The U-853 and Collier Black Point

On May 5th, 1945, following the death of Adolf Hitler by suicide in his bunker, Grand Admiral Karl Donitz notified all German U-Boats to cease attacks on Allied shipping and to return to Germany. Under the command of Helmut Frömsdorf, the U-Boat known as U-853 nicknamed by the crew, the Der Seiltaenzer Tightrope Walker continued to attack, going against orders, in the final efforts of the battle in the North Atlantic. Naval experts believed that U-boat commanders were some of the most fanatical members of the German military.

Commissioned on June 25th of 1943, the U-853 was a 251-foot type IXC/40 submarine that had engaged in a total of three patrols, one of which fought two British Swordfish torpedo bombers, as well as the sinking of the PE-56, an American patrol craft. At 5:40 pm, near Point Judith, in Rhode Island, the U-853 launched a torpedo at the Black Point, an American steel collier. The torpedo, upon impact, destroyed 40 feet of the ship's stern, sinking it, and of the 46 men on board, 12 died. It is possible that Frömsdorf simply did not receive the message, although many believe that he ignored it, willfully.

The U-853

The Black Point was a steel collier, at 337 feet long and rated at 5,353 tons total. The ship was first built-in 1917, by the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey. It was first called the Fairmont and was utilized by the U.S. Navy in February of 1918. After being sold several times, it was purchased by C.H. Sprague of Boston, being renamed the Black Point. Proceeding days before its sinking, the Black Point was carrying coal, departing from Newport News, in Virginia, and heading for Weymouth, Massachusetts. The collier took a coastal route, ignoring the warnings and high-threat of German U-boats in the area.

Black Point, circa 1918

Witnessing the attack and reacting quickly, nearby vessels and stations situated on the shore sounded the alarm, with the SS Kamen, a Yugoslav freighter, being first to announce the word of the sinking, 2 minutes later, thus initiating a hunt for the U-boat. Surprisingly, the U-853 remained stationed in the same area, when the "hunter-killer" group organized by the Navy, including the frigate PF-63 and destroyer, escorts Amick and Atherton initiated the hunt, 90 minutes after the sinking of Black Point. Alongside the additional support of the destroyer Ericsson, the U-Boat was destroyed, with all 55 German crewmen killed.

Synthetic Aperture Sonar imagery of the German U-853

The U-Boat was declared to be dead the following day. This was one of the final U-Boats sunk in U.S. waters, which brought an end to the battle in the North Atlantic against the allies.

Sources:
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/development-partnerships/18kraken/u853-blackpoint/u853-blackpoint.html
http://www.aquaexplorers.com/u-853_shipwreck.htm
https://uboat.net/boats/u853.htm
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/09/04/scientists-exploring-wreck-of-sunken-u-boat-off-rhode-island/