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Allied Ships hit by U-boats


USS Hambleton (DD 455)


The damages suffered by USS Hambleton

NameUSS Hambleton (DD 455)
Type:Destroyer (Gleaves)
Tonnage1.630 tons
Completed1941 - Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Kearny NJ 
OwnerUnited States Navy 
Homeport 
Date of attack11 Nov, 1942Nationality:      American
 
FateDamaged by U-173 (Hans-Adolf Schweichel)
Position33.40N, 07.35W - Grid DJ 2519
- See location on a map -
Complement? men (? dead and ? survivors).
ConvoyUGF-1 
Route 
Cargo 
History

On 19 Mar, 1942, the USS Hambleton (DD 455) rescued six survivors from the Ceiba, which had been sunk by U-124 (Mohr) two days earlier.

On 17 May, 1944, the destroyer participated in the sinking of U-616 (Koitschka).
In June 1944, the USS Hambleton (DD 455) took part in the Normandy landings (is credited with sinking one E-boat and one damaged) and the landings in Southern France.

On 15 Nov, 1944, the vessel was converted and and reclassified to the High Speed Minesweeper USS Hambleton (DMS 20) and in 1945 took part in the Okinawa landings. During the operations she was damaged by a Kamikaze, which crashed close to her in the sea.
From 28 Aug, until 20 Nov, 1945, the minesweeper swept 184 mines in the Tokyo Bay.

Post war: 1955 decommissioned, 1972 scrapped.

The USS Hambleton (DD 455) received seven battle stars for her WWII service. 

Notes on loss The USS Hambleton (DD 455) (Cmdr Forrest Close) was part of the Western Naval Task Force for the North Africa landings and screened the USS Sangamon (CVE 26) in the Task Group 34.8.

At 19.56 hours on 11 Nov, 1942, U-173 fired torpedoes at the anchored ships from convoy UGF-1 on the Fedhala roads and heard three detonations. Schweichel thought that they have sunk one ship, because no visual observations were made due to A/S activity.
In fact, the USS Joseph Hewes (AP 50) was sunk and the USS Winooski (AO 38) and USS Hambleton (DD 455) were damaged.

The USS Hambleton (DD 455) laid anchored off Fedhala and was struck by one torpedo amidships. The vessel lost all power and took a 12° list to starboard, but did not sink. The destroyer was later towed to Casablanca for temporary repairs. Seabees there cut the ship in two, removed a 40-foot section of her damaged hull, then joined the two remaining halves together. On 28 June, the USS Hambleton (DD 455), accompanied by a tug, reached Boston for permanent repairs. 


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