Many people are not aware of how close WW1 and WW2 came to the American shores. Off the east coast of the U.S. alone more 200 ships became causalities of German U-boats in WW2. In at least one instance Geman soldiers came ashore from a U-boat off Long Island to wreak terror, and havac here in the country. But that story for another day.
This is one of those WW1 causalities,
U.S.S. San Diego
She was originally launched in San Francisco in 1904 as the CALIFORNIA. Three years later she was commissioned as part of the U.S Fleet, and by 1914 was renamed the SAN DIEGO. She was a heavily armed cruiser measureing over 500’ and a beam of 70’.
Shortly after the start of WW1 she was ordered over to the Atlantic where she was to escort the many convoys of American ships making the treacherous journey to Europe through the U-Boat infested waters of the Atlantic. She fullfilled all her missions without incident.
On July 18, 1918 her luck would change. As was the order of the time she was running a zig-zag course for NY as this would make it a more difficult target for the German fleet. Unfortunately, this course of action does nothing to avoid hitting German mines. Shortly before high noon that day in what was an otherwise almost “Bluebird” weather day, she experienced a massive explosion on her port side. 30 minutes later she would go down to bottom off Fire Island in about 100’-110’ of H2O. Subsequent investigations have not positivly identified what exactly sunk her. They have narrowed it down to three possibilities……. A German mine, a U.S. mine placed to deter U-Boats, or a torpedo. The final death count was 6 souls.
She lays on the bottom as a turtle wreck, upside down. After she went down U.S Forces had assumed she was struck by a U-boat, and from the sky they could she the outline of the upside down hull and thought it was the U-Boat. They bombed her relentlessly and much damage was done to the hull.
Today she supports a wide range of marine life including many sharks, and sometimes tunas. I have shark fished her on several occasions. Very often however you will find dive boats anchored above her, and I didn’t think chuming up the waters while diver’s were down would be a good idea so went hunting else where .
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