Torpedoed By German Submarine
Departing Bermuda 2 June, Gannet joined British ship HMS Sumar the next day in an unsuccessful search for the torpedoed merchantman SS Westmoreland. Ordered back to base the afternoon of 6 June, the two warships became separated during the night. Before dawn 7 June, northwest of Bermuda, Gannet was hit by submarine torpedoes from U-653. She went down so rapidly that her decks were awash within 4 minutes, and she carried 14 of her crew down with her. Her commanding officer, Lt. Francis E. Nuessle, fought free of the suction, joined other survivors, and ordered the life rafts tied together in the heavy seas with wounded hoisted on board and the uninjured hanging on the sides. Twenty-two men were rescued by two planes of Patrol Squadron 74 which made the daring landing in heavy seas. USS Hamilton (DMS-18), led to the scene by one of the same planes, rescued 40 others.
Gannet was removed from the Navy List, but the date is not known.
Read more about this topic: USS Gannet (AM-41)
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