Action of 4 April 1918

The Action of 4 April 1918 was a naval action fought somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. An unidentified Kaiserliche Marine U-boat attacked three armed transports of the United States Army and Navy, but failed to damage the American ships before she was sunk.

Action of 4 April 1918
Part of World War I Atlantic U-boat Campaign
USAT Henry R. Mallory during World War I.
Date 4 April 1918 Location Atlantic Ocean Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Gilbert Chase	unknown
Strength
3 transports	1 submarine
Casualties and losses
none	1 submarine sunk

Action

On 4 April 1918, the armed transports Henry R. Mallory, Tenadores and Mercury were steaming back to the United States in convoy after having completed a troop transportation voyage to France. At 11:45 in the morning, a German U-boat of unknown designation surfaced and fired torpedoes at Mallory. Lookouts aboard the transport spotted the torpedoes, allowing the ship to successfully evade them.

The submarine was sighted by the other American transports; all three ships opened fire with their main guns, and appeared to hit the U-boat as she submerged. The vessels then maneuvered in close and depth charged the last-known location of the Germans. The three American vessels were credited with sinking the attacking submarine. The convoy reached the United States on or about 13 April 1918.

See also

• Action of 8 May 1918
• Battle of the Atlantic
• Battle of the Mediterranean

References

• Crowell, Benedict; Robert Forrest Wilson (1921). The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918. How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920. New Haven: Yale University Press. OCLC 18696066.