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Return to Frequently
Asked Questions page. Recollections of Lieutenant Sheridan
Bell (Chaplain Corps), USNR, concerning the sinking of a German
submarine (U-233) by USS Thomas (DE-102) and USS
Baker (DE-190) of Task Group (TG)22.10, a "hunter
killer" unit, on 5 July 1944, as well as the capture of part
of U-233's crew, and the death and burial at sea of U-233's
commanding officer.
Adapted from Chaplain Bell interview in box 2 of World War II
Interviews, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center.
Just after evening chow [meal], as the night planes were getting
ready to take off, one of our lead destroyers came in contact
with a [German] submarine [U-233]. It was about 5,000 yards
in front of the ship so that the men of the crew, of the [escort
aircraft carrier USS] Card [CVE-11], could witness the
attack.
According to the Commander of the escort group, it was the most
rapid successful sinking of a submarine in the Atlantic. For it
was just twenty-two minutes from the time the Destroyer Escort
[DE] contacted the sub until the survivors were being taken aboard
one of the two destroyers [DD] standing by. So we were able to
stand on the flight deck and see the fight, see the flames shooting
up from the damaged submarine and the smoke and the fire of the
guns.
The thirty-one survivors were brought aboard the [USS] Card
within an hour so it was possible that evening to interrogate
them and to get the necessary information that our Intelligence
Officers wished to have. Some of the men were wounded, [and] those
who were wounded and needed attention were taken to our sick bay
[medical facility]. One of them was the Captain, [Kapitanleutnant
Hans Steen], a man in his forties. He was brought down to the
sick bay in an unconscious condition and immediately the doctors
began to take care of him. I stayed with them a good deal that
night and part of the following day.
The Captain did not regain consciousness but in that interval
of twenty-four hours, everything was done possible on the part
of the doctors to save his life. There were six [units of] blood
plasmas given to him, two [blood] transfusions and in the period
five tanks of oxygen were used. But, he was in such deep shock
and the wounds had caused so much loss of blood that he died at
five o'clock the following afternoon.
The Captain of the ship [USS Card] indicated that the [German
captain's] funeral should be that evening before 8 o'clock reports.
So at 1900 [7 p.m.], on the following evening [6 July], we performed
the services of burial for the German U-boat Captain.
Our ship did not carry a swastika [Nazi flag] and it would not
be appropriate for an American flag to be draped over the body.
I found out that he was a member of the German Lutheran Church
and felt that the most appropriate covering would be our church
pennant which is the white pennant, nine foot pennant [a long
tapering triangular nautical flag] with the blue cross upon it.
So on our flight deck, on a platform on the port side (left side
of the ship), rigging was erected by our carpenters which enabled
us to dispose of the body as part of the service.
The company of the survivors of the submarine were informed and
had been kept informed during the twenty-four hours in which they
[the Navy doctors] were attempting to keep the Captain alive.
Two of the crew of the submarine gave blood transfusions so they
knew that everything had been done on the part of the medical
officers to save his life. And they were informed of the service
which would be at 1900.
The order was passed that it was a voluntary affair and the men
of our ship's company who wished to attend would do so voluntarily.
Practically the entire ship's company came to the flight deck
and put on the uniform-of-the-day which was obligatory for the
services. At 1900, the guard in custody of the prisoners, brought
them up the forward elevator [large platform which raised aircraft
from the hangar deck to the flight deck] and marched them to the
midship where the body was placed on the slide. To make it possible
for a quick disposal of the body, we had rigged a line from the
top of the canvas bag securing it to the bottom of the slide,
so that in the midst of the memorial service, during the committal,
it would be possible to cut the line and the body go into the
sea.
The service began with the two [German] officers standing on each
side of the body of their Captain. I read as a service a beautiful
prayer for our enemies which is in one of our Navy handbooks and
there are certainly very appropriate Scripture which can be read:
" The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
There are songs of comfort which I read and then I came to the
committal when his body was to be committed to the sea. They stood
at attention and as I started the committal and came to the portion
where the statement is given that the body will now be cast into
the sea, I reached forward with the knife and severed the line
and the body slowly slipped off the slide and went into the sea.
Just at that moment, before I could step back to the microphone
and continue the committal service, the entire company of survivors
whipped out the Nazi salute and in perfect cadence gave a farewell
cry to their Commanding Officer. I do not know what the words
were but it sounded like this. "Hola! Hola! Hola!"
And I understood it meant farewell.
It was interesting to see how moved the entire ship's company
were at this emotion and the restraint with the emotion as the
men of the submarine said farewell to their Commanding Officer.
Immediately following this outburst, which took us by surprise,
I stepped up to the mike and was able to finish the committal
service with its statement of the resurrection and the hope of
the Christian faith. At the conclusion of that, the ship's officers
returned the prisoners to the hold of the ship where they were
being kept until we could deliver them to an American port. And
later, one of the [German] officers asked if he could see me.
He was the one who could speak very good English and he thanked
me then for the service, and for the spirit of the service and
asked if, when it would be permissible, I would write to the widow
of the Captain informing her where he was buried, latitude and
longitude, and include in the letter the service that was used.
This I promised and have kept it so that when the war is concluded
and such documents can be sent back to Germany, I will do that
for Captain Steen's widow.
The service was an interesting one because of the spirit of both
companies. Each time that we have had survivors aboard, there
has been a noticed interest on the part of our own men that they
share their cigarettes and their candy and their ice cream with
the prisoners of war do not look on them as enemy but as sailors
who are then in need and there is no sense of bitterness or hostility.
Interviewer:
Chaplain, I take it this service was read in English and later
translated for the benefit of the German crew.
Chaplain Bell:
No, I'm sorry that was not done. But the one officer, you can
see looking at me here, (shows picture) interpreted the service
to the other of the members of the crew following the entire service.
Interviewer:
I think you spoke of this Captain as Captain Steen. Do you know
his full name?
Chaplain Bell:
Wilhelm Steen. [Kapitleutnant Hans Steen]
Interviewer:
What was the number of the U-boat? Do you recall?
Chaplain Bell:
I'm sorry I don't have that [U-233] but they had been in
commission for four-and-a-half years and most of that time had
been at sea. I know that the Navy has pictures taken off some
of the men which showed the commissioning detail and other activities
of the ship's life.
Interviewer:
What was the Destroyer that sank it?
Chaplain Bell:
The destroyers [destroyer escorts] were the [USS] Baker
and the [USS] Thomas.
Interviewer:
And where was this? Mid-Atlantic or South Atlantic?
Chaplain Bell:
No, This was the North Atlantic approximately 200 miles away from
the Sable Islands [islands approximately 100 nautical miles southeast
of Nova Scotia, Canada].
Interviewer:
And I don't think you gave the date of the recording.
Chaplain Bell:
This was July the 5th, 1944.
Interviewer:
How many did you figure were in the [submarine's] crew? About
50, would you say right off.
Chaplain Bell:
They say 61 were in the submarine's crew and we saved 31 with
one of these being the Captain. There were 30 survivors brought
ashore [at Boston, Massachusetts].
Interviewer:
How come we caught them so unawares I wonder?
Chaplain Bell:
From what I understand, this was one of the weather submarines,
giving out nightly weather broadcast to Germany and had been watched
for a good long time. Our planes were scouting in that area and
had come across it the day before but the attack was not successful.
I don't know the details but whether our Captain made a fake and
was able to surprise them by his night trip the night before or
not but it just so happens that they were caught very unexpectedly
and not realize that this escort group was so close to them.
Interviewer: Captain Isbell was off [no longer Commanding
Officer of] the [USS] Card then?
Chaplain Bell:
Yes, Captain Rufus C. Young was the Commanding Officer.
Interviewer:
I supposed you had several of these church flags?
Chaplain Bell:
Yes, we keep a number. This is the official size that is flown
from the mast on Sunday morning and seemed to be the appropriate
one to use for the service. It's a pennant nine feet long.
Notes: 36 United States Code 173-178, approved 22 December
1942, states that the church pennant is the only flag permitted
to fly above the US flag while at sea, and then only while divine
worship services are being held.
The photographs referred to in this interview are not located
in the collections of the Naval Historical Center. It is possible
they are located at the National Archives and Records Administration,
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.