• Gato Class Submarine
• Keel laid: August 27, 1942, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT
• Launched: May 23, 1943
• Commissioned: August 28, 1943
• Displacement: 1,526 tons surfaced; 2,424 tons submerged
• Length: 311′ 9″
• Beam: 27′ 3″
• Operating depth: 300′
• Complement: 6 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns

DORADO, a newly commissioned submarine, under LCDR E. C. Schneider, sailed from New London, Connecticut for Panama. She did not arrive at Panama nor was she heard from at any time after sailing.

The Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, in his comments concerning the Court of Inquiry covering the case, lists three possible causes for the loss of DORADO, operating casualties, enemy action, and attack by friendly forces.

The standard practice of imposing bombing restrictions within an area of fifteen miles on each side of the course of an unescorted submarine making passage in friendly waters and fifty miles ahead and one hundred miles astern of her scheduled position was carried out and all concerned were notified. A convoy was so routed as to pass through the bombing and attack restriction area surrounding DORADO on the evening of October 12, 1943, assuming correct navigation and adherence to schedule by both.

A patrol plane which was assigned by Commandant, NOB, Guantanamo to furnish air coverage on the evening of October 12, received faulty instructions as to the location of the bombing and attack restriction area surrounding DURADO and at 8:49 PM, local time, the plane delivered a surprise attack of three depth charges on an unidentified submarine. About two hours later, the plane sighted another submarine with which it attempted to exchange recognition signals without success. This submarine fired upon the plane. A German submarine was known to be operating near the scene of these two contacts.

Because of the lack of evidence, the Court of Inquiry was unable to reach definite conclusions as to the cause of the loss of DORADO.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.

• Gato Class Submarine
• Keel laid: June 28, 1941, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA
• Launched: February 14, 1942
• Commissioned: May 15, 1942
• Displacement: 1,526 tons surfaced; 2,424 tons submerged
• Length: 311′ 10″
• Beam: 27′ 4″
• Maximum operating depth: 300′
• Complement: 6 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 dual purpose deck gun, two .50 cal machine guns, two .30 cal machine guns

Scene in the control room during Wahoo’s (SS-238) 27 January 1943 action with a Japanese destroyer. When the photo was taken the submarine was at 300 feet, rigged for depth charges. Six charges had just gone off and the crew was awaiting more. Lieutenant Commander Dudley W. Morton, Wahoo’s Commanding Officer, reported this action as: “Another running gun fight … destroyer gunning … Wahoo running”. Shaved head on crewman at right is a product of an Equator crossing ceremony three days previously.

WAHOO was one of the Submarine Force’s most valuable units during her six patrols, and her feats have become submarine legend. She sank 27 ships, totaling 119,100 tons, and damaged two more, making 24,900 tons, in the six patrols completed before her loss.

On 9 September, WAHOO again departed Pearl. She topped off with fuel at Midway and left there on 13 September heading for the dangerous but important Japan Sea. Shortly afterwards, SAWFISH left Midway and also headed for this area. WAHOO was to enter the Japan Sea about 20 September. She was to head south and remain below 43 degrees north after 23 September, and below 40 degrees north after 26 September. SAWFISH was to follow WAHOO, entering the Japan Sea about 23 September and patrolling the area north of WAHOO. No transmission was ever received from WAHOO.

Information gleaned from Japanese sources since the cessation of hostilities. Indicates that an antisubmarine attack was made in La Perouse Strait on 11 October 1943. This was two days after SAWFISH went through the Straits. Supplementary data on the attack of 11 October state, “Our plane found a floating sub and attacked it, with 3 depth charges.” SAWFISH was attacked here while making her passage, and that attack is not mentioned in Japanese records; the primary attacking agency in that case was a patrol boat, and about five depth charges were dropped. Thus it is safe to assume that the attack cited here was made on WAHOO, and is not the attack on SAWFISH with an incorrect date. Both Tsushima Straits, where the attack on the steamer was made, and La Perouse Straits, through which WAHOO was to make good her exit from the Japan Sea, are known to have been mined. This despite the fact that SAWFISH transited La Perouse on 9 October and reported no indications of mining. It is felt, however, that WAHOO succumbed to the attack referred to above, and not a mine.

View of the stern diving planes, propellers, and rudder today.

Wahoo earned six battle stars for World War II service in addition to being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her third patrol.

Visit The USS Wahoo home page, see transcipts of the Japanese battle report of her sinking.

See photos of the Wahoo as taken in July 2006

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)

Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves.
James 4:1 – The Message (MSG)

When it comes down to it, isn’t it our passions that cause quarrelling and discontent? In the “heat” of passion I have so often missed this important fact but, in retrospect I can see the deeper truth at work here.

I so often want to exalt myself rather than humble myself. Even my best intentions seem to have some motivation that will elevate the all important me. This verse is worth a little mastication.

A Star Trek auction was held in New York City in commemoration of Star Trek’s 40th anniversary. The proceeds were to go to….?

But does it really matter? After all, $576,000 for a model of the Enterprise-D (NCC 1701-D) which was used in several Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes as well as the Generations movie was a steal at only half a million dollars. We certainly need not forget the spacesuit worn by DeForest Kelley in the Tholian Web that fetched $144,000. These collectable’s are certainly just that collectable’s.

But my question is this: “How does one explain to his friends (without them making disparaging comments behind his back) that he shelled out half a million dollars for a prop from a TV show?” I suppose if all your friends are members of the United Federation of Planets you have sidestepped this experience.

• S-42 Class Submarine
• Keel laid: January 14, 1921, at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, MA
• Launched: October 27, 1923
• Commissioned: February 16, 1925
• Displacement: 903 tons surfaced; 1,126 tons submerged
• Length: 225′ 3″
• Beam: 20′ 8″
• Depth limit: 200′
• Complement: 4 officers, 34 enlisted
• Armament: four 21″ torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 4″/50 deck gun

On September 26, 1943, S-44 (Lt. Cmdr. F.E. Brown) departed Attu to begin her fifth war patrol in the Kuriles. She was not heard from a gain by the shore bases, but the story given here is taken from statements made by her two surviving crewmen, E.A. Duva, CTM, and W.F. Whitemore, RM3c. One day out of Attu, a plane which dropped several depth charges forced S-44 down. Then nothing was seen until 2030 on the night of 7 October, when radar contact was made on what was thought to be a small merchant ship. S-44 went in very close on the surface and started firing her deck gun, and immediately the destroyer they had underrated opened up with all guns.

The Captain ordered, “Taker her down!” The diving alarm was sounded, but the ship did not submerge, for reasons not made clear in the statements of the survivors. Meanwhile, the destroyer had scored a hit below the water line in the control room, one in the conning tower, and one in the forward battery. The order was given to abandon ship, and a pillowcase was waved from the forward room hatch, in the hope that the enemy would cease firing, but they did not. The destroyer scored several more hits.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.

Get Smart: The Complete Collection is finally released! It been some time in the making and will only be offered on the TimeLife website until Fall 2007, at which time it will then be available in stores.

The legendary spy-spoof series inspired by the comic genius of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry that gave us such comic phrases as “Would you believe…” and “Missed it by that much” is finally here. Now I can watch entire episodes, uncut for today’s longer commercial interruptions. Now I can enjoy the opening scene (one that captured my imagination as a kid) and see the Cone of Silence not in action.

It was not until about 7 years ago that I realized that I was a latent fan of the show. A friend wanted me to set up an AIM account so we could instant message. I needed to come up with a handle and after 2 or 3 hours of thinking about it, I settled decided that it had to have something to do with Get Smart. I quickly found that the most obvious names, like Agent86 and MaxSmart were taken, so a little Internet research led me to a complete episode guide. Within minutes I found the handle I was looking for.

Yahoo! Groups had a Get Smart group which has been anticipating these DVD’s for some time now.

Enjoy!

• Sargo Class Submarine
• Keel laid: September 27, 1938, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
• Launched: August 15, 1939
• Commissioned: December 1, 1939
• Displacement: 1,400 tons surfaced; 2,350 tons submerged
• Length: 310′ 6″
• Beam: 27′ 1″
• Maximum depth: 250′
• Complement: 5 officers, 50 enlisted
• Armament: eight 21″ torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 deck gun, two .50 cal machine guns, two .30 cal machine guns

On June 1944 she departed Pearl Harbor on an intelligence gathering mission to the Palau Islands, which would be invaded by U.S. forces a few months later. She then went on to Fremantle, from which she made a trip to Tawitawi to recover an agent. Seawolf left Brisbane on her fifteenth patrol in September, assigned to take U.S. Army agents and supplies to Samar, in the Philippines. While en route, breakdowns in communications caused U.S. anti-submarine forces to mistake her for Japanese. On 3 October 1944, after being forced to dive by an air attack, Seawolf was depth charged and sunk by the escort ship Richard M. Rowell (DE-403). All her crew and passengers, nearly a hundred men, were lost with her.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.