In 1943, an American destroyer rammed a German submarine and got stuck on top of it. The USS Borie was hunting submarines at night, in a storm, in the North Atlantic. Locked together, the two crews fought with guns from just feet apart.
The submarine broke free, and the destroyer sank it. But the ram had torn open the Borie’s own hull. The next day, the Navy had to sink its own ship. 27 of her crew were lost.
Sources:
Naval History and Heritage Command, Borie I (Destroyer No. 215):
Naval History and Heritage Command, H-Gram 064, Close-Quarters Antisubmarine Warfare:
PBS NOVA, U-405:
uboat.net, U-405:
Images: 1943 artwork by Hunter Wood, U.S. Coast Guard, released by the U.S. Navy, and U.S. Navy photos (public domain).
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