U.S.S. "Frederick C. Davis" Sinking into the North Atlantic

ID: SIA2007-0164

Creator: Unknown

Form/Genre: Photographic print

Date: April 24, 1945

Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Assession 08-003, Box 1, Philip K. Lundeberg Papers

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Summary

U.S.S. "Frederick C. Davis" (DE-136) about to take her final plunge in the North Atlantic, halfway between Newfoundland and the Azores. Sunk by "U-546 (Just)" at 0840 on 24 April 1945 as "Davis" was moving in for a depth charge attack. In various stages of shock, compounded by underwater blasts from two depth charge explosions as "Davis" sank, seventy-seven of the "Davis" crew of 192 survived two to four hours in shark-infested waters and were rescued by sister ships. "U-546" was sunk, with 33 survivors, some ten hours later, after a protracted hunt and numerous depth charge barrages. Background for this image is in Philip K. B. Lundeberg's chapter, "Operation TEARDROP Revisited" in Timothy Runyan, editor, "To Die Gallantly" (Boulder, Oxford: Westview Press, 1994), (Philip K. Lundeberg, 10/04/06)

Subject

  • Lundeberg, Philip K. 1923-2019
  • United States Navy
  • U.S.S. Frederick C. Davis

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

Naval historian Lundeberg came to the Smithsonian in January 1959 as a Consultant in the Department of Armed Forces History in the Museum of History and Technology, now known as the National Museum of American History, and in June of that year was appointed Associate Curator in the Division of Naval History. From 1962 to 1984 Lundeberg was Curator of Naval History and in 1984, when the Divisions of Naval and Military History were merged to form the Division of Armed Forces History, he was named Curator of Armed Forces History. Following his retirement in 1986, he was named Curator Emeritus of Armed Forces History in 1987.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Assession 08-003, Box 1, Philip K. Lundeberg Papers

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

April 24, 1945

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

  • WW II
  • Boats and boating
  • Shipwrecks
  • Transportation, Military
  • Naval battles
  • Naval history
  • History
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Military
  • Ships
  • Armed Forces--History

Form/Genre

  • Photographic print
  • Aerial

ID Number

SIA2007-0164

Physical description

Number of Images: 1; Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8 h; Type of Image: aerial; Medium: Photographic print

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