A splendid documentary.
In early 1942 German U-boats are sinking American ships along the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Off New Orleans, U-166 torpedoes the Robert E. Lee and is in turn depth-charged by the naval escort PC566, commanded by LCDR Claudius, who made two runs over the U-boat. An oil slick appeared and Claudius sent in an after-action report claiming the submarine had been either sunk or so damaged that it would have been unable to return to port.
Far from commending him, the U. S. Navy rejected the report, claiming he hadn't followed prescribed PC doctrine, relieved Claudius of command and sent him back to school.
The program follows a team of underwater explorers that painstakingly fits together photos of the wrecked U-166 and justifies Claudius' original claim. The escort evidently had sunk the submarine through an extraordinary combination of skill and good luck. Claudius' surviving son receives the Legion of Merit seventy-three years post facto.
The execution and interpretation of the underwater exploration is fascinating in itself, despite the fact that we've recently been hit over the head with so many similar films. In between scenes with the explorers, the program sketches in with considerably clarity what was called the Battle of the Atlantic. The images of the U-boat and of the wrecked Robert E. Lee are startlingly crisp and colorful.
Everyone involved did a fine job.
In early 1942 German U-boats are sinking American ships along the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Off New Orleans, U-166 torpedoes the Robert E. Lee and is in turn depth-charged by the naval escort PC566, commanded by LCDR Claudius, who made two runs over the U-boat. An oil slick appeared and Claudius sent in an after-action report claiming the submarine had been either sunk or so damaged that it would have been unable to return to port.
Far from commending him, the U. S. Navy rejected the report, claiming he hadn't followed prescribed PC doctrine, relieved Claudius of command and sent him back to school.
The program follows a team of underwater explorers that painstakingly fits together photos of the wrecked U-166 and justifies Claudius' original claim. The escort evidently had sunk the submarine through an extraordinary combination of skill and good luck. Claudius' surviving son receives the Legion of Merit seventy-three years post facto.
The execution and interpretation of the underwater exploration is fascinating in itself, despite the fact that we've recently been hit over the head with so many similar films. In between scenes with the explorers, the program sketches in with considerably clarity what was called the Battle of the Atlantic. The images of the U-boat and of the wrecked Robert E. Lee are startlingly crisp and colorful.
Everyone involved did a fine job.
