Sinking
On 10 July, Sentinel was part of Task Group 86.3 tasked with landing in the Licata area. At 0430, while serving on antisubmarine patrol, Sentinel was attacked by German aircraft. At about 0500, a bomb exploded about 200 feet off her starboard quarter. Flares inshore of the minesweeper illuminated her for the unobservable enemy aircraft. At approximately 0510, four or five bombs burst nearby. One opened a hole one foot wide and eight feet long in her after engine room. The damage control party and the after engine room crew were seriously weakened by death and injury, and the radio room and all interior communications, except one sound-powered telephone circuit, were wrecked.
Between 0510 and 0600, the ship was attacked four times more. She repulsed two attacks without being bombed; but, at 0525, attacking aircraft released bombs despite Sentinel's heavy anti-aircraft fire and observable 20 millimeter hits. This attack put the forward 3-inch gun out of action and killed or wounded half its crew. Bridge personnel and the port side 20 millimeter crew were also hit. All communications were lost, the forward engine room was holed, and the steering engine was knocked out. At 0530, one bomb hit put the forward engine out of commission. Sentinel's crew, however, hit two Messerschmitt Me 210 bombers and, at about 0545, effectively used the after 3-inch gun and 20 millimeter guns to repulse one last attack.
By 0615, with all power gone, the badly listing Sentinel contacted Seer (AM-112), and the "Green" beach-master by portable radio using dry cells from hand lanterns. This message brought SC-530, LCI-33, and PC-550 to her assistance at the utmost speed. After the more seriously wounded had been evacuated on LCI-33 and SC-530, it became apparent that the ship would not remain afloat. Her list was about 28° and water was on her main deck when the remainder of her crew boarded PC-550, at no small risk to the submarine chaser which then remained by Sentinel until she capsized at 1030 and went under at 1045.
Sentinel was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 19 August 1943.
Read more about this topic: USS Sentinel (AM-113)
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Into the very water that she lights;”
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