USCGC Icarus sinks U-352 - WDS Wolfpack
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| Rating: | 0 (0) |
| Games Played: | 0 |
| SM: | 1 |
| Turns: | 2 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Allied (NC_WP) |
| Second Side: | German (NC_WP) |
May 09, 1942 USCGC Icarus Sinks U-352 U.S. Coast Guard Cutters were transferred to the control of the US Navy during WWII. On this day, one such cutter, a patrol craft of the Argo class under command of LCDR Maurice D. Jester, was transiting from Staten Island to Key West when her sonar operator picked up a "mushy" contact about 2000 yards off the port bow. Not long after, an explosion occurred close aboard, presumably a torpedo fired from U-352, Kplt Hellmut Rathke commanding. Icarus turned to prosecute the contact and after her third DC run, U-352 broke surface and began settling by the stern. Icarus engaged with guns whilst the German crew abandoned ship. The U-boat sank beneath the waves and Jester gave her one more DC attack to be sure. Seeing the survivors, Jester radioed for instructions and was eventually given permission to rescue the hapless U-boaters. Over 30 prisoners, including Kplt Rathke, were brought to Charleston Navy Yard for transfer and incarceration. For his victory, Jester was awarded the Navy Cross as this was only the second U-boat destroyed after the US entry into the war in December 1941. The wreck of U-352 is now an official dive-site fairly accessible in 110 feet of water not far from Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.
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