Abstract:
In January 1942, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ALEXANDER HAMILTON was transporting a Navy provision ship into Reykjavik Harbor when she was struck by German submarine U-132. Struck on its starboard side, HAMILTON began to settle but did not sink. The engine room and fire room were both wrecked, and the ship immediately lost power. Livingston Brooks, a Harkers Island resident, was killed instantly in the explosion along with nineteen other crew members. Five other Carteret County residents were on board and survived the attack. Remaining crew were all rescued while HAMILTON capsized. Those lost in the attack are memorialized in Cambridge, England.