Action off Cape Bougaroun
Encyclopedia
The Action off Cape Bougaroun, or the Attack on Convoy KMF-25A was a Luftwaffe
action against an Allied
naval convoy off the coast of Algeria
during World War II
. The convoy of American
, British
, Greek
and Dutch
ships was attacked on November 6, 1943 by twenty-five German
land based aircraft. Six Allied vessels were sunk or damaged and six German aircraft were destroyed. German forces achieved a tactical victory though the Allied warships involved received credit for defending their convoy and reacting to their losses quickly. The quick response led to the rescue of over 6,000 service men and civilians without further loss of life.
to Naples
. The twenty-six transports carried roughly 28,000 American, British and Canadian
soldiers as well as war supplies and nurses. Most, if not all of the vessels were armed with small naval and anti-aircraft guns, the American and Dutch ships had armed guards aboard who manned the weapons. The convoy was designated Task Group 60.2 and was under the command United States Navy
Captain
Charles C. Hartman in his flagship
USS Mervine
. Task Group 60.2 included the British anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Colombo, and ten destroyers, USS Mervine, Davison, Parker
, Laub
, Beatty
, Tillman
, McLanahan
and HMS Haydon with two other Hunt class
vessels. Also, there were four destroyer escort
s, two Greek and two American, including USS Frederick C. Davis
and USS Herbert C. Jones
.
On October 27, 1943 convoy KMF-25A left Great Britain for Egypt and ultimately to Italy
. After passing Gibraltar
the ships received air support from the Royal Air Force
but these aircraft squadrons could only help so much as they were constantly being rotated out with another. The rotation left the convoy without support for several minutes at a time while the Royal Air Force sent new planes. It was during one of these periods that a force of nine Luftwaffe
torpedo planes and sixteen bomber
s intercepted the convoy.
to Naples. USS Laub was alone and five miles ahead of the fleet to provide a radar
screen. USS Melvine led the warships in a circular course around the three columns, Beatty and Tillman were astern in the rear and the Mervine was 2,000 yards ahead. Just after sunset, at about 5:45 pm on November 6, the convoy was sailing in overcast weather, thirty-five miles away from Philippeville
, off Cape Bougaroun when USS Laub detected six enemy aircraft attacking from the north. Laubs commander then radioed Captain Hartman who signaled the destroyers to make smoke and prepare for action. The thousands of soldiers and civilians were also ordered to go below deck and remain there until the threat was over. A moment later, USS Tillman picked up an enemy aircraft and opened fire at a range of 8,000 yards, too far to be accurate but the shots served as a warning to the other nearby escorts.
German forces included Heinkel 111s with F5B torpedo
s, Dornier 217s with Fritz-X missile
s and Junkers Ju 88
s armed with Henschel Hs 293
missiles, they were separated into small groups and attacked at a low altitude, around 1,000 feet above the surface of the sea. First the Americans sent out friend or foe signals to the approaching enemy but when one of the aircraft was identified as German, Hartman was informed and he ordered the escorts to open fire. As the German planes came within range both the escorts and the transports opened fire towards the sky with a massive hail of machine gun
, anti-aircraft
and naval gunfire. Seconds later the Germans began firing their missiles and launching torpedoes. The battle last under thirty minutes but in that time thousands of pounds of ordnance was expended. USS Beatty, under Commander
William Outerson, first observed machine gun fire at 6:03 pm and picked up five incoming planes followed by a bomb explosion at 6:04. At 6:05 she opened fire on two more incoming Ju 88 torpedo planes, 16,000 yards away, which were trying to pass themselves off as friendly.
Most of the attacking aircraft seemed to be after the Tillman but she avoided being hit due to her captain who expertly steered his ship through the bombing. The first aircraft sighted by the Tillman was a Donier, it dropped a gliding bomb about 1,000 yards off the beam while under heavy fire from the destroyer's main battery. When the projectile was 600 yards from the ship, machine gun fire from the Tillman struck the bomb and it fell into a steep dive, crashing 150 yards off the port side. The bomber was then struck and blown up by Tillmans 5-inch guns while another bomb exploded 500 yards off the starboard beam. Though Tillman escaped being hit, concussion damaged the destroyers fire-control radar and aft plates. At 6:13 pm, one of the German torpedo planes launched at torpedo from 500 yards at the Beatty, thirty seconds later, the missile struck the after engine room near frame 124. The explosion blew a relatively small hole in the Beatty, eleven men were killed in action, one died later of wounds and a third sailor, Radioman
3rd Class Samuel Poland was blown overboard along with a K-gun and a depth charge
. The charge did not explode. One officer and six men were wounded and USS Beatty slowly began to sink. Immediately damage control parties were sent out to patch the torpedo hole and extinguish fires while others jettisoned the topside weights, ammunition and even the tow cable among other things. The engine room flooded which put out all electronics aboard. One of the magazines also filled with water which left the Beatty listing twelve degrees to port. The destroyer remained afloat for over four hours before her crew abandoned ship at 7:00 pm and she sank at position 37º10'N, 06º00'E. With her keel damaged, the destroyer broke in half and sank at about 11:00 pm, the wounded were transferred to USS Parker.
USAT Monterey
, under Captain Elis R. Johanson, was an ocean liner
with the convoy, she was used for transporting troops and armed with 20-milimeter anti aircraft guns. One torpedo bomber came in for an attack on the Monterey but her gunners downed the plane before a torpedo could be dropped. The aircraft began to lose altitude and as it passed over the Montery, it struck and tore off some radio equipment. Captain Johanson later received the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
. USAT Santa Elena was another liner under William C. Renaul, she was also hit twice by German bombs and sank hours later at position 37°13′N 6°21′E while being towed into Philippeville harbor. Santa Elena was carrying 1,848 Canadian troops and 101 nurses. Four crewmen were killed and the American armed guard on board freed several men who were trapped below. Two armed Dutch transports were struck, the SS Marnix van St. Aldegonde, with 2,900 troops on board, was heavily damaged but suffered no deaths. Aldegonde initially survived long enough to make it to shore where she grounded and sank within Philippeville's outer harbor as her commander was trying to beach her. Thousands of soldiers, merchant sailors, and navy sailors became stranded in the water. The other damaged Dutch ship was the steamer
SS Ruys, one man was killed but the ship made it to port.
Both of the sunken transports were not heavily damaged but sustained enough to cause a sinking. The Germans dropped dozens of missiles and torpedoes but most of them failed to hit further targets. At least four hits were made on the Allied fleet which destroyed six aircraft in return, an estimated ten German aviators were killed. British and Greek forces sustained no damage or casualties, HMS Colombo steamed ahead of the center column of ships and provided accurate anti-aircraft fire, she shot down at least one enemy aircraft. USS Davison destroyed one German plane as well. By 6:20 pm, all of the torpedo planes and bombers were out of the convoy's sight and returning to base. Seventeen Americans and Dutchmen were killed and at least nine others were wounded. Captain Hartman reported that the German planes focused on the escorts so they could attack the transports unopposed but because the Allies returned fire accurately, the Germans suffered heavy losses and ultimately only six vessels of forty-one were damaged.
Operations to rescue adrift survivors began while bombs were still falling. American destroyers came along side the damaged transports and helped evacuate the crews while British policy dictated that no survivors were to be rescued until after the fighting had ceased. This protocol proved deadly a few weeks later off Algeria when the same German squadron attacked and sank the SS Rohna. Because the British escorts failed to rescue survivors immediately, 1,016 American soldiers drowned with 122 crewmen.Contemporary accounts by British and U.S. officers state that a substantial number of the casualties, half has been suggested, were a direct result of the bomb strike and others resulted from the unauthorised release of lifeboats by U.S. soldiers who were untrained in the launch procedure.
USS Beattys crew was rescued at about 8:00 pm by the Laub and the Parker. Meanwhile, four more United States Navy destroyers and tugs from Philippeville and Algiers
were sent to help. Minesweeper
USS Pioneer
rescued men from the Santa Elena and USS Boyle rescued Radioman Samuel Poland the following morning. Other survivors were saved by the SS Ruyz and the Aldegonde before she grounded. While the Monterey was picking up survivors, a nurse fell from the netting she was climbing on, a Chinese
cook jumped overboard and saved her.
In all 6,228 people were rescued without further loss of life. During the battle off Cape Bougaroun, one unknown sailor aboard the Beatty dropped over the side a message in a bottle
. The message read "Our ship is sinking. SOS didn't do any good. Think it's the end. Maybe this message will get to the U.S. some day." In 1944 the bottle was found on the beaches of Maine
, meaning it had floated hundreds of miles across both the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic before reaching the United States.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
action against an Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
naval convoy off the coast of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The convoy of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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...
, Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ships was attacked on November 6, 1943 by twenty-five German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
land based aircraft. Six Allied vessels were sunk or damaged and six German aircraft were destroyed. German forces achieved a tactical victory though the Allied warships involved received credit for defending their convoy and reacting to their losses quickly. The quick response led to the rescue of over 6,000 service men and civilians without further loss of life.
Background
Convoy KMF-25A consisted of twenty-six transports escorted by fifteen warships, it sailed from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The twenty-six transports carried roughly 28,000 American, British and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldiers as well as war supplies and nurses. Most, if not all of the vessels were armed with small naval and anti-aircraft guns, the American and Dutch ships had armed guards aboard who manned the weapons. The convoy was designated Task Group 60.2 and was under the command United States Navy
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...
Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
Charles C. Hartman in his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
USS Mervine
USS Mervine
USS Mervine may refer to:, a Clemson class destroyer, commissioned in 1921 and decommissioned in 1930, a Gleaves class destroyer, commissioned in 1942 and decommissioned in 1949...
. Task Group 60.2 included the British anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Colombo, and ten destroyers, USS Mervine, Davison, Parker
USS Parker
Two ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Parker for Foxhall A. Parker.* The first Parker was an Aylwin-class destroyer, commissioned in 1913, served in World War I and was decommissioned in 1922....
, Laub
USS Laub
USS Laub may refer to:, a Clemson-class destroyer commissioned in 1919 and transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as HMS Burwell, a Benson-class destroyer commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1946...
, Beatty
USS Beatty
USS Beatty may refer to:, a Gleaves-class destroyer which served from 1942 until she was torpedoed off Algeria by German planes in 1943., an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer which served from 1945 until 1972....
, Tillman
USS Tillman
USS Tillman has been the name of two ships in the United States Navy. Both are named for Senator Benjamin Tillman.*USS Tillman , a Wickes-class destroyer, which served from 1921 until 1940...
, McLanahan
USS McLanahan
USS McLanahan may refer to:, a Clemson-class destroyer commissioned in 1919 and transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 where she served as HMS Bradford , a Benson-class destroyer commissioned in 1942 and decommissioned in 1946...
and HMS Haydon with two other Hunt class
Hunt class destroyer
The Hunt class was a class of Destroyer escort of the Royal Navy. The first vessels were ordered early in 1939, and the class saw extensive service in World War II, particularly on the British East Coast and Mediterranean convoys. They were named after British fox hunts...
vessels. Also, there were four destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
s, two Greek and two American, including USS Frederick C. Davis
USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)
The USS Frederick C. Davis was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Ensign Frederick Curtice Davis , she was the first U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.Frederick C...
and USS Herbert C. Jones
USS Herbert C. Jones (DE-137)
USS Herbert C. Jones was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys....
.
On October 27, 1943 convoy KMF-25A left Great Britain for Egypt and ultimately to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. After passing Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
the ships received air support from the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
but these aircraft squadrons could only help so much as they were constantly being rotated out with another. The rotation left the convoy without support for several minutes at a time while the Royal Air Force sent new planes. It was during one of these periods that a force of nine Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
torpedo planes and sixteen bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s intercepted the convoy.
Action
The convoy sailed in the columns of seven to nine ships each from Mers-El-KebirMers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:Originally a Roman port, Mers-el-Kébir became an Almohad naval arsenal in the 12th century, fell under the rulers of Tlemcen in the 15th century, and eventually became a...
to Naples. USS Laub was alone and five miles ahead of the fleet to provide a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
screen. USS Melvine led the warships in a circular course around the three columns, Beatty and Tillman were astern in the rear and the Mervine was 2,000 yards ahead. Just after sunset, at about 5:45 pm on November 6, the convoy was sailing in overcast weather, thirty-five miles away from Philippeville
Philippeville
Philippeville is a Walloon municipality located in Belgium in the province of Namur. The Philippeville municipality includes the old communes of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, Neuville, Omezée, Roly, Romedenne, Samart, Sart-en-Fagne, Sautour, Surice , Villers-en-Fagne,...
, off Cape Bougaroun when USS Laub detected six enemy aircraft attacking from the north. Laubs commander then radioed Captain Hartman who signaled the destroyers to make smoke and prepare for action. The thousands of soldiers and civilians were also ordered to go below deck and remain there until the threat was over. A moment later, USS Tillman picked up an enemy aircraft and opened fire at a range of 8,000 yards, too far to be accurate but the shots served as a warning to the other nearby escorts.
German forces included Heinkel 111s with F5B 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...
s, Dornier 217s with Fritz-X missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s and Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
s armed with Henschel Hs 293
Henschel Hs 293
The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II German anti-ship guided missile: a radio-controlled glide bomb with a rocket engine slung underneath it. It was designed by Herbert A. Wagner.- History :...
missiles, they were separated into small groups and attacked at a low altitude, around 1,000 feet above the surface of the sea. First the Americans sent out friend or foe signals to the approaching enemy but when one of the aircraft was identified as German, Hartman was informed and he ordered the escorts to open fire. As the German planes came within range both the escorts and the transports opened fire towards the sky with a massive hail of machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
and naval gunfire. Seconds later the Germans began firing their missiles and launching torpedoes. The battle last under thirty minutes but in that time thousands of pounds of ordnance was expended. USS Beatty, under Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
William Outerson, first observed machine gun fire at 6:03 pm and picked up five incoming planes followed by a bomb explosion at 6:04. At 6:05 she opened fire on two more incoming Ju 88 torpedo planes, 16,000 yards away, which were trying to pass themselves off as friendly.
Most of the attacking aircraft seemed to be after the Tillman but she avoided being hit due to her captain who expertly steered his ship through the bombing. The first aircraft sighted by the Tillman was a Donier, it dropped a gliding bomb about 1,000 yards off the beam while under heavy fire from the destroyer's main battery. When the projectile was 600 yards from the ship, machine gun fire from the Tillman struck the bomb and it fell into a steep dive, crashing 150 yards off the port side. The bomber was then struck and blown up by Tillmans 5-inch guns while another bomb exploded 500 yards off the starboard beam. Though Tillman escaped being hit, concussion damaged the destroyers fire-control radar and aft plates. At 6:13 pm, one of the German torpedo planes launched at torpedo from 500 yards at the Beatty, thirty seconds later, the missile struck the after engine room near frame 124. The explosion blew a relatively small hole in the Beatty, eleven men were killed in action, one died later of wounds and a third sailor, Radioman
Radioman
Radioman was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.-History of the rating:...
3rd Class Samuel Poland was blown overboard along with a K-gun and 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...
. The charge did not explode. One officer and six men were wounded and USS Beatty slowly began to sink. Immediately damage control parties were sent out to patch the torpedo hole and extinguish fires while others jettisoned the topside weights, ammunition and even the tow cable among other things. The engine room flooded which put out all electronics aboard. One of the magazines also filled with water which left the Beatty listing twelve degrees to port. The destroyer remained afloat for over four hours before her crew abandoned ship at 7:00 pm and she sank at position 37º10'N, 06º00'E. With her keel damaged, the destroyer broke in half and sank at about 11:00 pm, the wounded were transferred to USS Parker.
SS Monterey
SS Monterey was a luxury ocean liner launched on 10 October 1931; one of four ships in the Matson Lines "White Fleet" which included , and . Monterey, the third of four Matson ships designed by William Francis Gibbs was identical to Mariposa and very similar to her sister ship Lurline...
, under Captain Elis R. Johanson, was an ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
with the convoy, she was used for transporting troops and armed with 20-milimeter anti aircraft guns. One torpedo bomber came in for an attack on the Monterey but her gunners downed the plane before a torpedo could be dropped. The aircraft began to lose altitude and as it passed over the Montery, it struck and tore off some radio equipment. Captain Johanson later received the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
The Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Merchant Marine . The decoration is the highest award which can be bestowed upon members of that service and is the service’s equivalent of the Medal of Honor; since mariners serving in the United State Merchant...
. USAT Santa Elena was another liner under William C. Renaul, she was also hit twice by German bombs and sank hours later at position 37°13′N 6°21′E while being towed into Philippeville harbor. Santa Elena was carrying 1,848 Canadian troops and 101 nurses. Four crewmen were killed and the American armed guard on board freed several men who were trapped below. Two armed Dutch transports were struck, the SS Marnix van St. Aldegonde, with 2,900 troops on board, was heavily damaged but suffered no deaths. Aldegonde initially survived long enough to make it to shore where she grounded and sank within Philippeville's outer harbor as her commander was trying to beach her. Thousands of soldiers, merchant sailors, and navy sailors became stranded in the water. The other damaged Dutch ship was the steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
SS Ruys, one man was killed but the ship made it to port.
Both of the sunken transports were not heavily damaged but sustained enough to cause a sinking. The Germans dropped dozens of missiles and torpedoes but most of them failed to hit further targets. At least four hits were made on the Allied fleet which destroyed six aircraft in return, an estimated ten German aviators were killed. British and Greek forces sustained no damage or casualties, HMS Colombo steamed ahead of the center column of ships and provided accurate anti-aircraft fire, she shot down at least one enemy aircraft. USS Davison destroyed one German plane as well. By 6:20 pm, all of the torpedo planes and bombers were out of the convoy's sight and returning to base. Seventeen Americans and Dutchmen were killed and at least nine others were wounded. Captain Hartman reported that the German planes focused on the escorts so they could attack the transports unopposed but because the Allies returned fire accurately, the Germans suffered heavy losses and ultimately only six vessels of forty-one were damaged.
Aftermath
USS Beattys crew was rescued at about 8:00 pm by the Laub and the Parker. Meanwhile, four more United States Navy destroyers and tugs from Philippeville and Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
were sent to help. Minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
USS Pioneer
USS Pioneer
USS Pioneer may refer to:, a nineteenth century barque., may have been a submarine, captured from the Confederate States Navy., a World War II minesweeper commissioned in 1942 and sold to Mexico in 1973 as the Leandro Valle, is an Avenger class minesweeper currently in service.- See also :* USC&GS...
rescued men from the Santa Elena and USS Boyle rescued Radioman Samuel Poland the following morning. Other survivors were saved by the SS Ruyz and the Aldegonde before she grounded. While the Monterey was picking up survivors, a nurse fell from the netting she was climbing on, a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
cook jumped overboard and saved her.
In all 6,228 people were rescued without further loss of life. During the battle off Cape Bougaroun, one unknown sailor aboard the Beatty dropped over the side a message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container and released into the sea or ocean...
. The message read "Our ship is sinking. SOS didn't do any good. Think it's the end. Maybe this message will get to the U.S. some day." In 1944 the bottle was found on the beaches of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, meaning it had floated hundreds of miles across both the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic before reaching the United States.