I couldn't think of any other title for this section, and you will see why when you read it. There is a mystique about German U-Boats that is unmatched by any other service, any nation, in World War II and that has "old-timers" telling some absolutely wild stories about what they feel is their personal experiences in the war. For some reason; perhaps too many full moons, these wild stories seem to be at an all-time peak this year. Here are some of these wild stories:

CAPE COD U-BOAT

You will remember about a year ago, there were wild reports about a guy named Ed Michaud who claimed that he found a U-Boat sunk in 40 or 50 feet of water off Cape Cod. He gave a U-Number for this boat and claimed that he learned through three years of extensive research that the boat was carrying supplies for a large German spy ring operating at Cape Cod. He claimed that the sub was broadcasting messages to U-Boat HQ using a U.S. Coast Guard frequency and this is what tipped off the U.S. Authorities, and a blimp was dispatched to sink it. The blimp sank the boat, if you believe this story. One might ask why the German U-Boat Skipper was using a channel used by the enemy forces and not used by U-Boat HQ. One might ask why he didn't use the frequency that his HQ was on. There was no answer for that.

We immediately reported that this story was pure baloney. We told where that particular boat was sunk and it was a long, LONG way from Cape Cod. We stated that there was no German spy ring on Cape Cod and no German U-Boat sunk there. Michaud persisted in his story but never could explain why a U-Boat sunk in only 40 feet of water didn't stick out at low tide; and why a diver had not been down on it. He had no answers, but still claimed his story was true. Eventually, the story - with NO basis in fact - died out.

Let us borrow a famous line from the movie 'POLTERGEIST' and we will say 'HE'S BAAAAAACK'. Yep, according to articles by JULES CRITTENDON (4431-1995) - the Boston HERALD, Ed Michaud has returned to center stage - with some modifications to his story and his claims. According to Michaud's newest story, this sunken U-Boat is not the TYPE IX-C he previously claimed, even though he had said he spent three years researching this boat and was certain what boat it was - now he says it is another boat.

NO LONGER A TYPE IX-C BOAT

THIS 'PHANTOM' BOAT IS A TYPE XI-B

According to Michaud, this 'phantom' U-Boat is a 377 foot-long TYPE XI-B U-Boat. Michaud says he knows this is controversial because none of the TYPE XI-B boats were ever sent to America.

Well, we must give one point to Michaud. He is correct - no TYPE XI-B boats were ever sent to America. That is because there never was a TYPE XI-B German U-Boat!. There were not even plans for a TYPE XI-B boat. In 1938 German U-Boat designers came up with plans for a TYPE XI-A, a heavily armed submarine meant to fight on the surface. Four TYPE XI-A U-Boats were ordered from AG Weser in Bremen in 1938, but the order was canceled almost immediately.

No TYPE XI-A boats were built, and there was never even a design plan for a TYPE XI-B on the drawing boards. So Michaud is correct when he says that no TYPE XI-B boats were ever sent to America - there were NO TYPE XI-B boats ever designed or built!

JULES, please keep us informed how this search for Michaud's U-Boat is going there on Cape Cod. It probably is really a flying saucer, or perhaps it is Jimmy Hoffa's burial vault.

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES U-BOAT

About a year or more ago, we reported that a group of about ten US Navy veterans from the destroyer USS KEITH (DD 775) were featured on the television show 'UNSOLVED MYSTERIES' with the claim that they sank a German U-Boat at San Francisco Harbor! Of course, they all 'knew' this U-Boat was filled with gold - what German U-Boat left port without tons of gold aboard!

What made this group stand out from others with such goofy claims was that they were selling shares in their salvage venture. If you would invest just a mere $20,000 then you could share in the profit. What profit? There was NO U-Boat there and we told that to the leader of this group, one William Anderson. He claimed that he spoke to a German U-Boat Commander named Otto Giese, and that Giese confirmed all this to him.

I had to burst his bubble by telling him that OTTO GIESE (45-1984) was a Member of SHARKHUNTERS and I knew that OTTO would never claim to be a Skipper when in fact, he was only II.W.O. on board U-181 and that OTTO would never tell such a wild story that German U-Boats carried gold. Anderson had some stumbling sort of excuse for his erroneous quote.

Some time later, on 'UNSOLVED MYSTERIES' Anderson and his buddies were almost tearful as they determined this really was not a German U-Boat (full of gold of course) but an American submarine they sank in error. To further complicate things, according to Anderson's group, is the US Navy is refusing to give out any details on this American submarine sunk in error by USS KEITH. We again stated this was baloney - that the Submarine Service would never remain quiet about one of their boats sunk in error and that any such incident would be widely known. As you might imagine, it fell upon deaf ears. 'UNSOLVED MYSTERIES' still looks foolish every time they air something about this group and their 'phantom' U-Boat or American submarine; Anderson's group is still looking for submarines where none exist - and he is doing really well because of these wacky stories.

He has put together an association with membership dues as high as $1,000 and publishes a 4-page newsletter four times per year. This income helps with research into these goofy stories, such as the ones in the Spring 1995 issue of their newsletter which told that Japanese submarines had an actual base in Malibu, California. We know that things in California sometimes are a bit different from the rest of the US - but a Japanese submarine BASE?

In the Summer 1995 issue of their newsletter, there is a report that an unnamed DE sank a submarine 40 miles off the California coast in 1945. There is no date of attack and no name for the DE. But they sank another 'phantom' submarine. Let's hope it is not another American boat sunk in error and covered up by the Navy.

In the Summer 1995 issue, there is a statement that should have many people angry that relatives have their hopes raised with no hope of answers to their questions. It says:

"Then there were the heart-rending calls from people saying they had loved ones who served on subs missing in action and hopes our sub would solve the mystery. Maybe it will."

There is no American sub missing off San Francisco Harbor, and it is cruel indeed to raise someone's hopes when there is no basis at all in fact.

More Phantoms

Cape Cod U-Boat, Unsolved Mysteries U-Boat
I-15 and USS Keith

German U-Boat Full of Gold; U.S. Sub Sunk in Error; now a Japanese Fighter Plane in Mailbu!

More on this goofy story next month in KTB #116

More on the San Francisco "U-Boat"