Battle of Point Judith

The Battle of Point Judith is the popular name for a naval engagement fought between the United States and Nazi Germany during World War II. On May 5 and 6, 1945 American surface combatants and two blimps sank a German U-boat off Point Judith, Rhode Island in one of the last actions of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Battle
U-853 was one of five U-boats dispatched in February 1945 for operations off the North American coast. By May 1945 she was one of just six operating off the North American coast, and the only one of the February boats remaining active. In May 1945, after one success, she was operating off the coast of Rhode Island.

On 5 May, U-853 was lying in wait off the point when she sighted and fired on the SS Black Point, a collier with armed guards aboard underway for Boston, Massachusetts. Her torpedoes struck, and within fifteen minutes, Black Point had capsized in 95 ft of water, the last American-flagged merchant ship sunk in the war. Twelve men died, including one of the guards, and thirty-four others were rescued by nearby vessels. One of the rescuing ships, the SS Kamen, sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by Eastern Sea Frontier HQ, in New York, and 1st Naval District HQ, in Boston, who immediately started to assemble a search and destroy mission.

The nearest warships were the vessels of TF60.7, five vessels under the command of Cdr F McCune. TF60.7 was en route to Boston, having escorted convoy GUS 84 to New York. TF60.7 comprised the destroyer USS Ericsson (DD-440) (Lt.Cdr CA Baldwin), destroyer escorts USS Amick (DE-168) (Lt.Cdr EL Barsumian) and USS Atherton (DE-169) (Lt.Cdr L Iselin ), and frigate USS Moberly (PF-63) (Lt.Cdr Tollaksen CG, ). When the summons came Ericsson, with McCune on board, was transiting the Cape Cod Canal, so the remaining four ships, with Tollaksen in temporary command, headed for Kamen’s location.

Arriving At 19.30 they commenced their search, and just before midnight discovered U-853 bottomed in 108 ft. After making an attack, oil was sighted just after midnight, and the first of a series of claims made that the U-boat had been destroyed. The ships continued to find contacts however, and the attacks on them also continued. During the night Ericsson arrived, and McCune resumed command. Amick was detached to make a pre-arranged rendezvous, and  later reinforcements arrived, comprising the destroyers Barney, Breckinridge and Blakeley, the frigate Newport, the corvettes Action and Restless, and the auxiliary destroyer Semmes. These took up position around the search site, to guard against the U-boat slipping past the attackers.

The attacks continued through the night, and at 0530 oil, planking, life rafts, a chart tabletop, clothing, and an officer's cap were detected. Nevertheless destruction of U-853 was not accepted by HQ in Boston, and the hunt continued. After daybreak, two K class blimps, K-16 and K-58, from Lakehurst, New Jersey, joined the attack, locating oil slicks and marking suspected locations with smoke and dye markers. K-16 also attacked with 7.2 in rocket bombs. Finally, at 1207, Eastern Sea Frontier HQ accepted the destruction of the U-boat, and the hunt was called off.

Conclusion
Later that day, divers from USS Penguin found the wreck of U-853 in 130 feet of water. There was evidence of two hits which had resulted in its destruction, along with all fifty-five men.

It is clear U-853 was destroyed at some point between midnight and mid-day on the 6th and that many of the attacks made by TF60.7 were tin-opener attacks, i.e. made on a U-boat wreck in order to gain evidence of destruction. During the 17 hour hunt TF60.7 expended 264 Hedgehog bombs, 95 depth charges, 6 rocket bombs, and at least one ship was damaged by the concussion from the ordnance exploding in shallow waters.