The link between the past, present, and future was highlighted during the memorial held at the site of the U-352. On the buoy deck, 110 feet above the sub’s wreckage, the crew of the Maple, along with the mission team, discussed the history of the site and its significance to the Coast Guard’s history. Here, Marano said the memorialization effort sought to pay respect “not as victors, but as mariners in arms,” and that as sailors, “we are all here today, performing the job that our nations have asked us to do.” Cmdr. Philipp Mandau, the assistant German naval attaché to the U.S., participated in the ceremony, and he noted that, while the sailors on board the U-352 served an illegal regime, they were honored as sailors for doing their duty to their country. The Coast Guard Cutter Bedloe was also lost at sea due to a suspected rogue wave during the same hurricane that sank the Jackson. Both ships were lost while escorting the cargo ship , which had been damaged after being hit by a torpedo from a German sub off the coast of North Carolina. The Jackson and the Bedloe were sister ships, both outfitted for wartime service with additional armament making them top heavy and likely less stable in rough seas. Both sunk within a few hours of each other, accounting for the loss of 47 men. “While archaeology is the study of human beings based on their surviving material culture, its purpose is to learn things that are not necessarily written down in textbooks and to give voice to those who no longer have one,” said Marano. While each of the archaeological sites from this mission had been located and identified through previous historical and archaeological research, they now serve as training sites to test the Coast Guard’s capabilities. “The deployment of Coast Guard Cutter Maple to survey the World War II wrecks of these ships serves to remember the men who went in harm’s way, never to return,” said Dr. William Thiesen, Coast Guard historian for the Atlantic Area. “We fervently hope that those interested in seeing these wrecks will respect their sanctity and view, but not disturb the sites.” Preservation of the sites, especially given their status as war graves, is of the utmost importance to archaeologists like Marano. He said one of the biggest challenges to conservation of sites like these is education. “People will not protect what they do not care about, and they will not care about what they do not know about,” Marano said. “Education and outreach is the key to developing well informed, vested stewards of our shared cultural heritage.” � The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maple, retired Coast Guard commander Gary Thomas, and German naval Commander Philipp Mandau, Assistant Naval Attaché to the United States for the Federal Republic of Germany, attend a ceremomny at the Graveyard of the Atlantic June 13. Crewmembers laid a wreath at the site to commemorate lives lost aboard two sunken Coast Guard cutters and a German U-boat. Photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves. Issue 3 • 2022 � RESERVIST 17 Geor ge A de
