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The Second Happy Time was the informal name for a phase in the Second Battle of the Atlantic
Second Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaignof World War II,running from 1939 through the defeat of Nazism Nazi Germany in 1945, and was at its height from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943....
 during which Axis
Axis Powers

The Axis powers were those countries that were opposed to the Allies of World War II during World War II. The three major Axis powers - Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Italy , and Empire of Japan - were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers....
 submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
s attacked merchant shipping along the east coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
. The first "Happy time"
First Happy Time

The First Happy Time was a phase of the Battle of the Atlantic during which Kriegsmarine U-boats enjoyed significant success against the British Royal Navy and its Western Allies....
 was in 1940/41.

It lasted from January 1942 to about August of that year. German submariners named it the happy time or the golden time as defence measures were weak and disorganised, and the U-boats were able to inflict massive damage with little risk.






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The Second Happy Time was the informal name for a phase in the Second Battle of the Atlantic
Second Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaignof World War II,running from 1939 through the defeat of Nazism Nazi Germany in 1945, and was at its height from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943....
 during which Axis
Axis Powers

The Axis powers were those countries that were opposed to the Allies of World War II during World War II. The three major Axis powers - Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Italy , and Empire of Japan - were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers....
 submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
s attacked merchant shipping along the east coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
. The first "Happy time"
First Happy Time

The First Happy Time was a phase of the Battle of the Atlantic during which Kriegsmarine U-boats enjoyed significant success against the British Royal Navy and its Western Allies....
 was in 1940/41.

It lasted from January 1942 to about August of that year. German submariners named it the happy time or the golden time as defence measures were weak and disorganised, and the U-boats were able to inflict massive damage with little risk. During the second happy time, Axis submarines sank 609 ships totaling 3.1 million tons for the loss of only 22 U-boats. This was roughly one quarter of all shipping sunk by U-boats during the entire Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, and constituted by far the most serious defeat ever suffered by the U.S. Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
.

Background

When war broke out between Germany and the United States on December 11, 1941, the U.S. was in a fortunate position. Where the other combatants had already lost thousands of trained sailors and airmen, and were experiencing shortages of ships and aircraft, the U.S. was at full strength. The U.S.had the opportunity to learn about modern naval warfare by observing the conflicts in the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
 and the Mediterranean, and through a close relationship with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. The U.S. Navy had already gained significant experience countering U-boats in the Atlantic, particularly from April 1941 when President Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 extended the "Pan-American Security Zone
Pan-American Security Zone

During the early years of World War II, before the United States became a formal belligerent, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a region of the Atlantic, adjacent to the Americas, as the Pan-American Security Zone....
" east almost as far as Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
. The United States had massive manufacturing capacity, including certainly the largest and possibly the most advanced electronics industry in the world. Finally, the U.S. had a favourable geographical position from a defensive point of view: the port of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, for example, was 3,000 miles to the west of the U-boat
U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized#Loanwords version of the German language word , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II....
 bases in Brittany
Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
.

U-boat commander Dönitz
Karl Dönitz

Karl D?nitz was a Germany naval Commander who served in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and commanded the German Navy during the second half of World War II....
, however, saw the entry of the U.S. into the war as a golden opportunity to strike heavy blows in the tonnage war
Tonnage war

A tonnage war is a military strategy aimed at merchant shipping. The premise is that an enemy has only a finite number of ships, and a finite capacity to build replacements for them....
. The German Navy no longer had its surface tankers in the North Atlantic to refuel submarines (these had been sunk by Allied
Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers of World War II during the World War II. Within the ranks of the Allies powers, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America were known as "The Big Three"....
 forces after Ultra
Ultra

Ultra was the name used by the United Kingdom for intelligence resulting from decryption of encrypted Nazi Germany radio communications in World War II....
 intelligence revealed their locations) and the standard Type VII U-boat had insufficient range to patrol off the coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, so the only weapons Dönitz had on hand were the larger Type IX boats. These, however, were less maneuverable and slower to submerge, making them much more vulnerable than the Type VIIs, and few in number.

Opening moves


Immediately after war was declared with the United States, Dönitz began to implement operation Paukenschlag ("drumbeat"), requesting that 12 Type IX U-boats be made available for it. The Naval Staff in Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
, however, insisted on retaining six of the precious Type IX boats for the Mediterranean theatre (where they could achieve little) and one of the remaining six encountered mechanical troubles. This left just five long-range submarines for the opening moves of the campaign.

Loaded with the maximum possible amounts of fuel, food and ammunition, the first of the five Type IXs left Lorient
Lorient

Lorient, or L'Orient, is a Communes of France and a seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France in Brittany in northwestern France....
 on 18 December 1941, the others following over the next few days. Each carried sealed orders to be opened after passing 20°W, and directing them to different parts of the North American coast. No charts or sailing directions were available: Kapitanleutnant Reinhard Hardegen
Reinhard Hardegen

Lieutenant Commander Reinhard Hardegen is a German U-Boat Commander who sank 22 ships, amounting to sunk, ranking him as the 24th most successful Commander in World War II....
 of , for example, was provided with two tourist guides to New York, one of which contained a fold-out map of the harbour.

Each U-boat made routine signals on exiting the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a Headlands and bays of the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest, France south to the Spain border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Spanish province of Biscay....
, which were picked up by the British Y service and plotted in Rodger Winn
Rodger Winn

Sir Charles Rodger Noel Winn, Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Queen's Counsel, was a Great Britain judge and Royal Navy intelligence officer who led the tracking of Germany U-boat operations during World War II....
's London Submarine Tracking Room, which was then able to follow the progress of the Type IXs across the Atlantic, and cable an early warning to the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three Canadian services were unified to form the Canadian Forces. The modern Canadian navy is known as Canadian Forces Maritime Command ....
. Working on the slimmest of evidence, Winn correctly deduced the target area and passed a detailed warning to Admiral Ernest King in the United States of a "heavy concentration of U-boats off the North American seaboard", including the five boats already on station and further groups already in transit, 21 U-boats in all. Rear-Admiral Frank Leighton of the U.S. Combined Operations and Intelligence Center then informed the responsible area commanders, but little or nothing was done.

The primary target area was the "North Atlantic Coastal Frontier", commanded by Rear-Admiral Adolphus Andrews and covering the area from Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
 to North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
. Andrews had practically no modern forces to work with: on the water he commanded seven Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the Military of the United States and one of seven Uniformed services of the United States. In addition to being a military branch at all times, it is unique among the armed forces in that it is also a Admiralty law agency and a Federal government of the United States regulatory agency....
 cutters
United States Coast Guard Cutter

A United States Coast Guard cutter is any vessel operated by the United States Coast Guard that is over 65 feet in length....
, four converted yachts, three 1919-vintage patrol boat
Patrol boat

A patrol boat is a small naval ship generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuary or river environments....
s, two gunboat
Gunboat

A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. The term is rather broad, and the usual connotation has changed over the years ....
s dating to 1905, and four wooden submarine chaser
Submarine chaser

A submarine chaser is a small and fast navy Ship specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America ....
s. About 100 aircraft were available, but these were short-range models only suitable for training. As a consequence of the traditionally antagonistic relationship between the U.S. Navy and the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. The direct precursor to the United States Air Force, its peak size was over 2.4 million men and women in service and nearly 80,000 aircraft in 1944, and 783 domestic bases in December 1943....
, all larger aircraft remained under USAAF control, and in any case the USAAF was neither trained nor equipped for anti-submarine work.

The American response

British experience in the first two years of World War II, which included the massive losses incurred to British shipping during the "First Happy Time" confirmed that ships sailing in convoy
Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas....
 — with or without escort — were far safer than ships sailing alone. British recommendations were that merchant ships should avoid obvious standard routings wherever possible; navigational markers, lighthouses, and other aids to the enemy should be removed, and a strict coastal blackout
Blackout (wartime)

A blackout in time of war, or apprehended war, refers to the practice of collectively minimizing external light, including upward-directed light....
 (or at least a "brownout") enforced. In addition, any available air and sea forces should perform daylight patrols to restrict the U-boats' flexibility.

None of this was attempted. Coastal shipping continued to sail along marked routes and burn normal steaming lights. On 12 January 1942 Admiral Andrews was warned that three or four U-boats were about to commence operations against coastal shipping, but refused to institute a convoy system on the grounds that this would only provide the U-boats with more targets.

Despite the urgent need for action, little was done to try to combat the U-boats. The USN was desperately short of specialised anti-submarine vessels. The shortages arose partly from President Roosevelt's 1941 decision
Destroyers for Bases Agreement

The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions....
 to "loan" fifty obsolete World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
-era destroyer
Destroyer

In navy terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers ....
s to Britain in exchange for foreign bases, partly because the massive new naval construction programme had prioritised other types and partly because the destroyers that were available remained inactive in port, even while freighters and tankers were being sunk in coastal waters. At least 25 Atlantic Convoy Escort Command Destroyers had been recalled to the U.S. East Coast
East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada....
 at the time of the first attacks, including seven at anchor in New York Harbor
New York Harbor

New York Harbor, a geographic term, refers collectively to the rivers, bays, and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City....
.

When sank the 9,500 ton Norwegian tanker Norness within sight of Long Island
Long Island

Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, United States, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are Borough s of New York City, and two of which are mainly suburban....
 in the early hours of 14 January, no warships were dispatched to investigate, allowing the U-123 to sink the 6,700 ton British tanker Coimbra off Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Sandy Hook is a barrier island, approximately 9.7 kilometers in length and 800 meters wide, in Middletown Township, New Jersey in Monmouth County, New Jersey, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States....
 on the following night before proceeding south towards New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
. By this time there were 13 destroyers idle in New York Harbor, yet still none were employed to deal with the immediate threat, and over the following nights U-123 was presented with a succession of easy targets, most of them burning navigation lamps. At times, U-123 was operating in shallow coastal waters that barely allowed it to conceal itself, let alone evade a depth charge attack.

For the five Type IX boats in the first wave of Operation Drumbeat, it was a bonanza. They cruised along the coast, safely submerged through the days, and surfacing at night to pick off merchant vessels outlined against the lights of the cities.
  • Reinhard Hardegen
    Reinhard Hardegen

    Lieutenant Commander Reinhard Hardegen is a German U-Boat Commander who sank 22 ships, amounting to sunk, ranking him as the 24th most successful Commander in World War II....
     in sank seven ships totalling 46,744 tons before he ran out of torpedoes and returned to base;
  • Ernst Kals
    Ernst Kals

    Ernst Kals was a Kapit?n zur See with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded German submarine U-130 , sinking seventeen ships on five patrols, for a total of 111,249 tons of Allied shipping....
     in sank six ships of 36,988 tons;
  • Robert-Richard Zapp
    Robert-Richard Zapp

    Commander Robert-Richard Zapp was a Germany U-boat commander in World War II....
     in sank five ships of 33,456 tons;
  • Heinrich Bleichrodt
    Heinrich Bleichrodt

    Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Bleichrodt was one of the most successful Germany U-boat commander of the World War II. From October 1939 until retiring from front line service in December 1943, he sank 25 ships for a total of 152,320 Gross Register Tonnage....
     in sank four ships of 27,651 tons; and
  • Ulrich Folkers
    Ulrich Folkers

    Ulrich Folkers was a Germany U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. German submarine U-125 was fatally damaged at by the British destroyer HMS Oribi and gunfire from the British corvette HMS Snowflake....
     on his first patrol in sank only a single 6,666 ton vessel, for which he was criticised by Dönitz (though he would later win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
    Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

    The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the second highest military order of the Third Reich, second only to the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross....
    .)


When the first wave of U-boats returned to port in early February, Dönitz wrote that each commander "had such an abundance of opportunities for attack that he could not by any means utilise them all: there were times when there were up to ten ships in sight, sailing with all lights burning on peacetime courses."

A significant failure in U.S. pre-war planning was lack of any ships suitable for convoy escort work. Escort vessels travel at relatively slow speeds, carry a large number of depth-charges, must be highly maneouvreable and must stay on station for long periods. Fleet destroyers are equipped for high speed and offensive action and not the ideal design for this type of work. There was no equivalent of the British Black Swan class
Black Swan class sloop

The Black Swan class and Modified Black Swan class were two ship class of sloop-of-war of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. Thirteen Black Swans were launched between 1939 and 1943, including four for the Royal Indian Navy; twenty-four Modified Black Swans were launched between 1942 and 1945, including two for the R...
 sloops
Sloop-of-war

In the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a small sailing warship with a single gun deck that carried anything up to eighteen cannon....
 or the in the U.S. inventory when the war started. This blunder, highly surprising given that the USN had been involved in anti-submarine work in the Atlantic (see ) was further aggravated by the loss of the obsolete destroyers "loaned" to Britain through Lend-Lease, although these were barely suitable and vulnerable to counter-attack.

There was also a lack of aircraft suitable for anti-submarine patrol and aircrew trained to use them.

Offers of civilian ships and aircraft to act as the Navy's "eyes" were repeatedly turned down, only to be accepted later when the situation was clearly critical and the admiral's claims to the contrary had become discredited. ]]
Pennsylvania Sun
By this time, the second wave of Type IX U-boats had arrived in American waters, and the third wave had reached its patrol area off the oil ports of the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
. With such easy pickings available and all Type IX U-boats already committed, Dönitz began sending shorter-range Type VII U-boats to the U.S. East Coast as well. This required extraordinary measures: cramming every conceivable space with provisions, filling the fresh water tanks with diesel oil, and crossing the Atlantic at very low speed on a single engine to conserve fuel.

In the United States there was still no concerted response to the attacks. Overall responsibility rested with Admiral King, but King was preoccupied with the Japanese onslaught in the Pacific
Pacific War

The Pacific War was the part of World War II?and preceding conflicts?that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, between July 7, 1937 and August 14, 1945....
. Admiral Andrews' North Atlantic Coastal Frontier was expanded to take in South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
 and renamed the Eastern Sea Frontier, but most of the ships and aircraft needed remained under the command of Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll
Royal E. Ingersoll

Royal Eason Ingersoll was a United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet from 1941 to 1944; Commander, Western Sea Frontier from 1944 to 1946; and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S....
, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, who was often at sea and unavailable to make decisions. Rodger Wynn's detailed weekly U-boat situation reports from the Submarine Tracking Room in London were available but ignored.

Popular alarm at the sinkings was dealt with by a combination of secrecy and misleading propaganda. The Navy confidently announced that many of the U-boats would "never enjoy the return portion of their voyage" but that, unfortunately, details of the sunken U-boats could not be made public lest the information aid the enemy. All citizens who had witnessed the sinking of a U-boat were asked to help keep the secrets safe.

The first sinking of a U-boat by a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of the U.S. did not occur until April 14, 1942, when the destroyer sank the . It has come to light in recent years that the famous "Loose Lips Sink Ships" propaganda
Propaganda

Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to Objectivity providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience....
 campaign in the U.S. that started in 1942 was not so much designed to deny German agents knowledge of vessels' sailing times (there were no such agents anyway) but rather to keep American civilian morale high by reducing communication about how much shipping was being sunk during Operation Drumbeat.

Chronology of Attacks off the East Coast of the United States

  • 14 January - Panamanian tanker Norness sunk by at
  • 18 January - United States tanker Allan Jackson sunk by at (23 of 35 crewmen perish)
  • 18 January - United States tanker Malay damaged by U-123 at (5 crewmen perish)
  • 19 January - United States steamship City of Atlanta sunk by German submarine|U-123 at (43 of 46 crewmen perish)
  • 19 January - Canadian steamship Lady Hawkins sunk by U-66 at
  • 22 January - United States freighter Norvana sunk by U-123 south of Cape Hatteras
    Cape Hatteras

    Cape Hatteras is a Headlands and bays on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America....
     (no survivors)
  • 23 January - United States collier Venore sunk by U-66 at (17 of 41 crewmen perish)
  • 25 January - United States tanker Olney damaged by at
  • 26 January - United States freighter West Ivis sunk by U-125 (all 45 crewmen perish)
  • 27 January - United States tanker Francis E. Powell sunk by U-130 at (4 of 32 crewmen perish)
  • 27 January - United States tanker Halo damaged by U-130 at
  • 30 January - United States tanker Rochester sunk by at (3 of 32 crewmen perish)
  • 31 January - British tanker San Arcadio sunk by at
  • 31 January - British tanker Tacoma Star sunk by U-109 at
  • 2 February - United States tanker W.L.Steed sunk by at (34 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 3 February - Panamanian freighter San Gil sunk by U-103 at (2 of 40 crewmen perish)
  • 4 February - United States tanker India Arrow sunk by U-103 at (26 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 5 February - United States tanker China Arrow sunk by U-103 at
  • 6 February - United States freighter Major Wheeler sunk by U-107 (all 35 crewmen perish)
  • 8 February - British freighter Ocean Venture sunk by U-108 at
  • 10 February - Canadian tanker Victolite sunk by at
  • 15 February - Brazilian steamship Buarque sunk by U-432 at
  • 18 February - Brazilian tanker Olinda sunk by U-432 at
  • 19 February - United States tanker Pan Massachusetts sunk by at (20 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 20 February - United States freighter Azalea City sunk by U-432 at (All of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 21 February - United States tanker Republic sunk by at (5 of 29 crewmen perish)
  • 22 February - United States tanker Cities Service Empire sunk by U-128 at (14 of 50 crewmen perish)
  • 22 February - United States tanker W.D.Anderson sunk by U-504 at (35 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 26 February - United States bulk carrier Marore sunk by U-432 at
  • 26 February - United States tanker R.P.Resor sunk by U-578 at (47 of 49 crewmen perish)
  • 28 February - United States destroyer sunk by U-578 at
  • 7 March - United States freighter Barbara sunk by U-126 at
  • 7 March - United States freighter Cardonia sunk by U-126 at
  • 7 March - Brazilian steamship Arbabutan sunk by at
  • 9 March - Brazilian steamship Cayru sunk by at
  • 10 March - United States tanker Gulftrade sunk by U-588 at
  • 11 March - United States freighter Texan sunk by U-126 at
  • 11 March - United States freighter Caribsea sunk by U-158 at
  • 12 March - United States tanker John D. Gill sunk by U-158 at (4 crewmen perish)
  • 12 March - United States freighter Olga sunk by U-126 at
  • 12 March - United States freighter Colabee damaged by U-126 at
  • 13 March - United States schooner Albert F. Paul sunk by U-332 at (no survivors)
  • 13 March - Chilean freighter Tolten sunk by at (15 of 16 crewmen perish)
  • 14 March - United States collier Lemuel Burrows sunk by U-404 at
  • 15 March - United States tanker Ario sunk by U-158 at (7 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 15 March - United States tanker Olean sunk by U-158 at
  • 16 March - United States tanker Australia sunk by U-332 at
  • 16 March - British tanker San Demetrio sunk by U-404 at
  • 17 March - United States tanker Acme damaged by at
  • 17 March - Greek freighter Kassandra Louloudi sunk by U-124 four mile off Diamond Shoals gas buoy
  • 17 March - Honduran freighter Ceiba sunk by U-124 at
  • 18 March - United States tanker E.M.Clark sunk by U-124 at
  • 18 March - United States tanker Papoose sunk by U-124 at
  • 18 March - United States tanker W.E.Hutton sunk by U-332 at (13 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 19 March - United States freighter Liberator sunk by U-332 at (5 crewmen perish)
  • 20 March - United States tanker Oakmar sunk by U-71 at (6 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 21 March - United States tanker Esso Nashville sunk by U-124 at
  • 21 March - United States tanker Atlantic Sun damaged by U-124
  • 22 March - United States tanker Naeco sunk by U-124 at (24 of 39 crewmen perish)
  • 25 March - Dutch tanker Ocana sunk by at
  • 26 March - United States Q-ship
    Q-ship

    Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchantmen with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks....
      sunk by U-123 at (All of 139 crewmen perish)
  • 26 March - United States tanker Dixie Arrow sunk by U-71 at (11 of 33 crewmen perish)
  • 26 March - Panamanian tanker Equipoise sunk by U-160 at
  • 29 March - United States steamship City of New York sunk by U-160 at (24 of 157 crewmen perish)
  • 31 March - United States tug Menominee and barges Allegheny and Barnegat sunk by at
  • 31 March - United States tanker Tiger sunk by U-754 (1 of 43 crewmen perishes)
  • 3 April - United States freighter Otho sunk by U-754 at (31 of 53 crewmen perish)
  • 4 April - United States tanker Byron D. Benson sunk by U-552 at (9 of 37 crewmen perish)
  • 6 April - United States tanker Bidwell damaged by U-160 (1 of 33 crewmen perishes)
  • 7 April - Norwegian freighter Lancing sunk by U-552 off Cape Hatteras
  • 7 April - British tanker British Splendour sunk by U-552 off Cape Hatteras
  • 8 April - United States tanker Oklahoma damaged by U-123 at (19 of 37 crewmen perish)
  • 8 April - United States tanker Esso Baton Rouge damaged by U-123 at (3 of 39 crewmen perish)
  • 9 April - United States freighter Esparta sunk by U-123 (1 of 40 crewmen perishes)
  • 9 April - United States freighter Malchace sunk by U-160 at (1 of 29 crewmen perishes)
  • 9 April - United States tanker Atlas sunk by U-552 at (2 of 34 crewmen perish)
  • 9 April - tanker Tamaulipas sunk by U-552 at (2 of 37 crewmen perish)
  • 10 April - United States tanker Gulfamerica sunk by U-123 at (19 of 48 crewmen perish)
  • 11 April - United States tanker Harry F. Sinclair Jr. damaged by U-203 at (10 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 11 April - British steamship Ulysses sunk by U-160 at
  • 12 April - Panamanian tanker Stanvac Melbourne sunk by U-203 at
  • 12 April - United States freighter Leslie sunk by U-123 at (3 of 32 crewmen perish)
  • 14 April - British freighter Empire Thrush sunk by U-203 at
  • 14 April - United States freighter Margaret sunk by at (All of 29 crewmen perish)
  • 15 April - United States freighter Robin Hood sunk by U-575 at (14 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 16 April - United States freighter Alcoa Guide sunk by U-123 at (6 of 34 crewmen perish)
  • 17 April - Argentine tanker Victoria damaged by at
  • 18 April - United States tanker Axtell J. Byles damaged by U-136 at
  • 19 April - United States freighter Steel Maker sunk by U-136 at (1 of 45 crewmen perishes)
  • 20 April - United States freighter West Imboden sunk by U-752 at
  • 21 April - United States freighter Pipestone County sunk by U-576 at
  • 21 April - United States freighter San Jacinto sunk by U-201 at (14 of 183 crewmen perish)
  • 29 April - United States tanker Mobiloil sunk by U-108 at
  • 29 April - United States tanker Federal sunk by at (5 of 33 crewmen perish)
  • 2 May - United States armed yacht sunk by off North Carolina (66 of 68 crewmen perish)
  • 4 May - United States tanker Norlindo sunk by U-507 at (5 of 28 crewmen perish)
  • 4 May - United States tanker Munger T. Ball sunk by U-507 at (30 of 34 crewmen perish)
  • 4 May - United States tanker Joseph M. Cudahy sunk by U-507 at (27 of 37 crewmen perish)
  • 4 May - United States freighter Delisle damaged by at (2 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 5 May - United States freighter Afoundria sunk by U-108 at
  • 5 May - United States tanker Java Arrow damaged by at (2 of 47 crewmen perish)
  • 6 May - United States tanker Halsey sunk by U-333 at (5 of 28 crewmen perish)
  • 6 May - United States freighter Alcoa Puritan sunk by U-507 at
  • 8 May - United States freighter Ohioan sunk by U-564 at (15 of 37 crewmen perish)
  • 10 May - United States tanker Aurora damaged by U-506 at (1 of 50 crewmen perishes)
  • 12 May - United States tanker Virginia sunk by U-507 at (27 of 41 crewmen perish)
  • 13 May - United States tanker Gulfprince damaged by U-507 at
  • 13 May - United States tanker Gulfpenn sunk by U-506 at (13 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 13 May - United States freighter David McKelvy sunk by U-506 at (17 of 36 crewmen perish)
  • 15 May - United States freighter Nicarao sunk by U-751 at (8 of 39 crewmen perish)
  • 16 May - United States tanker Sun damaged by U-506 at
  • 16 May - United States tanker William C. McTarnahan damaged by U-506 at (18 of 38 crewmen perish)
  • 16 May - United States tanker Gulfoil sunk by U-506 at (21 of 40 crewmen perish)
  • 19 May - United States freighter Heredia sunk by U-506 at (36 of 62 crewmen perish)
  • 19 May - United States freighter Ogontz sunk by U-103 at (19 of 41 crewmen perish)
  • 20 May - United States tanker Halo sunk by U-506 at (21 of 42 crewmen perish)
  • 20 May - United States freighter George Calvert sunk by U-752 at (3 of 61 crewmen perish)
  • 21 May - United States freighter Plow City sunk by U-588 at (1 of 30 crewmen perishes)
  • 26 May - United States tanker Carrabulle sunk by U-106 at (22 of 40 crewmen perish)
  • 26 May - United States freighter Atenas damaged by U-106 at
  • 30 May - United States freighter Alcoa Shipper sunk by at (7 of 32 crewmen perish)
  • 1 June - United States freighter West Notus sunk by U-404 at (4 of 40 crewmen perish)
  • 1 June - United States freighter Hampton Roads sunk by U-106 at (5 of 28 crewmen perish)
  • 3 June - United States freighter M.F. Elliott sunk by off the Florida Keys (13 of 45 crewmen perish)
  • 10 June - United States tanker Hagan sunk by U-157 at (6 of 44 crewmen perish)
  • 12 June - United States tanker Cities Service Toledo sunk by U-158 at (15 of 45 crewmen perish)


Counter measures get under way

The decision to implement convoys and blackout coastal towns to make ships more difficult to see came slowly. The situation began to change in April when Andrews implemented a limited convoy system in which ships traveled only during daylight hours. Full convoys were in operation by mid-May, resulting in an immediate reduction of Allied shipping losses off the East Coast as Dönitz withdrew the U-boats to seek easier pickings elsewhere. The convoy system was later extended to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 with similar dramatic effects, thus proving that King's initial rejection of the convoy system was wrong.

In March, 24 Royal Navy anti-submarine trawlers
Naval trawler

A naval trawler is a boat built along the lines of a commercial trawler but fitted out for naval purposes....
 and 10 corvette
Corvette

A corvette is a small, manoeuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a offshore patrol vessel, although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role....
s were transferred from the UK for the defence of the U.S. East Coast. The British also transferred 53 Squadron
No. 53 Squadron RAF

No. 53 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force....
, RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command

RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force. The service came to prominence during the Second World War. It defended the United Kingdom from naval threats and countered them by air....
 to Quonset Point
Quonset Point

Quonset Point is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island....
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
 to protect New York Harbor during July 1942. This squadron moved to Trinidad
Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and islands of Trinidad and Tobago which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago....
 in August, with a U.S. squadron, to protect the critical sea lanes from the Venezuela
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
n oil fields and then back to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Virginia in the United States. With a population of 234,403 as of the United States Census 2000, it is Virginia's second-largest incorporated city....
 until the end of 1942. Royal Navy ships took over escort duties in the Caribbean and on the Aruba
Aruba

Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguan? Peninsula, Falc?n State, Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Cura?ao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles....
–New York tanker run.

The Kriegsmarine, while enormously effective during this period, did not go without losses. Sinkings of German U-boats at the hands of United States forces during this time included:

sunk 14 April by destroyer in position off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras

Cape Hatteras is a Headlands and bays on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America....
, first sinking in U.S. waters
sunk 9 May by cutter Icarus
USCGC Icarus (WPC-110)

USCGC Icarus was a steel-hulled, diesel-powered Thetis class patrol boat patrol boat of the United States Coast Guard that patrolled the Eastern coast during World War II....
 in position off Cape Hatteras
sunk 13 June by cutter Thetis in position off Havana, Cuba
sunk 30 June by Mariner
PBM Mariner

The Glenn L. Martin Company PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service....
 aircraft (USN VP-74) in position west of Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
sunk 3 July by Armed ASW Trawler HMS Le Tiger in position by depth charges
sunk 7 July by Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson

The Lockheed Hudson was an United States-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter....
 aircraft in position off Cape Hatteras
sunk 13 July by destroyer USS Lansdowne in position off Colón, Panama
Colón, Panama

Col?n is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Col?n Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
sunk 15 July by two Kingfisher
OS2U Kingfisher

The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was a United States Aircraft catapult observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a big central float and small stabilizing floats....
 aircraft and ramming by the U.S. motor vessel Unicoi in position off Cape Hatteras
sunk 1 August by USCG J4F Widgeon
Grumman Widgeon

The Grumman G-44 Widgeon is a small, six-person, twin-engine amphibious aircraft. It was designated J4F by the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard and OA-14 by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Army Air Forces....
 aircraft in position in the Gulf of Mexico, the only U-boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II

See also

  • Attacks on North America during World War II
    Attacks on North America during World War II

    Attacks on North America during World War II by the Axis Powers were rare, mainly due to the continent's geographical separation from the central Theater in Europe and Asia....
  • Q-Ship
    Q-ship

    Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchantmen with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks....
  • United States Merchant Marine
    United States Merchant Marine

    The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of United States of America civilian-owned merchant ships, operated by either the government or the private sector, that are engaged in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States....


External links