Actions of 5–6 May 1945
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The last actions of the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
in American waters took place on 5–6 May 1945. There were two such actions, against off the Rhode Island coast and , south of Cape Race, both sunk during the same period.


Background

US involvement in the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
began with the deaths of 28 US citizens during the sinking of the ''Athenia'' by , on the first day of the war in the west. Thereafter US ships were attacked, and US warships involved in action against U-boats while protecting US interests, in the two years before America’s entry into the war. Following Nazi Germany’s declaration of war on the US on 11 December 1941, the U-boat Arm of the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' attacked American shipping in earnest in January 1942 with Operation Drumbeat, sinking over 600 ships (representing 3 million tons of shipping) over a six-month period. Thereafter the U-boat Arm continued to make offensive patrols against US coastal shipping, while German wolf-packs searched for and attacked convoys in mid-ocean. By 1945 U-Boat actions had reduced to pinpricks, but their potential forced the Allies to maintain large naval and air forces, and expend considerable resources, to counter the threat. During the first five months of 1945, the U-boat Arm dispatched 19 U-boat patrols to American waters, including seven sailings constituting group ''Seewolf'', the last
wolf pack A pack is a social group of conspecific canines. Packs aren't formed by all canines, especially small sized canines like the Red fox. The number of members in a pack and their social behavior varies from species to species. Social structure is v ...
of the Battle of the Atlantic. By 5 May 1945, the day U-boat Command ( BdU) ordered the U Boat Arm to cease hostilities, just nine were still at large; six off the US coast, and three Seewolf boats in mid-ocean. Of these, two were involved in action with the USN, the last actions in American waters during the Atlantic campaign.


First action

On 5 May, , lying in wait off
Point Judith Point Judith is a village and a small Cape (geography), cape, on the coast of Narragansett, Rhode Island, on the western side of Narragansett Bay where it opens out onto Rhode Island Sound. It is the location for the year-round ferry service that ...
, Rhode Island, sighted and fired on SS ''Black Point'', a collier underway for Boston, Massachusetts. Her torpedoes struck, and within 15 minutes, ''Black Point'' had capsized in of water, the last US-flagged merchant ship sunk in World War II. Twelve men died and 34 were rescued. One of the rescuing ships — SS ''Kamen'' — sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
, destroyer escorts and , and
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
; they discovered ''U-853'' bottomed in , and dropped more than 100
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s through the night. The next morning, two blimps from Lakehurst, New Jersey — '' K-16'' and '' K-58'' — joined the attack, locating oil slicks and marking suspected locations with smoke and dye markers. ''K-16'' also attacked with rocket bombs. Finally, planking, life rafts, a chart tabletop, clothing, and an officer's cap floated to the surface, indicating destruction with all 55 men. ''U-853'' was destroyed at sometime between midnight, when success was first claimed, and 1225, when it was confirmed.


Second action

Also on 6 May, shortly after day-break, the destroyer escort — assigned to the hunter-killer group — detected , a ''Seewolf'' boat running submerged south-east of Cape Race. Making a sudden attack, ''Farquhar'' closed and dropped 13 depth charges in a single attack, which destroyed ''U-881'' with the loss of all hands.


Conclusion

These were the last U-boats destroyed in action in American waters; on 8 May, the Germans surrendered, and the last active U-boats in American waters gave themselves up to units of the
USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
and RCN.


See also

*
Operation Teardrop Operation Teardrop was a United States Navy operation during World War II, conducted between April and May 1945, to sink German U-boats approaching the East Coast of the United States, Eastern Seaboard that were believed to be armed with V-1 flyi ...
*
Actions of 7–8 May 1945 The last actions in British coastal waters and the last actions of the Battle of the Atlantic took place on 7–8 May 1945. Background During the first five months of 1945, the U-boat Arm (UbW) of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' dispatched 125 U-bo ...


References

*Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War Vol II (1998). New York: Random House. *Paul Kemp: U-Boats Destroyed (1997). *Axel Neistle: German U-Boat Losses during World War II (1998).


External links


U-853 at u-boat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:19450505-6 Battle of the Atlantic