tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87683061525436332462024-03-13T22:24:36.492-04:00GRANDPA'S NAVYWannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-79539510114682190412023-07-08T23:05:00.001-04:002023-07-08T23:05:54.884-04:00Darter's Lost Ship Log at US Navy Memorial<blockquote><p> </p><h1 class="title" id="page-title">Darter</h1>
<div class="field field-name-field-ship-pref field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label"><span style="font-size: large;">Ship Designation: </span></div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span style="font-size: large;">SS-227</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-date-lost field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label"><span style="font-size: large;">Date Lost: </span></div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="date-display-single" content="1944-10-24T00:00:00-04:00">Tuesday, October 24, 1944</span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Abandoned after Running Aground on Bombay Shoal</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">On
1 September 1944, DARTER, commanded by Cdr. D.H. McClintock, left
Brisbane for a period of training en route to her fourth war patrol. She
topped off with fuel at Darwin on 10 September and left that place on the same day to perform routine reconnaissance duty in the Celebes Sea from 14 September to 24 September.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Proceeding thence to the South China Sea
with DACE commanded by Cdr. B.D. Claggett, DARTER formed a coordinated
attack team with that vessel. The period of 12 October to 24 October was
productive of many targets and attacks for DARTER, and she sank 9,900
tons of enemy shipping and damaged 19,990 tons in this time. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">In
the early morning of 23 October 1944 both DARTER and DACE contacted and
tracked a large enemy force heading north through Palawan Passage en
route to engage our forces in the Battles for Leyte Gulf.
They attacked while the enemy were unable to alter course
appreciatively, and in brilliant pre-dawn submerged attacks, sank the
heavy cruisers ATAGO and MAYA, and so severely damaged the heavy cruiser
TAKAO that she was useless for the rest of the war. During daylight,
DARTER tried a submerged attack on TAKAO, which had been stopped, but
was driven off by screening destroyers. Thus a night coordinated attack
was drawn up by the two boats.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Since
she could not surface to takes sights, DARTER was forced to navigate on
a 24-hour-old dead-reckoning plot. At 2200 TAKAO got underway, and
Darter began a surface attack. Detecting two radars sweeping, she
decided to do an end round, and then make an attack at radar depth. At
0005 on 24 October 1944, DARTER grounded on Bombay Shoal at 17 knots and
rode up to a draft of nine feet forward. Efforts to get off the reef
were unsuccessful and a message was sent to DACE requesting assistance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">DACE
closed DARTER and, after confidential gear had been smashed and
classified matter burned, the men of DARTER were transferred to DACE.
This was all done before dawn, and there were no losses of DARTER
personnel. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">DARTER’s
demolition charges failed to go off properly, and DACE used her
remaining torpedoes in trying to destroy her without success, the
torpedoes hitting the reef and exploding before they reached their
target. She did, however, score 21 4-inch hits on DARTER. ROCK was
called in and fired ten torpedoes at DARTER, with similar lack of
success due to their hitting the reef.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">NAUTILUS,
on her thirteenth patrol, arrived on 31 October 1944, and scored 55
6-inch hits on DARTER. Her report states, “It is doubtful that any
equipment in DARTER at 1131 this date would be of any use to Japan-
except as scrap. Estimated draft of DARTER- 4 feet.” Apparently the
Japanese got no use out of her, for an American naval officer recently
(1962) was amazed to see her hulk still intact, appearing to be
indestructible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">It
must be understood that Commander McClintock understood fully the
dangers involved in the end around maneuver in which DARTER
grounded—indeed, the incident is a classic example of calculated risk,
and he was not in any way held at fault in the incident. It was simply
one of those unfortunate tactical losses which must be expected in
wartime, but which, in this case, was minimized by the fact that the
full complement of DARTER’s personnel was saved. In order to keep this
fighting and successful crew together the entire DARTER crew was ordered
to take over the submarine MENHADEN, then building at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">DARTER’s
four patrols (including her last) resulted in 23,700 tons of enemy
ships being sent to the bottom, and 30,000 tons being damaged. She began
her patrolling career south and west of Truk in January and February
1944. She damaged a freighter on this first patrol. In the second patrol
of this vessel, she covered an area in and around the Celebes Sea; she sank a freighter here. DARTER’s third patrol was again in the eastern Celebes Sea,
and she sank the large minelayer TSUGARU on 29 June 1944. She was
credited with sinking the heavy cruiser ATAGO and damaging the heavy
cruiser TAKAO on the night of 23 October 1944, shortly before she
stranded. DARTER was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the last
patrol.<br /><br />Source: <a href="https://navylog.navymemorial.org/darter" target="_blank">https://navylog.navymemorial.org/darter</a></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></blockquote>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-1871342739292687142023-01-16T20:44:00.001-05:002023-03-11T08:41:08.148-05:00Welcome back, shipmates!<p><span style="font-size: medium;">After a long hiatus, I'm back and blogging again because at last, I have some fresh content. My Dad brought home a few more folders of papers I can scan through to add to my knowledge base. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To the new cadets who just came aboard, welcome to a virtual museum dedicated to a man who I barely knew when he was alive.<br /> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grandpa lived the kind of epic life the rest of us can only read about in books. He was born in 1919, the year after the First World War ended. As a baby, he survived the first influenza pandemic. He kept himself busy during the Depression by teaching himself how to build radios from spare parts. In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy and <span></span>went to war, overcoming his fear of confined spaces to be in the submarine service, about the most terrifying job imaginable. He became a radio crewman and radar operator on a diesel submarine named the USS <i>Darter</i>, where he had an experience that changed him forever. <br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The <i>Darter</i> story is a Navy legend. The night before the battle for Leyte Gulf, his submarine made a surprise attack on the entire Japanese fleet that could have turned the tide of the Pacific war. (They almost sunk an Admiral) Trying to escape, the sub went off course and plowed into a reef, and as the radio operator he sent a distress signal that rescued his crew from enemy capture. Thanks largely to him, all of his buddies made it home. <br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">His military career spanned three decades and two wars. I wish I could have heard the stories he used to tell, but I was too young to understand. Hugh loved history, especially Navy history. He had quite a library of books about Navy ships and maritime subjects, dating back as far as the Civil War. He attended every crew reunion and helped to launch several boats. They say you never really get out of the Navy, you're in it for life. <br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> I wanted to serve when I was the right age but my health never allowed it. But I think --I hope-- he'd have been proud of what I do. By attending WWII reenactments and volunteering on museum ships like the USS New Jersey, I try to keep his memory alive any way I can, because it brings him a little closer to me. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />True, my grandfather is long gone, as are most of the people who knew him. There is an ocean of time that separates me from him. He's buried so far away I can't visit his grave. All his shipmates he served with are gone too. His old boat is a wreck on a coral reef on the other side of the world, and 80 years of weather has eroded it away to nothing. Only his memory remains. <br /><br /> If I don't remember him, who else will? He was a great man and he deserves to be remembered. <br /><br />That is why we are here. Welcome aboard.</span><br /></div></div><p></p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-55083395532823721802022-11-10T21:20:00.004-05:002022-11-10T21:20:55.013-05:00Thank You To Our Veterans<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C_hYVKoTa_6xsZD7FtQw8APR6Lk7HRbaf5lVWC0rFRI7e-r9zi4ciumXz1P2Fo0sCLoxaYkurVM6opxc5X1ahozmrKicn1IzZefx-EdTlY_3sicJFGmtag5OuWQgSFWjGW9_lsJwBnzWoKJwE36Vh5hbGbg2zIVCWgbNZpFFvaPbfDInkU3hWZsb/s1455/All%20surviving%20DARTER%20&%20Dace%20Crew%20Memorial%20Marquette%20Michigan%20May%202000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1455" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C_hYVKoTa_6xsZD7FtQw8APR6Lk7HRbaf5lVWC0rFRI7e-r9zi4ciumXz1P2Fo0sCLoxaYkurVM6opxc5X1ahozmrKicn1IzZefx-EdTlY_3sicJFGmtag5OuWQgSFWjGW9_lsJwBnzWoKJwE36Vh5hbGbg2zIVCWgbNZpFFvaPbfDInkU3hWZsb/w640-h406/All%20surviving%20DARTER%20&%20Dace%20Crew%20Memorial%20Marquette%20Michigan%20May%202000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo of all the surviving DARTER & DACE crew with both Capt McClintock and Capt. Claggett at the dedication of the Darter-Dace memorial in Marquette, Michigan. Taken in 2000.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C_hYVKoTa_6xsZD7FtQw8APR6Lk7HRbaf5lVWC0rFRI7e-r9zi4ciumXz1P2Fo0sCLoxaYkurVM6opxc5X1ahozmrKicn1IzZefx-EdTlY_3sicJFGmtag5OuWQgSFWjGW9_lsJwBnzWoKJwE36Vh5hbGbg2zIVCWgbNZpFFvaPbfDInkU3hWZsb/s1455/All%20surviving%20DARTER%20&%20Dace%20Crew%20Memorial%20Marquette%20Michigan%20May%202000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VETERANS AND THE GREATEST GENERATION</span><br /><p></p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-70632372540216760712022-10-24T20:48:00.001-04:002022-10-24T20:48:20.695-04:00October 24, 1944: The Boat That Wouldn't Die<div data-contents="true"><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="5b9gp-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5b9gp-0-0"><span data-offset-key="5b9gp-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The crew transfer was agonizingly slow. At approximately 0439, the last of the crew was safely aboard. And then, only then, did David McClintock reluctantly abandon his crippled ship with a heavy heart. Everyone was silent; nobody smiled.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="12ubc-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="12ubc-0-0"><span data-offset-key="12ubc-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="ddql2-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ddql2-0-0"><span data-offset-key="ddql2-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Now the overcast sky was gray and lightening gradually, dawn was set for 0500 and approaching fast. Flashlights and lanterns were switched off, to save precious power they might need later. Everyone was facing the dawn horizon with a grim certainty that an attack would come, as Darter was sitting high and dry and they were no longer hidden in the protective safety of darkness. At 0442, Dace cut loose her moorings and started to reverse away from the doomed ship. Some men had tears in their eyes as they stood on deck and saluted their stricken vessel. </span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="fqf16-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fqf16-0-0"><span data-offset-key="fqf16-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="ecbv5-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ecbv5-0-0"><span data-offset-key="ecbv5-0-0"><span data-text="true">Some of the electricians had wired up the fifty-pound explosive charges at key places throughout the ship. The work was completed at 0420 and the timers were set for 35 minutes. The wiring was strung over pipes with all the charges hooked up in series. It led backward to the engine compartment and forward to the torpedo room, where the warhead of one of their last live torpedoes was wired as the booster charge that would ensure total demolition of the vessel. The fires aboard the ship were still burning, as they saw black columns of smoke were still billowing into the air from the open hatch and every vent opening. The men quietly hoped the intense heat from the fire wouldn't melt through the wires.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="dpqb8-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dpqb8-0-0"><span data-offset-key="dpqb8-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="43gvc-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="43gvc-0-0"><span data-offset-key="43gvc-0-0"><span data-text="true">The crewmen and the Captain nervously stared at their wristwatches. It was 0449, less than a minute to go. Every second felt like forever and there was a dead, expectant silence. At 0450, the men shut their eyes and braced for the shock of the explosion, and none came. There was only a few unsatisfying “pop” noises, like a kid's toy gun. The sub was still there. A collective groan came up from the men. Faces drooped and spirits sank as men palmed their heads. The stubborn boat just wouldn't die. What went wrong? Were the charges defective?</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="dek06-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dek06-0-0"><span data-offset-key="dek06-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="2i9r9-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2i9r9-0-0"><span data-offset-key="2i9r9-0-0"><span data-text="true">It wasn't determined until some time later that the fire the men had started in the fore torpedo room, which had become hot enough to eat away the paint as far back as the officer's shower, had likely melted the wire insulation and fused it to the pipes it was wrapped around, thus grounding the current, shorting out the series circuit and making them useless. Many of the men aboard Darter felt a sick and empty feeling, knowing that their exposed sub was a target for bombers and gave away their position. A search would be started in the surrounding area by daylight, and they would be goners now for sure. Unless they could find another way to destroy her, the crew of both ships was doomed.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="7ufq0-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7ufq0-0-0"><span data-offset-key="7ufq0-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="8mp5p-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8mp5p-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8mp5p-0-0"><span data-text="true">Tough submarine sailors that they were, these men were doggedly determined not to go down without a fight. Down below, Claggett sounded battle stations and ordered Dace's four remaining Mark-23 torpedoes loaded and readied to fire. In a sad twist of fate, these deadly fish intended for the Jap heavy cruiser which got away would now be trained on their own sister ship. No range finding or angle solution was necessary; they were firing almost point-blank. The torpedomen shoved the slender underwater missiles into their tubes, they slammed the hatches and spun the wheels. Skipper gave the command: “Fire tubes one through four!” They flipped the launch switches and one by one, the torpedoes were fired at their friendly target. They were just barely out of range to escape the shock of the impacts. The crew watched in horror as they hit the reef below the submarine, taking huge chunks out of it...but not harming the invincible Darter. The ship still wouldn't die.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="442jl-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="442jl-0-0"><span data-offset-key="442jl-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="8u9c9-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8u9c9-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8u9c9-0-0"><span data-text="true">Dace sped up past the reef and tried firing the torpedoes in the stern tubes. These also missed the sub, now high up out of the water as if she was in drydock. The men's faces fell so low their frowns were nearly in their shoes.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="2qc6d-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2qc6d-0-0"><span data-offset-key="2qc6d-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="63f19-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="63f19-0-0"><span data-offset-key="63f19-0-0"><span data-text="true">Claggett ordered the Dace deck crew to uncork and load the big four-inch deck gun. When it was ready and the sights trained on the hapless twin, the order was given. “OPEN FIRE!” they let 'er rip. Shell after shell pounded the craft, punching big holes in the outer hull. Still no orange fireballs. Maybe if they hadn't drained the fuel and oil tanks...</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="abroe-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="abroe-0-0"><span data-offset-key="abroe-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="3dsbt-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3dsbt-0-0"><span data-offset-key="3dsbt-0-0"><span data-text="true">Figuring "what the heck," the guys on the machine guns opened up and raked the side of the boat, peppering it with tiny holes. A bucket brigade was formed within the Dace from the gun locker all the way to the hatch, as the men handed shell after shell up to the deck gunners. The deck became littered with so many hot shell casings that they had to be kicked over the side to avoid trip and fall hazards on the slippery topside of the craft. As the deck gun pounded away about a shell every few seconds, the surface crewmen cheered as they saw a fuel cell rupture and a large cloud of smoke rose up. There was some orange flame, then it fizzled out.</span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="7bjdt-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7bjdt-0-0"><span data-offset-key="7bjdt-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="39u3l-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="39u3l-0-0"><span data-offset-key="39u3l-0-0"><span data-text="true">The men on watch urged them to hurry up, as an enemy airfield was less than fifty miles out. Aircraft would soon spot the pillars of black smoke and hear the gun blasts. Claggett shouted for the men idly standing around to man the anti-aircraft guns and sweep the gray sky. Sure enough, one of the watchmen poked the captain in the shoulder and said “aircraft sighted!” </span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="4o1tf-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4o1tf-0-0"><span data-offset-key="4o1tf-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="50fu3-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="50fu3-0-0"><span data-offset-key="50fu3-0-0"><span data-text="true">The call echoed around the deck and down below. “Dive! Dive!” Ahooga! Ahooga! said the sub. The sound of rushing air from the ballast tanks coming up through the deck boards made the men frantically scramble to the hatch. The men fought each other and squeezed down the hatch two or three at a time. One man said he remembered standing there with a shell in his hands, and then the next he was down in the control room. He couldn't remember doing anything, and figured he was “just sucked down.” </span></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="8tj2m-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8tj2m-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8tj2m-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="x1e56ztr" data-block="true" data-editor="u8gd" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true">A Japanese 'Betty' bomber zoomed in low and started his bombing run just as Dace slipped below the waters. He was targeting the beached whale of Darter instead! Two bombs fell on the abandoned ship, but they missed. The crew decided that the tough old boat had made up its mind: no explosive shell, tracer round, torpedo or Japanese bomb was going to destroy her that day. They had done the best they could. Dace had no choice but to leave the Darter behind.</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true">At 0710 the bomber was still seen circling the Darter. Apparently puzzled at its inability to dive, they seemed to be scanning it for signs of life. The enemy pilots must know the ship was stranded and were no doubt going to radio their base about it. The Dace would have no choice but to leave and return to finish off her sister ship after dark. The idea was brought up of transferring the Dace demolition charges and TNT to the Darter.</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br />Three hours passed, and the bomber flew off. The Dace stayed hidden, and it was a smart choice. Another tin can was approaching on the radar. A Japanese submarine was sent to investigate. Claggett and McClintock watched through the periscope from a good distance away. The sub fired the guns at the Darter for about three minutes, and then pulled up alongside the reef and moored to her. Tiny figures were seen climbing up on to her deck, and some went below. Darter had been boarded by the enemy, and her twin didn't want to stick around. As they sped away on full power, Clagg rotated the periscope and watched the tiny men climb back out on the deck, get down into their sub and it pulled away. They weren't aboard long. They had apparently found nothing of serious value and left. </span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d3bcv-0-0"><span data-text="true">At least the gallant crew of Darter had done their job. They made sure the ruined sub would be useless to the enemy except as scrap metal. <br /></span></span></div></div></div><p> </p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-26863568766754256982022-10-24T20:06:00.002-04:002022-10-24T20:06:32.645-04:0010-24-1944 - The Rescue Operation Begins<p> At 0245 hours, the men cheered as their sister sub Dace was in sight and she was closing to within 50 yards. McClintock warned the Dace to keep her distance; there were many submerged rocks and parts of the reef were hidden. Undaunted, the Dace kept moving and closed enough to throw a line over. He had known the Darter was unaware she was on a reef until she grounded, so the safest way to approach her was from the stern. When they were close enough, the Dace <span></span>crew tossed over a mooring rope. Claggett ordered reverse full engines to fight the current that was drawing them closer to the reef. </p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It should be noted here that US submarines had orders from the Admiral to leave their mooring ropes in port. Both Skippers had disobeyed those orders and kept them aboard, for emergencies. This was a classic example of ship captains using their better judgment in spite of orders for the sake of their crew. So these thick, sturdy and illegal ropes were brought topside and it made the rescue operation much easier. The entire operation might have failed if these ropes were not in their possession. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Once this line was secure, about fifteen minutes later the Dace's rubber raft was inflated and put over the side, and the crew transfer began. It was very slow work, as a rubber dinghy could only hold two men. But it helped that they could use Darter's as well, so men were able to get off the sub in half the amount of time. The crew gathered at the very back of the boat called the turtleback, where the stern tapered off between the propellers. By now the high tide was long gone; it was about a 20-foot drop from the stern to the water and the life rafts were bobbing up and down with the swells, as the sea was rough. A rope was knotted and lowered down to five or six feet from the highest swell. The men took turns clambering down this rope and waiting for the raft to rise up to a level they could let go.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> It was a harrowing experience and even with both the Dace's and Darter's rubber rafts, the crew transfer took more than two hours.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA6vC-J-hW5e1-rUosFnO5WMndelUC9MKKF5KW_a-6nlw4ChXN3cDIYG3p6QMXWP60w9itVTuzxSEWkCP9pmxH1xl2Sm_ATXrPeh6OkiD4f6ppuW3SfYnfYsRV2iqZrwf5k0QQb7a_dGnYt3-TTlmvcsCHhKumK663hZUxigi-QUH4DkgLqmOun_q/s1500/DARTER%20rescue%20watercolor%20by%20Gerald%20Levey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1500" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA6vC-J-hW5e1-rUosFnO5WMndelUC9MKKF5KW_a-6nlw4ChXN3cDIYG3p6QMXWP60w9itVTuzxSEWkCP9pmxH1xl2Sm_ATXrPeh6OkiD4f6ppuW3SfYnfYsRV2iqZrwf5k0QQb7a_dGnYt3-TTlmvcsCHhKumK663hZUxigi-QUH4DkgLqmOun_q/w640-h332/DARTER%20rescue%20watercolor%20by%20Gerald%20Levey.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-70868949021820741562022-10-24T20:00:00.002-04:002022-10-24T20:00:24.090-04:0010-24-1944 - Darter Tries to Break Free<p>Darter on Bombay Shoal <br />October 24, 1944<br /> Approximately 1:00am Pacific Time<br /><br />Captain McClintock quickly weighed the options in his head. If they stayed there helpless on the reef, they were goners for sure. If a plane came along and dropped a bomb or strafed the boat, they'd be history. If they continued to signal for help, the Japs might intercept the message and bring the entire fleet down on their heads. If the Dace was still in the area, there might be a possibility of rescue. But could a submarine designed to accommodate <span></span>eighty men hold double that? For weeks at a time? If they wanted to affect a rescue, they'd better do it before daylight. It seemed better than his best alternative, which was to abandon ship and jump into the water with life vests.</p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">High tide was in just an hour or so. Should everyone stay with the stricken vessel and try to free her? Just how bad was the damage? Could damage to the outer hull and ballast tanks cause her to sink beyond any chance of rescue? Should they scuttle the ship and abandon it; take their chances on the high sea without any lifeboats? They only had one rubber boat, it held two men and no more. So many questions.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">McClintock had made up his mind. They had to try to free Darter from the shoal with the coming high tide; failing that, they would have no choice but to scuttle her. But before doing so, they would have to render the sub so incapable of operation that nothing on board the ship would be of any use to the enemy if she were captured. They could rig up the explosive charges; they could light a fire below decks and burn the whole thing up from the inside out. They could disassemble the secret equipment and toss the parts overboard. Or maybe Dace could finish her off with her four-inch deck gun, or a few well- aimed torpedoes. Whatever they chose, time was running out. He was determined not to abandon ship and place the crew in danger until all other possible options had been exhausted.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The Dace had been contacted and confirmed on radar. She was 11,000 yards and closing on them. So if they had to abandon Darter and scuttle her, the crew would be recovered.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">A good four or five hours remained until dawn; the darkness was still concealing their vulnerable sub from unwelcome eyes.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> At 0146 hours, high tide commenced. The crew began a desperate attempt to free the mired submarine. The diesel engines would not start; the intakes were clogged with rock and bits of coral. The captain ordered reverse full on batteries. He ordered all the men to run to the back of the ship, to try and tip her off the reef. Then he had everyone run towards the fore torpedo room and back again, while the electric motors were tried in forward and reverse at full power. After three minutes of trying to see-saw the sub off the rocks, it had still not budged an inch.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">With his careful supervision, the crew then set to work trying to lighten the ship any way they could. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The men's orders were to toss everything they couldn't carry with them overboard. Classified electronic gear, toolboxes, soup cans, meat, dry goods... anything not bolted down and on fire. They raided the galley first. Then the crew sleeping areas and officer's quarters. <br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The men hastily gathered whatever they could carry, and in their rush they left many things behind they would grow to regret later. Some sailors left loads of money from gambling winnings and their paychecks aboard the ship, and did not realize it until later. One man had two wallets; he grabbed the empty one by mistake and left six hundred dollars in cash behind. Some of the sailors, when they ran out of life preservers, began tying knots in their extra pairs of pants for use as flotation. It was a hopeless formality, with the shark-infested and freezing waters they wouldn't stand much of a chance. (<i>Miracle in the Pacific)</i><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The garbage that was piling up in the trash compactor was emptied. The ballast tanks were blown and drained away. Everything that could fit in the torpedo tubes was flushed out. Commissary Officer Skorupsky had on board a wardrobe of fine tailored dress suits, which he pulled off the hangers and tossed into a duffel bag to be passed up the ladder out the hatch. The men on deck said “Sure, we can take those,” took the bag and immediately heaved it overboard, then asked if he had any more. He gave up a few more cases of belongings and these too went over the side. Then the man came up and said “Hey, where are all my clothes?” The men pointed at the water, and he looked down and saw the fins of sharks swimming around. Then they pointed to the ship's one tiny rubber boat. He understood and kept his mouth shut from then on. (<i>Cruisers or Breakfast)<br /></i></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The food and meat being thrown overboard attracted sharks to the floating wreckage. The officers on deck warned the men to stay out of the water, as those above prayed silently for signs of their sister sub, supposedly come to rescue them. To some of these men it appeared they were finally free as water was seen rushing past the sides of the ship, but these were only currents spinning the propellers.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">At 0230 hours, the last attempt to free her was ceased. The electric motors were shut down for the last time, the fuel and lube oil tanks were emptied and the batteries were drained. <br /><br />Darter was dead, but at least her crew was still alive.<br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-63966767477412176702022-10-24T12:43:00.005-04:002022-10-24T12:48:05.541-04:0010-24-1944: Darter Is Aground<p>October 24 1944 - 1:05 am Pacific<br /><br />The radar scope confirmed the Takao was not a goner yet. She was still burning, but hadn't gone under and the engines still seemed to be driving. They had started to leave the area as the day drew to a close, at around 2200 hours, but McClintock was determined not to let the target escape. He figured they were there, it was the chance of a lifetime; so might as well go back and finish the job. Everyone's nerves were frazzled from the danger they had already been in. He ordered them to make an 'end around' and start to pursue the fleet again, maybe hoping to use up the last of their torpedoes in a stealthy night attack, and give the Japs another pounding for good measure.<br /><br />An 'end around' was the term Navy commanders liked to use for turning to make a head-on attack, making the hunted into the hunter. It was used only in desperate situations. Turning around when pursued by an enemy vessel to make a last ditch, all-out attack was no longer considered a suicide tactic by 1941. It was thought of as honorable and courageous, darned near heroic. This was a military that honored bravery and defiance in the face of danger, and nobody was about to leave the ring before the knockout punch and the final bell.<br /><br />No sooner had the crew obediently begun to turn the ship around, steeling themselves for the final blow...and something happened nobody ever could have expected. They heard a sickening crunch.<br />The ship jolted with a sudden impact, tilted up about twenty degrees, and the men lurched backward. The sound of shrieking, scraping metal being crumpled was heard beneath their feet. It sounded almost like the ship was being dragged across asphalt. The entire sub shook and vibrated from the impact. Dishes fell from the cabinets in the galley as their doors banged open; their shattering jolted everyone alert. Cups of coffee hit the floor, or spilled into men's laps. After sliding along something hard and bumpy, the ship settled back at a three-degree angle, but it still listed to starboard. Everyone's voice exclaimed almost in unison.<br /><br />“WHAT WAS THAT?”<br /><br />We must have hit something! A rock outcropping? Or a reef? McClintock gave the command, echoed up from the control room. “We've run aground. All engines stop! Shut all watertight doors, check for leaks!” The orders echoed back to the engine room, and the grease monkeys tending the turbines yanked the stop lever. The sub immediately fell silent.<br /><br />A shout came from up from the control room. “We can't be Cap'n! The nearest land is nineteen miles away!” One thought entered Hugh's head. Then we must be off course. Way off course. When was the last time anybody took a sun or a star bearing for latitude? The navigator knew that knowledge of the currents was essential. If these estimates were off by a quarter of a knot, for example, the disparity would send the boat over nine miles off its course in just 36 hours. (<i>Cruisers for Breakfast - Mansfield)</i><br /></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Darter had run aground. She was stranded now and they were a sitting duck for Japanese planes. They knew a distress signal had to be sent to inform Capt Claggett and the Dace what happened. But to send any transmission via radio would be picked up by enemy ears and it would broadcast their location. Luckily, the Darter's SJ radio dish could be pointed in one direction to send focused pulses that could be picked up only by <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>another SJ radar. This was the best course of action, McClintock concurred.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The radar operator's hand moved for the code key, and tapped the following message:</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">.-- . / .- .-. . / .- --. .-. --- ..- -. -.. .-.-.- </div><div style="text-align: center;">W-E A-R-E A-G-R-O-U-N-D</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> On board the Dace, the radar operator saw Darter's radar return blink on and off. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Now, all they could do was wait.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">To confirm everyone's suspicion, McClintock dared to open the conning tower hatch and go topside to have a look around. The periscope showed only sky. The boat was still tilted at an angle upward and to starboard, and they were definitely resting on something solid.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Men scrambled to grab the ladder up to the main hatch, to go up and look at the damage. The Skipper had to almost beat them away with both hands. McClintock was going up by himself.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">A couple minutes later, the Captain came back down the ladder, and ordered the hatch closed. He still had a look of disbelief on his face, as he blurted out the immortal words. An ironically poetic statement that summed up Darter's situation better than anyone else could.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">“Good grief...we're on a reef.”</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Though they were not aware at the time, those six words would live forever in the minds of the crew as they sealed the Darter's fate.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /> </div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-44988655238075676032022-10-23T21:00:00.003-04:002022-10-23T21:00:52.573-04:00Darter War Patrol Log: 10-23-44<p> </p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b><u>Monday, 23 Oct. ’44.</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0000 H Speaking to DACE; planning remainder of
coordinated patrol.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0016 H Radar contact 131 degrees T, operator says
“probably rain.” </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0017 H By megaphone to DACE: “We have radar contact.
Let’s go”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0020 H Bearing changed to left. Operator says it is
ships. Both subs closing at full power. Come to normal approach course, 040
degrees T. Targets headed up to
PALAWAN PASSAGE.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b> Between now and dawn sent out 3 contact reports to CTF-71, giving
final estimate that ships were a task force of 11 heavy ships. This based on their high speed and long
radar ranges obtained (34,000 yards maximum); also many sweeping radars were
detected. Tracking party said that
gaining attack position was hopeless due to high target speed (initial estimate
22 knots) Blew negative, safety,
ran #10 blow every 30 minutes.
Managed to average about 19 knots.
Estimates of enemy speed began to drop until finally it was 15 knots. We
had them now! Enemy course 39 degrees. DARTER was to attack left flank column
first, at dawn, with DACE about 5 miles up the track in position to attack
starboard column. Did not attack
in darkness, as it was considered vital to see and identify the force which was
probably on its way to interfere with the Leyte landing. It was felt that there could be no radical
dawn zig due to size of force and narrowness of PALAWAN PASSAGE. Targets did
not zig during night.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0425 H 20,000 yards dead ahead of port column of heavy
ships. Slowed to 15 knots. Biggest pip in port column was last ship. Picked it
as target. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0452 H Manned battle stations.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0500 H Targets spread by up to 16 knots.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0509 H Reversed course, headed towards port column,
and submerged. (DACE had just passed us to dive to Northeast) DARTER planned to attack from West in
half light at dawn at 0540.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0517 H Now light enough to see shapes through ‘scope.
We were dead ahead of port flank column of heavy ships. Could not yet identify ships.
Visibility better to east where battleships and cruisers could be seen several
thousand yards away. Two
destroyers noted to east. Both drawing left. There was no echo ranging.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0525 H Making ready 11 tubes, depth 10 feet.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0527 H C/c right to parallel column to be able to fire
all ten tubes. Still looked like “down the throat” shots. First four ships in column identified
as heavy cruisers. Fifth one is probably a battleship.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0528 H Range 2880 yards to first cruiser in column.
Angle on the bow still small. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b><u>Monday, 23 Oct. ’44
Cont’d.</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0530 H Targets zigged in a “ships left” to course 350
deg. T. Got new setup.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0532 H Commenced firing bow tubes at leading cruiser.
Using periscope spread to cover 150 degrees of length. Average range 980, gyros 35-70 right,
track 92-130 starboard. After
firing two into him and one spread ahead, target was rearing by so close that
we couldn’t miss so spread the remainder inside his length. Swing hard left to
bring stern tubes to bear while getting setup on second cruiser.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0533
H Torpedoes started hitting first cruiser. Five hits. Commenced firing
stern tubes
at second cruiser; average range 1525, gyros 50 to 60 degrees (130 deg.
Left to
120 deg. Left) Track 90-100
degrees starboard. Spread torpedoes over center 3 quarters of his length
since
hits in first one showed the dope was good. Whipped periscope back to
the first
target to see the sight of a lifetime: cruiser was so close that all of
her
could not be seen at once with periscope in high power. She was a mass
of
billowing black smoke from number one turret to the stern. No
superstructure
could be seen. Bright orange flames shot out from the side along the
main deck
from the bow to the after turret.
Cruiser was already going down by the bow, which was dipping under. #1
turret was at water level. She was definitely finished. Five hits
had her sinking and in flames. It is estimated that there were few if
any
survivors.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0534 H Started deep. Evaded on base course 220 deg. T.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0534 H+ Four hits in second cruiser. Felt certain that
four hits would sink this one too.
The fourth hit was 25 seconds later than it should have been. This fourth
one may have hit the third cruiser, since they were now in line of bearing
formation. Attack position: Lat.
09-23N; Long. 117-11E.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0539 H Depth charge attack began. Four Dog Dogs were
echo ranging and milling about overhead.
The hits, and the screws of many heavy ships probably confound the sound
situation for the enemy, since the attack was not accurate.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0540 H Commenced hearing breaking up noises on sound
gear on a broad bearing (roughly 340 T) where our targets should be stopped.
Noises could be heard through hull in all compartments. These increased in
intensity until they seemed to be right overhead and shook the ship violently.
(Bearings of bucking and crunching noises only could be obtained. Heavy
rumbling and explosions were too violent to get sound bearings on.)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0550 H Heard four distant torpedo explosions in rapid
succession. Probably DACE firing. The Japs must think our submarines are
everywhere at once. From 0600 to 0604 there were tremendous explosions.
Probably magazines. It is estimated that from 0600 on, our target’s breaking up
noises combined with those of DACE’s target.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0605 H Depth charges began again. Probably meant for
DACE this time A total of about 36 overall were heard from this time on more
distant breaking up noises and distant rattling explosions (not depth charges)
could be heard until about 0625)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0630 H Last of depth charges. Four destroyers could be
heard echo ranging. Estimated composition of the task force as follows: left
flank column: four ATAGO class CA’s plus one possible BB. Right flank column: 2
CA’s, one BB. Asterna nd right
flank, 2 CA’s or CL’s and one CV or BB. In addition estimate six DD(only four
seen). Total 11 heavy ships, 6 DD.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0820 H At periscope depth: One Atago class cruiser
sighted bearing 019 deg. T, range 12,000 yards, at our attack position, listing
slightly to starboard and dead in the water. No steam up. Three destroyers were
near him and three planes circled the vicinity. No smoke coming from cruiser.
(This cruiser was of the CA 9 and 10 stage class with catapult forward of
mainmast)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>The following in conenction
with the damage inflicted on this attack is submitted:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>Leading
cruiser was seen to be afire and sinking with 5 hits.</b></span></li></ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2.4 more hits were obtained, at least 3 in
second cruiser; the 4<sup>th</sup> hit was 25 seconds late. Timed about right
for #3 cruiser.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>3.Before returning to periscope depth we
were convinced we had sunk two.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>4.DACE saw two cruisers burning before she
attacked her column.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>5.Our cripple was NOT afire at 0820. It is
believed that large oil fires could not be put out in 2 1/2 hours.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b> 6.Three hits should sink our second
cruiser.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b> 7.Conclusion: There is a possibility
that two were sunk and one damaged. As stated this is only a possibility, yet
the idea is submitted; because, unless Jap cruisers can take more punishment
than ours, it is the logical explanation of the above.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0900 H Secured from battle stations, feeding crew, and
making reload preparatory to attacking again.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>0930 H One destroyer shoved off to North. It is
believed he had been picking up survivors.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1100 H Started in towards cruiser.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1200 H Battle stations, rigged for depth charge.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1300 H Range to cruiser 8000 yards. Coming in on 90
port track. Two destroyers patrolling on beam at range 4000 yards from target,
the maximum range at which we could fire.
Four planes circling overhead. Decided we would never get to fire from
beam with DDs where they were, so commenced working around to bow for small
track.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1430 H Range 7000 yards to cruiser. Coming in on port
bow of target for small track when destroyers both headed towards us. When
range about 3500 yards on closest DD, and still coming in went deep and evaded.
Could not attack destroyers since our six torpedoes were for the cruiser.
Decided to wait until tonight when combined attacks of DARTER & DACE would
outlast the destroyer. (It should be remarked here that we were twice today
well within the low power (Mk 14) torpedo range of the stopped, 657 foot
target; but these are no longer manufactured in quantities sufficient to give
more than a partial load to any boat.)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b> NOTE: LOW POWER TORPEDOES DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE MEANT ONE MORE HEAVY
CRUISER ON THE BOTTOM.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1500 H Cruiser seen hoisting out a boat. He must have
some steam now.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>Sunset Too close to cruiser to surface for star
sights.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>1915 H Surfaced. Cruiser in sight on radar. Proceeding
to rendezvous with DACE. Sent contact report on stopped CA and estimated
composition of remainder of force.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2100 H Cancelled rendezvous with DACE not yet sighted.
And reduced visibility rendering immediate attack appear favorable. DACE
ordered to take attack position 10 miles bearing 150 deg. T from cruiser.
DARTER 10 miles bearing 050 deg. T from cruiser. (Thought DDs would attempt tow
cruiser in our direction towards PALAWAN BARRIER REEF)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2200 H Cruiser underway, course about 220 deg. T.
Speed varied from 4 to 5 knots; course was erratic as though target was
steering with screws. One DD patrolling on each beam.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2245 H Started in for surface attack in very poor
visibility. Planned to attack from Stbd. Quarter, coming in last mile slowly on
battery. Told DACE we would attack in 90 minutes and to sink him if we were
forced down.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2306 H Radar detector picked up two radars sweeping.
Decided against surface attack. Told DACE to attack when ready, DARTER ending
around to starboard for attack at radar depth. Ending around at range 15000
yards on target. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2310 H We now began running through heavy fuel oil
slick from the morning attacks. Slick seen and heavy fumes noted for next 45
minutes.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>2400 H About one hour to run to gain attack position
ahead. Range to cruiser about 18000 yards. Making 17 knots. (Had no sights for
30 hours.)</b></span></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-27867309818568879082022-10-23T07:30:00.001-04:002022-10-23T20:57:00.895-04:0010-23-1944 - The Fleet Counterattacks<p> <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">October 23, 1944 ~0540 Hours<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The men anxiously pleaded for a look in the periscope, but McClintock chose to describe what he saw instead. He said the whole first cruiser was on fire and trailing dense billows of black smoke from the forward turret to the stern. It looked like a fireworks show coming out of the boiler smokestack. The cruiser was driving fast as if they were escaping, but it was plowing beneath the water and the bow was already submerged, the <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>first turret was going under. He wondered if its engines would keep propelling it straight to the bottom. <br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">A call came from the forward torpedo room. “Five hits out of six!” The sub echoed with shouts and war whoops. Men were slapping each other on the back in congratulation. The Skipper came over and personally thanked the radar crew for the contact that led to the hunt of a lifetime.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Darter had done her job, and a spectacular job at that. Now it was Dace's turn.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">What followed was the sound of more explosions as the Dace scored her hits on the fleet ships, which were now turned and high-tailing it out of there. The crew heard a crinkling sound through the hull, like beer cans being crumpled in a trash compactor. Over the next few minutes it grew to a staggering volume, so loud the men had to cover their ears. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">These were the sounds of the doomed ships breaking up and being crushed as they went down. Veterans would describe it as a horrible shrieking, tearing sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard magnified a hundred times. Muffled thuds were heard as some softer objects fell on the sub from above, no one wanted to talk about what those were. Then there were shock waves from more explosions that rocked their tiny boat. These must have been the fires lighting the ammo magazines.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Hugh peered into his radar scope, the only link to the outside world available to him, as he watched a big blip on the screen disappear when the ship went under. The Skipper at the 'scope wouldn't describe the huge fireballs that he saw, but he mentioned that the enemy ships must be shooting in all directions in a panic. The tracers from shells were flying out like sparks, and the destroyer turrets were firing at the open sea, trying to scare away the unseen attackers as the cruisers drew in closer to the main force. They knew it was only a matter of seconds until the depth charges would be rolled out.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">...Surely enough, it began. They heard the unmistakable muffled splashes of heavy metal drums hitting the water, and then silence. The sonar picked them up, and started to ping. The sound wave returns became closer and closer together, and men all over the sub visibly began to sweat. They were close.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Depth charges were another terrifying matter altogether, because nothing is more helpless than being trapped in a closed steel tube with metal drums of explosives raining down on your fragile boat. Direct hits were unnecessary; the force from the shock waves alone could shake a sub apart or turn the men inside into mincemeat.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">After a few long seconds of eternity...the first rupture. This one was muffled. The next one burst just a bit closer, and louder. A few more bursts in quick succession, these sounded almost like knocks. The angel of death was knocking on the outer hull. A young sailor, in a panicked voice, said “For the love of God, somebody let that man in!!” Everybody jumped as each one grew louder than the next.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">For the next few minutes, the tiny vessel felt like it was inside a giant paint mixer. The vibration from the shock of the bursts was almost continuous. The men lost count, but it had to be around thirty charges strung together. About one explosion every two or three seconds.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">One cannot imagine the utter Hell that occurred inside the sub. Men were tossed about, rebounding off walls like rubber squash balls. Lights flickered and bulbs shattered. Leaks sprang up. The lights and gauges on the instrument panel couldn't be made out, the boat shook so violently. A few glass dials shattered, sending splinters of glass flying. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The men shut their eyes, gritted their teeth and rode it out. Showers of sparks sprayed out of the control panels. All they could do was hold on to something for dear life. The hull of the sub seemed to bend and twist. The men's hearts were pounding like the depth charges relentlessly pounding on the hull.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Another minute or two of the devil's grip trying to break the helpless boat in half, and then it abruptly stopped. It was over. The sub was tilted slightly from the shock of a last close one, then it righted itself. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Dave ordered ahead full on batteries, and they outran the last of the depth charges and sped away silently. He told everyone to sound off, to make sure no one was seriously hurt. He heard 79 voices say their last names. Nobody was unconscious. Amazingly, they were all still alive. Well, what a small price to pay for having sunk one ship and crippled another.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Nobody on the sub knew it yet, but they had sunk the cruiser Atago, and most of its crew was on their way to the bottom. Admiral Kurita was picked up by one of his own ships a few hours after dawn. He was alive, but very cold and wet and was none too happy. The cruiser Takao, heavily damaged and smoking, was limping on with the rest of the fleet as sailors tried to get her boilers going and her deck fires under control, and Darter knew she would have to go back and finish off her prey.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">But the Dace and Darter had fulfilled their mission, and started the most epic sea battle in history with a shot heard around the Pacific.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">--Miracle In The Pacific, by J.D. Batt. 2012</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">references:</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Battle Stations Submerged by R.C. Benitez</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Cruisers for Breakfast: War Patrols of the USS Darter and USS Dace by John G. Mansfield. 1981</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-4th War Patrol Logbook of Darter SS-227 transcribed by Hugh Siegel</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Silent Service: Two Davids and Goliath. California National Presentation, 1952 film</div></div><p></p><div><div class="x10wlt62 x6ikm8r x9jhf4c x30kzoy x13lgxp2 x168nmei" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic"><div><div><div><div class="x1n2onr6"><div class="x6s0dn4 xi81zsa x78zum5 x6prxxf x13a6bvl xvq8zen xdj266r xktsk01 xat24cr x1d52u69 x889kno x4uap5 x1a8lsjc xkhd6sd xdppsyt"><div class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1iyjqo2 x6ikm8r x10wlt62"><span aria-label="See who reacted to this" class="x1ja2u2z" role="toolbar"><span class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1e558r4" id="jsc_c_4dv"><span class="x6zyg47 x1xm1mqw xpn8fn3 xtct9fg x13zp6kq x1mcfq15 xrosliz x1wb7cse x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi xamhcws xol2nv xlxy82 x19p7ews xmix8c7 x139jcc6 x1n2onr6 x1xp8n7a xhtitgo"><span class="x12myldv x1udsgas xrc8dwe xxxhv2y x1rg5ohu xmix8c7 x1xp8n7a"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt x1jfb8zj xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j"></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt x1jfb8zj xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j"><br /></span></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-52904573066276688522022-10-23T06:30:00.001-04:002022-10-23T20:53:20.265-04:0010-23-1944 - The Attack Begins<p> </p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">October 23, 1944 - Balabac Strait, Philippines<br /><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Aboard USS Darter</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />Ship's time: 0510 hours. It was very close to daylight now. Darter battened down the hatches, went below the surface again, and rigged for silent running. The chase had begun. <br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>Darter would strike first. Her shots would spread out into a fan pattern that would decimate the unsuspecting left side, and then as the right side altered course to evade, they would swing right into the crosshairs of Dace. It was a perfect trap, and there was no escape for their prey. They called these submarine teams wolf packs for a reason. The excitement in the control room was approaching a fever pitch. Captain McClintock was visibly excited. “We've got them now!” His emphatic statement only echoed the thoughts of the vigilant and superbly trained crew around him, his brothers and shipmates. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The hunted had just become the hunters. Darter and Dace were going to war by themselves...to save the Allied Philippines invasion effort. It was a harebrained idea, but that was the genius of it. Who would suspect such a suicidal attack by two tiny subs? Alone, unsupported and hopelessly outgunned by the largest, most heavily armed Navy ships in the history of the world? It was David McClintock against Goliath.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">According to the navigator, the weather was clear. The wind was blowing at 55 degrees bearing at three miles an hour, the ocean was very calm, 40 kilometers visibility. 3 Sunrise was set for 0559, and it was getting brighter already. The Skipper described the view of the fleet spread out in front of them through the 'scope as "like a grey city on the horizon.” </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">They were spread so far, he had to swivel the periscope to look at them all. They were getting close enough he could make out battleships, cruisers and destroyers, they appeared to be zigzagging a bit judging by their wakes. The enemy must know they are being followed. Still no depth charges yet. Everyone aboard could only imagine the fear and anxiety of the sailors on those ships. Every piece of floating debris probably looked like a periscope to the deck watchmen. As it was, the hairs on the backs of the men aboard the Darter were sticking up, everyone had a prickly sensation down their spine. The air was electrified by tension.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">McClintock kept the intercom from the conning tower open, so everyone below could hear how it was going. “Angle on the bow increasing...55....60. 65. Range, under one thousand yards. Shooting bearing...Mark! FIRE ONE!”</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The torpedo gunner pushed the first fire button, which lit up red to indicate it was away, but everyone on board knew it. The ship lurched back and forth, and a loud buzzing was heard that decreased in pitch and faded away as the deadly 'fish' sped away toward its target. They waited a few seconds and then launched another five torpedoes, in quick succession. Six sleek and deadly missiles were whirring away into the murky sea.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">He shouted that the first cruiser appeared to be turning away, so they targeted the second one. Range, fifteen hundred yards, the command came echoing back. The dials on the mechanical computer spun and the numbers matched up, they had their fix. They fired another two fish. Now they had caught up, they were traveling perfectly parallel to the fleet's direction of travel, and were right in the middle of the cluster of ships.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">McClintock ordered “Rudder hard to Starboard! Fire stern tube number one!” The ship lurched again, tossing everyone about as loud explosions reverberated through the tiny sub. “Depth charges!” shouted a panicked voice from somewhere. Dave shouted over the roar. “Depth charges, hell! Torpedoes!” They were so loud and close to the ship, it indeed sounded like depth charges were raining down on them. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The gunnery torpedo officer must have been punching one torpedo button after another and jumping up and down excitedly as he heard each hit. They heard the sound of his boots stamping on the conning tower floor above their heads. The sounds over the radio from Dace were excited as well, he thought he heard cheers and applause. He marked the time: 0532 hours.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Darter had fired the first shots. The Battle of Leyte Gulf had begun.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">--Miracle In The Pacific, by J.D. Batt, 2012</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">references: </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Battle Stations Submerged by R.C. Benitez </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Cruisers for Breakfast: War Patrols of the USS Darter and USS Dace by John G. Mansfield. 1981</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-4th War Patrol Logbook of Darter SS-227 transcribed by Hugh Siegel</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">-Silent Service: Two Davids and Goliath. California National Present#dartermonth2022</div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-28572619215096002572022-10-22T20:48:00.001-04:002022-10-23T20:50:17.611-04:00Darter War Patrol Log 10-23-1944<p> </p><div><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1swvt13 xjkvuk6" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_4df"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Just after midnight on October 23rd, the Darter located the rear destroyer escorts of the entire Japanese fleet bound for Leyte. <span><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/dartermonth2022?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUwWbowpdTG4ZrE57JpP9mVbBB18TYe4nbgBLR6YcB8pQ5_g_1jzZRwmH10OGVGAnO9JkYRkrOIGb92EiRmfJTvio6GSL_FeB1Ncobz-6KrBGsRnfCaqeTgK8HGZLAxuiQKvZPywlumCeiO3LukZNd8&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" tabindex="0">#dartermonth2022<br /><br /></a></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>Official USS Darter War Patrol Log</b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>Monday, 23 Oct. ’44.</u><br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>0016 <span></span>H</u> Radar contact 131 degrees T, operator says “probably rain.” <br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>0017 H</u> By megaphone to DACE: “We have radar contact. Let’s go”<br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>0020 H</u> Bearing changed to left. Operator says it is ships. Both subs closing at full power. Come to normal approach course, 040 degrees T. Targets headed up to PALAWAN PASSAGE.<br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>Between now and dawn sent out 3 contact reports to CTF-71, giving final estimate that ships were a task force of 11 heavy ships. This based on their high speed and long radar ranges obtained (34,000 yards maximum); also many sweeping radars were detected. Tracking party said that gaining attack position was hopeless due to high target speed (initial estimate 22 knots) Blew negative, safety, ran #10 blow every 30 minutes. Managed to average about 19 knots. Estimates of enemy speed began to drop until finally it was 15 knots. We had them now! Enemy course 39 degrees. DARTER was to attack left flank column first, at dawn, with DACE about 5 miles up the track in position to attack starboard column. Did not attack in darkness, as it was considered vital to see and identify the force which was probably on its way to interfere with the Leyte landing. It was felt that there could be no radical dawn zig due to size of force and narrowness of PALAWAN PASSAGE. Targets did not zig during night.<br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>0425 H</u> 20,000 yards dead ahead of port column of heavy ships. Slowed to 15 knots. Biggest pip in port column was last ship. Picked it as target.<br /><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><u>0452 H</u> Manned battle stations.</b></span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-73463962434491775432022-10-21T19:46:00.000-04:002022-10-21T19:46:04.269-04:00Darter War Patrol Log - Oct 21, 1944<p><u><span style="font-family: courier;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x10flsy6 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x41vudc x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></span></u></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>Saturday, 21 Oct ’44.</u></div></div><p></p><div><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1swvt13 xjkvuk6" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_4v"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x10flsy6 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x41vudc x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>0000 H</u> Picked up news broadcast on Phillippines invasion. <br /><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span></span>Immediately headed for BALABAC STRAIT to watch for heavy units since SINGAPORE-BALABAC-MINDANAO SEA is shortest route for any part of Jap fleet which might head for LEYTE.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>0815 H</u> Submerged in western approach to BALABAC STRAIT.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>1824 H</u> Surfaced. Patrolling tonight covering southwest approaches to BALABAC STRAIT.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>2350 H</u> Radar contact 26,000 yards, 261 degrees T(3 targets) 0100 target position 07-31N; Long. 115-22E.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><u>2352 H</u> At battle stations; making full power. Sent contact report to DACE and CTF-71 on 3 probable heavy cruisers. Targets tracked at speed 23 knots, base course 020 degrees T, headed through the Dangerous Ground. We were only 29 degrees forward of targets from beam on contact, and never had a chance to gain position. Held on at full power (18.8 knots) through Dangerous Ground until after daylight with view (1) possible zig toward us (2) to send out contact reports to coach DACE onto track (3) to attempt to sight targets at dawn for identification. Sent total of two contact reports to CTF-71 and 11 to DACE. DACE was in position for possible interception.</div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-88886595645828254972022-10-20T20:46:00.002-04:002022-10-23T20:47:21.915-04:0010-20-1944 - Invasion of Leyte Began<p> </p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">On October 20 1944, the sailors heard on the radio that the invasion of the Philippines had begun. General MacArthur had landed his Marines on Leyte Island. It was only at this point that the crew of the Darter and her sister boat the Dace learned why they were on patrol in this area. They carried out their orders silently and never questioned why. If Sub Command told them to go somewhere, they went. Being isolated and alone on the open sea, it was easy to <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>forget that there was a war going on as each man was fighting his own private war against boredom, fear and anxiety, with the endless routine of diving and surfacing and false alarms.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The role of Task Force 'M' was now clear. Their mission was to patrol the Palawan Passage in an area known as the "Dangerous Ground", and set a trap for Japanese ships passing through on their way to interfere with the Leyte landings. They were trying to 'interfere with the interference', as it were. Just two mice setting a trap for an elephant. Sounded simple on paper. But this was easier said than done.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> The area they had to patrol was huge; hundreds of square miles of open sea, and they were just two tiny subs. They would be considered the forward picket line. If the Japanese fleet passed through, both submarine crews knew they would have the best chance at getting the first shot and strike a decisive blow that could start an epic battle in the Southwest Pacific. But there was also a constant fear the fleet would spot them first, all it took was one airplane and they would be in trouble. Due to the secrecy of submarine operations, no one else knew where they were. They were not allowed to contact their own fleet. They were alone and no help would come.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Which boat would be the lucky one to spot the enemy first? Only time would tell...</div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-3683774127415155332022-10-18T20:27:00.001-04:002022-10-23T20:38:25.649-04:00Darter in Palawan Passage - "The Dangerous Ground"<p> <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The area of the South China Sea off the coast of Mindanao, between Brunei Bay and Palawan Island is named the Balabac Strait, otherwise known as the Palawan Passage. On nautical charts during the war, this was referred to as the Dangerous Ground. This is where the USS Darter found herself on her fourth war patrol as she lay in wait for the Japanese fleet to arrive, the week of October 20th in 1944 .<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRipmBnELCCxvC2kMDbWKHZBmrKK8gkBvb_KtQSWv5a0JbywfU9B1JZokpGTRkr_nIuNWf2DTFuVYuUlylDakuxmgxCtgZ2rlqdZzjiwYXH6CX_9_vYRULosX9f0MdocqbTwqyGcg1mpTrF17K-wEDgJHw2jJFf44SlaWPnmmkbMF3IzzhJBZoXnnu/s3507/PHILIPPINES%20NAUTICAL%20MAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3507" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRipmBnELCCxvC2kMDbWKHZBmrKK8gkBvb_KtQSWv5a0JbywfU9B1JZokpGTRkr_nIuNWf2DTFuVYuUlylDakuxmgxCtgZ2rlqdZzjiwYXH6CX_9_vYRULosX9f0MdocqbTwqyGcg1mpTrF17K-wEDgJHw2jJFf44SlaWPnmmkbMF3IzzhJBZoXnnu/w717-h523/PHILIPPINES%20NAUTICAL%20MAP.jpg" width="717" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photocopy of a nautical chart of the Philippines, including known seafloor depths and currents <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QrtO1xlFZ3e7ZPtt4ALuiGKoaXTfag79RQ6Dzos_8L0Pe7wmtZJzRocizIsatr0gOWSeENCj8qMPeDxZ_QWCb-KHuD90ceq7rfR2WtH8ncDSZ__oUPiGp9Iw9Od0k9v2SaOgvRY2ZtVXbX9pd3LzpAOL6wbOTlT_YMxI4ec_pdbidepKqdputbQ/s2171/Oct%2023%201944%20Leyte%20Battle%20Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2171" data-original-width="1910" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QrtO1xlFZ3e7ZPtt4ALuiGKoaXTfag79RQ6Dzos_8L0Pe7wmtZJzRocizIsatr0gOWSeENCj8qMPeDxZ_QWCb-KHuD90ceq7rfR2WtH8ncDSZ__oUPiGp9Iw9Od0k9v2SaOgvRY2ZtVXbX9pd3LzpAOL6wbOTlT_YMxI4ec_pdbidepKqdputbQ/w541-h614/Oct%2023%201944%20Leyte%20Battle%20Chart.jpg" width="541" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the Leyte Gulf area showing US and Japan strike forces on October 23-25, 1944. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> This was not a frequented area of <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>the South China Sea due to its many hazards. The only nautical charts of this region were British, and they looked so antiquated the Darter & Dace navigators wondered if they were from the turn of the century. (They probably were; likely the ones used by the Royal Navy when they blockaded the Phillippines during the Boxer Rebellion some fifty years earlier). <br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">All these islands in the Philippines had offshore reefs, sandbars and outcroppings of sharp rocks, with breakers up to twelve miles from the shore. The rocks were easily misidentified as ships from a distance, because of the 'wakes' they left when waves broke over them. Many of the area's obstacles to surface boats could not be seen from the air, as they were submerged beneath choppy waves. Accurate depth soundings had never been taken in many areas. The reefs and rocks caused unpredictable currents. Tropical storms, typhoons and rain squalls had been known to blow up without warning, all of which spelled doom for many ships.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> Even submerged, the thin and highly maneuverable subs were not safe. Huge coral reefs of irregular shapes also filled the area, some just below the surface, and radar at the time only detected moving objects, not stationary ones. All these factors made sea travel through this area very perilous.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Grandpa's hand drawn map of the region with latitude and longitude lines helped me locate the final resting place of the Darter on satellite images that I will repost later.</div></div><p></p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-41727528891186940242022-10-12T20:39:00.014-04:002022-10-23T20:41:23.770-04:00Hugh's Service Log 10-12-1944<p><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Service log 1O/12/44: "Attacked a large convoy, but could not get in position to fire correctly. Finally had to fire long range shots. Fired <span></span>four fish and believed to have gotten four hits, each on different ships, the firing was over 6,000 yards. Considering the distance, this was good shooting. Received seven aerial bombs, but continued to chase the convoy for another day, but finally gave up. Found out that we sank one ship, and damaged the other two." - </span></i><span style="font-size: medium;">From Hugh's typewritten service diaries</span><br /><br /></div></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div style="text-align: center;">I imagine it looked sort of like the painting he kept in his living room. <br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDu4sOVGUbt16Vb0FEU_b7TG94mWRxhURow-Qx9ZYl4RC16zREgAJqQa52O5eVxjL96xj9xTv4dtnVxaICnzeXc9XMkNIpoaWu07rXFhakyDfuMqp8qi4buGYKdAP4NO8QQbOqlOzOvh9qWFFsz1-oVy7iIicPvWVrBm0ElsK6EADcoafkQRaCu7Gh/s2048/painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDu4sOVGUbt16Vb0FEU_b7TG94mWRxhURow-Qx9ZYl4RC16zREgAJqQa52O5eVxjL96xj9xTv4dtnVxaICnzeXc9XMkNIpoaWu07rXFhakyDfuMqp8qi4buGYKdAP4NO8QQbOqlOzOvh9qWFFsz1-oVy7iIicPvWVrBm0ElsK6EADcoafkQRaCu7Gh/w640-h426/painting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div></span><p></p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-72623218288793587692022-10-03T20:41:00.014-04:002022-10-23T22:02:50.222-04:0010-3-1944 - Darter Under Friendly Fire<div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">On Darter's 4th and final war patrol, one notable incident in the first week of October was on 10/3/44 around 1500 hours when several friendly aircraft almost strafed the boat.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIlBKuNJi9DbFRu4AdJ49Gz_fGG1swqk3yhVQIRUXaRMbKGyubEEXYL6aWmAhHNlt_h5WFfaF8rj69Th2dV2CcTDha1bYhx1s4sDiBzF9clr9fOu29UUnyEN7qw6k-C5CSWYieFTtdokOQYE2X4iPXtDrRiHr7goXQZVtir25Yvto845auHZACUgR/s1764/311491170_10100722855399501_1097938479859538330_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="1764" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIlBKuNJi9DbFRu4AdJ49Gz_fGG1swqk3yhVQIRUXaRMbKGyubEEXYL6aWmAhHNlt_h5WFfaF8rj69Th2dV2CcTDha1bYhx1s4sDiBzF9clr9fOu29UUnyEN7qw6k-C5CSWYieFTtdokOQYE2X4iPXtDrRiHr7goXQZVtir25Yvto845auHZACUgR/w640-h164/311491170_10100722855399501_1097938479859538330_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> The book "Cruisers For Breakfast" (written by John G Mansfield, 1981) elaborates on the incident from veteran interviews and was mentioned in my 2014 story "Miracle in the Pacific"...<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"On the 3rd of October '44, the Darter and Dace were to cover the Western <span></span>approach to Balabac Strait. They patrolled submerged at almost all times, due to an incident where the Darter was surfaced and a passing American plane almost bombed them. The men saw a plane with US markings, they hoped it would keep going but it turned around and came back at them. The men panicked and scrambled to get below deck as they heard the engines whine, it was diving. Someone got the bright idea of signaling with the emergency flares, using the launch tubes at the tip and the stern of the boat. But the flares were faulty and did not launch. <br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of them exploded in the tube when the cord was pulled, this blew Capt McClintock off his feet and knocked him on his rear end, almost deafening another crew member standing by. The brass signal letters meant to be laid on the decks to spell messages to aircraft also pitched off the deck and were lost overboard in the rough sea. Attempts to hail the plane by radio and code were unsuccessful, and finally the American flag was brought out on deck attached to a length of pipe and waved around. The bomber was waved off at last. The radio op said the planes were talking on 2716 kilocycles. He heard them say ““...It may be an American sub...” Skipper said “You tell them you're damn right it's an American sub, and to go away, they make us nervous.” <br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Seawolf, SS-197 was not so lucky. It was sunk in the same passage by an American destroyer, the USS Rowell earlier that day and went down with all hands aboard.<br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /></div></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-27871737925135433622022-04-04T22:53:00.007-04:002023-04-12T21:46:06.678-04:00Decommissioning the USS Darter (SSN-576)<p>My Grandfather was part of the 'DECOM' crew that
decommissioned the 2nd submarine USS Darter (SS-576) in 1989.
This is video taken inside the vessel as it was making its final voyage out to sea.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QSu3WSjuuaU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />
The boat was named after the SS-227 Darter, which Grandpa sailed on. (For those new to this blog, Darter was the diesel-electric sub in World War II that was famous for a daring surprise attack on the
Japanese fleet in the Philippines. On the night before the Battle of
Leyte Gulf in October 1944, the boat ran aground after its daring attack, and
was stranded overnight until it was rescued by the sister sub USS Dace.) Hugh was
personally involved in the rescue of Darter's crew, and he was decorated
for valor. Hugh served proudly in the Navy until 1953. He attended many
boat commissionings, sailor memorials and Navy Sub Vets reunions thru
the 1980s and early 1990s until his death in 1995.
<br /><br />As one of the surviving crew of the SS-227, Hugh received a special
invitation to aid in retiring the SS-576 on its final day of service, 30
years after he had seen her commissioned in 1956. This is camcorder video taken
inside the control room as SS-576 went out to sea for the last time.
Later in the tape, WWII veterans (some of them Hugh's former crewmates)
are sharing stories in the officer's galley.
As stated before, this video dates from 1989. <br /><br />All the WWII veterans on
this tape are now deceased. Thanks for watching and salute to our United
States Navy veterans and submariners, past and present!<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Some information about SS-576:<br />(source: https://designed4submariners.com/USS_Darter__SS-576_.html)<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR5UF93x0YtwcNzyiROTv8vLtAQa-Ip0Bv7kIf7Co-VUHJ0c8SZFhlLUfBOJM8gStn3Fnln8euYzqHJ0knfCiyXPSixeYaF-tSw5M_u-LGpsEdBcSokZNkyEBNpYEBDKeMiDo-bOh1sZ_cJKAjKftQuWYx446H35nQOvyfGMAh_BtSmNz8skqeeon/s1647/USS%20Darter%20576%20Decom%20Hat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR5UF93x0YtwcNzyiROTv8vLtAQa-Ip0Bv7kIf7Co-VUHJ0c8SZFhlLUfBOJM8gStn3Fnln8euYzqHJ0knfCiyXPSixeYaF-tSw5M_u-LGpsEdBcSokZNkyEBNpYEBDKeMiDo-bOh1sZ_cJKAjKftQuWYx446H35nQOvyfGMAh_BtSmNz8skqeeon/s320/USS%20Darter%20576%20Decom%20Hat.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa's SS-576 Decom Crew hat.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><p style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><b>USS Darter (SS-576)</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
<b>Overview</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
USS Darter (SS-576), was a unique submarine based on the Tang Class, but
incorporating many improvements, she was the second ship of the United
States Navy to be named for the darter, a type of small American
fresh-water fish closely related to the perch.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
The keel for Darter was laid down on 10 November 1954. She was launched
on 28 May 1956 sponsored by Mrs. G.L. Russell, and commissioned on 20
October 1956, with Lieutenant Commander Ralph R. Blaine in command.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
Darter was used to experiment with numerous innovations including a
three-man helmsman-planesman station using aircraft-style stick
controls.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
<b>Service history</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
Designed with sophisticated acoustic, electronic and fire control gear,
Darter was intended to serve as a new generation of post-war ASW
submarines, similar to Tang (SS-563). Upon commissioning Darter operated
on various training exercises in the Atlantic, both locally from her
home port of Newport, R.I. and on cruises to the West Indies or to
Europe for NATO operations. Following an overhaul at Portsmouth, N.H.,
in 1959 she changed home port to Charleston, S.C., on 1 August 1959) and
began training missions in support of the newly commissioned fleet
ballistic submarines, providing ASW services for surface units in the
West Indies and off Key West and serving as a platform for various CNO
projects. In between these regular operations, Darter deployed to the
Mediterranean for cruises in 1963 and 1967. She also received a major
modernization overhaul in 1965, receiving a 16-foot hull extension, new
engines, new safety gear and better electronic gear.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
In September 1985, Darter was involved in a collision with the merchant ship Kansas Getty which disabled her.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">
Darter was decommissioned on 1 December 1989 and struck from the Navel
Vessel Register on 17 January 1990. On 7 January 1992, ex-Darter was
sunk as a target by Tautog off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.</span><br />
</p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-46747239139278390842022-04-02T13:13:00.006-04:002022-04-04T23:19:42.332-04:00The History of the USS Delaware (SSN-791): Video<div style="text-align: left;">Construction & Launching of the SSN-791 <i>USS Delaware</i>:<br /></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/_8csKZ6itw4" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />The arrival of the <i>SSN-791 </i>in Wilmington:<br /><br /><br /> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VujNaNJxSy4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><br WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-217708665604945192022-04-02T13:06:00.005-04:002023-04-12T21:49:47.229-04:00State of Delaware Commissions New Nuclear Sub - Apr 2, 2022<p> Today I had the privilege to (virtually) witness a commissioning of a new nuclear submarine called the <i>USS Delaware</i> in my home city. The ceremony was attended by Senator Tom Carper, Governor John Carney, County Executive Chris Coons, the Secretary of the Navy, President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WhQZ6QmJUy5Kl1VhOwQqoyXH_nlLferz5Rulmu_ZQcHUzyfjF59DcQPxjInsucWFwmdPt6jQf6W1NkYSkRqsC_JMKoPA_aIkkGmRr6JE_HyOuUukZUrj9ek-QtfEoRYVlekX-juUo-FIHoygi0eto626qexEZ5HjTXxhR7J3YWYlzU0PVpfNQm9m/s2016/277360166_1327053744429834_4122940856904326756_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1504" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WhQZ6QmJUy5Kl1VhOwQqoyXH_nlLferz5Rulmu_ZQcHUzyfjF59DcQPxjInsucWFwmdPt6jQf6W1NkYSkRqsC_JMKoPA_aIkkGmRr6JE_HyOuUukZUrj9ek-QtfEoRYVlekX-juUo-FIHoygi0eto626qexEZ5HjTXxhR7J3YWYlzU0PVpfNQm9m/w478-h640/277360166_1327053744429834_4122940856904326756_n.jpg" width="478" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitu-p_wiYRirc_02FJzo9MTsDI5ur5q3Et2Bqn2FYR4sST4AiTKY0eGOSVR1OFOP2PKZ5voD9EvZM5BfH6_IBJzJtA4nfaHgIW0GL8Y1GcMWscMCt83XAOHkAH4oS9BL_IjX2z5q4jSY2Q-Px3n5LR-luZVwAEJes8KNV17vfDuFf5m27YzV6uggX/s2016/277411449_285486006950184_1042763303342755127_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1504" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitu-p_wiYRirc_02FJzo9MTsDI5ur5q3Et2Bqn2FYR4sST4AiTKY0eGOSVR1OFOP2PKZ5voD9EvZM5BfH6_IBJzJtA4nfaHgIW0GL8Y1GcMWscMCt83XAOHkAH4oS9BL_IjX2z5q4jSY2Q-Px3n5LR-luZVwAEJes8KNV17vfDuFf5m27YzV6uggX/w478-h640/277411449_285486006950184_1042763303342755127_n.jpg" width="478" /></a><br /><br />The last time the United States Navy had a vessel called USS Delaware was more than a hundred years ago. The last USS Delaware (BB-28) was a Dreadnought class battleship that served in World War 1. She was launched in 1910 and decommissioned in 1924. There were a few other USS Delaware ships, one that defended the Delaware River in 1776, another that replaced her after she was sunk a year or so later. One that served in the Civil War launched in 1861, another in 1868. The 1861 vessel was built and launched by the Harlan & Hollingsworth steamship company right here in Wilmington. Her other namesakes served with distinction in the Navy of their time. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlDQEudpc-em9dFp4Eht8wBLMUS79IAJdMotcIVWyq4xlLnsSYdfvAMRsRZL8kLLSVVfH2Uw6VFq7x2XI8wjwRCkTEfRlyw340vdxUy1jUQJ2rKNKyckdOFNnxxedAMEZfxHycfI8Hl-2WU8cBVL3e22cFT2gIrvzjVXrbA8vbrkw-nePYNQY_GrH/s1734/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-02%20at%208.42.45%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1734" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlDQEudpc-em9dFp4Eht8wBLMUS79IAJdMotcIVWyq4xlLnsSYdfvAMRsRZL8kLLSVVfH2Uw6VFq7x2XI8wjwRCkTEfRlyw340vdxUy1jUQJ2rKNKyckdOFNnxxedAMEZfxHycfI8Hl-2WU8cBVL3e22cFT2gIrvzjVXrbA8vbrkw-nePYNQY_GrH/w484-h240/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-02%20at%208.42.45%20AM.png" width="484" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The previous USS Delaware.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Amusingly enough, it was a librarian who chose the name. A local librarian in Newark was a scholar of naval history and he saw that no ship had sailed named after Delaware for almost a century. So he wrote letters to the Secretary of the Navy, to Senator Tom Carper and First Lady Jill Biden asking if one of a series of new nuclear attack submarines under construction could bear the name. After a few months, the librarian's request was obliged. <br /><br />The commissioning ceremony was originally scheduled for April 2020. The event was an mainly invitation for government officials and the crew's families. Only a limited number of public tickets were available. I wanted to attend in Hugh's memory, but sadly I learned about it a month after the tickets sold out. I started writing a letter to the authorities asking for an appeal to attend, but received no reply. As it turned out, it was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The <i>Delaware </i>received her true commissioning at sea, while she was submerged. A first in Navy history. <br /><br />I wanted to be present for this ceremony because my Grandpa attended several boat commissions in his life. He was an honorary guest when the SS-576 boat was dedicated in 1956, named Darter after his diesel boat from WWII. And he was on the crew that decommissioned her, thirty years later. (One of these days I will get around to uploading the video he had inside the control room as they were taking her out to sea one last time) <br /><br />I know if he were still alive today, he would have come down here to see them off. And I hope he would be proud of me for wanting to be there.<br /><br />This USS Delaware was built by General Dynamics and the Electric Boat Company, which has been building submarines since World War II. <br /><br />As soon as a decent video of the live webcast is posted to Youtube, I will embed the video in this blog post.<br /><br />They couldn't have picked a better day to do it. It was a beautiful sunny day here in Wilmington, with a clear blue sky and a warm breeze. Fair winds and following seas, to the crew of the SS-791!<br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62wNkHqU5p5-j985lVgolb7mqHK9f5d0hJMsjXeQJJ-Lc4SEus9QUFTTUH7rw2dpwA1hVe4LVVePapOA2Fpjl47IL5gXCt7Z1Bcj4AkGl4oPTIr39Vffg3bTqtu9Rx4RNfzDVhSMut4LPB_ZDYqCvgCM4-DccCN84Km8RSlwgpnzAatG0ikwXOWld/s2016/277597614_705770397135439_2912200996258054273_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62wNkHqU5p5-j985lVgolb7mqHK9f5d0hJMsjXeQJJ-Lc4SEus9QUFTTUH7rw2dpwA1hVe4LVVePapOA2Fpjl47IL5gXCt7Z1Bcj4AkGl4oPTIr39Vffg3bTqtu9Rx4RNfzDVhSMut4LPB_ZDYqCvgCM4-DccCN84Km8RSlwgpnzAatG0ikwXOWld/w640-h480/277597614_705770397135439_2912200996258054273_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVxC470VWMXTPVTrbn4ZvOBufQUWvv10KLMr1bzZf0iKlJtbZdJvyiMYcLA5LZrg-WcStYxgpwFefRLNbWN7arZk2lYtksa6LlCkQEO_6M0cxXyaoy-Fn3W5zYw2_o9qMXwccKBZqeNSzfkMNYdbSGB_nufWImoG6kq9BPBtqQD589rtmh8fRuN5R/s2016/277424530_510893330416710_6099317706692776785_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVxC470VWMXTPVTrbn4ZvOBufQUWvv10KLMr1bzZf0iKlJtbZdJvyiMYcLA5LZrg-WcStYxgpwFefRLNbWN7arZk2lYtksa6LlCkQEO_6M0cxXyaoy-Fn3W5zYw2_o9qMXwccKBZqeNSzfkMNYdbSGB_nufWImoG6kq9BPBtqQD589rtmh8fRuN5R/w640-h480/277424530_510893330416710_6099317706692776785_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov_RSuH9Pf4VhTG69Cp0a8_KNR1r1i2-7z_wMBCitTdrAZbxu_n-toJapc1PeMuPtC_gxkT84G06DWrp-sVoR4bSOI9W_fHrtPYcuymIUEDURbjxPWPCzpPDhaw_fx8D__vGGh4LX9KERC6dtT1bpMkMMZ7TRyj1_8f3KndnR-2nRUZQmb_HqbjY1/s2016/275953665_1420095168423884_3719941410336582697_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov_RSuH9Pf4VhTG69Cp0a8_KNR1r1i2-7z_wMBCitTdrAZbxu_n-toJapc1PeMuPtC_gxkT84G06DWrp-sVoR4bSOI9W_fHrtPYcuymIUEDURbjxPWPCzpPDhaw_fx8D__vGGh4LX9KERC6dtT1bpMkMMZ7TRyj1_8f3KndnR-2nRUZQmb_HqbjY1/w640-h480/275953665_1420095168423884_3719941410336582697_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9Rjr2-KHJFGGX64aybm20sJdsTzPvdP6U6JOpk5NWI-CVtXs5E5IeFE7O1-fWM75Biqf3v_WiqWpXf8gOdi8Q6cVRTyEdavcP8HqNX-OlTKV9TohUV1dAtRmuJtR4Tfq_aKd51EDUJioNST8oAE5CS8g406w1co4dhZrsuNwnJxtayvNOByB4KJ/s1612/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-02%20at%2012.26.08%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="1612" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9Rjr2-KHJFGGX64aybm20sJdsTzPvdP6U6JOpk5NWI-CVtXs5E5IeFE7O1-fWM75Biqf3v_WiqWpXf8gOdi8Q6cVRTyEdavcP8HqNX-OlTKV9TohUV1dAtRmuJtR4Tfq_aKd51EDUJioNST8oAE5CS8g406w1co4dhZrsuNwnJxtayvNOByB4KJ/w573-h474/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-02%20at%2012.26.08%20PM.png" width="573" /></a></div><br /><br />WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-12965677172616803192022-03-23T21:57:00.001-04:002022-03-27T19:47:51.875-04:00Grandpa Speaks Again! [Found audio recording]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">I reposted this blog entry with an important update.<br /><br />Back in 2012 after my Grandma passed away, my family was cleaning out the house. I got the privilege of going through everything that was in Grandpa's radio room upstairs. One of the things I found tucked away in a forgotten corner was a stack of flat boxes. These boxes contained old reel-to-reel analog tapes. I told Mom I couldn't bear to throw them away, because what if my Grandfather's voice was on them. I hadn't heard him speak since I was eleven years old. It took me almost four years to find the right equipment to play these tapes, and when I did, what I found was fascinating (to me). The tapes were like a trip back in time. Among the varied recordings were a Christmas morning with the kids unwrapping presents in 1966, my Aunt playing the piano and singing in 1974, a recording of President Nixon's resignation, a radio news broadcast about the Vietnam War, about 10 minutes of Grandpa pretending to talk to his daughters on the radio during a snow day in 1971. And the last tape was this, a recording about Government research in long distance communication.<br /><br />I do know that Hughie was a civilian contractor for the United States Air Force after he was discharged from the Submarine Service, and he did that until he retired in 1975. He did some work for Raytheon helping to develop the field of telecommunications, including microwave, infra-red lasers, satellite and radar. This recording you are about to hear would have been lost forever it were not for these preservation efforts.<br /><br />I had originally shared this as a private Facebook video, but I recently discovered Facebook videos can now be downloaded. So here at last, is the embedded video for you to watch and listen. <span class="_44bj">The working tape deck I found actually has vacuum tubes
in it, so it takes a minute to warm up... this is what the loud humming noise
is when it comes on.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='321' height='267' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxEUNMTBX9G347GyItKgh7d4nVl_ZkH6aXcgxXhGSt7WgF9ct6dxMZMJvWOmRnsKQq1qgN4rcfE7-W89QlAyQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><br /><span class="_44bj">On this tape, he's rehearsing for a presentation he was to give at his job as a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense, the exact date is unknown. His voice on the tape sounds a little plodding and monotone, I think he was reading from notes. What he's talking about is an experimental acoustic coupler modulator - demodulator, otherwise known as a <b>modem</b>,
and how it can potentially enable "wide band digital data transmission capability" ...the precursor to today's internet. He even hints at the possibility of wireless data transfer through radio signal and how atmospheric phenomena such as rain and lightning can cause interference. (ever notice how the internet is slower on rainy days?) This is mind-blowing. <br /><br />But the year is 1973, and the public won't have access to it for another 20 years. Sadly (or thankfully)
he did not live to see what it would eventually
become. But this is his actual voice, not heard in over two decades.
<br /><br />He was involved in the development of ARPANET. That is just amazing.<br /><br />Note: he states at the start of this recording that the
information is declassified. <br /></span>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-14260393645693141442022-02-20T08:38:00.003-05:002022-02-20T08:38:51.053-05:00Commissioning Envelopes<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Some fresh material in the Siegel archive for the first time in ages. These are known as first day covers. Way back in the days before the internet when stamp collecting was still a popular thing to do, these were a good way to commemorate important or historic events. Grandpa had one for each of the boats he served on, with another first day cover for the 50th anniversary of the Darter launch on September 7, 1993.<br /><br />I looked back through the archive and realized the material I shared so far is less than half of his enormous collection of records. I will see if I can start making regular posts a few times a week until the Spring finally comes.<br /><br />Welcome back, shipmates.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1925" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgj482NS3dy5JQsI5xYAQizBnZ7mSt5JCOwn1IeM6Zwf-1PIraNDdApG2m_8eir2OO2gmjP8htx6vWSK2eqUlpMJD-0JmtCS5A1HzOUDvr7xxL9tkbk406-nS8zhqJ437kaiNgb7KZHbN0ebZ8dLSQ_h8btKIX0tuPCesjGeR7yKBJcOMRRQHNgLe75=w640-h362" width="640" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4jYInCd8dOkyl2XETYfXNE511bETKD64Um6XzH0t4vX2PUe5hvrfN2RJWQmVM-E-CMft8N6bjusdU7w4f7vZTAZvYr1dar975gMm3soAnWxRBX5xnw6UBM1qWZUbV7uu3r-it-0fnWsLdp6v3ZItLs2TLAhB81x4guV5w4-W-lN0apR63VT8cG6Ni=s1900" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1900" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4jYInCd8dOkyl2XETYfXNE511bETKD64Um6XzH0t4vX2PUe5hvrfN2RJWQmVM-E-CMft8N6bjusdU7w4f7vZTAZvYr1dar975gMm3soAnWxRBX5xnw6UBM1qWZUbV7uu3r-it-0fnWsLdp6v3ZItLs2TLAhB81x4guV5w4-W-lN0apR63VT8cG6Ni=w640-h354" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5uFSPVpc3D_zxR5ouUnZi0xSbloSEeVx_SednH-lpgGcsBvcbx9xy1SelYFAbBWFXYuj9PO3hFemQqpchy70d0oWb-4_Am_ooo_0SAdwGD_GWONhrSi089ubz2-hubVsbmDL9_V4JWdimU7IZLhjtkWcg6zk5WEOrWnq4yu8nl0x5O3TJf5BNCC1W=s1950" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1950" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5uFSPVpc3D_zxR5ouUnZi0xSbloSEeVx_SednH-lpgGcsBvcbx9xy1SelYFAbBWFXYuj9PO3hFemQqpchy70d0oWb-4_Am_ooo_0SAdwGD_GWONhrSi089ubz2-hubVsbmDL9_V4JWdimU7IZLhjtkWcg6zk5WEOrWnq4yu8nl0x5O3TJf5BNCC1W=w640-h354" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEHJ0WhZVhfly9dfRi1-lJdYquFS6aBCEGG7HoL9OZ-F_RnRLa5AhOfHReRweiRtcsAUYqHYsw_btFpurxFQYvllGGcqXl-TtpYuxzG6yGfWX-F8f1Kxj2maa3sV1RhgnzDVeg1y2lz-cTdVCYIL06Zny1M-srxyiEQz78U85XiUJeDoFVN8S5fVcv=s1862" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1862" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEHJ0WhZVhfly9dfRi1-lJdYquFS6aBCEGG7HoL9OZ-F_RnRLa5AhOfHReRweiRtcsAUYqHYsw_btFpurxFQYvllGGcqXl-TtpYuxzG6yGfWX-F8f1Kxj2maa3sV1RhgnzDVeg1y2lz-cTdVCYIL06Zny1M-srxyiEQz78U85XiUJeDoFVN8S5fVcv=w640-h362" width="640" /></a></div>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-32426173525174698102021-11-06T23:38:00.004-04:002021-11-06T23:38:34.791-04:0011/6/44 Darter Crew Arrived in Australia<p> <span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql b0tq1wua a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">
On this date in 1944, Grandpa was returned safely to Australia
with the rest of the Darter crew after their 3-week ordeal of survival
aboard their "lifeboat" submarine USS Dace. The photo caption says it was taken in Perth, Australia 1944. The
tiny newspaper article below was the first news to reach the US of the
incident.<br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dv_9qJpk_eI/YYdG8gg9gyI/AAAAAAAALuw/9y3zM1xJ0Ykw9fWKoE0zEplIv3BqwL13wCLcBGAsYHQ/s934/1944-0320%2BHugh%2BSiegel%252C%2BPerth%2BAustralia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="618" height="612" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dv_9qJpk_eI/YYdG8gg9gyI/AAAAAAAALuw/9y3zM1xJ0Ykw9fWKoE0zEplIv3BqwL13wCLcBGAsYHQ/w406-h612/1944-0320%2BHugh%2BSiegel%252C%2BPerth%2BAustralia.jpg" width="406" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He looks happy to be back on dry land.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkzaVzhIbvQ/YYdG8k9OL0I/AAAAAAAALus/VbepQGr7jlU1kRSOsB2Mqck030oTKyWGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1052/1944-0302%2Bnewspaper%2Bclipping%2Babout%2BDarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="596" height="628" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkzaVzhIbvQ/YYdG8k9OL0I/AAAAAAAALus/VbepQGr7jlU1kRSOsB2Mqck030oTKyWGACLcBGAsYHQ/w355-h628/1944-0302%2Bnewspaper%2Bclipping%2Babout%2BDarter.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><br />When he was still in Australia, he received a sad telegram from his brother. His mother had died suddenly while he was on patrol. With both his parents dead, he had no home to go back to. (His Dad had died of a heart attack in 1942) He ended up going back to Philadelphia to stay with his brother George for awhile, until he could marry my Grandma and rent a house in New Jersey.<br /><br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkdzNjFuJFU/YYdJ6ncSSuI/AAAAAAAALu8/NyqjL0DsvmIfJT6CUwjClJDmrYAKRgAGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s771/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-11-06%2Bat%2B11.36.49%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="771" height="401" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkdzNjFuJFU/YYdJ6ncSSuI/AAAAAAAALu8/NyqjL0DsvmIfJT6CUwjClJDmrYAKRgAGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w541-h401/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-11-06%2Bat%2B11.36.49%2BPM.png" width="541" /></a></div><br />WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-60599527334876606532021-10-25T22:21:00.004-04:002021-10-25T22:26:24.792-04:00Darter's Contribution to Navy History<div class="ecm0bbzt e5nlhep0 a8c37x1j"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" dir="auto" lang="en"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">"The
fourth war patrol of the USS Darter embraces one of the most
outstanding contributions by submariners to the ultimate defeat of the
Japanese Navy." - Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, Commander 7th Fleet,
1944<br /><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Thinking
about that statement, it certainly did... Darter found herself in a
position to do unprecedented damage to the Japanese fleet in a surprise
attack, before anyone else even knew where the fleet was. It was the
shot of a lifetime. Though the crew was unaware at the time, they
nearly sent Admiral Kurita to the bottom of the Pacific, which could
have "cut the head off the sea serpent" so to speak and crippled the
Japanese Naval command enough to hasten their defeat. The Darter-Dace
wolfpack took an incredible risk against impossible odds that night, attacking an
enemy fleet head on without support. Had the aim of their torpedoes been
truer that day, much would have been different. And the crew was even luckier to survive the encounter with no loss of life. <br /></div></div></span></div><p> </p>WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-13841955718587611972021-10-24T21:46:00.003-04:002021-10-24T22:17:37.955-04:00Remembering the War Hero<p>A photo of Hugh Siegel as I remember him. He only wore that vest with the patches at reunions. The hat with the feather was a special thing only WWII vets who served in Australia wore. Next are some reunion photos with his shipmates, from the 1980s & one from the '90s. The last photo is of him inside his "radio shack" where he spent a few hours every day.<br /></p><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DItSMWmpnkY/YXYEKjijxJI/AAAAAAAALtA/rxsU3gEUrKgKrb6U5JxFRJnrkJPCxIClQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1549/hsiegel1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DItSMWmpnkY/YXYEKjijxJI/AAAAAAAALtA/rxsU3gEUrKgKrb6U5JxFRJnrkJPCxIClQCLcBGAsYHQ/w441-h640/hsiegel1.jpg" width="441" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53BkI4kjIK8/YXYEYEVjdVI/AAAAAAAALtU/XoP-7GFpGRIiq9u9NvkE9zDt4NfNKeHLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1068/hsiegel2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1068" height="466" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53BkI4kjIK8/YXYEYEVjdVI/AAAAAAAALtU/XoP-7GFpGRIiq9u9NvkE9zDt4NfNKeHLwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h466/hsiegel2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dace-Darter reunion in 1986<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHsLjaE3n7w/YXYEpsrQS-I/AAAAAAAALtg/9BDpH4yi6-AGPHsrcLBU161nqXnFOVnIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1478/hsiegel3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHsLjaE3n7w/YXYEpsrQS-I/AAAAAAAALtg/9BDpH4yi6-AGPHsrcLBU161nqXnFOVnIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w462-h640/hsiegel3.jpg" width="462" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reunion reception at his house. I think 1993.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twVNDDydmjM/YXYKIM1FwZI/AAAAAAAALtw/33sGNKA74HobLBSeIe9XoDE78VaV0TvCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1561/hsiegel4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1561" height="269" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twVNDDydmjM/YXYKIM1FwZI/AAAAAAAALtw/33sGNKA74HobLBSeIe9XoDE78VaV0TvCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h269/hsiegel4.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">My grandfather is the one who deserves all the credit for preserving the story behind the Darter-Dace incident. He did the research himself, and he did it all in the pre-internet days before Wikipedia or Google. <br /><br />He sent his typewritten letters to the Navy history archives, he spent hours on long distance phone calls, he kept an up to date mailing list for his shipmates, he wrote in to Navy publications and newsletters, he stayed active in his VFW. He was the one who organized the first WWII Sub Vets reunions for the state of New York. <br /><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I often feel jealous of friends with living relatives who fought in the war that they can still talk to. I lost my grandpa when I was very young, barely eleven years old. And he rarely ever spoke to me when he was alive. He had a stroke when I was 9, and he pretty much lost the ability to speak after that. I remember him as a kind, gentle but taciturn man. He didn't or couldn't say very much. Sometimes we heard him struggling to say something to us he thought was important, and it was difficult to watch.<br /><br />But I do remember one party held at his house after a reunion sometime in the early '90s, with a bunch of WWII veterans seated around the kitchen table as they swapped war stories. What a time to be alive. <br /><br />Hughie, as Grandma called him, was a licensed ham radio operator and he stayed in contact with most of them via radio in the days before cell phones. He even would message his buddies in Morse code to keep his skills sharp. Grandpa could tap code at 30 words per minute and he could listen even faster. His radio buddies used to have a virtual meeting on the radio every weeknight, Grandma called it "the Net" where they would share the local news and check up on each other, find out how things were going at the farm, etc. while we all listened to the voices intently on the scanner downstairs. I wish he had recorded some of the radio talks with his shipmates. <br /><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> I still have vivid memories of the nights I stayed up late in his radio room with headphones on, listening to those guys talk on the air. Sometimes he let me tune around on the airwaves myself and see what I could pick up. (You could talk on the radio without a license as long as the licensed operator was present) I talked to someone in Italy once and another guy he knew in Australia. One time he was even talking to a radioman on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic ocean as a submarine explored the wreck of the Titanic. They were trying to raise a piece of the ship, right when it almost got to the surface, the cables broke.<br /><br />He knew I was interested in the Navy stuff even at that age, we watched his videotapes of Victory At Sea together. He appreciated anything that had to do with Navy ships or submarines. But I never knew the younger version of him that could tell the detailed stories from his viewpoint.<br /><br />When Grandpa died of leukemia at only 76 I was devastated. He was buried with full military honors on a blistering hot afternoon in June 1995. My cousins were all there and we were all little at the time, I was the only one who saluted. I never cried though. Grandma said I talked about him for a long time as if he were still with us, and I guess I never stopped. I figured as long as I remember him, he lives on. <br /><br />I miss him, all the time.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"></div><br /><br />WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768306152543633246.post-12993569793805073092021-10-24T21:04:00.002-04:002021-10-24T21:04:39.086-04:00Model of the Darter<p>This is a scale model diorama of the Darter as she looked aground on the reef on October 24, 1944. It was presented to Hugh as a gift at one of the veterans reunions, it was probably in 1992 (I was there when he brought it home) The engraved brass plates and the glass case were all part of the gift form his fellow shipmate, who was a master ship modeler. I like the level of detail, the people on board the sub, the mooring ropes and the life boat in the water. My childhood drawing of the Darter was from studying this model. <br /><br />The model is still in my parents' house in New York.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvmMG9r87aQ/YXYCXr54OAI/AAAAAAAALso/CAnZin0VptQerK8YnTDl_XgipRa-5YSHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2727/USS%2BDarter%2BAground%2Bscale%2BModel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2727" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvmMG9r87aQ/YXYCXr54OAI/AAAAAAAALso/CAnZin0VptQerK8YnTDl_XgipRa-5YSHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h271/USS%2BDarter%2BAground%2Bscale%2BModel.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuETgW5gsHc/YXYBYWLUMMI/AAAAAAAALsU/RNaFBVdzf5gHwUbUqjAAiqQfdXMjNBNywCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/USS%2BDarter%2BEngraved%2Bscale%2Bmodel%2Bnameplate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuETgW5gsHc/YXYBYWLUMMI/AAAAAAAALsU/RNaFBVdzf5gHwUbUqjAAiqQfdXMjNBNywCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/USS%2BDarter%2BEngraved%2Bscale%2Bmodel%2Bnameplate.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5jg3OLWhwE/YXYBWhYoCzI/AAAAAAAALsE/DtANnYNWWZEfiqMoChKeryb3DKAcJdVXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/USS%2BDarter%2BAground%2Bmodel%2Bstory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5jg3OLWhwE/YXYBWhYoCzI/AAAAAAAALsE/DtANnYNWWZEfiqMoChKeryb3DKAcJdVXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/USS%2BDarter%2BAground%2Bmodel%2Bstory.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxB_T5CgaZM/YXYBXU_17sI/AAAAAAAALsM/COzhLPsjdAEp1LE1-xkluUqtImPkod0GQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/%2527%2527Good%2BGrief%2BWe%2527re%2BOn%2Ba%2BReef%2527%2527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxB_T5CgaZM/YXYBXU_17sI/AAAAAAAALsM/COzhLPsjdAEp1LE1-xkluUqtImPkod0GQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/%2527%2527Good%2BGrief%2BWe%2527re%2BOn%2Ba%2BReef%2527%2527.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />WannabeSoldierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12358110028731137921noreply@blogger.com0