> >Brett
> >Roosevelt authorised the US Navy to hit back after 2 destroyers were
> >attacked by U-boats in September and October 1941 (one of them sunk).
> ><snip>
> >
>
From: "John Garcia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> U.S.S. Reuben James, torpedoed by a U-Boat, and went down with practically
> all hands. Also the subject of a folk song by (if memory serves) Woody
Guthrie.
>


Looks like that makes 3. The two I knew of, courtesy of "The World at War"
p97 are:

* USS Grear in Sept 41, attacked but not sunk

* USS Kearney attacked and sunk in October 41

I vaguely recalled that a US destroyer sank a U-boat before Pearl Harbour,
but after checking www.u-boat.net, found that wasn't so. US ships had
attacked U-boats during 1941 but hadn't sunk any.

Apparently there are rumours (and that's all they are) of U-boats off the US
coast sending crew ashore to buy bread and other supplies. Looks like the
idea I had of a U-boat attack inside New York falls into the same category -
urban myth. But some 397 ships were sunk off the US coast during 1941/42,
and only about 7 U-boats sunk in that time (off America).

Brett


Reply via email to