ATLANTIC FLEET ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE UNIT |
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| A-16-3 | FLEET OPERATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND |
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| Serial: 0015 | UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET |
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NAVAL OPERATING BASE, NORFOLK, VA. |
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| T O P S E C R E T 7 MAY 1944 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1. Task Group 21.11 consisting of the U.S.S. BOGUE (CVE9) with Squadron VC-95 embarked, HOBSON (DD464), HAVERFIELD (DE393), (ComCortDiv 51), SWENNING (DE394), WILLIS (DE395) and JANSSEN (DE396), departed Hampton Roads, Va., on 26 February 1944. This was the first service assignment for the destroyer escorts of this task group. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
CHRONOLOGICAL COMMENTS ON OPERATIONS |
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| 2. 27 February - 12 March. The escorts refueled from U.S.S. CHEPACHET (AO78) in Convoy UGS-34 on 2 March 1944 under adverse conditions of weather and sea. Bad weather prevented flight operations 3 to 6 March while enroute to Latitude 41° N, Longitude 37° W, where the task group had been directed to search for an enemy submarine. During this period there were numerous sonar contacts reported by the escorts to the Task Group Commander. All of these were investigated and only one, that by JANSSEN on 9 March, resulted in the delivery of an attack. From the action report by JANSSEN and the fact that the area was further searched by two escorts this is believed to have been a false contact. The many false contacts reported during the first few days of the cruise are attributed to the inexperience of the sonar operators which led them to report as contacts echoes which might have borne further investigation by the ship prior to reporting them as sonar contacts. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. 13 March. The one action of prime interest and importance occurred on March 13. As nearly as can be determined from the reports submitted and from the arrival conference, the sequence of events wa as follows (all times are GCT): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0400 A light, as from a flare, was sighted by SWENNING and was dismissed at the time as a meteorological phenomenon. A plot of the position indicates it is highly improbable that this flare was from the submarine later encountered, but in retrospect suggests there may have been a second U-boat in the general | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ATLANTIC FLEET ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE UNIT |
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| A-16-3 | FLEET OPERATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND |
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| Serial: 0015 | UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET |
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NAVAL OPERATING BASE, NORFOLK, VA. |
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| T O P S E C R E T 7 MAY 1944 | ||||||
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| area. | ||||||
| 0605 Report received from SBNO Azores that a plane had attacked a submarine at 0145 GCT in Latitude 46°-05' N Longitude 27°-28' W. | ||||||
| 0810 Special TBF flight launched to fly expanding square about point bearing 312° from BOGUE, distance 56 miles, the scene of earlier attack by a B-17 of the RAF. | ||||||
| 1115 TBF located an oil slick, dropped sono-buoys, and recommended further investigation. | ||||||
| 1236 Another TBF dispatched to relieve the 0810 special flight. | ||||||
| 1251 HAVERFIELD ordered to proceed to the scene of the contact. | ||||||
| 1305 Second TBF established sono-buoy contact with submarine near oil slick. | ||||||
| 1445 HAVERFIELD sighted B-17 of RAF and TBF from BOGUE, latter circling the point of contact. | ||||||
| 1500 HAVERFIELD sighted oil slick and commenced search, assisted by TBF using voice radio. | ||||||
| 1509 Sonar contact by HAVERFIELD, who then proceeded to conduct three hedgehog attacks without results. No estimate of accuracy of any of HAVERFIELD'S attacks during this action can be made due to absence of data. ComCortDiv 51 in his report states that early indications were that the submarine was at a depth of two hundred fifty feet. Since HAVERFIELD'S forms ASW-1 indicate loss of contact at 350 yards on the first attack and 400 yards on the second it is unknown how the estimate of 250 feet was made. | ||||||
| 1545 HMCS PRINCE RUPERT arrived on the scene, having been vectored there by the BOGUE, who had sighted her at 1256. | ||||||
| 1547 Having decided that hedgehog attacks were ineffective, HAVERFIELD conducted depth charge attack with full pattern set to 350 feet, bringing up a large black oil bubble. Survivors later reported that this first pattern was close, extinguishing | ||||||
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ATLANTIC FLEET ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE UNIT |
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| A-16-3 | FLEET OPERATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND |
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| Serial: 0015 | UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET |
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NAVAL OPERATING BASE, NORFOLK, VA. |
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| T O P S E C R E T 7 MAY 1944 | ||||||
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| lights, damaging rudder, and starting a slow leak aft. The submarine then apparently attempted to hide behind the depth charge disturbance and contact was lost until 1606. As HAVERFIELD started in to reattack, PRINCE RUPERT obtained contact, crossed her bow and delivered a depth charge attack. She then circled, and fired a hedgehog pattern into the depth charge disturbance. The reason for the latter procedure is obscure, unless it was suspected that the U-boat was hiding in the disturbance. | ||||||
| 1642 HAVERFIELD attacked with a deep pattern after PRINCE RUPERT cleared the area. | ||||||
| 1651 HAVERFIELD attacked with hedgehog without results, contact having been lost at 500 yards, indicating that the submarine was very deep. A slow attack with very deep settings was decided on. | ||||||
| 1701 PRINCE RUPERT attacked with depth charges. | ||||||
| 1714 HAVERFIELD approached contact at 7 knots, but lost contact at 500 yards and did not fire, having no satisfactory trace on which to fire. | ||||||
| 1729 PRINCE RUPERT fired depth charge pattern and proceeded to left of contact to coach HAVERFIELD into firing position. This is the first evidence of an attempt toward coordination between the ships. | ||||||
| 1732 HAVERFIELD approached, losing contact at 450 yards, and fired very deep pattern on signal from PRINCE RUPERT. HOBSON now arrived on the scene and at long last a coordinated creeping attack by HAVERFIELD and PRINCE RUPERT was decided on. Voice communication failure on HAVERFIELD prevented this and HAVERFIELD made another 7 knot very deep depth charge attack at 1804. There is no evidence of coordination in this attack, which must have been singularly ineffective. | ||||||
| 1832 HAVERFIELD conducted another very deep depth charge attack on signal from PRINCE RUPERT. In the meantime HODSON, who at 1807 had been ordered to take station 100 yards on HAVERFIELD'S starboard beam, obtained sound contact at 1813 and attempted to conduct an independent attack, but sheered off on her first attempt at 1815. | ||||||
| 1859 HOBSON finally got in her independent attack with very | ||||||
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ATLANTIC FLEET ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE UNIT |
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| A-16-3 | FLEET OPERATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND |
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| Serial: 0015 | UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET |
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NAVAL OPERATING BASE, NORFOLK, VA. |
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| T O P S E C R E T 7 MAY 1944 | ||||||
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| deep pattern, signaled to be good by PRINCE RUPERT. From ranges and bearings at 1854, 1856 and 1857, shown on form ASW-1 for this attack, the range rate was decreasing from 15 knots to 10.5 knots, though bearing was drawing slowly right. This indicated a turn away with increase of speed by the U-boat. HOBSON took a 30° lead despite this and it is not understood how the bearing could still have continued to draw right as indicated by bearing 109° at loss of contact. Possibly the later bearing was recorded in error. The other data suggest that too much lead was taken and that the drop was too early. | ||||||
| 1920 ComCortDiv 51 in HAVERFIELD abandoned attempts to conduct coordinated creeping attack with PRINCE RUPERT, and, having TBS communication with HOBSON, directed her to take station for creeping attack. | ||||||
| 1926 HOBSON commenced approached at 4 knots, directed by HAVERFIELD. Evidently, from survivors' statements, the U-boat at about this time decided she had had enough and started for the surface. | ||||||
| 1933 HOBSON commenced dropping an 11 charge pattern on direction of HAVERFIELD, increasing speed to 20 knots at the same time. Survivors stated that this pattern was a complete surprise to the U-boat, and undoubtedly accelerated her rate of climb. | ||||||
| 1934 HOBSON slowed to 10 knots and turned to starboard. | ||||||
| 1935 The submarine surfaced aster of the HOBSON near the boil from the last attack. HAVERFIELD opened effective fire immediately with 3 inch battery. PRINCE RUPERT fired machine guns. The range was foul for HOBSON but she turned, cleared the range and in two minutes opened fire with forward 5 inch guns. HAVERFIELD proceeded to ram but desisted from such action when about to come under fire from PRINCE RUPERT and when it was obvious that the submarine was finished. While the U-boat was under fire from all escorts the BOGUE plane dropped depth charges very close to the bow of the submarine, turned quickly and made rocket attack, probably making two hits. At 1943 the submarine sank stern first. | ||||||
| 4. 14 March - 18 March. No incidents of particular note. During this period HOBSON wa absent from the group, having been despatched to the rescue of a Canadian aviator | ||||||
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