USS Borie (DD-215)

USS Borie (DD-215) was a Clemson-class destroyer of the United States Navy commissioned in 1920 and active through the interwar period and World War II. She served with fleets operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and North Atlantic convoy routes, engaging in convoy escort, patrol, and anti-submarine warfare. Borie is most noted for her close-quarters engagement and loss after combat with the German U-boat U-405 in late 1943.

Construction and commissioning

Borie was laid down at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia under the Clemson-class destroyer program that followed World War I naval expansion initiatives associated with the Washington Naval Conference. Her construction and sea trials involved shipbuilding practices influenced by designers such as Bath Iron Works contemporaries and followed standards established by the General Board of the United States Navy. Commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia in 1920, she joined the Atlantic-based destroyer forces and participated in exercises connected to fleet tactics developed after the Battle of Jutland lessons and the London Naval Treaty era negotiations.

Pre-World War II service

During the 1920s and 1930s, Borie operated from home ports including Norfolk, Virginia and deployments to the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. She conducted maneuvers alongside ships from the Atlantic Fleet, participated in diplomatic stations visits near Gibraltar and Tunis, and operated in concert with flagships such as USS Texas (BB-35) and USS Arizona (BB-39) during fleet problems reflecting doctrines pursued by commanders like Admiral William Sims and staff influenced by Joseph Strauss. Her missions included presence patrols associated with protection of American citizens during regional disturbances involving actors such as Spain during the Spanish Civil War and political fragmentation in the Near East. Periodic overhauls saw Borie visit naval yards including Philippi, New York Navy Yard, and Boston Navy Yard.

World War II operations

With the outbreak of hostilities in World War II and the German Battle of the Atlantic, Borie was assigned to convoy escort duties and anti-submarine patrols protecting merchant convoys between North America and Europe. She operated under command structures that coordinated with the Royal Navy, Allied convoy system, and the United States Atlantic Fleet while engaging tactics developed from methods used by commanders like Admiral Ernest King and allied planners from Combined Operations Headquarters. Borie escorted troopships and tankers, screened capital ships, and participated in hunter-killer groups informed by sonar and depth-charge procedures codified at training centers such as Casco Bay and specialties tied to the Naval Research Laboratory. Her routes often crossed the approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Azores, and the sea lanes around Iceland during harsh North Atlantic weather, contributing to operations in the context of campaigns that included convoy battles associated with U-boat wolfpack tactics inspired by the Kriegsmarine.

Battle with U-405 and loss

In November 1943 Borie engaged the German U-boat U-405 during a night action in the North Atlantic while escorting a convoy. The encounter evolved from long-range detection using equipment developed from ASDIC advances to close-quarters combat when Borie closed to ram and engaged the submarine. The melee involved surface gunfire, small arms exchanges, and attempts to board, recalling desperate actions seen in earlier surface-submarine clashes involving vessels like HMS Duchess (H41) and encounters cataloged in assessments by Admiral Karl Dönitz. Damage sustained by Borie from torpedo hits and gunfire caused flooding, loss of propulsion, and eventual abandonment ordered under the authority of her commanding officer in coordination with nearby escorts including destroyers comparable to USS Leary (DD-158) and USS Moffett (DD-362). Survivors were rescued by Allied escorts and merchantmen; Borie sank and was listed among wartime losses recorded in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and casualty reports compiled by the Naval Historical Center.

Legacy and memorials

Borie's action against U-405 and her loss were cited in postwar analyses by naval historians and anti-submarine warfare scholars referencing the operational record of destroyers in the Battle of the Atlantic. Her story appears in unit histories and memorials honoring crews of destroyers and U.S. Navy personnel; commemorative ceremonies have taken place at naval installations such as Norfolk Naval Station and monuments like the National World War II Memorial contextually referencing the sacrifices of escort crews. Artifacts and crew accounts contributed to collections at institutions including the National Museum of the United States Navy and archives maintained by the Naval Historical Foundation. Borie's example influenced subsequent destroyer doctrine, veteran reunions, and public remembrances preserved in oral histories curated by the Library of Congress and naval research repositories.

Category:Clemson-class destroyers Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean