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{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict = Actions of 5–6 May 1945
|partof = the [[Battle of the Atlantic]], [[World War II]]
|image =
|caption =
|date = 5–6 May 1945
|place = Off [[Rhode Island]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]
|coordinates =
|map_type = 
|latitude = 
|longitude = 
|map_size = 
|map_caption = 
|map_label = 
|territory = 
|result = American victory
|status = 
|combatant1 = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|combatant2 = {{flag|United States|1912}}
|combatant3 = 
|commander1 = 
|commander2 = 
|commander3 = 
|strength1 = Two submarines
|strength2 = Five warships<br/>Two blimps
|strength3 = 
|casualties1 = Two submarines<br/>109 killed
|casualties2 = One merchant ship<br/>12 killed
|casualties3 =
|notes = 
| campaignbox       = 
{{Campaignbox Atlantic Campaign}}
}}

The last actions of the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] in American waters took place on '''5–6 May 1945'''.
There were two such actions, against {{GS|U-853||2}} off the [[Rhode Island]] coast and {{GS|U-881||2}}, south of [[Cape Race]], both sunk during the same period.

==Background==
US involvement in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] began with the deaths of 28 US citizens during the sinking of the [[SS Athenia (1922)|''Athenia'']] by {{GS|U-30|1936|2}}, on the first day of the war in the west.

Thereafter US ships were attacked, and US warships involved in action against [[U-boat]]s while protecting US interests, in the two years before America’s entry into the war. 
Following [[Nazi Germany]]’s declaration of war on the US on 11 December 1941, the [[U-boat Arm]] of the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' attacked American shipping in earnest in January 1942 with [[Operation Drumbeat]], sinking over 600 ships (representing 3 million tons of shipping) over a six-month period.

Thereafter the U-boat Arm continued to make offensive patrols against US coastal shipping,  while German [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolf-packs]] searched for and attacked convoys in mid-ocean.
By 1945 U-Boat actions had reduced to pinpricks, but their potential forced the Allies to maintain large naval and air forces, and expend considerable resources, to counter the threat.

During the first five months of 1945, the U-boat Arm dispatched 19 U-boat patrols to American waters, including seven sailings constituting group [[Wolf pack Seewolf|''Seewolf'']], the last [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolf pack]] of the Battle of the Atlantic. 
By 5 May 1945, the day U-boat Command ([[BdU]]) ordered the U Boat Arm to cease hostilities, just nine were still at large; six off the US coast, and three Seewolf boats in mid-ocean. Of these, two were involved in action with the USN, the last actions in American waters during the Atlantic campaign.

==First action==
{{main|Battle of Point Judith}}
On 5 May, {{Ship|German submarine|U-853||2}}, lying in wait off [[Point Judith]], [[Rhode Island]], sighted and fired on SS ''Black Point'', a [[Collier (ship type)|collier]] underway for [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. Her [[torpedo]]es struck, and within 15 minutes, ''Black Point'' had capsized in {{convert|95|ft|m|abbr=on}} of water, the last US-flagged merchant ship sunk in World War II. Twelve men died and 34 were rescued. One of the rescuing ships — SS ''Kamen'' — sent a report of the torpedoing that was picked up by the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Ericsson|DD-440|6}}, [[destroyer escort]]s {{USS|Amick|DE-168|6}} and {{USS|Atherton|DE-169|2}}, and [[Frigate#Modern era|frigate]] {{USS|Moberly|PF-63|6}}; they discovered ''U-853'' bottomed in {{convert|108|ft|m|abbr=on}}, and dropped more than 100 [[depth charge]]s through the night. The next morning, two [[blimp]]s from [[Lakehurst, New Jersey]] — ''[[K class blimp|K-16]]'' and ''[[K class blimp|K-58]]'' — joined the attack, locating oil slicks and marking suspected locations with smoke and dye markers. ''K-16'' also attacked with {{convert|7.2|in|mm|abbr=on}} rocket bombs. Finally, planking, life rafts, a chart tabletop, clothing, and an officer's cap floated to the surface, indicating destruction with all 55 men.
''U-853'' was destroyed at sometime between midnight, when success was first claimed, and 1225, when it was confirmed.

==Second action==
{{main|Operation Teardrop}} 
Also on 6 May, shortly after day-break, the destroyer escort {{USS|Farquhar|DE-139|6}} — assigned to the {{USS|Mission Bay|CVE-59|2}} hunter-killer group — detected {{Ship|German submarine|U-881||2}}, a ''Seewolf'' boat running submerged {{convert|300|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}} south-east of [[Cape Race]]. Making a sudden attack, ''Farquhar'' closed and dropped 13 depth charges in a single attack, which destroyed ''U-881'' with the loss of all hands.

==Conclusion==
These were the last U-boats destroyed in action in American waters; on 8 May, the Germans surrendered, and the last active U-boats in American waters gave themselves up to units of the [[United States Navy|USN]] and [[Royal Canadian Navy|RCN]].

==See also==
*[[Operation Teardrop]]
*[[Actions of 7–8 May 1945]]

==References==
*Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War Vol II (1998). New York: Random House. {{ISBN|978-0-679-45742-8}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kemp |first=Paul |title=U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars |publisher=Arms and Armour |year=1997 |isbn=1-85409-515-3}}
*{{cite book |title=German U-Boat Losses During World War II |first=Axel |last=Niestle |publisher=Greenhill |date=1998 |isbn=1-85367-352-8}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101125153456/http://www.uboat.net/boats/u853.htm U-853 at u-boat.net]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101028085829/http://www.uboat.net/boats/u881.htm U-881 at u-boat.net]

{{DEFAULTSORT:19450505-6}}
[[Category:Battle of the Atlantic]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

German submarine U-30 (1936) (edit)
German submarine U-853 (edit)
German submarine U-881 (edit)
USS Amick (DE-168) (edit)
USS Atherton (DE-169) (edit)
USS Ericsson (DD-440) (edit)
USS Farquhar (DE-139) (edit)
USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) (edit)
USS Moberly (PF-63) (edit)
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Template:Campaignbox Atlantic Campaign (edit)
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