U-Boat Attack on Orleans, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
The Attack on Orleans, in July 1918 was a naval and air action during the First World War. An Imperial German U-boat
opened fire on the American
town of Orleans, Massachusetts
and several merchant vessels nearby. Fortunately for the town, the shells landed harmlessly in a marsh and on a beach.
was positioned off of Nauset Beach, located in Orleans, Massachusetts
. She was armed with two torpedo tube
s and 18 torpedo
es as well as two 105 millimeter deck gun
s, with 1672 shells. U-156 then surfaced and opened fire on the town with her deck guns, then with both torpedoes and her deck guns, the 140 foot tugboat
, Perth Amboy, surrounded by four wooden barge
s.
Men from the nearby Coast Guard
station rushed up to their looking tower to see what all the commotion was about. One of them called Chatham Naval Air Station
to inform them of the ongoing U-boat attack. Reuben Hopkins, a Coast Guard veteran
of the engagement, reached the tower rail in time to see an enemy shell explode over the tugboat. The tug was quickly sunk and U-156
then started firing upon the barges. Escaping from the now burning Perth Amboy and barges were 32 merchant sailors and civilians, including the captain's wife and children.
Reuben Hopkins remained behind as other men went to rescue the tugboat survivors who were coming ashore in lifeboats.
Soon, Curtiss HS-2L
and R-9 seaplanes arrived to bomb the U-Boat but the ordnance dropped either were duds or failed to hit the target and the warplanes had to fly back to Chatham, Massachusetts
to reload. That ended the engagement.
ships. Back in Orleans, a few shells and craters
were found on shore; some also were found in the nearby marsh
. The area sustained minor damage. The psychological effects on the population of Orleans were immediate as people began reporting the hearing of naval battles off the coast.
Others talked about the supposed "mother ship" for U-156. Newspapers dubbed the engagement as the "Battle of Orleans" and offered a reward for the discovery of submarine supply bases in the Bay of Fundy
. Towns also banned lights for fear that German spies would use them to signal U-boats. The attack on Orleans was the only Central Powers
raid mounted against the United States mainland during World War I
.
It was also the first time the Continental United States was shelled by foreign enemy guns since the Siege of Fort Texas
in 1846. There were no fatalities. The Continental U.S. would be shelled again twice in 1942 by Japanese
submarines during the Pacific War
. These two engagements are known as the Bombardment of Fort Stevens
along the northeast Pacific coast of Oregon
, and the Bombardment of Ellwood
near Santa Barbara, California
.
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
opened fire on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
town of Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census....
and several merchant vessels nearby. Fortunately for the town, the shells landed harmlessly in a marsh and on a beach.
Attack
Under Richard Feldt, on the morning on July 21, 1918, SM U-156Unterseeboot 156 (1917)
SM U-156 was a German Type U 151 U-boat commissioned in 1917 for the Kaiserliche Marine. From 1917 until her disappearance in September 1918 she was part of the U-Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for sinking 44 ships and damaging 3 others, including a warship...
was positioned off of Nauset Beach, located in Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census....
. She was armed with two torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s and 18 torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es as well as two 105 millimeter deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
s, with 1672 shells. U-156 then surfaced and opened fire on the town with her deck guns, then with both torpedoes and her deck guns, the 140 foot tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
, Perth Amboy, surrounded by four wooden barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s.
Men from the nearby Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
station rushed up to their looking tower to see what all the commotion was about. One of them called Chatham Naval Air Station
Chatham Naval Air Station
Chatham Naval Air Station, was an operational United States Navy airfield from 1917 to 1922. It was first established as a blimp base during World War I. It was located in Chatham, Massachusetts....
to inform them of the ongoing U-boat attack. Reuben Hopkins, a Coast Guard veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the engagement, reached the tower rail in time to see an enemy shell explode over the tugboat. The tug was quickly sunk and U-156
Unterseeboot 156 (1917)
SM U-156 was a German Type U 151 U-boat commissioned in 1917 for the Kaiserliche Marine. From 1917 until her disappearance in September 1918 she was part of the U-Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for sinking 44 ships and damaging 3 others, including a warship...
then started firing upon the barges. Escaping from the now burning Perth Amboy and barges were 32 merchant sailors and civilians, including the captain's wife and children.
Reuben Hopkins remained behind as other men went to rescue the tugboat survivors who were coming ashore in lifeboats.
Soon, Curtiss HS-2L
Curtiss HS
The Curtiss HS was a single-engined patrol flying boat built for the United States Navy during World War I. Large numbers were built from 1917 to 1919, with the type being used to carry out anti-submarine patrols from bases in France from June 1918...
and R-9 seaplanes arrived to bomb the U-Boat but the ordnance dropped either were duds or failed to hit the target and the warplanes had to fly back to Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census...
to reload. That ended the engagement.
Aftermath
SM U-156 got away and headed north, where it continued to attack other alliedAllies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
ships. Back in Orleans, a few shells and craters
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
were found on shore; some also were found in the nearby marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
. The area sustained minor damage. The psychological effects on the population of Orleans were immediate as people began reporting the hearing of naval battles off the coast.
Others talked about the supposed "mother ship" for U-156. Newspapers dubbed the engagement as the "Battle of Orleans" and offered a reward for the discovery of submarine supply bases in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
. Towns also banned lights for fear that German spies would use them to signal U-boats. The attack on Orleans was the only Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
raid mounted against the United States mainland during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
It was also the first time the Continental United States was shelled by foreign enemy guns since the Siege of Fort Texas
Siege of Fort Texas
The Siege of Fort Texas marked the beginning of active campaigning by the armies of the United States and Mexico during the Mexican-American War. The battle is sometimes called The Siege of Fort Brown, but this is not entirely accurate — the name Fort Brown was taken from Major Jacob Brown,...
in 1846. There were no fatalities. The Continental U.S. would be shelled again twice in 1942 by Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
submarines during the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. These two engagements are known as the Bombardment of Fort Stevens
Bombardment of Fort Stevens
The Bombardment of Fort Stevens occurred in June 1942, during early months of the Pacific War. An Imperial Japanese submarine fired on the United States military installation, Fort Stevens which was protecting the Oregon side of the Columbia River's Pacific entrance.-Bombardment:The Japanese...
along the northeast Pacific coast of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and the Bombardment of Ellwood
Bombardment of Ellwood
The Bombardment of Ellwood during World War II was a naval attack by a Japanese submarine against United States coastal targets near Santa Barbara, California. Though damage was minimal, the event was key in triggering the West Coast invasion scare and influenced the decision to intern...
near Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.