The ‘SS Byron T. Benson' burns after it was attacked by U-552, commanded
by Erich Topp. It sank off Cape Hatteras on April 7, 1942.
The coast of North Carolina was as much a battleground during
World War II as any other region on earth. Seventy Allied ships of all
types went down because of U-Boat attacks off the coasts of North and
South Carolina beginning in 1941. The operations off North Carolina were
as dangerous to the Germans as they were to the Americans, according to
several submarine commanders interviewed over the years. Examples are
below.
Peter Erich Cremer
commanded U-333, earning the Knight's Cross. He personally considered
the waters off the North Carolina Coast the most dangerous to work in.
“The target rich environment was alluring, yet the very shallow waters,
tidal variances and strong currents also created a danger for the
U-Boats.”
One of Cremer's
kills was the unescorted British freighter Clan Skene, which was hit by
two torpedoes at 09:05 a.m. May 10, 1942, and sank 300 miles southeast
of Cape Hatteras. The U-Boat had already been badly damaged by depth
charges three days earlier and was limping back to France. Cremer wrote
in his report: “… that the sinking of this ship was like .. a balm after
these terrible depth charges.”
According
to Cremer: “The shallow waters and strong current made escape
difficult. Every victory was an invitation to be sunk right afterward.”
Nine crew members from the Clan Skene were lost. The ship's captain and
72 survivors were picked up by USS McKean (APD 5) and taken at San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Oak Leaves
recipient Georg Lassen of U-160 sank the City of New York off of
Hatteras at 7:36 p.m. March 29, 1942, attacking in 20-foot seas, with
great loss of life in foul weather. When interviewed, he stated: “I
could not believe how many ships were around. We never had enough
torpedoes.”
More @ Star News
No comments:
Post a Comment