Sinking of Athabaskan

29 April 1944, English Channel, off the Île Vierge, Brittany

Both sides lost a ship; Athabaskan sunk and T27 driven ashore

Three nights later T24 and T27 were moving from Saint-Malo to Brest when Athabaskan and Haida intercepted them off the Île Vierge. The Canadians fired star shell; the Germans laid smoke, turned away and fired torpedoes. One hit Athabaskan, which blew up and sank. Haida went after T27, hit her repeatedly and drove her ashore in flames. Then Haida's captain, Harry DeWolf, came back and stopped among the survivors in the water, with dawn coming and the enemy coast a few miles away, and picked up as many as he could. 128 of Athabaskan's crew were killed, and most of the rest were taken prisoner by the Germans. T27 was wrecked on the rocks and destroyed by British motor torpedo boats and aircraft a few days later.