On October 17, 1941 the US suffered its first casualties in the Second World War. Eleven sailors were killed when the German U-boat U-568 attacked torpedoed the US Navy destroyer USS Kearny DD-432. The attack took place in Icelandic waters, west of Faxaflói bay.
Read more: Watch: What did the “bleak outpost” of Reykjavík look like in WWII?
The USS Kearney was in Reykjavík as part of a large US military presence which remained throughout the war. The US, which was still neutral in the conflict, took over the defense of Iceland from the British on July 7 1941. The British had occupied Iceland in May 1940, to prevent the Third Reich from gaining a foothold in the North Atlantic, but by 1941 the British were stretched thin, and requested the US take over the occupation. Rather than arrive as an occupation force, as the British had done, the US negotiated a treaty with the Icelandic government. The US military presence in Iceland was therefore never an occupation force, and Iceland was never occupied by the US.
A German Wolfpack attack
The destroyer USS Kearny was docked in Reykjavík when a British convoy escorted by Canadian vessels was attacked by a German U-boat wolfpack. The escort vessels were quickly overwhelmed, and the USS Kearny sailed to their rescue and assistance. The crew and captain tried to keep the U-boats at bay by bombarding them with depth charges, but shortly after midnight on October 17 one of the U-boats managed to punch back, hitting the Kearny with a torpedo, killing 11 sailors and wounding 22.
The crew managed to contain the damage and the Kearny returned to harbor in Reykjavík. After repairs in Boston the ship returned to service, surviving the entire war.
The depth charges fired by the USS Kearny against the U-boats west of Faxaflói were cited by Hitler as a provocation by the US when he declared war on the US on December 11 1941.
The attack on the USS Kearny was only one of many historic naval confrontations and battles during the war.
Read more: May 24th marks the 75 years anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood off the coast of Iceland
On October 17, 1941 the US suffered its first casualties in the Second World War. Eleven sailors were killed when the German U-boat U-568 attacked torpedoed the US Navy destroyer USS Kearny DD-432. The attack took place in Icelandic waters, west of Faxaflói bay.
Read more: Watch: What did the “bleak outpost” of Reykjavík look like in WWII?
The USS Kearney was in Reykjavík as part of a large US military presence which remained throughout the war. The US, which was still neutral in the conflict, took over the defense of Iceland from the British on July 7 1941. The British had occupied Iceland in May 1940, to prevent the Third Reich from gaining a foothold in the North Atlantic, but by 1941 the British were stretched thin, and requested the US take over the occupation. Rather than arrive as an occupation force, as the British had done, the US negotiated a treaty with the Icelandic government. The US military presence in Iceland was therefore never an occupation force, and Iceland was never occupied by the US.
A German Wolfpack attack
The destroyer USS Kearny was docked in Reykjavík when a British convoy escorted by Canadian vessels was attacked by a German U-boat wolfpack. The escort vessels were quickly overwhelmed, and the USS Kearny sailed to their rescue and assistance. The crew and captain tried to keep the U-boats at bay by bombarding them with depth charges, but shortly after midnight on October 17 one of the U-boats managed to punch back, hitting the Kearny with a torpedo, killing 11 sailors and wounding 22.
The crew managed to contain the damage and the Kearny returned to harbor in Reykjavík. After repairs in Boston the ship returned to service, surviving the entire war.
The depth charges fired by the USS Kearny against the U-boats west of Faxaflói were cited by Hitler as a provocation by the US when he declared war on the US on December 11 1941.
The attack on the USS Kearny was only one of many historic naval confrontations and battles during the war.
Read more: May 24th marks the 75 years anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood off the coast of Iceland
