Buxton in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Honoring Their Sacrifice
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 14, 2024
1. Honoring Their Sacrifice Marker
On December 11, 1941, Germany declared war on the United States. The Nazis launched Operation Paukenschalg (Drumbeat), a swift and devastating blow to the eastern seaboard. In eight months German U-boats sank nearly 400 ships along the US East Coast. At least 70 were sunk off the Outer Banks, earning it the name Torpedo Junction. The US Navy had no specific anti-submarine fleet, so 24 British Royal Navy Patrol Service ships sailed to assist.
On April 9, 1942, the Motor Vessel San Delfino, an armed British tanker, was torpedoed east of Cape Hatteras; 28 of the 50 men on board perished. The remains of two menFourth Engineer Michael Cairns, 28, and another unidentified sailorwashed ashore. Local citizens cared compassionately for the fallen, respectfully laying them to rest with military honors. Each year, a community ceremony honors the British seamen who came to our aid.
(captions)
An annual ceremony to honor sailors on the Motor Vessel San Delfino includes British and Canadian navy representatives, speeches, a wreath-laying, and a 21-gun salute.
Motor Vessel believed to be the San Delfino
Wreck of the Motor Vessel San Delfino
Erected by National
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is April 9, 1942.
Location. 35° 14.882′ N, 75° 31.992′ W. Marker is in Buxton, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from Lighthouse Road 0.3 miles south of Loggerhead Lane, on the right when traveling south. Located in the WWII British Sailor Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Buxton NC 27920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 14, 2024
2. WWII British Sailor Cemetery
Another marker is no longer nearby. "Paukenschlag" (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location title "Paukenschlag".
Also see . . .
1. San Delfino. (Submitted on September 16, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
2. Cape Hatteras National Seashore. National Park Service (Submitted on September 17, 2024.)
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 14, 2024
3. Gravesites of British Seamen
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 14, 2024
4. Unknown Sailor
1939-45 War
Body found 21 May 1942
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 14, 2024
5. Michael Cairns
M V "San Delfino"
9th April 1942 Age 28
Body found 7 May 1942
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 292 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 16, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
