USS Fechteler (DE 157)
| Name | USS Fechteler (DE 157) | ||
| Type: | Destroyer escort (Buckley) | ||
| Tonnage | 1.300 tons | ||
| Completed | 1943 - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth VA | ||
| Owner | United States Navy | ||
| Homeport | |||
| Date of attack | 5 May, 1944 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-967 (Albrecht Brandi) | ||
| Position | 36.07N, 02.40W - Grid CH 7542 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 186 officers and men (29 dead and 157 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | GUS-38 | ||
| Route | |||
| Cargo | |||
| History | USS Fechteler (DE 157) recieved one battle star for her four transatlantic voyages. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 03.54 hours on 5 May 1944, U-967 fired a Gnat at the convoy GUS-38 about 120 miles northwest of Oran, Algeria and reported a hit on a medium-sized ship after 11 minutes 58 seconds, but this was probably an end-of-run detonation. The American destroyer escort USS Laning (DE 159) located the U-boat after the unsuccessful attack and started an attack run, but U-967 fired a Gnat at the escort ships at 04.41 hours, hitting the USS Fechteler amidships. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water and broke her in two. The most crew members abandoned ship before both parts sank. 29 crew members died and 26 were injured. USS Laning then picked up the survivors together with other escort ships. | ||
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