The USS Reuben James was one of 24 US Navy destroyers assisting with the escort of convoys in the western North Atlantic, between America and Iceland. There had been a [permalink id=14168 text=”growing number of incidents”] between US ships and U-Boats. Now the USS Reuben James became the first United States warship to be sunk as a result of hostile action in World War II. As dawn broke on the 31st she was torpedoed by U-552 commanded by Erich Topp, who was to become the third most successful U Boat captain of the war.
One of only 44 survivors out of the 159 man crew, Chief Petty Officer William Burgstresser, was later to tell the St Petersburg Times:
I was on watch in the engine room at 5:30 a.m. when we felt the impact. There were two explosions — one sounded like the magazine. Altogether there were eight men in both sections of the engine room.
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