USS Roper was closing in fast after U-85. The crew of the German Submarine surfaced to disappear at top speed, desperate to survive the night of April 13, 1942

Little did the submariners know that USS Roper had radar to track them down no matter where they went. Developed during World War 1, Roper had been updated; the old but reliable US Navy Wickes-class destroyer would not relent.

As U-85 broke the waves in the pitch-black darkness, its captain felt relieved, thinking they’d make it out of the North Carolina coast. Suddenly, Roper’s searchlights caught onto them.

The submariners rushed to the deck gun, risking their lives as the submarine prepared to crash-dive before a lethal salvo sank it.

The time had come for one last stand between an old destroyer and a modern Kriegsmarine submarine.