USS Borie vs. U-405: One of WWII’s Most Brutal Naval Battles

There are a lot of ways to destroy a submarine. Throwing knives and shooting flares aren't on the list. But that didn't stop the crew of one enterprising destroyer from turning a battle on the high seas into something more like a barroom brawl. It's the Second World War and German U-boats are wreaking havoc on Allied shipping in the Atlantic. With this vital logistic lifeline in danger of being cut off, the Allies are spending tremendous effort on anti-submarine warfare. A large portion of naval forces are being used as escort duty, basically acting like sheepdogs to protect the vulnerable cargo ships against the appropriately named U-boat wolf packs. Some ships are being given a more proactive mission. Entering the story is Task Group 2114, which consists of the flagship escort carrier USS Card and three Clemson-class destroyers, the USS Gough, the USS Barry and the USS Borey. Their mission is simple. Patrol the Atlantic, find German U-boats and make sure they stay underwater permanently. Late October 1943, the task group is patrolling in the North Atlantic. At the same time, a six-sub wolf pack, which includes U-405, is meeting with a resupply sub. The U-405 is a Type 7C, the workhorse of the Kriegsmarine, commanded by experienced skipper, corvette captain Rolf Heinrich Hauptmann. The wolf pack is undergoing resupply operations when they're spotted and briefly engaged by aircraft from the USS Card. The Borey is sent to investigate the location and encounter its first U-boat, U-256. After three depth charge attacks, the Borey spots an oil slick and presumes the sub has been sunk, although it actually survives and limps back to port. The night of October 31st, 1943, radar on the Borey detects something and the commander, Lieutenant Charles Hutchins, gives orders to investigate. When the Borey is within 2,800 yards, the radar contact disappears as U-405 submerges. In ever-worsening seas, the destroyer picks up the sub with sonar and engages. A malfunction causes all the depth charges in the racks to fire at once. The resulting blast is intense and the Borey's stern is lifted clear from the water, forcing U-405 to surface. Hutchins orders the searchlight on and with the sub clearly visible, the guns on the destroyer can open up. No one knows why, but U-405 is unable to dive at that moment, so several crewmen attempt to shoot back using the deck guns. However, these men barely begin to fire before being killed by fire from the Borey's 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns. At this point, one of the German sailors stands on the conning tower and waves frantically as if trying to surrender. Hutchins gives the order to cease fire. Unfortunately, one of the sailors manning a four-inch gun has removed his headphones and doesn't hear the command and keeps firing. The German sailor is violently dispatched. U-405 begins evasive maneuvers and leads the Borey on a wild chase, both sides exchanging gunfire. The weather is steadily worsening and with more violent swells and decreasing visibility, this becomes less effective than hoped. After a few minutes, Hutchins decides on a new tactic. With all the weaponry he has at his disposal, he tries something straight from the Bronze Age. But first, let's talk about another kind of threat, one that doesn't involve battleships or torpedoes. Here on Simple History, we often discuss the dangers people faced in the past, from wars and revolutions to surveillance states. Today, however, there's a different modern threat, the quiet trade of your personal data. Right now, your private information like your home address, phone number, email, even your relatives' names might be bought and sold online. And not just by shady scammers or hackers, but by data brokers, insurance companies, and other organizations you've probably never heard of. 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If you want to take control of your privacy and stop data brokers from profiting off your personal info, you can get 20% off Delete.me's consumer plans by going to joindelete.me.com slash simplehistory and using the code simplehistory at checkout. Now, back to it. Stand by for a ram, he shouts. Increasing speed to 25 knots, the bow of the Borey is pointed right at U-405. Hopman orders the sub to turn, but it's too late. Right before contact, however, a large swell lifts the Borey, which then slams down on the U-boat's deck between the stem and the forecastle, locking the ships together. The deck guns on both ships are unable to be elevated or depressed enough to be effective. Fortunately for the Borey, the crew is prepared for exactly this sort of situation. Other than the gun crews and the Black Gang, who are the fire control crewmen and engine room sailors, all other hands that can be spared rush to their places, grabbing their Thompson submachine guns, pistols, riot control shotguns, and anything else they can get a hold of, and rush to the port side to open up on the Germans. There aren't enough small arms to go around, so a bit of creativity is in order. In the middle of the fighting, one of the Borey's sailors sees a German on the U-boat's deck, hurls his knife at him, plunging into his stomach. Another shoots a signal flare at near point-blank range, and one Kriegsmarine plummets to a watery end when he's knocked overboard with a thrown four-inch shell casing. Like the saying goes, if it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid. After about 10 minutes, both ships are sliding apart from one another. U-405's casualties are catastrophic, with only 14 men of the original 49 still on their feet. The Borey is suffering heavy damage, and hulls are torn into the hull. The forward engine room is flooding, and the crew is working frantically to plug the leaks, working in neck-deep water to keep the ship afloat and the engines running. U-405 tries to flee again, but is bracketed and hit by another salvo of four-inch guns. Even in such poor shape, the U-boat has a tighter turning radius than the destroyer, and aligns the sub's stern torpedo tubes at the Borey. Shut off that light, comes the order from Hutchins, and the searchlights cut out. Unable to see the destroyer, Hauptmann orders the U-boat to flee. Once they turn away, the searchlight is turned on again, and the firing continues. With no other option, U-405 tries to turn the tables on the Borey, and attempts its own ramming attack. The destroyer launches three depth charges, and then turns sharply, submarine narrowly missing the Borey. After the depth charges, U-405 is dead in the water. With no other choice, Hauptmann surrenders, and his surviving 14 men clamber aboard life rafts. They fire signal flares into the air to mark their position, and the Borey maneuvers to pick up the survivors. Unfortunately, in the distance, answering flares shoot up into the sky. There are no American ships in that direction, so this signal means only one thing. Another U-boat is on the way. After sustaining heavy damage, and expending so much ordnance, the USS Borey is in no condition to take on the rest of the Wolf Pack. Even worse, the sonar operator hears the distinctive sound of a torpedo heading straight for them. The ship begins evasive maneuvers, and a number of crewmen witness a torpedo missing them by mere feet. Unfortunately, the zigzag path caused the Borey to run over the life rafts of U-405, killing all aboard. All 49 of the submarine's crew perish in the engagement. The USS Borey escapes without further contact with the enemy, but this isn't the end of its ordeal. Seawater continues to flood into the ship, and the crews work frantically to keep the ship afloat and under power. They spend the rest of the night doing everything they can, and even resort to dumping the torpedoes, their launchers, the 20-millimeter cannons, extra four-inch shells, and anything else that can be spared in a desperate attempt to lighten the ship. At 9 a.m. on November 1st, the only remaining turbine stops running, and the Borey is dead in the water. A radio message is sent, and the USS Card receives it at 11.10 a.m. The USS Goff and USS Barry are dispatched, and the Card launches search planes which spot the Borey. Salvaging the Borey is hopeless, so at around 4.30 p.m., Hutchins orders, abandon ship. They climb into the life rafts to transfer to the Goff and the Barry, but the high seas and frigid water cause some of the boats to capsize. 27 men succumb to drowning or hypothermia. The USS Borey is then scuttled with depth charges and bombs from the aircraft, and slips beneath the waves. During this unusual fight, none of the Borey's men were killed in the engagement. The crew received a Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy Cross was given to Hutchins and two other crewmen. A year after, another destroyer named USS Borey was commissioned, continuing the legacy of one of the more unusual naval encounters of the Second World War. Thanks again Delete.me for sponsoring this video. To get your data removed from the internet, check out Delete.me with our link in the description, and get 20% off.