German U-boats quit American coastal waters; 609 ships are gone in seven months

For seven months, German U-boats hunted American shipping so close to shore that burning tankers were visible from beach hotels. Kapitänleutnant Reinhard Hardegen and other commanders found targets sailing alone, lit up on peacetime courses, with almost no naval escort to stop them. By August 1942, 609 ships and 3.1 million tons had gone down for the loss of just 22 U-boats. The turning point came only after the US Navy finally organized coastal convoys along the Eastern Sea Frontier, starting May 14 from Hampton Roads, and the slaughter along the Atlantic seaboard came to a close…