Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-18
5 Subs Depth Bombedby cutter
Another Is Rommed and Sunk
Coast Guard Vessel Alone in All
But One Engagement With Pack

| third successful attack on an enem,
| undersea raider to be reported by
the Navy within the last four weeks
1t announced February % that a de-
stroyer had sunk U-boat in the
Atlantic and an armed merchant
man had sunk Japanese sub in
the Pacific. both actions presumably
having occurred some months be-
fore
Since early in the war. however
the Navy has had a policy of silence
regarding antl-submarine operations
and no estimate of the total number
of subs sunk in the Atlantic or the
Pacific can even be approximated
on the basis of occasional reports
thus far made public.
Investigating Wolf Pack.
The accomplishments of the g.
year-old Campbell were reported
briefly in communique and the
Navy supplemented this with a de-
tailed statement full of action and
drama which brought out that her
crew answered the call to battle
stations II times in "a hours.
The running fight began when the
cutter was assigned to leave the
convoy which she was helping to
protect and investigate the suspected
presence of an undersea wolf pack
about 25 miles away.
The investigation failed TO reveal
the actual presence OF subs in that
vicinity and the Campbell headed
back to her station with the plod-
ding merchantmen.
En- route she made her first con-
tact. sighting an enemy sub on the
surface. The cutter rushed full
speed for the U-boat and the U-boat
promptly submerged The cutter
dropped pattern of death charges.
Depth Charge Dropped.
Scarcely had the cutter driven
this first sub down" the Navy said.
when it responded to the signals
of corvette that it was engaging
another submarine. The cutter i'm
mediately rushed to the corvette's
assistance
The next morning third SUBJ
marine was sighted on the surface.
AS the submarine dove for protec-
ton, the Campbell dropped pat
tern of depth charges.
las the cutter proceeded to re-
join the convoy, she sighted her
fourth submarine. Once more the
enemy sub found it expedient to
submerge. AS the cutter bore down
on it, the U-boat dove desperately
but the cutter dropped another pat
tern of depth charges Shortly after
this engagement the Campbell
sighted the fifth sub and forced it
TO submerge."
The depth charge attacks on the
first five submarines yielded unde-
termined results and no claim was
made by the Navy that any of those
U-boats were even damaged There
was no question. however. about
what happened In the sixth en-
counter.
The sixth engagement came as
the cutter was about to resume her
station in the convoy" the Navy
related. The enemy submarine S
presence in the vicinity was OBJ
served by the Coast Guards officers.
They Immediately established its
position and rushed to the attack.
Enemy Sub Big One.
Steering collision course for the
Nazl sub, the cutter bore down upon
1t and continued on its path until
the U-boat was so close that the
Campbell's gunfire had to be discon
tinued. The enemy sub was dealt q
glancing blow by the cutter.
AS the sub drifted free of the
cutter following the collision, the
cutters guns resumed firing, and got
off several rounds at point blank
range. The Campbell's officers could
see the sub shudder from the i'm
pact of the exploding shells"
The collision, however, ripped the
side plating from the Campbell and
caused her to be partially flooded
and without electricity. A number OF
her crew were transferred to the
Burza which provided quarters for
them until they were put ashore.
The destroyed submarine appar-
emily was very big one. A Coast
Guard officer was quoted by the
Navy as saying it had a huge con-
ming tower and possessed heavy
armament. But the cutter attacked
it SO furiously that it never had an
opportunity to put up fight.