In an era of hypersonic missiles, stealth fighters, and nuclear subs, it’s hard to picture sailors going toe-to-toe with the enemy on a ship’s deck. Yet during World War II, the crew of a brand-new destroyer escort, USS Buckley, did just that by slugging it out in hand-to-hand combat with German sailors from U-66 in the middle of the Atlantic.
For centuries, naval battles were fought up close, with boarding parties storming ships and melee weapons deciding victories. By the 20th century, those days were seemingly long gone. But on May 6, 1944, the Buckley’s crew proved that the basics of naval warfare were still useful.
USS Buckley: A Destroyer Escort in the Battle of the Atlantic
Commissioned in 1943, the USS Buckley was a destroyer escort, smaller than a destroyer, but built to protect Allied convoys from the ever-present menace of German U-boats. Named after Aviation Ordnanceman John D. Buckley who was killed at Pearl Harbor, the ship initially trained other escort crews before joining the Battle of the Atlantic in spring 1944.
That May, Buckley joined Task Group 21.11, built around the escort carrier USS Block Island. Their mission was to protect convoys and hunt U-boats. The work was dangerous, but the escorts had radar, sonar, depth charges, and air cover. It was supposed to be a battle of technology and maneuver, not fists, knives, and coffee mugs.
The Hunt for U-66
Just after 3 a.m. on May 6, one of Block Island’s reconnaissance aircraft, piloted by Lt. Jimmie Sellers, spotted U-66, a veteran German submarine commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Gerhard Seehausen. The sub was on its ninth patrol and had been out to sea since January. U-66 was worn down and in desperate need of supplies, so it surfaced to recharge its electric engines and wait for assistance near the Cape Verde Islands.
Sellers relayed the U-boat’s position to the nearest American ship, the destroyer escort Buckley. Lt. Cmdr. Brent Abel, her skipper, ordered flank speed ahead to chase down the submarine.
Mistaking the Buckley for a friendly supply ship, Seehausen fired three flares to make his position known in the dark. The U-boat quickly realized its mistake and launched a torpedo at the approaching target. Buckley managed to dodge it, though several sailors noticed it skim alongside their ship. Moments later, the submarine’s machine guns opened fire, which was answered by Buckley’s 3-inch guns and a storm of 20mm and 40mm shells. The initial salvo hammered U-66’s deck and killed several crewmen.
Desperate, the U-boat fired another torpedo which skimmed across Buckley’s bow as the destroyer escort turned hard to the right. The two ships closed to within 20 yards, blasting away at each other in a fight that looked more like an age of sail broadside than modern warfare.
Over the radio, Sellers narrated the engagement as he witnessed it from above, “Buckley has opened fire, sub is returning fire. Boy! I have never before seen such concentration! Buckley is cutting hell out of the conning tower!”
Abel decided to finish the fight the old-fashioned way. He ordered his ship to ram the submarine.
Ramming Speed and Boarding Parties
The destroyer escort smashed into the U-boat, locking the two vessels together. Chaos unfolded. Some German sailors dove overboard while others manned machine guns and the deck cannon. A handful of desperate submariners grabbed knives, clubs, and wrenches and leapt aboard the Buckley.
The Americans were stunned as the order to repel boarders went out. Sailors hurled shell casings, coffee mugs, kitchenware and even a full coffee pot at the enemy. One boatswain’s mate drew his .45 pistol and dropped a German attacker. Others swung fists, axes, and improvised weapons in the dark. One U.S. sailor even broke his hand punching a German in the face, the only American injury of the entire fight.
Within minutes, the boarding party was defeated. The surviving Germans were escorted below deck by a sailor armed only with a hammer.
As Buckley pulled away, U-66, badly damaged but still afloat, circled around and slammed into the escort again, wrecking her propeller shaft. Seehausen tried to get clear, but an American sailor managed to toss a grenade into the exposed conning tower. Fire spread through the submarine, and moments later, U-66 slipped beneath the waves with her commander still aboard.
Buckley rescued 36 Germans, many severely wounded. Despite holes raked across her hull and a crippled propeller, the ship had survived and won one of the most unique naval engagements in history.
The Fate of the USS Buckley
The fight earned Abel the Navy Cross, while Buckley’s crew received a Navy Unit Commendation and a combat star. After repairs, the ship returned to duty and later helped sink another submarine, U-548, in 1945.
Decommissioned in 1946, Buckley spent two decades in reserve before being scrapped in 1969. Her end was quiet, but her legacy was anything but. To this day, Buckley holds the distinction of being the only U.S. Navy ship in World War II, and since, to ram an enemy vessel and defeat its crew in hand-to-hand combat.
Story Continues
Read the full article here