USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James
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USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
1: Great Britain had
declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939 and the
British Battle of the Atlantic was in full swing.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
2: The
Lend-Lease Act allowed
the British access to American arms, munitions and
supplies but the British had to send its own ships to
pick up the goods.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
3: The convoys of
British cargo ships were under constant attack by German
U-Boat submarines and their precious cargoes were being
lost.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
4: The United States
was still technically neutral so President Roosevelt was unable to order
the US Navy to protect the British merchant cargo ships.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
5: FDR
therefore declared the western half of the Atlantic as
neutral and ordered the US Navy to patrol what he called
the 'Hemispheric Defense Zone' and help the allies by reporting the
location of German U-Boat submarines to the British.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
6: The "Greer
incident" occurred south of Iceland in the North
Atlantic on September 4, 1941. The USS Greer (DD 145),
an American destroyer was carrying American mail to
Iceland and had been radioing the position of a German
U-Boat to the British.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
7: The USS Greer
became the first US Navy war ship to be fired on by a
German U-Boat (U-652) but the two torpedoes missed their
target.
Continued...
Facts
about the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James for kids
Facts
about the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James for kids
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Facts
about the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James for kids
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
8: The USS Greer had maintained
the German U-boat in sound contact for 3 hours and 28 minutes. After
evading the two torpedoes fired at her the Greer attacked with 19
depth charges and therefore also became the first American ship in
World War II to attack the Germans.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
9: The Greer was flying the
American flag and her identity as an American ship was unmistakable.
FDR responded to the "Greer incident" by issuing what became known
as his "shoot-on-sight" order toward German submarines.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
10: President Roosevelt
unofficially declared war on anyone who further attacked American
vessels, or foreign shipping under escort, in the North Atlantic
stating "If German or Italian vessels of war enter these waters,
they do so at their own peril."
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
11: FDR reported the
events of the "Greer incident" to the American people
during one of his 'Fireside Chats' on September 11, 1941
calling it an act of piracy. The president went on to
state that the Nazi danger to the Western world had long
ceased to be a mere possibility.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
12: The USS Kearny (DD
432) was torpedoed on October 17, 1941 by a German
U-boat (U-568) while on patrol off Greenland. The USS
Kearny but did not sink, but 11 men were killed and 22
men were injured in the explosion.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
13: Ten days after the
attack on the USS Kearny, President Roosevelt made his
"Navy Day Address" to the nation on October 27, 1941
stating that the "forward march of Hitler and of
Hitlerism can be stopped - and it will be stopped..."
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact 14:
On October 31, 1941 the U.S.S.
Reuben James was torpedoed and sunk whilst escorting convoy HX-156
of forty-three merchant ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia to England.
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
15: The explosions
broke the ship in two and the sinking of the Reuben
James American destroyer resulted in the loss of 115 of
160 American crewmen. Reuben James was the first United
States warship sunk two months before Pearl Harbor
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Fact
16: The incidents in
the Atlantic moved America nearer to outright
involvement in the European war. Japan bombed the United
States fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
and the United States entered World War II.
Facts
about the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James for kids
USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James for kids - President Franklin Roosevelt Video
The article on the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Roosevelt video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 32nd American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
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Summary of the USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James in US history
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USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James important, key
events
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Franklin Roosevelt
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
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Foreign & Domestic
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