 In February 1918 , Nicholson transferred to Brest where she escorted convoys along the French coast . In early September 1918 , Nicholson was one of six destroyers escorting a westbound pair of US Navy transports , Agamemnon and Mount Vernon . On the morning of 5 September , about 250 nmi ( 290 mi ; 460 km ) west of Brest , German submarine U @-@ 82 torpedoed Mount Vernon , knocking out half of the troopship 's boilers . Nicholson , Conner , Winslow , and Wainwright , all depth charged the U @-@ boat without success , but , combined with defensive efforts from Mount Vernon herself , helped prevent the submarine from launching a coup de grâce against the former German liner . Mount Vernon safely made it back to Brest with the loss of 37 crewmen out of the 1 @,@ 450 passengers and crew on board . 
