Orleans and the U-156 shelling

The 1918 U-156 attack near Orleans, Massachusetts, explains why Ellwood is categorized differently. U-156 had probably been ordered to cut the transatlantic communications cable running from Orleans to Brest before it encountered the tug Perth Amboy, three barges, and the schooner Lansford. Its large gun ammunition supply made shellfire more sensible than spending scarce torpedoes on slow, minor targets. The submarine heavily damaged Perth Amboy, sank the barges and schooner, and then fired unsuccessfully at responding flying boats, with some shells reaching the shore. A US Coast Guard surfboat rescued 32 sailors during the hour-long engagement. Newspapers converted the encounter into speculation about a hidden German support base in Canada's Bay of Fundy, showing how limited information could inflate a coastal incident.