Action of 21 May 1918
Encyclopedia
The Action of 21 May 1918 was a naval engagement of World War I
fought between an American
armed yacht
and a German
submarine
in the Atlantic Ocean
off Spain
.
M. B. McCord—sighted a distinctive oil slick while escorting the slow British
steamer Danse north from La Pallice to Quiberon Bay
. Unknown at the time, a German submarine—commanded by Lieutenant Commander
Wilhelm Kisewetter—was nearby.
Danse was about 8 mi (7 nmi; 12.9 km) behind the main convoy of allied
merchant ships, making about 7.5 kn (9.1 mph; 14.7 km/h) with Christabel off her port bow. The North Atlantic was smooth, the weather was clear and there was no wind.
from was spotted by the officer-of-the-deck and a lookout, about 600 yd (548.6 m) off the port quarter.
Christabel was—at this time—about 300 yd (274.3 m) from the port bow of Danse. Christabel headed for the wake, making all possible speed, which was around 10.5 kn (12.8 mph; 20.6 km/h), whereupon the wake disappeared and a number of oil slicks were seen. The U-boat had apparently submerged. The American commanding officer ordered his ship to follow this oil for as long as possible and at 17:24—believing that his ship was just ahead of the submarine—Christabel′s crew dropped a depth charge
, but nothing resulted although the charge exploded.
The action was over for now and the allied vessels continued northward. At 19:00, the convoy changed course, following the contour of the Spanish coast, making about 9 kn (11 mph; 17.6 km/h) for almost two hours when Christabel encountered the German U-boat once again. This time at 20:52, Christabel was astern, making about 11 kn (13.4 mph; 21.6 km/h) to catch up with the convoy. The German submarine was sighted by lookouts who witnessed a periscope
roughly 200 yd (182.9 m) off the starboard beam.
Her commander was quickly notified, and Christabel turned toward the U-boat when the periscope disappeared under the water. At 20:55, a depth charge was dropped which detonated 10 seconds afterward. A second charge was dropped a few moments later. No secondary explosion was heard after the explosion of the first charge but after the sound of the second depth charge a third, "very violent", explosion was heard which threw up a large water column close to Christabel′s stern.
An "enormous" amount of debris from the damaged submarine was seen, mixed in with the water column of the third explosion. Christabel was then ordered to turn and cruised in the vicinity of UC-56′s position when she was engaged. The crew of the American armed yacht noticed a quantity of thick, black oil and splintered pieces of wood. There were also very large oil bubbles rising to the surface, no doubt belonging to SM UC-56.
Sometime during the dropping of the depth charges, a number of other charges—which were prepared and live aboard Christabel—were shaken lose and Ensign
Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan
reacted quickly by jumping on top of them and securing the charges before they could detonate. Sullivan would later be awarded the Medal of Honor
for "extraordinary heroism" in this action.
, Spain after a dangerous three-day voyage in a severely damaged condition. The crew of UC-56 were interned, the Germans reported to the Spanish authorities that their submarine had been seriously damaged by USS Christabel and that they had had no choice but to take refuge in a neutral port.
Sources indicate that the Germans scuttle
d their U-boat off Santander to prevent her capture by the Spanish but this is disputed. It was originally thought that the yacht sank the German submarine so a traditional white star was painted on Christabel′s smoke stack which represented a U-boat kill. Although the American ship did not actually sink the German vessel, Christabel was still responsible for protecting her convoy and inflicting serious damage on an enemy submarine which resulted in internment and possible scuttling.
No Allied vessels were damaged as the German submarine was spotted and attacked before it could line up for an attack. No German casualties were reported.
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...
fought between an American
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
armed yacht
Armed yacht
An armed yacht was a yacht that was armed with weapons and was typically in the service of a navy. Their speed and maneuverability made them useful as patrol vessels. In the United States Navy armed yachts were typically private yachts expropriated for government use in times of war. Armed yachts...
and a German
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
off Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Background
In May 1918, the Great War had been raging for four years and the Germans were making every attempt possible to sink enemy shipping which fueled the war in Europe. On 24 May 1918, the fight was still at hand when —under Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
M. B. McCord—sighted a distinctive oil slick while escorting the slow British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
steamer Danse north from La Pallice to Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
. Unknown at the time, a German submarine—commanded by Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Wilhelm Kisewetter—was nearby.
Danse was about 8 mi (7 nmi; 12.9 km) behind the main convoy of allied
Allies 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...
merchant ships, making about 7.5 kn (9.1 mph; 14.7 km/h) with Christabel off her port bow. The North Atlantic was smooth, the weather was clear and there was no wind.
Action
Once the allied convoy was within 2 mi (1.7 nmi; 3.2 km) of He de Yeu, a well-defined oil slick was sighted between the American warship and the British steamer, off Danse′s port bow. Christabel cruised over to the slick for better observation but saw nothing to further indicate a German submarine's presence. The convoy continued for a little while when at 17:20 the wakeWake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
from was spotted by the officer-of-the-deck and a lookout, about 600 yd (548.6 m) off the port quarter.
Christabel was—at this time—about 300 yd (274.3 m) from the port bow of Danse. Christabel headed for the wake, making all possible speed, which was around 10.5 kn (12.8 mph; 20.6 km/h), whereupon the wake disappeared and a number of oil slicks were seen. The U-boat had apparently submerged. The American commanding officer ordered his ship to follow this oil for as long as possible and at 17:24—believing that his ship was just ahead of the submarine—Christabel′s crew dropped a depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
, but nothing resulted although the charge exploded.
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
roughly 200 yd (182.9 m) off the starboard beam.
Her commander was quickly notified, and Christabel turned toward the U-boat when the periscope disappeared under the water. At 20:55, a depth charge was dropped which detonated 10 seconds afterward. A second charge was dropped a few moments later. No secondary explosion was heard after the explosion of the first charge but after the sound of the second depth charge a third, "very violent", explosion was heard which threw up a large water column close to Christabel′s stern.
An "enormous" amount of debris from the damaged submarine was seen, mixed in with the water column of the third explosion. Christabel was then ordered to turn and cruised in the vicinity of UC-56′s position when she was engaged. The crew of the American armed yacht noticed a quantity of thick, black oil and splintered pieces of wood. There were also very large oil bubbles rising to the surface, no doubt belonging to SM UC-56.
Sometime during the dropping of the depth charges, a number of other charges—which were prepared and live aboard Christabel—were shaken lose and Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan
Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan
Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War I.-Biography:...
reacted quickly by jumping on top of them and securing the charges before they could detonate. Sullivan would later be awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for "extraordinary heroism" in this action.
Aftermath
Nothing further was heard of this submarine before it surfaced after the engagement; it was not capable of submerging again due to battle damage. On 24 May 1918, the U-boat arrived at SantanderSantander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
, Spain after a dangerous three-day voyage in a severely damaged condition. The crew of UC-56 were interned, the Germans reported to the Spanish authorities that their submarine had been seriously damaged by USS Christabel and that they had had no choice but to take refuge in a neutral port.
Sources indicate that the Germans scuttle
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
d their U-boat off Santander to prevent her capture by the Spanish but this is disputed. It was originally thought that the yacht sank the German submarine so a traditional white star was painted on Christabel′s smoke stack which represented a U-boat kill. Although the American ship did not actually sink the German vessel, Christabel was still responsible for protecting her convoy and inflicting serious damage on an enemy submarine which resulted in internment and possible scuttling.
No Allied vessels were damaged as the German submarine was spotted and attacked before it could line up for an attack. No German casualties were reported.