the submarine rapidly submerged. Sterett began dropping depth charges furiously, and air bubbles and oil soon appeared on the surface, indicating damage to the German raider. After exhausting her supply of depth charges, Sterett pursued the enemy by the U-boat's wake of bubbles and trail of oil, hoping to force her to exhaust her batteries and air supply. She continued the pursuit through the night, guided in the darkness only by the fumes of the sub's leaking oil. Finally, at dawn, the destroyer's persistence was rewarded. She sighted the U-boat on the surface about ahead. Sterett sliced through the waves at top speed seeking to ram the submarine, but the U-boat countered by swinging hard to port. Sterett passed within of the submarine and, as the U-boat attempted to dive, brought her guns to bear. However, without sufficient time to bracket their adversary, Steretts gunners watched helplessly as the submarine slid beneath the surface and escaped. For their dogged determination, the officers and men of Sterett received the commendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland. The year 1918 brought with it an all-out effort on the part of the Central Powers to bring the war to a successful conclusion. The German Navy increased the intensity of its submarine operations in order to free Germany from the Allies' ever-tightening blockade. In response to this thrust, Sterett maintained a grueling schedule of convoy duty-a week or more at sea followed by a day or two in port. One of her new techniques, the use of airborne surveillance, presaged modern hunter-killer antisubmarine warfare. Inter-war period The Allies prevailed, however, and the Armistice, signed on 11 November, brought an end to Steretts strenuous duty; and, by 3 January 1919, she was back in the United States at Charleston. From there, she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was decommissioned on 9 December. On 9 March 1935, after a little more than 15 years of inactivity, Sterett was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. On 28 June, she was sold for scrapping to M. Black and Company of Norfolk, Virginia. References Paulding-class destroyers World War I destroyers of the United States Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1910 ships