N A V Y    D E P A R T M E N T
  
     
  IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
  PRESS AND RADIO                                                                             MARCH 25, 1944  
     
 
TWO UNITED STATES DESTROYERS IN MEDITERRANEAN
  
 
SINK GERMAN SUBMARINE
 
     
          A German submarine was sunk, stern first, in the Mediterranean recently, after a ceaseless pounding by gunfire and depth charges from two United States destroyers.  Several aircraft took part in the search for the U-Boat, with three U.S. destroyers, but the destruction was accomplished by two of the destroyers in the darkness of early night.  
     
          One of the three destroyers made contact with the submarine at 6:15 P.M., but the attack did not develop well.  
     
          This destroyer later dropped depth charges, but for a time it was feared that the U-Boat might escape, even though the smell of oil was apparent.  To use the words of the official report, "We have dropped bombs so many times and nothing happened, we thought it might be our imagination."  But the oil smell was real this time.  
     
          The destroyer that made the first attack unmasked its battery and threw on its searchlight to find the U-Boat.  It was twilight when the first attack by the destroyers was made, but night settled down as the battle continued.  
     
          As soon as the destroyer searchlight picked the U-Boat out of the blackness, the German opened fire and the destroyer responded with all its gun batteries.  
     
          When this destroyer opened up with its main battery, the submarine ceased firing.  The other destroyer in the immediate vicinity also engaged the submarine, but the third member of the attacking group was searching some distance away and was not in on this immediate play.  Hit were scored on the U-Boat but smoke from the hits began to obscure the target.  
     
          The gunfire was so effective that the submarine was in dire difficulty and the destroyers abandoned their plan to ram it.  
     
          Stern first, the submarine went down at 7:35 P.M.  It settled until it was vertical and with about one-fourth of the hull out of the water, glistening in beams of the Americans' searchlights.  
     
          One of the destroyers expended nearly 100 rounds of large-sized ammunition in the deadly combat.  
     
          The Commanding Officers of the two destroyers in on the immediate "kill" were Commander Henry R. Wier, United States Navy, 36, 114 Willow Street, Westwood, Massachusetts, and Commander Russel C. Williams, Jr., United States Navy, 35, 1305 Westover Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia.  The Commanding Officer of the other destroyer in this group, searching in the vicinity, was Commander Hepburn A. Pearce, United States Navy, 36, 305 Union Street, Holbrook, Massachusetts.  
     
          Captain Harry Sanders, United States Navy, 43, 47 Washington Street, Newport, Rhode Island, was the Commanding Officer of the Destroyer Squadron to which these vessels were attached.  
     
     

 

     
     
 
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          Positive evidence of the submarine's destruction was obtained by the United States Forces.  
     
          The Board of the Admiralty conveyed congratulations upon the sinking of the U-Boat.  Two enlisted men aboard one of the destroyers were wounded in the combat.  A British warship came up, just after the sinking, and assisted in collecting evidence of the destruction.  
     
 
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