My latest build is USCGC DUANE this was A3 GROUP
Part of Duane,s History.
This is convoy HX 233 it is the only HX convoy HMS BRYONY was on.
At 1110 Duane was ordered to take station ahead as Spencer was dropping back through the convoy following a contact on which she had already dropped two patterns of depth charges. Five minutes later the Spencer ordered Duane to close her and take over the contact. The Duane began a search on the indicated location and thirty minutes later a 740-ton German U-boat surfaced about 2,700 yards from the Duane. A minute later Spencer opened fire and Duane went ahead at full speed toward the submarine and after clearing her line of fire so as not to hit Spencer also opened fire. The submarine was now at right angles to the line of fire and several hits were obtained, one nicely centered on the submarine's conning tower. Seven minutes later, as men on deck were seen jumping overboard, Duane ceased fire.
The conning tower was smoking liberally and the submarine was moving ahead slowly, circling to the right. The Duane maneuvered to pick up survivors and by 1158 had picked up nine German enlisted men and one officer. Then she screened Spencer while that cutter sent a boat to the submarine. Twenty five minutes later the submarine, later ascertained to be the U-175, sank stern first. The Duane lowered a boat and picked up eleven more German enlisted men and one more officer. Four of the prisoners received medical attention. On the 20th Duane moored at North Gourock, Scotland, and delivered all prisoners to the custody of the British authorities and then proceeded to Londonderry arriving on 22 April 1943.
While putting clothing on the survivors, one of the prisoners from the sunken submarine, Leutnant zur See Wolfgang Verlohr, began talking freely and rather fluently in English. He had been afraid that Duane would not stop to pick up the submarine's survivors in spite of his crew's shouts and arm waving. He spoke of how cold the water was. He had jumped in soon after the submarine had surfaces. "It is not easy down there," he said. "The bombs were bad. The ship was not hurt, but inside it was all bad. Everything shaking, things fall down. It smelled bad and hurt the eyes." He commented on the excellence of the attack. "We came up and saw you in the periscope, but you saw us and we knew it was all over. Our chance to get you was gone. We don't like the bombs. It is hard when they shake the boat. We went down when you saw us and the bombs started going off, things stopped and would not work, a lot of things broke." He explained that they had raised the flippers and pumped air to try to steady the submarine. Not being able to steady her they surfaced and then our guns started and very soon after that he jumped into the water. "Did you see the other boat?" he asked. "She picked up some of your crew" he was told. Then it was realized that he meant another submarine. He had been in Barbados a year ago and up until two trips ago had been in the South Atlantic where they had sunk a six or seven thousand-ton ship full of "cement and things," bound for Moravia from Trinidad. Later he criticized his commanding officer for making a daylight attack, which he considered proper procedure only if the moon shone so brightly at night as to make attacks after dark risky for the submarine.
Part of Duane,s History.
This is convoy HX 233 it is the only HX convoy HMS BRYONY was on.
At 1110 Duane was ordered to take station ahead as Spencer was dropping back through the convoy following a contact on which she had already dropped two patterns of depth charges. Five minutes later the Spencer ordered Duane to close her and take over the contact. The Duane began a search on the indicated location and thirty minutes later a 740-ton German U-boat surfaced about 2,700 yards from the Duane. A minute later Spencer opened fire and Duane went ahead at full speed toward the submarine and after clearing her line of fire so as not to hit Spencer also opened fire. The submarine was now at right angles to the line of fire and several hits were obtained, one nicely centered on the submarine's conning tower. Seven minutes later, as men on deck were seen jumping overboard, Duane ceased fire.
The conning tower was smoking liberally and the submarine was moving ahead slowly, circling to the right. The Duane maneuvered to pick up survivors and by 1158 had picked up nine German enlisted men and one officer. Then she screened Spencer while that cutter sent a boat to the submarine. Twenty five minutes later the submarine, later ascertained to be the U-175, sank stern first. The Duane lowered a boat and picked up eleven more German enlisted men and one more officer. Four of the prisoners received medical attention. On the 20th Duane moored at North Gourock, Scotland, and delivered all prisoners to the custody of the British authorities and then proceeded to Londonderry arriving on 22 April 1943.
While putting clothing on the survivors, one of the prisoners from the sunken submarine, Leutnant zur See Wolfgang Verlohr, began talking freely and rather fluently in English. He had been afraid that Duane would not stop to pick up the submarine's survivors in spite of his crew's shouts and arm waving. He spoke of how cold the water was. He had jumped in soon after the submarine had surfaces. "It is not easy down there," he said. "The bombs were bad. The ship was not hurt, but inside it was all bad. Everything shaking, things fall down. It smelled bad and hurt the eyes." He commented on the excellence of the attack. "We came up and saw you in the periscope, but you saw us and we knew it was all over. Our chance to get you was gone. We don't like the bombs. It is hard when they shake the boat. We went down when you saw us and the bombs started going off, things stopped and would not work, a lot of things broke." He explained that they had raised the flippers and pumped air to try to steady the submarine. Not being able to steady her they surfaced and then our guns started and very soon after that he jumped into the water. "Did you see the other boat?" he asked. "She picked up some of your crew" he was told. Then it was realized that he meant another submarine. He had been in Barbados a year ago and up until two trips ago had been in the South Atlantic where they had sunk a six or seven thousand-ton ship full of "cement and things," bound for Moravia from Trinidad. Later he criticized his commanding officer for making a daylight attack, which he considered proper procedure only if the moon shone so brightly at night as to make attacks after dark risky for the submarine.
