After Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, the Nazis launched Operation Paukenschalg (Drumbeat), and in eight months German U-boats sank nearly 400 ships along the U.S. East Coast, including at least 70 off the Outer Banks, which became known as “Torpedo Junction.” Because the U.S. Navy had no specific anti-submarine fleet, 24 British Royal Navy Patrol Service ships came to assist. On April 9, 1942, the Motor Vessel San Delfino, an armed British tanker, was torpedoed east of Cape Hatteras, and 28 of the 50 men aboard died. The remains of two men, Fourth Engineer Michael Cairns, 28, and another unidentified sailor, washed ashore, where local citizens compassionately cared for the fallen and laid them to rest with military honors. Each year, a community ceremony honors the British seamen who came to the region’s aid.