U-123 St. Simons Island, Georgia

[Brian C.]

This happened right off the Georgia coast. Interesting that it happened so close to the U.S. and not many people know about it.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/n....jsp?id=h-3801


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

Details of the sinking:


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

Esso Baton Rouge life preserver that washed up on the beach.


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

Photos of the torpedoed ships:


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

More info on the secrecy that surrounded these sinkings:


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

Esso Baton Rouge ships' bell:


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

Coast Guard Museum where all this is kept:


Untitled by briancre, on Flickr

[Brian C.]

If you are ever near Brunswick, GA (between Savannah, GA and Jacksonville, FL) it is worth the quick trip to St. Simons Island to see the display and look out over the ocean and imagine what it was like.

[Mike C.]

Interesting that all three were sunk by the same U-Boot just two days apart

I wonder if the ship's bell was recovered when the ship was raised, or later after it was sunk again?

According to Uboat net, the Esso Baton Rouge was sunk the same way both times - a single torpedo hit to the starboard side between the bunkers and the engine room, sinking by the stern.

http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/2685.html

[Reichsword]

Thanks for sharing, interesting history.

[Tom B]

Hardegen told me about these sinking's in great detail when I visited him in the 1980's. Tom

[Robert H]

back then all the way to America and to the Golf of Mexico

[David T]

U-boat attacks were common all up and down the US coast. U-boat sank a tanker off Jacksonville Bch FL. Spectators watched from the shore (so the story goes). I believe there is currently a large model of that U-boat for sale. If I recall it's the model from the Jacksonville Maritime Museum.
Of the German saboteurs who were captured by the FBI, 2 maybe 3 were dropped offshore of Ponte Vedra Fl. There is a similar plaque there as at St Simmons Island. I think that was Operation Pastorius.
Coast of North Carolina had alot of U-boat activity. A few U-boots were sunk there. Outer Banks are known as The Graveyard of The Atlantic. It may be a myth but I recall reading about Kriegsmarine High Command issuing orders to cease operations off coastal Carolinas due to the losses.

[David T]

Interestingly, the Commander of U-123, Reinhard Hardegen just passed away last year at 105. U-123 also sank the SS Gulfamerica off Jacksonville Beach Fl as I mentioned, not U-203 which was the model at the Jacksonville Maritime Museum.

[Robert H]

what is with the Myth about U boats in the Mississippi?
Good docu report on German ZDF TV channel, see the link about part 1 and 2 below the movie links.


https://www.zdf.de/serien/das-boot