Battle of Point Judith

Sailors aboard USS Moberly firing on U-853.

Date	May 5–6, 1945
Location	off Point Judith, Rhode Island
Result	United States victory

Belligerents

United States

Nazi Germany

Strength

Sea
1 destroyer
2 destroyer escorts
1 frigate
1 collier
Air:
2 blimps

1 U-boat

Casualties and losses

12 killed
1 collier sunk

55 killed
U-853 U-boat

The Battle of Point Judith is the popular name for a naval engagement fought between the United States and Nazi Germany during World War II on May 5 and 6, 1945. American surface combatants and two blimps sank a German U-boat off Point Judith, Rhode Island in one of the last actions of the Battle of the Atlantic.

U-853 was one of five U-boats dispatched in February 1945 for operations off the North American coast. By May 1945, she was one of just six operating off the North American coast, and the only one of the February boats remaining active. She was operating off the coast of Rhode Island in May 1945, after one success.

On 5 May, U-853 was lying in wait off the point when she sighted and fired on the SS Black Point, a collier with armed guards aboard underway for Boston, Massachusetts. Her torpedoes struck and Black Point capsized within fifteen minutes in 95 ft (29 m) of water, the last American-flagged merchant ship sunk in the war. Twelve men died, including one of the guards, and thirty-four others were rescued by nearby vessels. One of the rescuing ships, the SS Kamen, sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by Eastern Sea Frontier HQ in New York and by 1st Naval District HQ in Boston, who immediately started to assemble a search and destroy mission. This marks the last ship sunk in U.S. waters by a German U-boat.

The nearest warships were the vessels of Task Force 60.7, under the command of Commander F. C. McCune. TF60.7 was en route to Boston, having escorted convoy GUS 84 to New York City. TF60.7 comprised the destroyer USS Ericsson (Lt.Cdr CA Baldwin), destroyer escorts USS Amick (Lt.Cdr EL Barsumian) and Atherton (Lt.Cdr L Iselin ), and frigate USS Moberly (Lt.Cdr Tollaksen CG, ). Ericsson was transiting the Cape Cod Canal with McCune on board when the summons came, so the remaining four ships headed for Kamen’s location, with Tollaksen in temporary command.

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