In the summer of 1965, August I believe, I was stationed on the USS PERCH APSS-313. We were based in Subic Bay. Our skipper was Tom Dyker Jr. While returning to Subic, we stopped at Bombay Shoal. We went aboard the remains of the USS DARTER, SS-227. DARTER ran aground while doing an "end around" in 1944.
From a distance, you could tell that the wreckage was that of a submarine. Once on board, you could see that everything but the engine blocks had been stripped away. The forward and aft rooms were destroyed. But I found several rollers, still free to turn, on a torpedo rack.
The boat had major damage caused by demolition charges and deck guns fromn other US submarines. You could see the trenches caused by the submarines DACE SS-247 and ROCK SS-274. They both fired several torpedoes at her. The pot holes caused by explosions were visible in the coral reef. Many of the PERCH crew went aboard her. A lot of photos were taken. The water around DARTER was only three to four feet deep. It was a real thrill to go aboard the DARTER as she is part of the history of the Submarine Force. In tribute, I left a PERCH plaque attached to the remains of the main induction valve prior to leaving the site.
~Larry Reuter, EN2(SS)
USS PERCH APSS-313 (1964-1966)
Here are two of the photos featured on this now possibly defunct website:
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