Wreck of USS Sentinel (AM-113)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, United States Navy, minehunter / minesweeper (ship)

USS Sentinel was a Auk Class Minesweeper built in 1941 and commissioned into US Navy service in November 1942. After joining the US Atlantic Fleet, she took part in convoy escort and anti-submarine patrols off the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard, several times engaging Nazi U-boats in the waters off the Virginia Capes.

On April 13th, 1943, the Sentinel departed US waters as a convoy escort and sailed for North Africa, where she would spend the next three months in near constant operation sweeping mines and patrolling for U-boats along the North African coast from Oran to Bizerte. On July 8th 1943, the Sentinel was assigned to Task Group 86.3 and sailed as part of the Allied Invasion Fleet bound for Sicily as part of Operation Husky. Tasked with sweeping the waters of Licata Harbor free of mines for the approaching landing craft, the Sentinel and her sistership USS Seer (AM-112) began their work under the cover of darkness on July 10th, 1943.

At 0430hrs the Sentinel was offshore of Licata screening her sistership against U-boats when flares onshore illuminated the ship. Several waves of Messerschmitt Me-210 bombers were soon attacking the Sentinel, and though her gunners were able to put up a stiff defense against the planes at approximately 0500hrs a single bomb landed just 200 yards off her Starboard quarter, which was followed minutes later by a full 4 bomb salvo that staddled the ship. The concussive force of the underwater explosions ripped open a 8ft hole in the side of the Sentinel and injured most of the crew below decks, in addition to knocking out much of the ships power and communication systems. Over the next hour, the Sentinel was attacked a further four times and another bomb impacted her bow gun turret, killing most if it's crew and showering the bridge with shrapnel, wounding many of her officers. Finally, with the light of the breaking dawn making her an easy target for shore artillery and the Sentinel drifting powerless and taking on water, she was ordered abandoned at 0615hrs. Several allied craft responded and removed the dead and wounded from the ship, but a small skeleton crew remained onboard in a last attempt to save the ship.

The small patrol craft PC-550 remained stubbornly by the side of the Sentinel in very hostile waters until her list passed 28 degrees to Starboard and her Captain ordered the ship abandoned. As the PC-550 withdrew with the remaining crew and officers of the Sentinel, she was seen to capsize and sink in this area at approximately 1045hrs on July 10th, 1943.

For her actions on July 10th, 1943, the USS Sentinel was awarded her second and final Battle Star.

www.navsource.org/archives/11/02113.htm