“The submarine opened fire with all his guns and for about 35 minutes the action continued at a point blank range of about 100 to 300 yards.”
By James Brun
IN THE SUMMER of 1942, the German U-boat campaign was gaining momentum in the Atlantic.
One of the most intense naval actions of the period occurred on Aug. 6, when the Canadian destroyer HMCS Assiniboine engaged in a violent close-range duel with the German U-boat U-210.
Assiniboine, a British-built C-class destroyer, was part of a group of nine escorts charged with protecting the 35 vessels of convoy SC-94 on their journey across the Atlantic from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool, England.
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The encounter began a week into the 11-day crossing approximately 400 miles south south east of Greenland. On the afternoon of Aug. 5, Assiniboine was ordered to search for six merchant ships that were thought to be trailing astern of the main convoy. The destroyer sighted the stragglers and closed their position. At 1650 GMT while still six miles away from the group, lookouts aboard the Canadian vessel sighted “a large column of smoke… shoot[ing] up from one of the ships”.[1]
It was the Dutch merchant ship SS Spar. She had been torpedoed by a German U-boat that had been following the convoy and was now sinking by the bow.
Another ship from the convoy, the Flower-class corvette HMCS Orillia, signalled the direction of the torpedo track, and in concert with the British corvette HMS Nasturtium began dropping depth charges in the vicinity of the torpedoes’ presumed origin. The submarine successfully evaded and the escorts rejoined the convoy, shepherding the remaining merchant vessels back to the relative safety of their consorts.
The next morning at 1125 GMT, lookouts aboard Assiniboine visually identified the conning tower of a surfaced submarine six miles off her own port bow.[2] It was U-210, a year old Type VIIC assigned to the Wolfpack Steinbrinck.
On the advice of the group anti-submarine officer, the captain of Assiniboine, Lieutenant Commander John Stubbs, altered course to starboard. By doing so, the Canadian destroyer’s presence would be immediately detected by the U-boat, which would then alter course and dive deep for her own safety.
Assiniboine engaged the submarine with three salvoes from her guns before the U-boat dived. The corvette HMS Dianthus joined the search under Assiniboine’s direction.
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Shortly after the U-boat dived she was detected by SONAR, and Assiniboine ordered an attack with depth charges.
A series of charge patterns were dropped by both surface ships before contact with the submarine was lost. The search continued, but it was not until 1712 GMT when Assiniboine’s yeoman of signals sighted a conning tower through the fog at six miles.[3] Assiniboine charged the surfaced U-boat, signalling Dianthus with the submarine’s position. Visibility was intermittent, at times dropping to 200 yards. The submarine went deep and contact was again lost. Stubbs worked with the assumption that the enemy was making for the convoy and organized the search in that direction.[4]
For over an hour, Stubbs searched for the submarine. At 1850 GMT, he regained contact half a mile off Assiniboine’s starboard bow.[5] Assiniboine, again, closed the enemy at full speed, gaining visual confirmation of the submarine.
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Stubbs charged U-210; the submarine “opened fire with all his guns and for about 35 minutes the action continued at a point blank range of about 100 to 300 yards”.[6] German shells caused a fire on Assiniboine’s starboard side, aft of the forecastle, which threatened to spread to the Bridge.
As the vessels traded fire, U-210 took constant evading action. Stubbs drove “full astern on the inside engine to prevent [the sub from] getting inside [Assiniboine’s] turning circle”.[7] At such a close range, the U-boat managed to stay below the line-of-fire from the Assiniboine’s 4.7-inch guns.[8] Yet, through steady maneuvering and firing, the Canadian ship eventually scored a successful hit on the submarine’s conning tower.
With their submarine in mortal danger, the German officers could be seen departing the conning tower to dive the boat.
Before U-210 could make good its escape, Stubbs was able to overtake and ram the enemy sub abaft the conning tower.
With its hull damaged, the submarine was forced to resurface. The Canadian destroyer poured fire onto the stricken vessel while ramming the U-boat a second time, again abaft the conning tower. After passing over U-210 once more, Assiniboine simultaneously fired a final pattern of shallow depth charges. A final shot from the Canadian ship’s “Y” Gun scored a direct hit to the submarine’s bow, and U-210 sank in under two minutes.[9]
Dianthus exited the fog in time to observe the U-boat slip beneath the waves. Both ships converged to rescue 38 submariners who were pulled from the icy sea as prisoners of war.
Assiniboine had won the day, but had taken a thrashing. She had lost one sailor during the action: Ordinary Seaman Kenneth Watson, who would later be buried at sea. Thirteen other sailors onboard were wounded in the skirmish. The ship itself was in rough shape, too, punctured in dozens of places, riddled from machine gun fire, and scarred by fire. All compartments below the waterline aft to the Provision Room were flooded. Due to the extensive damage, Assiniboine left the convoy and returned to Canada for repairs.
(Image source: Library and Archives Canada MIKAN: 3365450.)
Convoy SC-94 suffered a relentless series of attacks from the wolf pack of U-boats during its crossing. In total, 11 of her ships were torpedoed and sunk. In addition to the destruction of U-210, one other U-boat was sunk by the convoy’s escorts during the voyage.
Medals earned by members of Assiniboine for service during the action include the following: Acting Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays, Coxswain, was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for his work in the wheel house, where he relieved the helmsman and telegraph operator when fire and machine gun bullets threatened their lives; Lieutenant Ralph Hennessy, executive officer, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts leading the damage control organization; and Lieutenant Commander John Stubbs was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
Following two months of repair work, Assiniboine resumed her escort duties in the North Atlantic. She would continue to escort Atlantic convoys through early 1944, after which she would be assigned anti-submarine duties during the Normandy Invasion. She was decommissioned in 1945 and scrapped.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: James Brun is an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. For his daily tweets of rare and fascinating World War Two photos, follow him here: @LeBrunJames81
Footnotes
[1] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section I; paragraph 2.
[2] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 2.
[3] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 8.
[4] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 10.
[5] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 13.
[6] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 14.
[7] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 14.
[8] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 15.
[9] SC 94 – Reports of Proceedings of HMCS Assiniboine by Lieutenant Commander J.H. Stubbs. Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, 1650-U-210. Section II; paragraph 18.
Kenneth Watson was my grandmother’s brother, from Revelstoke BC. He lied about his age and joined the RCN at 16. He was barely 18 when he was killed. The photo of his burial at sea was used in an advertisement for war bonds, published in a Homemakers’ magazine (which I have). I also have his letters, photos, and medals, as well as photos and newspaper clippings given to me by his shipmates. Lest we forget.
the picture on the left of a man’s back entitled damage control beside the picture a the U boat is my dad Chief Petty Officer (at the time he was chief engine room artificer) who had come up from the Assiniboine’s engine room to organize the fire grew- when the water pressure came on he flipped off the side of the ship- he received the DSM for his actions on that Day- he was a Nation’s her but he was always my hero…Donna G Portree/the Chief Petty Officer’s daughter