Visitors to the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center will find in its World War II exhibit two mentions of German U-boat incursions into Charleston Harbor in 1942. According to the display, both submarines laid 12 mines and escaped undetected. The mines were later cleared, and no damage was done to shipping.
But is that the true story? Did these two events actually happen? Were there others in our waters? The U-boat threat along the U.S. coastline during the war was extensive. Was Charleston, one of the major East Coast ports, ignored after 1942?
Those and many other fascinating questions will be explored on Thursday, Oct. 16, when Battery Gadsden Cultural Center welcomes back National Park Service Ranger Shelby McAllister (pictured) as its monthly speaker. Her presentation, The Unseen Threat: German U-Boats in Charleston Waters, delves into the records of U-boat activity in both the U.S. and Germany and uncovers discoveries seldom heard before.
If you attended Ranger Shelby’s earlier presentation on the history of lighthouses in the area, you know she is both a dynamic presenter and an excellent researcher.
A native of Iowa, McAllister discovered that classroom teaching wasn’t for her and instead joined the National Park Service. She has served at Harpers Ferry, Shiloh, and Lincoln’s Home in Springfield, Illinois, before coming to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.
This presentation, part of BGCC’s monthly speaker series, will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Sunrise Presbyterian Church, 3222 Middle St. on Sullivan’s Island. As always, the talks are free and open to the public.