A Shocking Morning on the Atlantic
On the morning of 21 July 1918 residents of Orleans, Massachusetts heard distant thumps beyond the shoreline. Few imagined that the noise came from a German U boat firing live rounds. Yet that morning a small convoy of American vessels came under attack only a few miles from Nauset Beach. The incident placed Orleans in a rare position in United States history. It became the only place in the country hit by enemy fire during World War I.
The Convoy Under Fire
German submarine U 156, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Richard Feldt, had been operating off Cape Cod. Historians have noted that it may have been in the area to cut the trans Atlantic communication cable that ran between Orleans and Brest in France. As the submarine moved through the region Feldt spotted the tugboat Perth Amboy. It was towing three barges and a three masted schooner named Lansford.
It was once claimed that the submarine fired torpedoes at the tug, yet later accounts concluded these were more likely shells or warning shots. Torpedoes were valuable equipment and historians have found little reason for U 156 to use them on small unarmed vessels. Soon afterward U 156 surfaced about three miles offshore and used its twin deck guns to open fire. Perth Amboy was badly damaged. The barges and the schooner sank.
Aircraft Respond
Naval Air Station Chatham had only recently been completed and two Curtiss HS 2L flying boats took off to attack the submarine. Each aircraft carried bombs and dropped them near U 156. None exploded. Later reports blamed faulty arming procedures or simply a lack of experience. The submarine raised its guns toward the aircraft and continued shooting. The shells aimed for the planes missed and several landed in surrounding marshes and on Nauset Beach.
Those shells gave Orleans a unique status. The town became the only place in the United States to receive enemy artillery fire during the war. Evidence from the time shows that these shells were not deliberately fired at the shoreline. There were no military assets on land and the focus of the attack remained on the convoy offshore. No one was killed.
Rescue Under Shellfire
While the attack continued United States Coast Guard Station Number 40 launched a surfboat with a volunteer crew. They rowed out through rough water while shells struck nearby. They rescued all 32 sailors from the tug and barges. After firing 147 rounds during the hour long engagement U 156 submerged and left the area around 11:30 in the morning.
Newspapers Take Notice
The event later appeared in newspapers across the country. Reporters called it the Battle of Orleans and some outlets even offered rewards for the discovery of secret submarine bases in the Bay of Fundy. A small number of shells and impact craters were later found on shore. The U boat continued north and attacked other Allied vessels. The incident also marked the first time the United States had been shelled by an external power since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1846.
On 21 July 1918, distant thumps rolled over Nauset Beach.
A German U boat surfaced off Orleans and opened fire.
A tug with three barges plus the schooner Lansford were under attack.
The town recorded the only enemy shells to hit United States soil in WW I…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/Cr0LlvGXgJ
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) November 5, 2025