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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 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. This marks the last ship sunk in U.S. waters by a German U-boat. The nearest warships were the vessels of Task Force 60.7, under the command of Commander F. C. McCune. TF60.7 was en route to Boston, having escorted convoy GUS 84 to New York. TF60.7 comprised the destroyer (Lt.Cdr CA Baldwin), destroyer escorts (Lt.Cdr EL Barsumian) and (Lt.Cdr L Iselin ), and frigate (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 they discovered ''U-853'' bottomed in of water. After making an attack, oil was sighted just after midnight, sparking the first 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 rocket bombs. Finally, at 1207, Eastern Sea Frontier HQ accepted the destruction of the U-boat, and the hunt was called off. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Point Judith」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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