The Black Point was the last U.S.-flagged merchant ship lost in World War II. One of the ships rescuing the survivors, the Yugoslav freighter Kamen sent a report of the torpedoing to authorities.
The U.S. Navy organized a "hunter-killer" group that included four American warships: USS Ericsson, USS Amick, USS Atherton and USS Moberly.
They discovered the U-853 on the bottom in 108 feet of water and dropped depth charges and hedgehogs during a 16-hour attack. At first, the U-boat attempted to flee, then tried to hide by lying still. Both times it was found by sonar.
On the morning of 6 May 1945, two K-Class 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 7.2-inch rocket bombs. Numerous depth charge and hedgehog attacks from the Atherton and Moberly resulted in planking, life rafts and an officer's cap floating to the surface.
The U-853 was one of the last U-boats sunk during WW II and the last to be sunk in U.S. waters. (The U-881 was sunk on the same day in the North Atlantic.)
The Atherton and Moberly were given credit for the kill.
--GreGen
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