U-85 Memorial

U-85 Memorial

As some of you know, I was born and raised in Germany. Moved to the US in 1984, and have loved living here ever since. A couple of years ago I stumbled upon a story about a German submarine (U-85), that was sunk off of the North Carolina coast by USS Roper 4/14/1942. The circumstances that caused all Germans to be lost (killed) remain rather questionable, but I guess those are the horros of war. During my research about the U-85, I came across Ann Davis. She has spent years getting the US & German government to replace the headstones of the Germans with ones more fitting to be in a Veterans Cemetery. I am very thankful for her work in this regard. I gave her a framed print of this image as a gift of my gratitude and she literally was moved to tears.

UPDATE: A fellow artist Angel Perry has submitted this image to the prestigious Pay-It-Forward Group citing the following:
“He created this image with heartfelt commitment on getting all the names and research accurate. Not only is it a wonderful tribute to all the men who lost their lives; it’s a great Memorial for the families to cherish for a lifetime. His skills as an artist have grown right in front of our eyes and this image speaks volumes.”

Thank you so much Angel, that is very much appreciated.

About this image:
The submarine is a picture of U-995, taken by me last year. The U-995 is a type VII-C submarine, and is an exhibit at the Submariners Museum in Kiel (Laboe), Germany. The U-995 is the only remaining surviving type VII in the world. The U-85 was a type VII-B (both very similar in appearance). The ocean scene was a shot I took in NC, near where the U-85 still remains submerged to this day. The tombstone image was taken during Memorial Day 2008, it was touching to see that each German grave also had a small German flag (and a US flag as well). All images were layered and combined into one. I then added the names of the crew with tombstones on top, the ones lost forever at see are below the submarine. If you’d like to read a detailed account of incidents leading to her sinking click here

To view images from the cemetery, including the burial which was conducted at night?, please click here

Many thanks to Ann Davis for her tireless effort in years passed (she actually has written a book called “Time Will Tell” about the German graves), and also to Michael Bermingham with his assistance on researching discrepancies with several crew members.

Image best viewed in Large, although names still are a bit difficult to read. Full-screen on my laptop this looks awesome!

My art with 1000+ views

U-85 Memorial belongs to the following groups:

All of North Carolina, Amazing Graves, Digital Art Compilations (No Nudity Allowed), EMI - The Group, European Everyday Life (add the place!), Extraordinary Fractalius - 3/day, German Artists, PixElations - The Art of Photoshop, Redfield Plugins, Shameless Self-Promotion, War and Waves Available for sale as

Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters