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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 13, 2011 12:26:59 GMT -5
On Eternal Patrol - USS Seawolf (SS-197) & Includes my uncle Jimmy, and my family didn't find out that the USS Seawolf was sunk by a USN Destroyer until after several years of investigating what happened to cause this tragedy. The following men were lost while serving on USS Seawolf (SS-197). Seventeen U.S. Army personnel who were being transported by Seawolf were also lost, and are included on this list. Click on a man's name to go to his personal memorial page on this site. Photographs and personal information are needed as indicated in the column at right. www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-seawolf-197.htmMy father was in Navel I-Core.. I recall talking to him over one holiday about the problem of ID... Esp with the major Battle Ships in heavy fog.. Called the Fog of War.. This was a real problem in WWII as radar was new.. well it does help when your target is too big to miss and it is only only thing that size in the WAR... Just a thought, Bruce My uncle was aboard the USS Seawolf that was sunk in WW2 by friendly fire . And my cousin just retired from the Navy after 22 years or submarine service. And he is writing a book about the USS Seawolf and it's history during WW2. |
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 14, 2011 0:31:58 GMT -5
My father was in Navel I-Core.. I recall talking to him over one holiday about the problem of ID... Esp with the major Battle Ships in heavy fog.. Called the Fog of War.. This was a real problem in WWII as radar was new.. well it does help when your target is too big to miss and it is only only thing that size in the WAR... Just a thought, Bruce My uncle was aboard the USS Seawolf that was sunk in WW2 by friendly fire . And my cousin just retired from the Navy after 22 years or submarine service. And he is writing a book about the USS Seawolf and it's history during WW2. As I recall , the Seawolf was held a fault for not responding... On 3 October 1944, SEAWOLF and USS NARWHAL (SS-167) exchanged SJ radar recognition signals at 0756. An enemy submarine attacked and sank the USS SHELTON (DE407). Three of the four friendly submarines in the vicinity of this attack reported their positions as directed, but SEAWOLF was not heard from. On 4 October 1944, when again directed to report her position, SEAWOLF did not respond. Unaware of other friendly submarines in the area, the USS ROWELL (DE403) and U. S. aircraft had attacked a submarine in the vicinity of the SHELTON, and it was thought that SEAWOLF must be held down by these antisubmarine operations. It is possible that SEAWOLF had been the attacked submarine. The report from ROWELL indicates that an apparently lethal attack was conducted in conjunction with a plane that marked the spot with dye. ROWELL established sound contact on the submarine, which sent long dashed and dots which ROWELL states bore no resemblance to the existing recognition signals. After one of several hedgehog attacks a small amount of debris and a large air bubble were seen. It has been established that the Japanese submarine RO-41 sank SHELTON on 3 October 1944 and was able to return to Japan. In addition, there is no attack listed in the Japanese report of antisubmarine attacks which could account for the loss of the SEAWOLF. In view of these facts, it is possible that SEAWOLF was sunk by friendly forces in an antisubmarine attack on 3 October 1944. It is also possible that she was lost to an operational casualty or as a result of an unrecorded enemy attack. ALSO I THINK THE ROWELL WAS NEVER PROVEN TO HAVE SUNK THE SEAWOLF.. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SUNK BEFORE THUS IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABOUT TO RESPOND.HER HULL WAS ONLY G OOD FOR 250 FEET.. IT COULD HAVE CRUSHED..  THESE ARE AS MY FATHER SAID ARE THE FOGS OF WAR..THE OFFICIAL NAVY SAID "MIGHT HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUR OR HURT WITH FRIENDLY FIRE OR UNREPORTED JAPAN SUB ACTION.. LIKE A LOST TORPEDO. BRUCE Attachments:
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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 14, 2011 7:44:07 GMT -5
Our family was notified that the USS Seawolf was sunk by an enemy submarine in 1945 in the Philippine Sea. They were never told that it was possibly sunk by friendly fire to the best of my recollections. But there were always some in my large extended family who thought she was sunk by one of our Destroyers who were in the Navy in WW2 and claimed the Navy was relucant to give the complete story on how she and her entire crew were lost. My cousin says based on his investigation that the USS Seawolf was indeed sunk by one of our Destroyers..
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 14, 2011 10:44:37 GMT -5
Our family was notified that the USS Seawolf was sunk by an enemy submarine in 1945 in the Philippine Sea. They were never told that it was possibly sunk by friendly fire to the best of my recollections. But there were always some in my large extended family who thought she was sunk by one of our Destroyers who were in the Navy in WW2 and claimed the Navy was relucant to give the complete story on how she and her entire crew were lost. My cousin says based on his investigation that the USS Seawolf was indeed sunk by one of our Destroyers.. Based on Navy history , the Seawolf did not answer for two days..If the Seawolf was in working order she would have responded with the current code.. not dash and dots..If so ,, you need to check Navy operation manual as to the correct action for the Destroyers...These are the Fogs of war.. The simple truth is most likely the Navy did not know who they sank if they did sink anything.. The odds are the Seawolf was sunk on the 3rd.. The action of the destroyer just brought up the things that came up in the spot market on the 3rd. . If she was in operational order she would have been 250 K-Miles from the area and she would have responded. Sounds like a job for Robert Ballard. It sounded like the Japanese Capitan left in a hurry and remember she was an old boat with 7 patrols. Just my thought about the official records Bruce.. U-Boat has change one word.. to Most Likely...by Air then by destroyers Escort.. USS Seawolf (Lt.Cdr.Albert Marion Bontier) was most likely sunk by mistake in a safety zone for American submarines off Morotai in position 02º32'N, 129º18'E, by aircraft from the escort carrier USS Midway (CVE 63) and the destroyer escort USS Richard M. Rowell (DE 403). The American forces in the area had just been attacked by a Japanese submarine and Seawolf was apparently mistaken for it. There were no survivors. AGAIN SHE DID NOT ANSWER THE CALL OF LOCATION AND ID... |
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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 14, 2011 12:02:13 GMT -5
Also troubling is the number of US Submarines that were lost in the Pacific during WW2....My uncle enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor and was aboard the USS Seawolf for all of her missions in the Pacific. He left behind a wife and son who never knew him...and now owns a fishing business in Alaska. One of and my cousins who is a Navy Master Chief has given him tons of data about his Dad and the USS Seawolf including lots of old photos..
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 14, 2011 19:08:07 GMT -5
Also troubling is the number of US Submarines that were lost in the Pacific during WW2....My uncle enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor and was aboard the USS Seawolf for all of her missions in the Pacific. He left behind a wife and son who never knew him...and now owns a fishing business in Alaska.One of and my cousin who is a Navy Master Chief was given him tons of data about his Dad and the USS Seawolf including lots of old photos.. Start with.. We need to thank men and women like your Uncle for serving and give the gift of life to our Country.. Freedom is not free. The Seawolf was what was called a Fleet Sub.. It could do 20 K and had a huge range.. If you note her weight empty is listed at 2,350 tons.. About 1,000 tons greater then the DE . Problem for these was talked about in my first response.. At max dept of 250 ft you can see them very well in the deep clear South Pacific.. Yes all of the last built in the class were lost on such very dangerous sessions.. Also the Seawolf was large enough to carry the men and equipment on this very very very dangerous mission.. The Tench class was the first deep sub.. Tested to 400 feet. As before at that time all 56 Gato subs and all sub before were phased out. Best of luck on the book... I hope this was all correct.. if not please let me know, Bruce somewhere is my WWII photos I have a picture of the Seawolf next to the Dixie. with other subs most Gato Class, What a difference in size.. I am not sure why the bombardier could not tell the difference.. Like the Iowa vs Yamoto ... If anyone missed it .. It was the aircraft. |
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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 15, 2011 7:37:42 GMT -5
Here's the response from my cousin who is a retired Navy Master Chief Submarine Service www.usscrevalle.us Partially It only mentions the aftermath of the Dumb Stupid Shit (DSS). Those in the Submarine Service have proven over and over that they did indeed sink the boat. Safe zones Stealthy platforms, such as submarines, are especially prone to fratricide because they tend not to have active identification. In the Second World War, submarines in such lanes were still attacked and destroyed by their own side's anti-submarine warfare forces. In October 1943, the destroyer escort USS Rowell sank the USS Seawolf. A sister escort to Rowell had been torpedoed, Rowell established sonar contact with what her captain assumed to be the enemy that had just torpedoed a friendly ship.[4] Bottom line as we investigate some more incidents. Several other subs were harassed by this and other Task Groups The USS dorado may have also suffered the same fate: Dorado's sea trials proved the readiness of the crew, and she sailed from New London, Connecticut, on 6 October 1943 for the Panama Canal Zone. She did not arrive. The standard practice of imposing bombing restrictions within an area 50 nmi (93 km) ahead, 100 nmi (190 km) astern, and 15 nmi (28 km) on each side of the scheduled position of an unescorted submarine making passage in friendly waters had been carried out and all concerned had been notified. However, the crew of a PBM Mariner of Patrol Squadron 210 out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, assigned to provide air coverage on the evening of 12 October had received an incorrect description of the restriction area, 11 nmi (20 km) out of place. At 2049 local time, under a moon-lit but stormy sky, that plane attacked an unidentified submarine that it believed was outside the restriction area with three Mark-47 depth charges and a 100 lb (45 kg) Mark-4 Mod-4 demolition bomb. About two hours later, the plane sighted a second submarine with which it attempted to exchange recognition signals. This second submarine fired upon the plane. A convoy scheduled to pass through the restricted area surrounding Dorado on the evening of 12 October reported no contact. Air searches were begun immediately after 14 October, her scheduled date of arrival. Widely scattered oil slicks with occasional debris were found. Subsequently the Board of Investigation held in Guantánamo Bay], and the more formal Naval Board of Inquiry held at the Washington Navy Yard, found that the "widely scattered oil slicks" were actually oleous in nature and not bunker oil or fuel - most probably rotting vegetation like seaweed. All of the "occasional debris" was determined not to have come from Dorado. At both the Board of Investigation and the Court of Inquiry, the aircrew testified that they were certain that both submarines they had attacked were U-boats. Despite the circumstantial evidence, there are reasons to doubt that Dorado was sunk by the Mariner.[5] Because the crew knew that Dorado was operating in the area, they carefully observed their two targets before attacking. Prior to the first attack, the four crewmen of the aircraft observed the surfaced submarine for 12 minutes, noting: it was 48 nmi (89 km) from where they had been told to expect Dorado to be and 34 nmi (63 km) from where Dorado really was supposed to be it was heading almost 90 degrees off from Dorado’s base course it had no guns on the fore deck where Dorado carried a five-inch (127 mm) gun it had an entirely grooved deck where Dorado's deck was grooved only near the conning tower it had a "knob-like" object on the front of the conning tower, almost certainly the Biscay Cross radar detector installed on Type IX U-boats Post-war examination of Kriegsmarine records indicate that the submarine first attacked by the Mariner may have been U-518, though that boat's logs do not record the attack. It is possible that the attack went unnoticed by the boat; of the three depth charges and one 100 pound bomb that were dropped, one depth charge was a confirmed dud, one was dropped too low to arm, and neither the third depth charge nor the bomb were seen to explode. After the attack, the Mariner searched the area for 20 minutes, but saw no explosions, bubbles, or debris. The second submarine, attacked by the Mariner two hours later, was certainly U-214; her log book, captured after World War II, describes firing at the aircraft. Some sources credit the naval mines laid by U-214 with sinking Dorado. Also please correct the fact that the next class to the Gato class submarine was the Balao class. Seawolf was an earlier fleet boat of the Sargo-class submarines and they were the first US submarines to be sent into action after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, starting war patrols the day after the attack. They were built between 1937 and 1939. The USS Crevalle that I am the keeper of the history of along with the Pampanito in San Francisco and Bowfin in Pearl Harbor were the first of this class. It was kept highly secret as to the 400 foot plus depth that these double hull subs could dive to during the war. The Tench class was more of a modification to the original double hulled boats of the Balao class and came later in the War. The good thing about the Tench class is that they were very compatible to the addition of Snorkels. |
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 15, 2011 16:48:24 GMT -5
Here's the response from my cousin who is a retired Navy Master Chief Submarine Service www.usscrevalle.us Partially It only mentions the aftermath of the Dumb Stupid Shit (DSS). Those in the Submarine Service have proven over and over that they did indeed sink the boat. AGAIN, SORRY, DID YOU GO READ THE OPERATION MANUEL.. SEAWOLF FAILED TO RESPOND TO THE CALL TO ID ITSELF AND GIVE LOCATION. THAT IS MY POINT AND THE POINT OF THE NAVY BOARD OF INQUIRE.. IF THE SHIP DID NOT TAKE ACTION THE CAPITAN WOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH DERELICTION OF DUTY . HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOAST.. I CAN SEE WHY YOU THINK THE SHIP ATTACK WAS THE LAST PART OF THE DEAL.. FIND A PICTURE TAKEN BY THE PLANE. IT IS ALL ABOUT PROTOCOL.. YOU MUST ANSWER AN CHALLENGE TO YOUR ID, HE DID NOT.. WAS HE ABLE.. MOST LIKELY NOT. I ALSO ASKED TWO NAVY OFFICERS AND BOTH AGREE.. THE CAPITAN HAD NO CHOOSE. HE HAD LOST ONE SHIP AND THERE WAS A SMALL 975 TON L1 CLASS 2 JAPANESE . THREE OF FOUR DID ANSWER THE MANDATORY CALL FOR ID. SEAWOLF DID NOT. OFFICIAL RECORDS SAY LACK OF RESPONSE WAS MOST LIKELY THE REAL REASON. iuF THE SEAWOLD WAS AT THE SAME LOCATION.. THE BOAT WAS IN MAJOR PROBLEMS AND COULD NOT MOVE!!!.. MARKED THE DYE. BRUCE BTW, GREAT INFORMATION!!! BTW.. L1 CLASS HAD TWO HIGH VOLATILITY RIFLES ON THE CONNING TOWER.. TO SHOOT WITHOUT A 100% SURFACE . iF YOU CHECK WITH NAVAL I-CORE.. JAPANESE RECORDS AND LOSES CAN NOT BE TRUSTED.. BET THE IMPERIAL NAVY LOST TWO BOATS... Safe zones Stealthy platforms, such as submarines, are especially prone to fratricide because they tend not to have active identification. In the Second World War, submarines in such lanes were still attacked and destroyed by their own side's anti-submarine warfare forces. In October 1943, the destroyer escort USS Rowell sank the USS Seawolf. A sister escort to Rowell had been torpedoed, Rowell established sonar contact with what her captain assumed to be the enemy that had just torpedoed a friendly ship.[4] Bottom line as we investigate some more incidents. Several other subs were harassed by this and other Task Groups The USS dorado may have also suffered the same fate: Dorado's sea trials proved the readiness of the crew, and she sailed from New London, Connecticut, on 6 October 1943 for the Panama Canal Zone. She did not arrive. The standard practice of imposing bombing restrictions within an area 50 nmi (93 km) ahead, 100 nmi (190 km) astern, and 15 nmi (28 km) on each side of the scheduled position of an unescorted submarine making passage in friendly waters had been carried out and all concerned had been notified. However, the crew of a PBM Mariner of Patrol Squadron 210 out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, assigned to provide air coverage on the evening of 12 October had received an incorrect description of the restriction area, 11 nmi (20 km) out of place. At 2049 local time, under a moon-lit but stormy sky, that plane attacked an unidentified submarine that it believed was outside the restriction area with three Mark-47 depth charges and a 100 lb (45 kg) Mark-4 Mod-4 demolition bomb. About two hours later, the plane sighted a second submarine with which it attempted to exchange recognition signals. This second submarine fired upon the plane. A convoy scheduled to pass through the restricted area surrounding Dorado on the evening of 12 October reported no contact. Air searches were begun immediately after 14 October, her scheduled date of arrival. Widely scattered oil slicks with occasional debris were found. Subsequently the Board of Investigation held in Guantánamo Bay], and the more formal Naval Board of Inquiry held at the Washington Navy Yard, found that the "widely scattered oil slicks" were actually oleous in nature and not bunker oil or fuel - most probably rotting vegetation like seaweed. All of the "occasional debris" was determined not to have come from Dorado. At both the Board of Investigation and the Court of Inquiry, the aircrew testified that they were certain that both submarines they had attacked were U-boats. Despite the circumstantial evidence, there are reasons to doubt that Dorado was sunk by the Mariner.[5] Because the crew knew that Dorado was operating in the area, they carefully observed their two targets before attacking. Prior to the first attack, the four crewmen of the aircraft observed the surfaced submarine for 12 minutes, noting: it was 48 nmi (89 km) from where they had been told to expect Dorado to be and 34 nmi (63 km) from where Dorado really was supposed to be it was heading almost 90 degrees off from Dorado’s base course it had no guns on the fore deck where Dorado carried a five-inch (127 mm) gun it had an entirely grooved deck where Dorado's deck was grooved only near the conning tower it had a "knob-like" object on the front of the conning tower, almost certainly the Biscay Cross radar detector installed on Type IX U-boats Post-war examination of Kriegsmarine records indicate that the submarine first attacked by the Mariner may have been U-518, though that boat's logs do not record the attack. It is possible that the attack went unnoticed by the boat; of the three depth charges and one 100 pound bomb that were dropped, one depth charge was a confirmed dud, one was dropped too low to arm, and neither the third depth charge nor the bomb were seen to explode. After the attack, the Mariner searched the area for 20 minutes, but saw no explosions, bubbles, or debris. The second submarine, attacked by the Mariner two hours later, was certainly U-214; her log book, captured after World War II, describes firing at the aircraft. Some sources credit the naval mines laid by U-214 with sinking Dorado. Also please correct the fact that the next class to the Gato class submarine was the Balao class. Seawolf was an earlier fleet boat of the Sargo-class submarines and they were the first US submarines to be sent into action after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, starting war patrols the day after the attack. They were built between 1937 and 1939. The USS Crevalle that I am the keeper of the history of along with the Pampanito in San Francisco and Bowfin in Pearl Harbor were the first of this class. It was kept highly secret as to the 400 foot plus depth that these double hull subs could dive to during the war. The Tench class was more of a modification to the original double hulled boats of the Balao class and came later in the War. The good thing about the Tench class is that they were very compatible to the addition of Snorkels. Attachments:
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 15, 2011 19:02:35 GMT -5
PI I thought after reading this about the 201 class you might find it interesting about why we lost so many subs.. Most of the losses were of the older larger type subs.. IJN was aware of the problem.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-201_class_submarineThe 201 weighed about 1290 light ( surface) 1503 heavy did 19 K underwater@!!! much better then the German XXI sure glade the war ended before then could make more then 3 of them... |
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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 16, 2011 8:03:21 GMT -5
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 16, 2011 16:46:49 GMT -5
Yes, Nice boat but lighter then the SeaWolf.. I love the Fairbanks two opposing piston per cylinder. The point I have been weaving around in the dialog is just think of the high droma.. "Duty is a CRUEL master"... THINK OF THE HIGH DRAMA..IN A SAFTY ZONE THERE IS AT LEAST ONE JAPANESE SUB..WHAT COULD BE WORST FOR THE CAPTAINS OF THE DE ON THE SURFACE.. YOU GOT IT.. SUB THAT WILL NOT ANSWER IT ID CHALANGE.. SOUND LIKE ONE HELL OF A PLOT for a MEL GIBSON FLICK TO ME..REAL DRAMA AND YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, REMEMBER THESE CAPTAINS ARE DRIVING FOR THE BIRD( FULL) FROM YOUR SITE.. CREVALLE... 1962 DID YOU SEE THE I-201.. ( Class 1)MASSIVE DIRECT POWER AND COULD DRIVE DURING SNORKELLING AS THE XXI (German) COULD...They did get some 750 more HP per six cylinder Engine then the Germans. ( total 5,500 hp vs 4000 hp for the XXI BRUCE Attachments:
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 20, 2011 3:06:46 GMT -5
YES.. ON THE ALL TIME HIT-LIST IT IS # 7 THE SEAWOLF SUNK 18 SHIPS FOR TOTAL TONNAGE OF 71,609.. EARNED 13 BATTLE STARS.. WITH ADVANCED RADAR ID EXCHANGES WITH THE V5 (NARWHAL).. SOUND LIKE A STRONG HINT FOR A PAIR TO GO TO SOME CLANDESTINE INFILTRATION .. TWO SUBS BOTH WITH LARGE HISTORY OF THINGS LIKE LANDING CARLESON'S RAIDERS ETC... HIGH VALUE MILITARY ASSETS.. TRY TO FIND OUT THE MISSION'S DETAIL 17 ARMY ON THE SEAWOLF PLUS HOW MANY ON THE NARWHAL. BOTH EQUIPED TO HIDE AND FIND WITH ADVANCE RADAR... |
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Post by privateinvestor on Mar 20, 2011 10:08:17 GMT -5
Just a bit of news today that said our Submarines are engaged in the missiles launches being dropped on Khadahfy....let's hope one finds him in his hiding place this time..
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 21, 2011 7:56:50 GMT -5
Just a bit of news today that said our Submarines are engaged in the missiles launches being dropped on Khadahfy....let's hope one finds him in his hiding place this time.. PI, More you read and try to get the stores together the more wholes are poping up.. Like the story about the V5 ( aka Narwhal)"Cruser" the Seawolf exchanges Radar ID's.. How much of a mission Where then on and how do you get from picking up 31 POW's to returning with 81!!!...From the log of the Narwhal... The Narwhal was set up for open sea operations with two six-inch 53 Cal .. ie one hell of a deck gun.. Most powerful we had.. good for landing support and pounding the hell out of the Japanese(boombard sites)*.. range about 15 K-miles.. Or about the same as the 8 inch 55 cal. Narwhal receives 31 liberated prisoners-of-war rescued from the sea after Paddle (SS-263) sank several Japanese transports off Sindagan Point 6 September. (editor 2 Feb 2001: I don't quite understand this. Paddle's history shows she sank one cargo ship (SHINYO MARU) on 7 SEP 1944 - there is no indication of Paddle being damaged. Are these Americans liberated from POW status or Japanese from the cargo ship becoming POWs? Who is Narwhal receiving them from and who exactly are they? Anyone know?) (editor 6 Feb 2001: I Just got a message from Al Anceravage. He says "Regarding the POWs, it was the 14th patrol, 14 Sept to 15 Oct 1944, there were 81 POWs involved. The paddle (SS263) sank the Shanyo Maru (hell ship) off the coast of Mindanao. There was a plaque dedicated on 8 sept 98 by remaining survivors in Fredericksburg, Texas at the Ad[miral] Nimitz Museum. Somewhere along I read there where 750 POWs involved but only 81 survived." *  Her fifth war patrol once again took Narwhal to the Kuriles, departing Pearl Harbor on 26 June 1943. Her mission was to create a diversion by using her six-inch deck guns to bombard the Japanese airbase at Matsuwa, keeping the enemy too busy to notice Lapon (SS-260), Permit (SS-178) and Plunger slipping out of the Sea of Japan through Etorofu Strait. Beginning her bombardment on 11 July, Narwhal drew enough attention on the night of the 15th that she was forced to discontinue her shelling when the enemy started shooting back. Her mission was deemed a success, as the other three boats were able to slip out without being detected. Attachments:
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Post by bimetalaupt on Mar 21, 2011 8:35:08 GMT -5
Just a bit of news today that said our Submarines are engaged in the missiles launches being dropped on Khadahfy....let's hope one finds him in his hiding place this time.. PI, You have to love this selection of 8 from the Seawolf captain to Chester Nemintz.. Orginal in Texas...Bruce  Photo #: NH 58329 Patrol Boat # 39 (Japanese Escort Vessel, originally the destroyer Tade, 1922) Montage of eight periscope photographs showing her sinking after being torpedoed by USS Seawolf (SS-197) on 23 April 1943. The original print was signed by Seawolf's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Royce L. Gross, who presented it to Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 198KB; 1200 x 990 pixels Attachments:
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Post by bimetalaupt on Jun 14, 2011 22:30:58 GMT -5
P.I., I had read that the Narwhal was under attack from a PBY when at the last moment the correct ID was seen by the bombardier.. It is the "Narwhal".. Hard to miss a ship that was 371 ft long with two huge 6 inch 53 cal deck guns... Well she flashed her" Good Luck Narwhal" and Tipped her Wings... Narwhal earned 15 battle stars vs I think 13 for the Seawolf. Not bad for an out of date ship that was too slow, to big and took too long to dive.. She also had 8 kills to her name of ships, not counting land based tanks( oil), gasoline tanks, Generators and shore bunkers... She sank more tons with her deck guns then the total amount of kills by the German great XXI... I do recall my father talking about her as she returned to Philadelphia Navel Yard in 1945.. One beautiful ship!!! Just a thought, Bi Metal Au Pt quote from US Navy. " 13 OCT 1944 Friday, the 13th brought a near attack by a PBY. Once the submarine was recognized, the plane signaled "good luck" -- Narwhal and crew felt they might need it after that. |
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bimetalaupt
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Post by bimetalaupt on Sept 1, 2012 9:29:03 GMT -5
Narwhal SS-167 Launched: Portsmouth Navy Yard 17 Dec 1929 Displacement: 2,730 tons (surfaced), 3,960 tons (submerged) Length Overall: 371' Waterline Length: 349' Maximum Beam: 33' 4" Mean Draft: 15' 4" 2 x 6" guns (fore and aft conning tower) 10 x 21" Torpedo Tubes Narwhal survived Pearl Harbour, (see below) ignored by the Japanese planes, she went on to conduct five war patrols, during which she sank six enemy ships. Later in the war she was used continually for special missions; mainly, the re-supply or evacuation of Philippine guerrillas. At war's end, Narwhal had been sent on 15 patrols. On Patrol number 3, Narwhal sank the Meiwa Maru and avoided plane attack on 1 Aug 42. On 8 Aug Narwhal sank the Bifitku Maru. On 14 Aug Narwhal put up her periscope to find 3 Japanese destroyers crossing her wake. Spotted, they had to dive to avoid a nasty attack of depth charges. Slightly damaged, she started back to Pearl Harbour. After an overhaul, Narwhal sailed for San Diego, arriving on 6 Apr 43. She took on board the 7th Inf Coy Scouts, due to take part in the invasion of Attu, and sailed for Alaska on 18 Apr. Patrol number 4 commenced on 30 Apr 43. She was accompanied by the USS Nautilus (SSN 168). They were employed transporting and landing Scouts. Her main stream attacking role was becoming a thing of the past. Being a giant, she was unsuited for the role of attacking ships. Her 5th patrol saw the Narwhal in the Kuriles having left Pearl on 26 June 43. Her mission was to fire on the airfield at Matsuwa in an effort to divert attention from 2 other subs (Lapon & Permit) sneaking through from the Sea of Japan through Etorofu Strait. She did enough to force the enemy to attack her. The mission was a success, and the 3 boats slipped away. On 11 Sept she sank the Hokusho Maru. But escorts subjected her to a severe depth charge attack. She survived this and later in the month arrived in Australia. Narwhal's main job became the important one of ferrying cargo and passengers to occupied islands. Patrol 7 saw her leave on 23 Oct 43 carrying 92 tons of ammo and stores and 10 passengers the Phillipines. In the Sulu Sea she had to avoid 2 Japanese ships which opened fire and on 12 Nov she arrived in Puluan Bay to discharge her passengers and half of her cargo. She then went to Nasipit, Mindanao, arriving on the 15th where she unloaded the rest. Here she took on board 32 evacuees, including 8 women, 2 children and a baby, Narwhal then set off for Darwin. Attachments:
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