Due to Enemy Action: The True World War II Story of the USS Eagle 56

By Stephen Puleo

Book Overview

Due to Enemy Action tells for the first time a World War II story that spans generations and straddles two centuries, a story that begins with the dramatic Battle of the Atlantic in the 1940s and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592287395
• ISBN13: 9781592287390
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 321 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Well Done

Stephen Puleo has done another nice job in writing about an obscure piece of New England history.I especially enjoyed the early chapters where he describes the operation of U-Boats and the Allies efforts to hunt them down.The heroes in this book are of course the crew of the 56.But Paul Lawton deserves a pat on the back for his dogged determination in getting to the truth.It's a damn shame that nine of the 13 survivors of the sinking went to their grave without the truth being told.Thanks to the efforts of Puleo and Lawton at least their families now know.

Forty Seven Years to Get to the Truth

The USS "Eagle" - PE-56 (Patrol Escourt) was as ugly a ship as our navy could put to sea. 200 feet long with a crew of 62, the "Eagle" was one of sixty ships of her class, a subchaser. She had spent the war on the East Coast of the United States doing rescue work, patrolling, and other tasks. Her last job was towing a target for dive bombers out to sea. Sitting dead still in the water a massive explosion occurred mid-ship and blew the "Eagle" into two parts. Forty nine of her crew were killed, either immediately or from emersion in the frigid spring waters off Maine. The Navy ruled that the explosion was an accidental boiler explosion. This was in spite of some of the crew reporting that they had seen a submarine surface just after the attack. The "Eagle" was the last American warship sunk by a German U-boat. A few days later the Navy changed their ruling to "undetermined causes." And there the matter remained for forty seven years. Paul M. Lawton was convinced that the Navy was wrong and patiently worked (a little at a time) for forty seven years to collect evidence that the Navy ruling was wrong. He was finally vindicated when various previously classified documents were released, and the knowledge of the U-853 came out. Finally the Navy changed its finding that the "Eagle" was lost "due to enemy action." This is the story of Paul Lawton's quest. It's a story of one man's triumph over bureaucracy. It's quite a story.