U-boat

The abbreviation for unterseeboot, a German submarine. Germany deployed hundreds of U-boats during World War II to attack ships at sea.

U-869

A large attack submarine sunk off the coast of New Jersey under mysterious circumstances. It is this submarine that is discovered by the divers, as described in Kurson's book.

World War II

A major conflict in the 1940s between Germany and its allies and the United Kingdom and United States and their allies. Much of the fighting against Germany took place in Europe, but sometimes approached the shores of the United States, as in the case of U-869.

Vietnam

A Southeast Asian country that was the location of a protracted military operation by the United States. John Chatterton, one of the main figures in the book, served as a combat medic in Vietnam.

New Jersey

An American state on the Atlantic coast. U-869 is discovered...