USS Roper (DD 147) and German U-85 Submarine

April 15, 1942, USS Roper (DD 147) sank U-85 which was carrying the yet to be cracked 4-wheel Enigma machine. The Enigma was recovered from the wreck but a bit too late to help the war effort – it was found and illegally removed by recreational divers in 2001.

The divers claimed that they were unaware that the wreck of U-85 was still considered German property and a war grave. The U.S. and German governments worked out a deal that gives ownership of the Enigma to Germany but allows it to be on indefinite exhibit at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, North Carolina.