Anytime a U-boat attacked, it had to clear out of the area as quickly as it could because retribution would come in quickly by patrol craft and planes.
Nine crew members on the Clan Skene were killed. Its captain and 72 others were picked up by the USS McKean (APD-5) and taken to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Georg Lassen, who received the Knight's Cross-Oak Leaves, of the U-160 sank the City of New York off Cape Hatteras at 7:36 a.m. March 29, 1942, attacking in twenty-foot seas. He recalled, "I could not believe how many ships were around. We never had enough torpedoes."
Reinhard Hardegan commanded the U-123 and sank 22 ships, receiving his Knight's Cross-Oak Leaves. Once he entered New York Harbor to gather intelligence and operated off Cape Hatteras.
He had this to say about these waters: "The waters and currents at Hatteras were so strong we needed the planesmen always on the bow and stern. You could not leave them unattended.... The Gulf Stream was the reason. The waters were so shallow, we often attacked on surface to escape faster. There was little room for diving and maneuvering."
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
Showing posts with label U-333. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U-333. Show all posts
Friday, December 12, 2014
1942: U-boat Menace Off North Carolina Coast-- Part 1: "Every Victory Was An Invitation to be Sunk"
From the September 4, 2012, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Author describes U-Boat menace from German perspective" by Coln D. Heaton.
The North Carolina coast during World War II is a largely forgotten battlefield. Seventy Allied ships were sunk offshore by German U-boats, most in the first months of the U.S. entry in the war, 1942.
Serious danger to Allied shipping, but equally dangerous for the Germans as well.
Peter Erich Cremer commanded the U-333 and was awarded a Knight's Cross. He considered North Carolina's coastal waters as being extremely dangerous, "The target rich environment was alluring, yet the very shallow waters, tidal variances and strong currents also created danger for the U-Boats."
One of his kills was the British freighter Clan Skene which he sank May 10, 1942 at 9:05 a.m. with two torpedoes. Three days later, his submarine was limping back to France after having been seriously damaged by depth charges. He described his return "a balm after those terrible depth charges."
"The shallow waters and strong current made escape difficult. Every victory was an invitation to be sunk right afterward."
--GreGen
The North Carolina coast during World War II is a largely forgotten battlefield. Seventy Allied ships were sunk offshore by German U-boats, most in the first months of the U.S. entry in the war, 1942.
Serious danger to Allied shipping, but equally dangerous for the Germans as well.
Peter Erich Cremer commanded the U-333 and was awarded a Knight's Cross. He considered North Carolina's coastal waters as being extremely dangerous, "The target rich environment was alluring, yet the very shallow waters, tidal variances and strong currents also created danger for the U-Boats."
One of his kills was the British freighter Clan Skene which he sank May 10, 1942 at 9:05 a.m. with two torpedoes. Three days later, his submarine was limping back to France after having been seriously damaged by depth charges. He described his return "a balm after those terrible depth charges."
"The shallow waters and strong current made escape difficult. Every victory was an invitation to be sunk right afterward."
--GreGen
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