HATTERAS, N.C. (AP) -- World War II shipwrecks in an area off the North Carolina coast known as the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic' will be the focus of a summer expedition led by federal researchers.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that it will investigate ships sunk in 1942 during the Battle of Atlantic, specifically the Battle of Convoy KS-520.
On July 14, 1942, a merchant convoy of 19 ships and five military escorts left Hampton Roads, sailing to Key West, Fla., to deliver cargo to aid the war effort. A German submarine attacked Convoy KS-520 the next day off Cape Hatteras, and the U-boat was sunk by depth charges dropped by U.S. Navy aircraft.
NOAA's expedition began Wednesday and will take place in four phases.
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