Fifty Years Ago in the U.S. Submarine Force

December, 1943

As the second year of WW II came to a close, the outlook for U. S. forces was beginning to be more optimistic. The Japanese Empire, which had been expanded alarmingly earlier, was now being forced to shrink. The Japanese armed forces, which had previously been fiercely aggressive, had become defensive.

While newly constructed submarines were arriving at Pearl Harbor in greater and greater numbers, not a single U. S. submarine was lost during the month of December 1943.

Five boats departed Brisbane on patrol during December; eight departed from Fremantle; and twenty-four left Pearl. Three of these boats were making their first patrol. Five others were under new commands. The average age of submariners continued to get younger.

Torpedo function had been greatly improved with the solving of the exploder mechanism problem. The newer boats that were being added to the force were thicker-skinned boats, which were capable of diving to greater depths and of withstanding closer depth charging. The H.O.R. engines of Squadron 12 boats had been replaced. New, improved SJ & PPI radars were being installed and Ultras were being more extensively utilized. These factors and the greater use of wolf packs were having a devastating effect on Japanese shipping.

During December 1943 a total of 59 Japanese ships were sunk by U. S. submarines for a total of 223,248 tons. Thus the Japanese war machine was denied these vital resources.

The war patrol which Admiral Lockwood described as "one of the most outstanding patrols of the war" was that of U.S.S. Sailfish, patrol #10. Newly under the command of Bob Ward class of 1935.

On December 3rd, Ward received an "ultra", stating that the three Japanese carriers Zuibo. Chuyo, and Unyo, along with escorts, had left Truk en route to Japan. Ward had great difficulty maneuvering Sailfish into intercept position because a winter typhoon was raging, generating mountainous seas.

Nearing Japan, the carrier force went on submarine alert. but when it entered the full fury of the typhoon, the force commander stopped zigzagging believing the carriers to be safe in such foul weather.

Near midnight, Ward picked up the carrier force on radar at 9000 yards. He made a submerged approach to 2,100 yards and fired four bow tubes. He heard two hits. A destroyer escort charged out of the howling darkness forcing Sailfish deep. Twenty-one depth charges were dropped. Ward reloaded his forward tubes and surfaced at 0200 to survey the situation. His radar showed pips all around including one moving very slowly. He approached to within 3200 yards of the slowly moving target and fired three more bow tubes. He observed two hits. Ward then submerged to make another attack.

At 0758 Ward got a glimpse of his wounded target. It was an aircraft carrier, unmoving, with a list to port and down by the stern. Preparations were being made on the carrier to abandon ship in spite of the storm that was still raging. To hasten the abandonment Ward fired three more torpedoes at a range of 1.700 yards, his sonarman reported tremendous breaking-up noises.

Passing down the side of the sinking carrier, Ward suddenly saw a heavy cruiser. At the same time the cruiser apparently sighted the Sailfish's periscope and charged. Ward having difficulty with depth control in the heavy seas, went to 90 feet to avoid collision. He obtained sonar data on the cruiser, but by the time that he was set up to shoot, the target had escaped out of range. Ward chastened himself, stating in his patrol report that he 'threw away the chance of a lifetime.'

After reloading, Ward surfaced to survey the situation again. Chuyo of 20,000 tons had gone down with all hands, taking with her 20 survivors of the Sculpin that she was carrying.

On December 7, while patrolling on the surface, Sailfish was badly bombed and strafed by a Japanese patrol plane. On December 13, Ward picked up a two-ship convoy with two escorts. He sank one Totai Maru, 3.000 tons, and damaged the other. On December 21, he found another convoy, six big transports escorted by three destroyers. He fired three stern tubes into the formation and sank the transport Uyo Maru of 6,400 tons. During the attack the diving officer lost depth control and the boat broached right in front of three fast charging escorts. Ward sent all off-duty men scurrying to the forward room and Sailfish went down like a rock to 327 feet before Ward could check her. The tin cans attacked, dropping a pattern of thirty-one depth charges, some very close. Upon returning to Pearl Harbor, Ward was credited with three ships sunk for 35,729 tons and damage to one for 7,000 more tons. He was awarded the Navy Cross.

Other notable patrols, during this time frame, was that of Duncan C. MacMillan in Thresher, on her 11th. patrol, who sank four ships of 26,300 tons. John A Moore in Grayback, on her ninth run, sank six ships for 24,000 tons. Royce L. Gross, on the l2th run of Seawolf , sank 4 ships of 24,000 tons. All of this activity occurred in the East China Sea which is becoming a graveyard for Japanese ships. Sixteen Japanese ships were sunk there during the month of December 1943 alone.

Finally, Melvin H. Dry, in Searaven sank a 10,100 ton tanker off Truk. I mention this fact, modest as it was, only because I personally observed this stern-tube attack and sinking from the cigarette deck of the Searaven. To me it was glorious.

---end---