Final Patrol Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  INSIDE A WORLD WAR II “DIESEL BOAT”

  USS COD (SS-224)

  USS DRUM (SS-228)

  USS SILVERSIDES (SS-236)

  USS CAVALLA (SS-244)

  USS COBIA (SS-245)

  USS CROAKER (SS-246)

  USS BOWFIN (SS-287)

  USS LING (SS-297)

  USS LIONFISH (SS-298)

  USS BATFISH (SS-310)

  USS BECUNA (SS-319)

  USS CLAMAGORE (SS-343)

  USS PAMPANITO (SS-383)

  USS RAZORBACK (SS-394)

  USS TORSK (SS-423)

  USS REQUIN (SS-481)

  GERMAN U-505

  EPILOGUE

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  APPENDIX

  INDEX

  Praise for the works of Don Keith

  In the Course of Duty

  “Keith’s stirring account of the USS Batfish breathes life into the heroic submarine’s Pacific saga. Guts and skill abound in epic proportions among the officers and crew of the boat as it prowled the Pacific in search of Japanese targets. Keith’s book, written in gripping style, is sure to bring notice to an aspect of the Pacific War that is sometimes overshadowed by the mammoth land and surface battles. This volume would make a splendid addition to anyone’s World War II library.”

  —John Wukovits, author of Pacific Alamo and One Square Mile of Hell

  “A stirring reminder of the hard-fought campaign waged by American submarines sixty years ago. In the era before nuclear power, ICBMs, and deterrence, submariners were genuine warfighters who spared neither their boats nor themselves in pursuit of the ultimate naval mission: sink the enemy.”

  —Barrett Tillman, author of Clash of the Carriers

  “The crew of the Batfish personifies the courage exhibited by our submariners then and now. This is a must read for anyone who has a concept of duty, honor, and service to one’s country.”

  —Robert Vaughan, author of Whose Voice the Waters Heard, helicopter pilot in Korea and Vietnam, U.S. Army (ret.)

  “Don Keith has the unique ability to make the reader an intimate part of the action. Anyone who experiences this thrilling story will come away with a whole new appreciation for those men that volunteer for the submarine service.”

  —Ken Henry, coauthor of Gallant Lady and former submarine sailor

  “They say you can’t go back. Well, that’s not true. When I read Don Keith’s book on the USS Batfish, I was taken back to that time and places when I was there as a crew member.”

  —William J. Isbell, WWII crew member, USS Batfish (SS-311)

  “Batfish is another great Lady. Proud to have served on these Smoke Boats. When you are seventeen, it is hard to realize the rich history, gallantry, and honor of those men who served before me. Don Keith has done the Batfish and crew proud.”

  —Les Brown, USS Charr (SS-321), USS Aspro (SS-308), USS Archerfish (SS-311)

  “The Batfish story is representative of a ‘genetic code,’ submariner pride, that transfers from the greatest generation to those that followed. What a great book.”

  —Gene Whitney, auxiliaryman, USS Diodon (SS-349)

  “To sink one enemy sub is quite something, but to sink three in a single patrol, while coping with one of your own torpedoes jammed partway out of the launch tube with the potential of arming itself and blowing your own boat to bits with the next big wave—now that’s the Super Bowl of submarine warfare for sure. Well told. A fascinating and inspiring true adventure.”

  —Captain William R. Anderson, veteran of eleven WWII submarine combat patrols and commander of Nautilus on the historic 1958 under-ice Arctic crossing.

  Final Bearing

  cowritten with Commander George Wallace (ret.)

  “Not since Ned Beach have readers been treated to such a marvelous blend of authentic submarining and great storytelling. Readers will gladly lose sleep reading this one . . . a magnificent achievement.”

  —John J. Gobbell, author of When Duty Whispers Low and The Last Lieutenant

  “A ripsnorting submarine adventure as up-to-date as tomorrow’s headlines.”

  —Stephen Coonts

  “Riveting. You won’t want to put it down. Too close to the truth. Wallace and Keith achieve a winner.”

  —George Emery, vice admiral, USN (ret.), former commander, submarine force, U.S. Atlantic fleet

  “Don Keith and George Wallace take you to the heart of the action as America fights a secret battle in a brilliantly portrayed South American setting. This team spins a great tale.”—W.E.B. Griffin

  “Compelling characters, exciting plot, exotic settings, and a fascinating use of military technology combine to make Commander Wallace’s and Mr. Keith’s book a rousing blockbuster of a story.”

  —Robert Vaughan

  “A full quota of vivid combat scenes . . . and if you are aware of what sailors feel when a beloved ship reaches the end of her career, the book . . . achieves real power. Above average for its salty breed . . . relax and enjoy.”

  —Booklist

  “Submarine enthusiasts will find satisfaction in the tale of the last patrol of the aging USS Spadefish. Do Captain Jonathan Ward and his submarine have what it takes for one more crucial mission? Authors Keith and Wallace take you along to find out while weaving in parallel stories that round out this entertaining book. An engaging read!”

  —Don Gentry, webmaster, SubmarineSailor.com

  “The story is fast-paced, exciting, and one you don’t want to put down until the end. A classic modern day story of man and technology in the battle of good versus evil.”

  —Homeland Defense Journal

  “If you can still feel the roll of a submarine at periscope depth and the anxiety produced by a sudden alarm from the Reactor Plant Control Panel, if you still enjoy action-packed adventure and the surprises a good piece of fiction can bring to your easy chair, you’ll love this . . . saga.”

  —Journal of the Naval Submarine League

  Gallant Lady: A Biography of USS Archerfish

  with Ken Henry

  “This book has everything going for it . . . great characters, a good plot, and best of all, it’s true. A great story!”

  —Larry Bond

  “The next best thing to serving on Archerfish is reading this book. It’s a great Navy story about a great ship and crew.”

  —Stephen Coonts

  “Moving and worthwhile reading.”

  —Norman N. Brown, Associated Press

  “A never-to-be-forgotten breathtaking saga . . . we episodically discover why the ‘Silent Service’ and especially this one submarine totally captivated so many of her postwar crews.”

  —Rod E. Redman

  NAL Caliber

  Published by New American Library, a division of

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  First published by NAL Caliber, an imprint of New American Library,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, October 2006

  Copyright © Don Keith, 2006 All rights reserved

  Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the photo of USS Pampanito on page 193. Photo courtesy of Rob Mackie and Steelnavy.com

  NAL CALIBER and the “C” logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data:

  Keith, Don, 1947-

  Final patrol : true stories of World War II submarines/Don Keith.

  p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-11859-7

  1. World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations—Submarine. 2. World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations,

  American. 3. World War, 1939-1945—Regimental histories—United States. 4. Submarine warfare—History—

  20th century. I. Title.

  D783.K45 2006

  940.54’510973—dc22 2006011444

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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  For veterans of our armed forces,

  no matter the time, the war,

  the branch of service, or the vehicle

  that carried them to battle

  They that go down to the sea in ships,

  that do business in great waters,

  these see the works of the Lord

  and his wonders in the deep.

  —Psalms 107:23-24.1

  The most advanced nations are the ones

  that navigate the most.

  —Ralph Waldo Emerson

  PROLOGUE

  Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

  It is the opinion of many historians (and, I might add, most old sub sailors) that submarines and their crews do not receive nearly enough credit for their role in helping to win World War II. Not only do I agree with this assessment, but I find it revealing to consider the reasons for the oversight. Perhaps the very nature of the submarine service makes such a lapse inevitable.

  For one thing, it is a relatively small group about whom we speak. Submariners never, at any time during World War II, made up more than 2 percent of the U.S. Navy’s total force, yet they and the boats they rode accounted for more than 55 percent of all Japanese shipping sent to the bottom of the Pacific. And their contribution was a major factor in the war ending not quite four years after the United States entered it.

  But their success came with a heavy price. Of the approximately 325 submarines that took part in the war, 52 were lost. More than thirty-five hundred submarine sailors died during the war. That represents a death toll of about 20 percent—one in every five of all sub crewmen still remain on what their shipmates reverently term “eternal patrol.”

  There is another reason why the so-called silent service (silent because its goal is to remain hidden, quiet, while it stalks and attacks enemy vessels) doesn’t get the credit it is due, even today. Going all the way back to the War Between the States, submersible vessels were valuable weapons because of their stealth, their ability to sneak up on an enemy, deliver a mortal blow, and then disappear beneath the surface of the sea to fight again another day. They were (and still are) also well suited for reconnaissance work, for patrolling areas while remaining undetected, for maintaining a vigil from beneath the water’s surface in areas where more visible means simply could not be used—areas where knowledge of their presence would keep them from effectively doing their jobs.

  But the very stealth—the sneakiness, if you will—that makes submarines such powerful weapons also prevents them from finding a more prominent place in the consciousness of the public. Americans will probably never fully understand or appreciate what these ships and their crews do on our behalf. Out of sight, out of mind. But it would be hard to overestimate the power of their deterrence today.

  Of course, all branches of the service played their parts in World War II. But the image of an almost invisible vessel sneaking up on the enemy, attacking, and then diving back below the surface to hide simply did not hold the same iconic status as a D-day-type beach landing or as waves of marines ferociously charging up a hill toward their foe. Marines or dive-bombers could be clearly seen in the newsreels as they raised the flag on hard-won land or zoomed in for the kill.

  The territory they captured could be represented on maps, too, and lines and arrows could be drawn to show the progress and direction of their assaults. And to an extent, most of us are able to picture ourselves hypothetically doing what those men did, even if we pray we never have to.

  That was not the case with submarines. There were no hills or territory to take or blocks of land to color in as captured. Lines marked on a sea chart could and did waver. If an enemy destroyer or battleship was sunk, there could be no flag raised over that spot in the ocean to claim it for the Allied cause. There was only an oil slick, a trail of bubbles, and a temporary field of debris to mark the spot of the victory, until even that was erased by the tide.

  Even the targets that submarines were assigned to attack lacked glamour. Often they were freighters or oil tankers. Yet one of the ways the Allies won the war was by having the subs there to choke off supplies, petroleum, and other raw materials. There is nothing about sending a vessel loaded with raw rubber to the bottom of the sea that inspires songs or statues or patriotic poems, but it had to be done if we were to beat an island-based enemy like Japan.

  Just like the infantry and marines and dive-bomber pilots, the submariners faced their own particular perils. Depth charges, torpedoes, and aircraft fire were the obvious hazards, but there was one constant peril the ground troops did not have to worry about. That was the natural threat of the sea. The ocean is a harsh, uninviting environment once an interloper is only a few feet beneath its waves. These submersible fighting machines were designed to dive to a depth of no more than three hundred to five hundred feet. Even the stoutest superstructure could give way to the awful pressure of tons of water, however, if something failed or if a crewman made a critical mistake or if the vessel was forced to dive deeper than that in order to escape the enemy. And if the submarine were trapped on the bottom at even a moderate depth, there was little hope for the young men imprisoned in her belly.

  War is hell, regardless of which branch of the service is doing the fighting or whichever means of delivery the assault may employ. Brave men participate on all fronts. But a case can be made—beyond just the casualty rate—that submariners and their unique boats faced particularly tough sailing. That is why submariners did then and still do receive more pay than those serving in the surface navy. This has been the case since Theodore Roosevelt took his first ride in a “plunging boat”
in Long Island Sound and proclaimed it would be so. Service in submarines has always been voluntary only; no one has ever been drafted into the silent service. And at any time, if a submariner decides he does not want to continue to serve there, he is allowed to transfer off his boat immediately with no black mark on his record for his decision.

  Even as we acknowledge these men’s sacrifice and bravery, we have a hard time picturing ourselves climbing into one of those steel cylinders, pulling the hatch closed over our heads, deliberately flooding the compartments, and sinking with her into the dark, crushing sea. Or riding along blindly through the cold blackness, “seeing” only with sonar pings and sea charts.

  The men who have chosen such duty ride around in vessels that have been called “sewer pipes,” “devil boats,” “pig boats,” and “plunging boats.” They do their work in black depths, intentionally keep their heads down and out of sight until they are able to creep up on their targets, fire their weapons, and then skedaddle, running and hiding.

  Except for a few Hollywood movies, we have little to go on in picturing the environment in which they worked, how they lived, how they fought, how they did what they did; and those few films, such as Run Silent, Run Deep, are limited in how well they are able to serve reality.