Hugh Siegel's WWII Sub Vets Patches

I was helping my Dad install a closet door today and noticed something hanging at the very end of the clothes rack, out of sight.  When I carefully took it out and realized what it was, I was in awe. It's the actual vest he's wearing in this photo to the right, with all his real Navy patches, insignia and awards on it!  The one I could've sworn I was told he was buried in. Nevertheless, like everything else, Grandma saved this too.  I'm overjoyed I found it, because it has stuff on it that I have never seen.  Even though I don't get to inherit this piece of history, I gave myself the honor of photographing it today.

So what I can do now for my readers is explain what all the colorful patches are, how he earned them or where he got them, and what they commemorate.




Here's the actual vest itself.  It's made of a silky fabric and was probably made for him by Grandma.  It was to be worn over his civilian attire with the wide brimmed "digger hat", which he's wearing in the photo, and identified him as a WWII submarine veteran at conventions, memorials, dinners and reunion get-togethers.

FRONT

BACK

I'll explain the significance of all these patches to the best of my knowledge, and give you a closer look at each of them in the images below. We'll start with the bottom right breast pocket in the picture below.

Left of photo below: Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Connecticut.  This is the naval base where all submarines used to be both built and launched.  In fact the earlier photo I posted of the SS-227 DARTER being launched was taken in New Groton.  In the center of this round patch we see a submarine encircled by electron orbits of an atom.  The tall structure behind it is a tower used during Navy training in the use of the Momsen Lung rebreathing device.  It's 100 feet tall and full of water, and the sailors have to enter from a hatch at the bottom wearing this emergency oxygen unit and swim or float to the top and surface.  This was a mandatory exercise for all submarine crewmen so they could have the skill (and courage) to exit their sub if it foundered in shallow waters.

Top Right of Photo:  He visited Hessen, Germany. Each town in Germany has its own coat-of-arms. During the war, German soldiers had this coat-of-arms on the side of their helmet showing where they were from.

Bottom Right of Photo: "It All Started Here: US Sub Vets WWII  N.E.R. 1993"  This patch would have been given to Hugh just 2 years before his death, it was probably the last Sub Vets convention he attended.  The phrase "It All Started Here"  refers to the first national convention of WWII Submarine veterans at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 23-25, 1955.  (the organization was chartered that year)  The conventions have since been held all over the US and even in other countries, but in 1993 they reconvened in the same place as the original.  So this would be a big deal for a veteran. Imagine meeting your buddies in the same place and same hotel after forty years!

The upper right breast of his decorated garment is to the left. At the top we see the black diamond-shaped "ruptured duck" patch, the nickname given to the award signifying honorable discharge from the US military. It's the golden eagle in a circle. I heard they called it that because the eagle has its head turned to the side, in the "turn to the side and cough" pose that military physicians use to check for hernias. Next to it is a small crucifix pin, because he was a devout Christian.  The flag below that printed on denim is that of Australia. Sydney, Australia was used as a base of operations for much of the time spent patrolling in the Philippines during the war. He had a lot of good times in Australia on shore leave.  below that is his name tag, with the 3 vessels he sailed aboard.   The small NJ pin to the left of his name tag was from a trip to New Jersey.  This is hard to read, but the small pin with the US flag to the right of it says "500 Years: 1492-1992"  The Quincentennial of the discovery of America.

below that is his "Life Member" patch. Next to it and below it are three pins for other conventions. Massachusetts, Florida and I can't read the small one.  At the bottom of the photo we see his USS DARTER SS-227 embroidered patch based on his design from 1944.

Moving on to the wearer's left side of the vest... Top to bottom: The US flag. Interestingly this is not the 48-star flag he would have worn if he was required to during World War II (the 50-star configuration wasn't made the national flag until 1958) Therefore this may not be part of a uniform, it could just be patriotic.  He was very proud to be an American citizen and serviceman (Living during the best years of the 20th century, I don't blame him).  

Next comes his Dolphins insignia from his "dress blues."  This was worn on the sleeve cuff of all US Navy enlisted men on submarines.  below that are his service awards.  The Combat Patrol Insignia shows he was on 3 successful war patrols aboard subs and saw action against the enemy.  A copy of this pin is also on his "Digger" hat.  The bars arranged below are, from top to bottom and left to right, the Bronze Star ribbon with V device for valor, the Navy Unit Commendation award which should also have a V on it, the Navy Good Conduct ribbon(maroon), the Asiatic-Pacific Theater ribbon, the American Campaign ribbon, WWII Victory ribbon (rainbow and red), and the Philippine Liberation award ribbon with a star on it for the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  Finally at bottom, the shoulder chevrons and lightning bolts for Radio Technician.

 Wearer's bottom left of vest:  England shield patch (commemorating visit to England), Convention patch for Little Rock, Arkansas in 1987, miniature replica of U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II official organization patch,  USS Darter Reunion in Hartford, CT 1982.






Now for the back side of the vest....

On the back shoulder area are two large patches:  the logo for the U.S. Submarine Veterans WWII, New York chapter (which grandpa helped organize by the way).  This also appears on a blue jacket or windbreaker he had.  Below that is the name of his famous boat, the USS Darter.






 Above the large yellow emblem Hughie added the "Double D's" patch for the Darter-Dace task force, the sister ships who were involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and at the same time the heroic rescue of the Darter's crew.  he also had a hand in designing this logo for his fellow veterans.

 
Then finally, there are three patches across the bottom back of the vest. One is the black rectangle-shaped mission insignia for Task Group 'M', of which the Darter and Dace were a part in October 1944.
 The next two are pictured below. Both of these are very cool patches I've never seen.

The left hand one is for the USS PADDLE (SS-263), which is the submarine Hugh served for a short time aboard while earning his Navy qualification, before he was transferred to the newly commissioned SS-227 for deployment in the Philippines.  This comical emblem depicts a cartoonish rendering of a paddle-nosed fish, casually smoking a cigar, leaning on a massive 8-ball which is squashing a little Jap holding a white flag.  I have many reasons to believe Hugh also designed this logo himself but never got it produced, seeing as it's hand drawn in pen and marker on a cut circle of fabric.  This ship wasn't as famous as the DARTER, and I believe its entire crew was transferred to command of the DARTER after it was commissioned.  So this would mean the USS Paddle was his training ship. This is a very unique patch and probably the only one of its kind. 

And then, last but certainly not least, the USS MENHADEN emblem.  This one I believe may have been already in use at the time that boat was in operation and not made later by Hugh, because it's depicted on his Xeroxes of actual dinner menus from celebratory meals aboard the submarine. This one is a multi-color version I haven't seen anywhere else.  Embroidering this patch must have been expensive, judging by the custom shape, the number of colors and high thread count. Whether he actually ordered this patch made for himself and his buddies or if it was purchased from a vendor at one of these conventions remains to be seen.

Liberty cards, leave passes and meal tickets

There's such a wealth of information on this guy at my fingertips (literally 750+ documents and photos) that it's hard to figure out what to post first. I want to do this in some kind of logical order, so I'm starting out with his enlistment details and some basic Navy things an enlisted man would have to learn, carry with him or experience as part of his induction process into the United States Navy at the outset of World War II.

Then later as this website progresses, I'll go into his service record, follow his log entries, and share the details of his famous 4th war patrol of the USS Darter, and explain exactly what happened to his submarine at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  Then later get into much more detail about his life after World War II ended, and how he continued to serve his country in the Department of Civil Defense and the USAF.

The most incredible thing I find about my grandfather is how he saved EVERY SCRAP of paper pertaining to his Navy service. Right down to the identification cards he carried, the dinner menus, the meal tickets, the shore leave passes...all sorts of stuff that everyone else no doubt threw away.

Here's a few examples.

The four cards below (also copied on reverse side) are some of his temporary leave passes, known as "Liberty Cards"  When a ship is docked at a port, either for repair or resupply, the sailors aren't required to stay on board.  They are issued these passes and then let loose to go "have a night on the town".  They have the enlisted man's signature and USN serial number, the name of his commanding officer, the date and the time which his shore pass expires.  For example, the top one is from the Naval Repair Base in New Orleans.  It mentions on the flip side that Sunday through Friday, by 2330 Hours (11:30 PM) he would have had to be out of all the public gathering places like stores, bars or nightclubs.  By 2400 Hours (Midnight) he has to be off the streets.  His liberty officially expires at 1:30 AM and he has to be back on board his ship.  As you can see, no two Liberty Cards are the same.  Some have varying amounts of information.  The bottom one even has his fingerprint, in case he ever got in trouble with the law (which I know he didn't.)

Enlisted men had to be in uniform to show their military affiliation when on shore leave at a Naval base, and they were reminded that everything they do and how they conduct themselves reflects not only on them, but their ranks, their commanding officers, their crews and the entire U.S. Navy.

Below is a Meal Ticket for Hugh, billed to the Naval Supply Depot in Melbourne, Australia.  His sub would have had to dock in this base to resupply before or after duty in its area of war patrol in the Phillippines.  It appears this ticket would have been good for "two shillings and sixpence" at any restaurant or mess hall operated by the government of Australia.  This one has no signature on it, so it appears he didn't use it.

 The "Royal Hawaiian Return Pass" in this next document scan registers him as a guest at the Royal Hawaiian (presumably a hotel in Hawaii) He was authorized to be on the streets until 11:00 PM on September 18 (year not indicated) Probably 1942 or 1943.

I think Grandpa could appreciate this because his bedroom at home probably looked like this at one time.

Miss the "Good Old Days" on the boats? Some playful advice for retired Navy sailors

The following list was found in a bad photocopy of a neatly typewritten page from a magazine or newsletter of some kind, that was stuck in with Hugh's other documents about life on board the submarines. There was a lot of humor in the Naval service, and grandpa Hugh always liked a good laugh, especially if it pertained to submarines.
 
None of this "advice" of course is to be taken seriously.  I reproduce it here for your amusement.

MISS THE "GOOD OLD DAYS" ON THE BOATS ? ? ?

--Sleep on the top shelf in your closet.  Replace the closet door with a curtain.  Six hours after you go to sleep, have your wife whip open the curtain, shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble, "Sorry, wrong bunk."   (ed: I don't remember any curtains)

--Don't eat any food that you don't get out of a can or add water to.

--Spend as much time as you can indoors and avoid sunlight. Hang out in such areas as dark movie theaters, windowless buildings, closets etc.  (ed note: Additional tip: if you stay in a hotel on a trip, ask if you can sleep in the boiler room or the basement)

--Renovate your bathroom.  Build a wall across the middle of your bathtub and move the shower head down to chest level.  When you take showers, make sure you shut off the water while soaping.  (ed. note: Us ex-enlisted guys could just not shower for 60 days)

--Repeat back anything that anyone says to you.

--Sit in your car for six hours with your hands on the wheel and the motor running, but don't go anywhere. (Ed. note: Or look at the snow on the TV screen for four hours)

--Put oil in your humidifier instead of water and set to high.

--Don't watch TV except movies in the middle of the night. Also have your family vote on which movie to watch, and then show a different one.

--Don't do your wash at home.  Pick the most crowded laundromat you can find.  (Ed. note: And dry your clothes behind the exhaust stack of a diesel truck)

--Leave your lawnmower running in your front room six hours a day for proper noise level.

--Have the paper boy give you a haircut.

--Take hourly readings on your electric and water meters (and run around the house repeating these readings aloud over and over)

--Sleep with your dirty laundry.

--Invite guests but don't have enough food for them.  (Ed. note: allow one tea bag per 5 people.)

--Buy a broken bicycle and strap it to the kitchen floor.

--Buy a trash compactor and use it once a week.  Store up garbage on the other side of your bathtub.

--Wake up every night at midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a piece of stale bread.

--Make up your family menu a week ahead of time without looking in your cabinets or fridge.

 


And here are some more that I added based on all the books I've read and war movies I've seen.


--Climb up to your roof and stare through binoculars at the empty sky for an entire night.  If you spot an airplane passing overhead yell "PREPARE TO DIVE!" at the top of your lungs, slide down the stair railings and inform your family to "Take battle stations" and lock all your doors & windows.  Sound "All Clear" after a few minutes and then say it was only a drill.  Time your family's efficiency in performing these tasks to measure your battle readiness.  Repeat  up to twenty times a day, regardless of whether or not there really was an airplane spotted.

--Set up a hammock in the basement over your furnace, hot water heater and sleep there.

--Keep only one bed in the house and have your family sleep in shifts.

--Issue a "Shore Leave Pass" or "Liberty Ticket" to your sons or daughters before you let them go out.  Make sure it has their fingerprint and name signed on the back, and the time at which they should return.

--If there is a plumbing emergency and the house floods, do not call a plumber. Instead try to fix it yourself with inadequate tools.

--Appoint a member of the household to keep the AM radio on at all times and tune back and forth across the waveband, writing down anything they can hear.

The original DARTER (SS-227) Crew Photos

The following images must be crew photos of his graduation from Submarine School, or the commissioning of the USS Darter.

The first photograph is all the sailors in their Navy "whites".  The arrow points to Hughie's head. You can see his distinctive "radar dish" ears.

 

Attached to the photo was a piece of notebook paper identifying all the sailors.  We are so lucky he did this.  Maybe we could help someone else find their granddad.  Thanks Hugh!

The next photo below is all the sailors in their dress uniforms, with officers standing behind them.  This is believed to be taken during the commissioning ceremony for the boat.

In the above photo, based on the list below, we can tell Hughie is on the bottom row, number 40 if you count heads down from the top left row.

...As if he wasn't thorough enough, here's all the crewmen's signatures and where they're from!

This guy loved details.  He was always so meticulous. Notice that a lot of the technicians on his sub were amateur radio operators too (known as "hams") Their 5-digit call signs of letters and numbers are written next to their names.

Photo-Launching of the USS DARTER

The Qualities of a Natural Leader - From the Bluejacket's Manual 1940

LEADERSHIP

Once in a great while a man is born a leader.  The rest of us become leaders by hard study and long practice of the rules of leadership handed down to us by the great leaders of the past.  Following are given the rules laid down by these leaders.  Study them and practice them, for your future success will depend upon your ability to master them, whether in the Naval service or later in civilian life.

Each man who desires to be a leader of men must learn the following essential points:

Obedience does not mean blindly carrying out an order or grudgingly doing what you are ordered or directed to do and then only doing enough to get by.  Obedience means first of all cheerful and willing obedience and, secondly, intelligent obedience.

Good Behavior and a clean record are necessary for promotion to positions of leadership.  Men sometimes fail of promotion to warrant and commissioned rank because of bad records during early enlistments.

Knowledge comes only through study and hard work. "There is no royal road to learning." Men always respect you for what you know. It pays to know, and to know you know. Know your own job. Know the job ahead of yours.

Fighting Spirit You know what this is. Without it, you are only a human biped who wears pants.  With it, you are a live, red-blooded go-getter--one who will succeed. Have you the grit to stay with a hard job? Never say "I can't". Forget there is such a phrase.  Don't be a quitter. "A man may be down but never out"--until he admits it.

Reliability. - Always do what you are told to do, and do it the best you know how. Can you be depended upon, whether alone on a job or with others? Get the reputation of seeing the job through.

Loyalty. - Stick up for yourself, your officers, your petty officers, your company, your ship.  As you show loyalty to them, they will show loyalty to you, and people under you will do the same. Boost. If you cannot boost, do not knock.

Initiative. - This is one of the outstanding qualifications of a leader. The man with initiative takes hold of the things that need doing and does them without being told, while the other fellow is standing idly by because no one has told him what to do. A man with initiative thinks on his feet. He can be trusted to take care of an unexpected situation because he is always on the alert and thinking ahead of his job.

Self-control. - Do not fly off the handle. It nearly always gets you into trouble and always lessens the respect that others hold for you. If you lose your self-control in little things, you are sure to do so in big things. The man who cannot control himself will never develop into a real leader of others.

Energy. - A lazy man never has time to do anything right or to do anything to improve himself, and he never gets far. Be "peppy." Put some drive into things. Carry a "self-starter." Don't have to be cranked every time to get started.

Courage. - A leader must have courage. He must have not only physical courage, he must have moral courage as well. He must be fearless in the face of his duty.  A courageous man admits it when he is wrong and takes his medicine.  He doesn't bluff.  And when he is known as a man of courage he doesn't have to bluff.

Justice. - Be square. Play the game hard, but play it squarely. Give a square deal to others and expect one in return. Act so that others can respect you as a man.

Truthfulness. - The final test of a man is: in a pinch, will he lie?  Lying is a dismissal offense in the Navy. Many a man who told the whole truth has been let off or given light punishment, where the liar was punished for the offense and for lying as well.

Faith. - Believe in yourself.  Trust yourself.  Count on yourself.  Count on yourself to be one of the best man-o-war's men in the whole Navy, and then go to it and make good. Trust your fellowmen. They are good fellows and will meet you halfway as a rule. Believe in and trust the Navy. Splendid men have made it what it is. Do all you can to keep it as good as it is, and make it even better.

Honor. - Act so that your home folks will be proud of you, and you will tell all of your friends what fine things you are doing in the Navy.  Act so that others will want to be like you.  Few men can survive dishonor. Remember you can never disgrace or dishonor yourself without bringing dishonor on your name, your people, and the uniform you wear.

Cheerfulness. - Smile and the world smiles with you. Smile when things go wrong. If you cannot smile, at least try to. You can surely keep the corners of your mouth up. When you are positive it is beneficial to others around you in a tight situation. If you can do it, they can do it.  If you are the only one who is gloomy, you will become unpopular very quickly.

Honesty. - Enough said. Without honesty your career is limited and you are sure to fail in the long run.  Nobody wants to deal with or associate with a cheat.