Shadow Divers

Chatterton and Kohler, now almost certain that their wreck is U-869, still struggled to find definitive proof. They read the manifest of U-869, realizing that they had been swimming past and through the remains of these young men. Although they had already made an impact by raising significant doubt about the accuracy of official World War II histories, they both agreed that they could not complete their investigation in a “less than perfect way” (287).

Chatterton, feeling demoralized after combing through the wreck several times and finding no definitive evidence, found encouragement in Kohler’s unflagging enthusiasm. However, Kohler’s dedication to diving affected his marriage, and his wife, Felicia, asked him to quit. He realized that identifying so strongly as a diver negatively affected his children, and he confessed to Chatterton that he was leaning toward accepting Felicia’s ultimatum and focusing on fatherhood. Chatterton, disgusted, told him it was a huge mistake. Undeterred, Kohler walked away from his years of partnership with Chatterton to focus on his family.

Chatterton continued to dive the site by himself. Still failing to find any proof, he turned his energy to discovering other shipwrecks. He found two American ships sunk by U-boats, historic discoveries that nonetheless did not satisfy him.