German U-boats attacked the East Coast of the US during WWII. Britain sent 24 Royal Navy vessels to help, but one, HMS Bedfordshire, was lost with 34 crew members. Five bodies were buried in British cemeteries on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke, which are leased to the War Graves Commission. The sinking is commemorated every 12 May.
During World War II, German U-boats prowled the East Coast of the United States, wreaking havoc along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The US Navy failed to stop the attacks, so Britain sent 24 Royal Navy vessels to help. One of those vessels, HMS Bedfordshire, was lost by a German torpedo and her entire crew of 34 perished. Five bodies were later recovered and were buried along with other British casualties in British cemeteries on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke. Both of these North Carolina cemeteries are leased in perpetuity to the War Graves Commission, technically making them British soil.
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From 1942 to 1945, German U-boats sank more than 400 ships and killed 5,000 sailors in an offensive that German sailors called the “Great American Turkey Shoot.”
The United States Coast Guard maintains Ocracoke British Cemetery, while Buxton British Cemetery is maintained by the National Park Service.
The sinking of the Bedfordshire is commemorated every 12 May. Royal Navy sailors lay wreaths and local villagers read the names of the dead in the Gaelic-derived Ocracoke Island accent.
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