World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC: Invitation to Destruction

The U.S. cargo ship's skipper ordered Sparks to relay the S. O. S. Neither the captain, the first officer nor Sparks saw anything suspicious about the signal reporting a ship in distress some 30 miles distant in the South Atlantic. Soon night closed down over the unruffled sea and the third officer spotted lights about three miles away. Swiftly the lights grew closer to starboard. At three-quarters of a mile the approaching ship opened fire. Shells from 8-in. guns tore into the cargo vessel, quickly putting its deck guns out of action. Torpedoes...

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