Success of Icarus bolsters Carteret’s ‘WW II Heritage’ status

Carteret County, N.C., continues to amass an amazing array of World War II stories of broad and general interest. The next step is to present a formal resolution to seek acceptance as a “World War II Heritage Community.”

Whereas No. 13: The demise of Germany’s U-352 south of Cape Lookout on May 9, 1942, brought recognition to the 165-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter Icarus (shown below).

 

Icarus was a character from Greek mythology.

While prowling the waters about 26 miles southeast of Beaufort Inlet on May 9, 1942, Germany’s U-352, captained by Hellmut Rathke, encountered the Icarus, which was passing through the same area. The Coast Guard ship, which had departed Staten Island, N.Y., was enroute to Key West, Fla.

Rathke fired his torpedoes, but they either missed the mark or malfunctioned. Icarus immediately picked up sonar contact and began following the U-boat’s trail. Lt. Maurice Jester, commanding officer of the Icarus (shown below), sent out a series of depth charges that crippled U-352.

 

Rathke was forced to surface. Icarus crew members greeted the enemy with heavy machine-gun fire. Twelve German seamen were killed on the gun deck; the other 33 aboard U-352 plunged into the sea.

Lt. Jester immediately cleared the area, fearing the potential presence of other U-boats traveling with U-352 as part of a “German wolfpack.”

He sought guidance from his superiors and was instructed to return to the site of battle and pull the German seamen from the water. One man died aboard the Icarus while being transported to authorities at the Charleston (S.C.) Naval Shipyard.

The Icarus prepares to dock at Charleston.

The 32 Germans from U-352 were the first foreign prisoners of war to be held on American soil since the War of 1812.

Rathke sketched this illustration of his U-352 while held captive.

 

The Icarus basked in the glory of being the first Coast Guard ship in World War II to sink a U-boat.

Today, the wreck of the U-352 is a popular destination for recreational divers (above), and a recplica of the U-352 is the centerpiece of the Ocean Gallery habitat at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores in Carteret County (below).

As a footnote, four U-boats were sunk off the shores of North Carolina – more than any other state. In addition to U-352, the others were:

 

U-85 – sunk March 14, 1942, by the Navy’s USS Roper battleship, about 12 miles east of Nags Head. (It was the first U-boat victory scored by an American war vessel.)

 

U-576 – sunk July 15, 1942, by fire from gunners aboard the merchant ship Unicoi, about 30 miles east of Cape Hatteras. Assisting were two Navy Kingfisher aircraft that dropped multiple depth charges.

 

U-701 – sunk July 17, 1942, by an Army Air Force Hudson, piloted by Lt. Harry J. Kane out of Cherry Point, about 22 miles east of Cape Hatteras. He and his crew dropped three depth charges, scoring a direct hit.

 

Whereas No. 14: A “Day of Remembrance Service” is observed each year in connection with the Veterans Day holiday – co-sponsored by the Morehead City Historical Preservation Society and Chapter 639 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart – at Morehead City’s Bayview Cemetery.

The purpose is to honor three British sailors from the San Delfino who died during World War II and were buried within the graveyard.

         

The San Delfino, a British oil tanker, had picked up a full shipment of aviation fuel in Houston, Texas, and was bound for London, England, when it was torpedoed on April 9, 1942, by U-203 east of Rodanthe along the Northern Outer Banks. The tanker erupted into a sheet of flames.

Capt. Elbert Gumbleton ordered his crew to abandon ship. Two lifeboats were lowered. Unfortunately, one got caught in the current and was dragged into a pool of burning fuel,” killing 28 crew members.

The second lifeboat, with 22 aboard, was rescued by the armed British trawler Norwich City. Survivors were delivered to the port in Morehead City.