On July 15, 1942, the U-576 sank the SS Bluefield off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, however the convoy and its US military escorts fought back, sinking the U-boat with return fire from a US Navy Armed Guard crew and an aerial depth charge attack.

The sinking was one of many that happened in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor as German U-boats began patrolling off the coast of North Carolina, sinking merchant ships and allied Naval vessels.

More than 80 ships were sunk in 1942 alone, with the loss of over 1,600 men.

In 2011, the NOAA announced it would lead an expedition to locate and study World War II shipwrecks sunk in 1942 off North Carolina during the Battle of the Atlantic, specifically the Battle of Convoy KS-520.

These two vessels were discovered in 2014, 35 miles offshore in approximately 700 feet of water, with just 200 yards separating them.