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Originally Posted by Jimbuna

1918 U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts.

A handful of the shells fired by the U-boat’s U-156, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Richard Feldt, two deck guns struck Nauset Beach, giving the modest town of Orleans the distinction of being the first, and only, spot in the United States to receive fire from the enemy during the entire World War. Meanwhile, HS-1L flying boats and R-9 seaplanes were dispatched from the Chatham Naval Air Station and dive-bombed the enemy raider with payloads of TNT. It was the first time in history that American aviators engaged an enemy vessel in the western Atlantic.Alas Feldt and all hands were lost shortly on 25 SEP 1918 off the north sea probably by a mine. The one warship attributed to U-156 was the USS San Diego, sunk by a mine 19SEP1918 off New York, two days previous to the Orleans Massachusetts attack. She had sunk in 28 minutes with the loss of six lives, the only major warship lost by the United States in World War I.

There was no lack of response to this attack

Captain Phillip Eaton, the commander of the Chatham Naval Air Station. United States Coast Guard. Captain Eaton knew his station was short on planes so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Forty-five minutes after the U-156’s attack began, Captain Eaton took off in an R-9 seaplane in an effort to personally sink the German raider. http://www.attackonorleans.com/the-participants.html Four barges sunk and a fifth damaged! http://uboat.net:8080/wwi/boats/successes/u156.html