From the U-boat.net.
I've shortened it considerably so you should go to the site and read the whole thing.
The USS Roper was following a ship on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, NC, and when within 300 yards, the searchlight showed it to be a submarine.
Machine guns cut down the sub's crew rushing to man their gun and a direct hit was made on its cunning tower by the 3-inch gun and then the sub appeared to begin to sink, apparently scuttled. Soon, there were 40 of the crew on the sub's deck.
A barrage of 11 depth charges were dropped, but no wreckage seen (evidently, the submarine was now underwater and the crew in the drink). The Roper twice passed near the survivors but made no effort to rescue them for fear that there might be another U-boat in the area (as they often work in pairs or packs).
A PBY plane came and at 0717, rescue operations began after another depth charge attack. Nineteen bodies were recovered and two others allowed to sink after their clothing was searched.
Some of this report definitely has me wondering.
War Crime? --GreGen
My Cooter's History Blog has become about 80% World War II anyway, so I figured to start a blog specific to it, especially since we're commemorating its 70th anniversary and we are quickly losing this "Greatest Generation." The quote is taken from Pearl Harbor survivor Frank Curre, who was on the USS Tennessee that day. He died Dec. 7, 2011, seventy years to the day. His photo is below at right.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Action Report of the USS Roper Against the U-85
Labels:
depth charges,
destroyers,
Flying Boats,
U-85,
USS Roper
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