Due to Operation Drumbeat, U boats became more offensive on the shipping lanes of the Eastern Seaboard. About 400 Allied ships sank during the first six months and at least 80 of them sank near the coast of North Carolina. People who lived at the Outer Banks watching oil slicks, flames in the sea, bodies washing ashore regularly. Very few of them knew it as 'Hooligan Navy' activity, what I have heard. Capt Eberhard Greger, a graduate from Marineschule Murwik and had been on the destroyer Wolfgang Zenker was one of the 40 crews, unable to survive with all members, though an instruction had issued as far as I know for the crews that flung themselves into water and were yelling for help. USS Roper was one of the seven anti submarine destroyers patrol, equipped with the latest radar to 'detect and kill' mission. When U 85 met up with the Roper, the 'battle' hardly last long for a few minutes only! U 85 didn't even get a chance to use her guns. '' .... The submarine war is in a way like big game hunting, but within seconds the hunter becomes the hunted .... '' ~ U boat Comm Jurgen Oester. A report :: http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-85DistrictIntelOfficeReport.htm
Information, including transcriptions of various reports, and of interest, the interment at the Hampton, Virginia national cemetery of the bodies of 29 Kreigsmarine personnel recovered after the action. I've seen the graves on numerous occasions. See: http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-85.htm
Thanks a lot R Leonard for sharing. Any way, Lt Com H W Howe received the Navy Cross after the engagement. Two things attracted me during this engagement ... 1) U-85 first detected by British Type 286 system and 2) It received 11 depth chgs! Isn't it too much? Here the watery grave: http://www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com/Battle_USS_Roper_Begins.htm
