In the dark, icy waters of the North Atlantic, the USS Kearny, a gleaming destroyer, found itself in the crosshairs of a German U-boat. On October 17, 1941, the Kearny became the first US Navy vessel to be torpedoed by a U-boat, marking a significant turning point in American involvement in World War II. With its hull dented and bruised, the Kearny managed to limp back to port, but the attack sent a clear message to the US government: the war was coming, and it was time to take action.