shallower wrecks found on this part of the continental shelf. Given the depth and the strong currents typical of the Diamond Shoals region, it is usually treated as a dive for divers with some experience rather than beginners.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Loggerhead Sea TurtleCaretta carettaReported here · unconfirmed
• Spiny DogfishSqualus acanthiasReported here · unconfirmed
• Longfin Inshore SquidDoryteuthis pealeiiReported here · unconfirmed
• Clearnose SkateRostroraja eglanteriaReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Rock CrabCancer irroratusReported here · unconfirmed