10 YEARS AGO in our KTB

In KTB #28 ten years ago, we reported the ‘ADMIRALSTAB’ of GrossAdmiral Karl Dönitz might not have been in the Shropshire Light Infantry Museum in England but was possibly somewhere in the city of Hamburg, Germany. WOLFGANG HIRSCHFELD (34-1984) sent information on the German U-Boats that tried to reach Japan towards the end of the war with uranium and technology on board. HANK KEATTS (59-1990) had released his newest book ‘DIVING INTO HISTORY, THE U-BOATS’.

WE ANNOUNCED THAT A GROUP OF THREE SHARKHUNTERS MEMBERS FOUND THREE TYPE XXI U-BOATS IN AN ABANDONED BUNKER IN GERMANY!

We reported that Harold Washington, Mayor of Chicago, had tried to squeeze enormous amounts of money from USS SILVERSIDES for dock rental, which forced the third most successful American submarine to make the move across Lake Michigan to Muskegon. Mayor Washington stated: “They can take the submarine to Muskeegee; they can take it to the moon.....” The mayor could not even remember the name of the city where this priceless piece of American heritage was going.......

5 YEARS AGO in our KTB

In KTB #76 five years ago, there was a great cover spread of photos of U-48, the most successful submarine of any nation during World War II. We reported on the SHARKHUNTERS dive trip to the Roatan and the dive shop of TYLL SASS (526-1988) where we dived the wreckage of Spanish ships sunk by Sir Henry Morgan. We ran the interview with KPLT HORST DEGEN (116-+-1987) as well as the one by CDR MILES GRAHAM (521-+-1988) the US Navy submariner who rode U-2513 back as part of the prize crew. There were more comments on Bill Rose, the guy who claimed his name was Erich Maas and that he rode U-552 under ERICH TOPP (118-LIFE-1985) - none were favorable! We reported on the South African Navy building modern submarines from plans bought from German shipyards. We reported on the letter we sent to Chairman of the Board of General Motors and the one received from his office, regarding Alfred Sloan, Chairman of the Board during the war years, and Sloan’s open and strong support of Hitler and his government; of an American naval officer in the employ of General Motors as head of the G-M owned Adam Opel car plant in Germany and his accepting a German medal while the war was on. The reply from Roger Smith was anything but nice. In fact, it suggested ‘great personal risk’ if we continued. We reported on the Italian U-Boat sunk off Haifa, Israel.

KTB #76 was only 28 pages long, done on an old typewriter and at the time it was published, there were Members in only 29 countries. We now have Members in 62 countries - OOPS, 63!