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I Reassessing the Cape Hatteras Minefield REASSESSING THE CAPE HATTERAS MINEFIELD: AN EXAMINATION OF NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL DEFENSES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR by Mitchell Campbell Freitas May 2017 Director of Thesis: Dr. Nathan Richards Major Department: Program in Maritime Studies of Department of History In response to the German U-boat attacks on Allied Atlantic merchant shipping during the Second World War, Ernest King, the Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet, approved construction of a defensive wall of naval mines in an area off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This configuration of mines was intended to provide a safe harbor opportunity for convoys moving along the coast. The currently accepted narrative of Cape Hatteras Minefield is that it was a failure. This assessment is due to recent scholarship which cites the loss of three Allied ships that sunk after striking mines intended for Axis watercraft. As opposed to studies of the effectiveness of offensive or defensive weapons on mobile platforms (ships, aircraft, and terrestrial vehicles) or land-based defensive structures (e.g. forts and gun emplacements), this study will seek to understand the ways in which researchers can assess the success or failure of a different kind of defensive measure – a naval minefield. In-depth historical research will be undertaken in order to better understand the social, economic, and wartime effects of the minefield. Archaeological theories sourced from battlefield archaeology will also be applied to a virtually reconstructed minefield data set created with Geographic Information System (ESRI ArcGIS). The objectives I of this project are to reassess how minefields are contemplated in battlefield archaeology in a naval setting as well as to reconsider the narrative of Cape Hatteras minefield itself. II III REASSESSING THE CAPE HATTERAS MINEFIELD: AN EXAMINATION OF NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL DEFENSES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Program in Maritime Studies of Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Maritime Studies by Mitchell Campbell Freitas May 2017 i ©Mitchell Campbell Freitas, 2017 ii REASSESSING THE CAPE HATTERAS MINEFIELD: AN EXAMINATION OF NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL DEFENSES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR by Mitchell Campbell Freitas APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: _________________________________________________ (Nathan Richards, Ph.D.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: _________________________________________________ (Bradley Rodgers, Ph.D.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: _________________________________________________ (Todd Bennett, Ph.D.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: _________________________________________________ (Joseph Hoyt, MA) CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: ___________________________________________________________ (Christopher Oakley, Ph.D.) DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: ___________________________________________________ (Paul J. Gemperline, Ph.D.) iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my parents Jeff and Susan Freitas for affording me the opportunity to chase the things I love. Along with Hunter Freitas, the unwavering support and encouragement made this possible, the financial support helped too I guess. I love you guys so incredibly much. To my lovely girlfriend Nikki Scott for dealing with all of the whining and complaining two-hour drives, and low carb days. Thankfully your hospital night shifts coincided with my writing sessions, irrevocably destroyed sleep cycles love company. To my advisor, Dr. Nathan Richards for nitpicking and setting hard deadlines, you really drew out my best work and created an atmosphere where I could thrive. I could not have asked for a better advisor. There is still the matter of you giving me the only B of my time here at ECU even though I received A’s on all the assingments, but I digress. Cheers mate. To Jason Nunn, for becoming not only my mentor throughout my time here but also family. I have learned more from you at the dive locker and out on the water than in any class I’ve taken in the last seven years. I owe a great deal to you and Tara; I can’t thank you enough. You’re pretty cool too I guess Anné Wright. -Team Too Stupid To Quit. To Lauren Christian for reading through and editing my early drafts of chapters and for your neverending professional insights such as “What is this sentence? I’ve read undergrad papers with better composition.”. To Nate King for serving as a backboard for chapters and ideas. To Garrett Bateman and Zach Tyler for out of control bonfires, for midnight drives to Nashville, Walmart trips, 04:00 trips to Columbus, bodybuilding, Cops, and Albuquerque. To my committee, Dr. Brad Rodgers, Dr. Todd Bennett and Joe Hoyt for beleiveing in the project at the start and being such an integral part of the end game. Finally, I would like to thank those involved in previous Battle of the Atlantic research. To John Bright and John Wagner, each of their theses served as amazing foundations for my own. To NOAA’s Monitor Natioanl Marine Sanctuary and specifically Joe Hoyt for their outstanding contrubution to Battle of the Atlantic scholarship, the geospatial work in this thesis hinged on the data they collected. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Previous Research and Importance ......................................................................................... 3 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 4 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 7 Thesis Structure......................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER TWO: History ......................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 10 Conception and Construction ................................................................................................ 11 The First Nail: F.W. Abrams ................................................................................................. 19 The Second Nail: The Battle of YP-389 and U-701 .............................................................. 21 The Final Nail: Convoy KS-520 ............................................................................................. 25 Closing Moves .......................................................................................................................... 32 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 34 CHAPTER THREE: Theory ..................................................................................................... 35 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 35 Historical Archaeology ........................................................................................................... 35 Battlefield Archaeology........................................................................................................... 36 Geographical Information Systems and Theory .................................................................. 44 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 47 CHAPTER FOUR: Methodology .............................................................................................. 48 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 48 Historical Research ................................................................................................................. 49 Secondary Sources................................................................................................................... 50 Numerical Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 54 Geospatial Information ........................................................................................................... 55 GIS Creation ............................................................................................................................ 58 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER FIVE: Results .......................................................................................................... 63 v Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 63 Pre-Minefield Period ..............................................................................................................
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