In January 1942, following the United States' entry into WWII, German U-boats began a reign of terror off America's Eastern Seaboard; over the next several months, sinking hundreds of ships almost at will. With the combatant ships of the then-small U.S. Navy, spread thin in distant theaters, Vice Admiral Andrews desperately sought vessels to protect the coast. Those available consisted of Navy remnants of World War I, private yachts and fishing vessels hastily obtained and armed, and a few small Coast Guard cutters. This force was insufficient to protect major ports, let alone escort merchantmen. Andrews needed help, and got it when Great Britain sent twenty-four King's ships to America to operate under his command. Eventually, with a gradual increase in the numbers of aircraft and ships available to search for and find U-boats, the enemy moved on to South African waters where the hunting was easier. The eighteen remaining King's ships followed, and began anew, to assist a small, unprepared Navy to combat the deadly menace. One hundred, thirty-two photographs, maps and diagrams; appendices; a bibliography; and an index to full names, places, and subjects add value to this work.

2022, 6x9, paper, index, 398 pp