21st July 1918 On this day: Daily Activity   9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Maps, 28 Bailleul & Berthen 1/10000 (Edition 1 B local). Meulehouck (right of left sub-sector). Day and night normal. War Diaries Australian Troop Transports    RMS Mongolian Picture from: Clydebuilt Ships Database. The RMS Mongolia weighed 4,892 tons with an average cruise speed of 12 knots or 22.22 kmph. It was owned by the Indian & Peninsular St. Nav Co Ltd Glasgow. It was torpedoed and sunk on the 21st July 1918. Contracted at times to transport Australian troops. John Doran Attack on Orleans 1918   The Attack on Orleans was a naval and air action during World War I which took place on 21 July 1918. A German U-boat opened fire on the American town of Orleans, Massachusetts and several merchant vessels nearby. A tugboat was sunk, but shells fired in the direction of the town landed harmlessly in a marsh and on a beach. Attack On the morning on 21 July 1918, under the command of Richard Feldt, U-156 was positioned off Nauset Beach, located in Orleans, Massachusetts. U-156 surfaced and opened fire on the town with her deck guns, then with torpedoes and her deck guns on the 140 foot tugboat Perth Amboy, which was surrounded by four wooden barges. Men from the nearby Coast Guard station rushed up to the observation tower to see what the commotion was. One of them called Chatham Naval Air Station to inform them of the ongoing U-boat attack. Reuben Hopkins, a Coast Guard veteran of the engagement, reached the tower rail in time to see an enemy shell explode over the tugboat. The tug was quickly sunk and U-156 then started firing upon the barges. Escaping from the now burning Perth Amboy and barges were 32 merchant sailors and civilians, including the captain's wife and children. Reuben Hopkins stayed behind as other men went to rescue the tugboat survivors who were coming ashore in lifeboats. Soon, Curtiss HS-2L flying boats and R-9 floatplanes arrived to bomb the U-boat, but the ordnance dropped either were duds or failed to hit the target and the warplanes had to fly back to Chatham, Massachusetts to reload. Aftermath U-156 got away and headed north, where it continued to attack other allied ships. Back in Orleans, a few shells and craters were found on shore. Some also were found in the nearby marsh. The area sustained minor damage. The psychological effects on the population of Orleans were immediate as people began reporting the hearing of naval battles off the coast. Others talked about the supposed "mother ship" for U-156. Newspapers dubbed the engagement as the "Battle of Orleans" and offered a reward for the discovery of submarine supply bases in the Bay of Fundy. Towns also banned lights for fear that German spies would use them to signal U-boats. The attack on Orleans was the only Central Powers raid mounted against the United States mainland during World War I. It was also the first time the Continental United States was shelled by foreign enemy guns since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1846. There were no fatalities. The Continental U.S. would be shelled again twice in 1942 by Japanese submarines during the Pacific War. These two engagements are known as the Bombardment of Fort Stevens along the northeast Pacific coast of Oregon and the Bombardment of Ellwood near Santa Barbara, California. John Doran    CAUDESCURE Very quiet day. Some shelling and considerable machine gun fire during the night. 18th DLI war diary WO95/2361/1  On the March  Night Firing  On the March  Horse Show  On the Move  Quiet  Orders  POW Captured  Church Parade  Working Parties  Battalion employed on improvement of defences generally  Quiet Day  Amendment to Operation Order No.10.  Amendment to Operation Order No.10.  Relief postponed  Street Fighting   HQ Auditing Accounts  In Camp  Orders  Brigade on the March  Reorganisation  Operational Orders.  Reliefs  As per 7th Tank Regt. G/274.  Airmen killed Can you add to this factual information? Do you know the whereabouts of a unit on a particular day? Do you have a copy of an official war diary entry? Details of an an incident? The loss of a ship? A letter, postcard, photo or any other interesting snipts? If your information relates only to an individual, eg. enlistment, award of a medal or death, please use this form: Add a story.

Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner and Patient Reports published this day. This section is under construction.

Want to know more about 21st of July 1918? There are:28 items tagged 21st of July 1918 available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Remembering those who died this day, 21st of July 1918. Pte. Arnold Binnie. 5th Btn. King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. George Richard Piercy. 2nd/5th Btn. B Coy. Duke Of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Herbert John Proudfoot Wall. 9th Btn. Durham Light Infanty Read their Story. Pte. Jack Winson. 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment Read their Story. Add a name to this list.

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