World War II Database

1.  David Stubblebine says:
15 Oct 2016 09:31:30 PM

Note that this engagement took place almost two months before Pearl Harbor and before the United States and Germany had declared war on one another, when the United States was technically still neutral but well into the period when the United States was conducting “Neutrality Patrols” escorting convoys of US ships to Britain. In this case, the USS Kearny was docked at Reykjavík when a wolfpack of U-boats attacked a nearby British convoy and overwhelmed its Canadian escorts. Kearny and three other US destroyers were summoned to assist. Kearny dropped depth charges on the U-boats throughout the night. Just after midnight on 17 Oct 1941, U-568 fired a torpedo that struck Kearny on the starboard side. Kearny was able to return to Reykjavík. Kearny lost 11 men killed and 22 injured. This action was specifically cited as a provocation in Hitler's declaration of war on the US 2 months later.

2. Rich MILLER says:
19 Oct 2023 07:39:53 AM

Kearny (DD-432) and Monssen (DD-436) were both Livermore class Destroyers, hence structurally they are identical. note how much lower Kearny is riding here. Kearny would survive the war, but Monssen was sunk at Guadalcanal on November 13 1942. A new Monssen (DD-798) in the second Fletcher class was commissioned in 1944.