USSYP-389
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSYP-389 |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.,Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Launched | 1941 |
| Completed | 9 October 1941 |
| Acquired | 6 February 1942 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Fate | Sunk by U-boat, 19 June 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Displacement | 170long tons(170 t) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Armament | 1 ×3 in (76 mm)/50 caldual-purpose gun,2 ×.30 cal (7.62 mm)machine guns |
USSYP-389was aUnited States Navyyard patrol (YP) boat that served inWorld War II.The ship was built in 1941 as thefishing trawlerCohassetat theFore River ShipyardinQuincy, Massachusetts,for R. O'Brien and Company.
Acquired by the Navy on 6 February 1942, she was originally designated as acoastal minesweeper,AMc-202,but was reclassified as a District Patrol Craft,YP-389,on 1 May 1942. The 170long tons(170 t) ship was equipped with one 3 in (76 mm)dual-purpose gunto protect the ship from enemy aircraft and surfacedsubmarinesand two.30 in (7.6 mm)machine guns.
YP-389 was sunk by a German submarine on 19 June 1942.
Loss[edit]
Background[edit]
U-701,underCaptain LieutenantHorst Degen,was a very successful U-boat during the war. She was aType VIIC submarine,displacing 1,070 tons, sent to American waters to destroy allied shipping. An Americanminefield had been laid offCape Hatterasto deter U-boat attacks but after an American merchantman struck a mine and sank, the small 170-tonnaval trawlerUSSYP-389,underLieutenantR. J. Phillips, was ordered to patrol the area and warn friendly ships of the mines. The trawler was armed with one 3-inch gun, twomachine gunsand fourdepth charges.However the 3-inch gun had a brokenfiring pinwhich could not be repaired before going out on patrol. The trawler also lacked degaussing equipment andsonar.This meant she had to be careful around the mines and could only attack a submarine with her machine guns and the depth charges if it was spotted visually.
U-701first made contact withYP-389on or about 10 June 1942 but Captain Degen decided to leave the trawler alone so as to not alert other warships in the area. On 12 June, U-701 mined the channel into Chesapeake Bay.[1]
For several days afterwards, it seemed as though every timeU-701surfaced each night, theYP-389was on patrol nearby as if it was following the submarine. However, reports indicate that the Americans had no idea of the Germans' presence until the morning of 19 June. On that day Degen came across theYP-389accidentally in misty conditions and attacked her to prevent the Americans from giving his position away.[2][3]
Battle[edit]
The battle began at about 2:45 am and occurred five miles offDiamond Shoals:the Germans used their 88-millimeterdeck gunand a 20-millimeteranti-aircraft guninstead of torpedoes, because their target was so small, and when they opened fire the Americans were completely surprised. For over an hour and half the engagement was a chase.U-701pursued the American boat firing with both guns but it was difficult to hit the trawler in the darkness. It was mainly muzzle flashes from the machine guns onYP-389that gave the Germans something to aim at. Lieutenant Phillips thought that by releasing his depth charges in front of the chasing U-boat he might be able to damage it or at least scare the Germans off so for the last few moments of the engagement, the Americans dropped charges until being overwhelmed by gunfire. When theYP-389began to sink, Lieutenant Phillips ordered his men to abandon ship and the battle ended.[2][4]
Aftermath[edit]
Six American sailors were killed in action and eighteen others went into the water without lifeboats because lowering them meant being exposed to accurate enemy fire and the liferafts had all been shot away. TheU-701was slightly damaged though no casualties were sustained.U-701continued to scour the AmericanEast Coastfor a few more weeks until being sunk byUnited States Armybombersnot far from Diamond Shoals (7 July 1942).[2]
In August 2009, aNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-led team aboard the NOAAresearch shipNOAASNancy Foster(R 352)found and photographed a wreck 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) offCape Hatteras,North Carolina,and on 9 September 2009 the team's leader announced that the wreck had been identified as that ofYP-389.The wreck rests in about 300 feet (91 m) of water in a region known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic,"where several U.S. Navy andRoyal Navyvessels,merchant ships,and German U-boats were sunk during theBattle of the Atlantic.[5]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- Hickam, H. Homer (1996).Torpedo Junction: U-Boat War Off America's East Coast, 1942.Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-362-1.
- http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/missions/battleoftheatlantic/pdfs/u701_history.pdf
- Photo galleryof USSYP-389at NavSource Naval History
34°50′0″N75°19′59″W/ 34.83333°N 75.33306°W
