USS Fessenden DE/DER-142

The Fessenden sinks U 1062

This is a photograph of the U 1062

September 5, 1944, Fessenden sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving the next day. Here she joined the rest of Escort Division Nine and USS Mission Bay (CVE 59). Anti Submarine warfare had reached a new stage. Not content with merely driving the U Boats off, Fessenden was part of the "Killer Groups" whose job it was to hunt the enemy and sink them.

  The submarine hunt started from Norfolk, September 8, 1944, as the group sailed south. On September 13, between Bermuda and the U.S. coast, Fessenden encountered a hurricane in which the DD USS Warrington, with her crew of 20 officers and 301 men capsized and sank. All but 5 officers and 68 men were lost. They continued across the Atlantic and arrived at Dakar, West Africa on September 20, 1944, for a day of refueling. No one was allowed to go ashore due to an outbreak of bubonic plague. Then the group began operations south of the Cape Verde Islands. A submarine was caught on the surface by airplanes a few days later, but before surface ships could get a chance at her, she shot two planes down and submerged. In the afternoon of September 30, 1944, USS Howard, USS Blakely and USS Fessenden gained contact. Fessenden being the closest of the DE's, under command of LCDR William Dobbs, assisted by Sound Officer, LT Sol Blatt Jr., made her first attack on the enemy at 1630, scoring four direct hits with ahead thrown charges from her Mark 10 projectors, and the German submarine, U-1062 was sunk at Latitude 11.36 N. and Longitude 34.44 W. However with Assistant Gunnery Officer, ENS Alvan Finn stationed on the Fantail with the depth charges, she dropped 17 depth charges as the 3 DE's in a line, laid down a slow barrage. Oil bubbled to the surface and continued for several days. No debris was recovered. as the Fessenden and Howard attempted to regain contact in the area of the ever increasing oil slick. October 6, the search was discontinued. Later wire recording indicated the submarine had broken up and sunk. The original Class "C" assessment was changed to Class "B" and all personnel aboard were awarded a battle star. This was Fessenden's first "Kill". The group continued its anti-submarine patrols in the South Atlantic.

Note: U-1062
Type VIIF

U-1062
Type VIIF
Laid down12 Aug 1942 Germaniawerft, Kiel
Commissioned19 Jun 1943 Oblt. Karl Albrecht 
Commander06.43 - 09.44 Oblt. Karl Albrecht 
Career3 patrols 06.43 - 12.43 5th Flotilla (Kiel) 01.44 - 09.44 12th Flotilla (Bordeaux) Successes Not a combat vessel but a torpedo transport.
Fate: 
The boat left Bergen, Norway on 3 January 1944 with 39 torpedoes to supply the Monsun boats in the far east. The boat did better than U-1059 and made it to Penang on April 19, 1944. The boat unloaded the torpedoes and left Penang for Europe on 6 July 1944 but was intercepted by an escort carrier group in the central Atlantic on 30September where the destroyer escort USS Fessenden sank her with depth charges. 55 dead (all hands lost).

  They were nicknamed "Milchkuh/Milchkuehe" (milk cows). They had no offensive weaponry, only antiaircraft guns.
 Type VII U-boats were the workhorses of the U-boot-waffe, and appeared in several sub-types. The milk cows were of course a priority target for all Allied forces, and improved radar and air coverage eliminated them during 1943 Milk cow duty was especially hazardous; 289 sailors were killed out of an estimated complement of 530-576 men.
Fate: The boat left Bergen, Norway on 3 January 1944 with 39 torpedoes to supply the Monsun boats in the far east. The boat did better than U-1059 and made it to Penang on April 19, 1944. The boat unloaded the torpedoes and left Penang for Europe on 6 July 1944 but was intercepted by an escort carrier group in the central Atlantic on 30 September where the destroyer escort USS Fessenden sank her with depth charges. 55 dead (all hands lost).
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