“WAR IS WAR, AND I MUST CARRY OUT MY DUTY”: A GEOSPATIAL AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S FIRST WORLD WAR BATTLESCAPE by Janie Rose Knutson October 2018 Director of Thesis: Dr. Nathan Richards Major Department: Program in Maritime Studies, Department of History Although the United States was late to enter the First World War, the waters of the nation became a battlefield from 1917 onward. Ships operating along North Carolina’s coast recurrently fell victim to the unrestricted U-boat campaign. While often forgotten in the historic record, this study follows an ongoing trend in archaeology after the conclusion of projects on the Second World War, in looking at the effects of World War One on the cultural landscape. This thesis is an historical study that compiles a record of all vessels, infrastructure, civilians, and combatants lost, damaged, or attacked in war-related incidents before, during, and after the United States entry into World War One. Primary and secondary historical sources reveal the attack and sinking locations of vessels, pinpointing the positions of potential archaeological (shipwreck) sites. This thesis also utilizes Geographical Information System (GIS) software to render a digitized projection of the battlescape. The overall objective of this thesis is to analyze a collected historical dataset and study the points of conflict between combatants off the coast of North Carolina, and to assess geospatial and temporal trends. Ultimately the main question being pursued is, “what does the geospatial and statistical analysis of trends regarding WW1-era infrastructure, combatants, and noncombatants inform us about the naval battlescape off the coast of North Carolina?” “WAR IS WAR, AND I MUST CARRY OUT MY DUTY”: A GEOSPATIAL AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S FIRST WORLD WAR BATTLESCAPE 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 Janie Rose Knutson October 2018 © Janie Rose Knutson, 2018 “WAR IS WAR, AND I MUST CARRY OUT MY DUTY”: A GEOSPATIAL AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S FIRST WORLD WAR BATTLESCAPE by Janie Rose Knutson APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: (Nathan Richards, Ph.D.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: (Jennifer McKinnon, Ph.D.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: (Todd Bennett, Ph.D.) CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: (Christopher Oakley, Ph.D.) DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: (Paul J. Gemperline, Ph.D.) DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Shane and Michele, to my siblings, Dillan and Sheri, and finally, my grandmothers, Janice and Helen, for their support, unconditional love, and encouraging my work. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Nathan Richards, for not only agreeing to being part of my quest to pursue First World War maritime archaeology, but for also being a guiding force, mentor, and major supporter of my work. I can never thank you enough. I also thank Dr. Jennifer McKinnon and Dr. Todd Bennett for their insight and enthusiasm for my work. Next, I would like to thank the people of NOAA, Will Sassorossi, Joe Hoyt, and Tane Casserley, for being very supportive of my work and open to sharing sources. I wish you luck in the future with finding more World War One sites. I want to thank the people at Dare County Educational Television, for funding and enthusiastically backing my research. On a separate note, I would like to thank John McCord with his excellent technical work in the production of my video for Dare County TV. Additionally, I want to thank the USDA Forest Service for encouraging me to continue my studies upon hiring me as an intern, especially my Master Performer, Juanita Garcia and Supervisor David Foxe. Thank you both for welcoming me to Texas and being the driving force to get me to work on my studies at the end of a long day. I will forever be grateful for your support in getting me where I needed to be to graduate. Finally, I would like to thank my fellow maritime students for banding together in times of need. I have never met a better group of people to be part of and I value your friendships. I personally wish to thank my dearest research partner and friend, Michele Knutson, who trekked across the United States, so I would not be alone in my search for data at the National Archives and Library of Congress. Her and my father, Shane Knutson’s, undying support since I left home to travel all the way to North Carolina, has only fueled my ambitions and helped me through the rougher times. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………………… x LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………………………….. xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .………………………………………………….. 1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 1 Previous Research ……………………………………………………………….. 2 Objectives ……………………………………………………………………….. 4 Research Questions …………………………………………………………….... 4 Importance ………………………………………………………………………. 6 Thesis Structure …………………………………………………………………. 8 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 9 CHAPTER TWO: THEORY AND THINKING ABOUT THE BATTLEFIELD……… 11 Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 11 Prelude to Generalist Approaches ……………………………………………….. 11 Generalist Archaeological Approaches…………………………………... 13 Battlefield Archaeological Theory ………………………………………………. 18 Relating Theory to Practice....……………………………………………. 23 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………….. 26 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………... 27 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 27 Historical Research ……………………………………………………………… 27 Primary Source Archives ………………………………………………... 30 Published Primary Sources ……………………………………………… 33 Secondary Sources ………………………………………………………. 33 Geospatial Modeling …………………………………………………………….. 35 Charts and Maps ………………………………………………………… 35 Geographic Information System ………………………………………... 37 Analysis ………………………………………………………………………… 39 Statistical Analysis ……………………………………………………... 39 Spatial Analysis ………………………………………………………… 40 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….... 42 CHAPTER FOUR: THE U-BOAT MENACE ………………………………………… 43 Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 43 North Carolina Prepares ………………………………………………… 45 Germany Responds ……………………………………………………... 48 Three Months of Terror…………………………………………………. 50 The War Ends and All is Quiet on the Eastern Seaboard …………….... 71 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 76 CHAPTER FIVE: MAPPING AND UNDERSTANDING THE BATTLEFIELD ……. 78 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………... 78 U-boat Paths …………………………………………………………………….. 79 Combined Maps of U-boat Operations …………………………………. 79 U-151 ……………………………………………………………………. 82 U-140 ……………………………………………………………………. 84 U-117 ……………………………………………………………………. 86 Minefields ……………………………………………………………………….. 87 Drosher’s Interpretation …………………………………………………. 87 United Stated Navy’s Interpretation ..……………………………………. 91 Statistics of the Battlefield ………………………………………………………. 92 Ship Type Analysis ……………………………………………………… 95 Actions and Frequency ………………………………………………….. 101 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………. 106 CHAPTER SIX: ANALYSIING AND VISUALIZING THE BATTLESCAPE ………. 108 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 108 Analysis of the Battlefield ………………………………………………………. 109 Centrality and Density …………………………………………………... 111 Convex Hulls ……………………………………………………………. 122 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………. 128 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION …………………………………………………… 133 Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 133 Answering the Primary Question ………………………………………………. 134 Answering the Secondary Questions …………………………………………… 135 Observations ……………………………………………………………………. 137 Avenues for Future Research …………………………………………………… 138 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 141 REFERENCES CITED ………………………………………………………………… 142 LIST OF TABLES 3.1 KNOWN SHIPWRECKS RESULTING FROM U-BOAT INTERACTIONS………. 28 3.2 KNOWN SHIPS ATTACKED OR HAVING ATTACKED U- BOATS……………. 29 5.1 FULL TIMELINE OF EVENTS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR…………… 94 5.2 ACTIONS AND FREQUENCY OF EVENTS DURING 1918……………………… 102 6.1 COORDINATED FOR THE CENTER OF ALL BATTLER ACTIVITY…………… 114 6.2 CENTER POINT WITHOUT OUTLIERS…………………………………………… 114 6.3 CENTER POINT FOR U-151………………………………………………………… 115 6.4 CENTER POINT FOR U-140………………………………………………………… 116 6.5 CENTER POINT FOR U-117………………………………………………………… 116 LIST OF FIGURES 3.1 COPY OF U-117'S TORPEDO DISPERSAL LIST…………………………………. 32 3.2 MAP OF U-140’S CROSSING OF THE ATLANTIC………………………………. 36 3.3 DRÖSHER’S MAP OF MINEFIELDS PRODUCED BY U-117……………………. 37 4.1 IMAGE OF THE NAVAL AND ANTI-SUBMARINE COUNCIL…………………. 44 4.2 COLOR MAP OF DEFENSE COUNCILS IN 1917…………………………………. 45 4.3 CAROLINA SHIPBUILDING COMPANY IN WILMINGTON, NC………………. 46 4.4 CAPTAIN HEINRICH VON NOSTITZ UND JÄNCKENDORFF…………………. 50 4.5 KÖRNER ON THE DECK OF U-151………………………………………………... 51 4.6 U-151 SAILING, FROM THE DECK OF PINAR DEL RIO……………………….... 55 4.7 RYALL CIRCA 1906…………………………………………………………………. 57 4.8 KORVETTENKAPITÄN WALDEMAR KOPHMEL……………………………….. 59 4.9 SS MERAK…………………………………………………………………………… 61 4.10 THE FIRST DIAMOND SHOALS LIGHTSHIP, 1897…………………………….. 62 4.11 U-117 SAILING……………………………………………………………………... 66 4.12 CAPTAIN OTTO DRÖSCHER……………………………………………………... 66 4.13 CREW OF MIRLO RESCUED AND TRANSPORTED…………………………… 69 4.14 VIEW OF SUBMERGED U-117……………………………………………………. 70 4.15 U-117 DOCKED OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON D.C……………………………... 72 4.16 U-140, AT A PIER AT THE PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD……………………. 72 4.17 RETIRED DEUTSCHLAND, U-156, AND U-139…………………………………. 73 4.18 ANTI-SHIP BOMBING DEMONSTRATION, 1921………………………………. 74 4.19 U-140 AND U-117 BEFORE AERIAL BOMBING…………………………………