SHCE SS-230 Finback 30 September 1943 Tsgaru Straight Transit & Small Convoy Sweep
 

The SS-230 Finback Sent to patrol Northern Japan with its upgraded PPI radar. We transit the well-patrolled & dangerous Tsugaru Strait on a very long, tense, and moonless night. After exiting the straight, just as we enter the Sea of Japan, we have a radar contact, and intercept a small convoy. While still in total darkness, the crew and I sneak up on the small convoy from behind, evading the 2 destroyer escorts long enough to damage the 2 larger ships before sinking the escorts. We surface and destroy the rest of convoy. This is a LONG video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK-MVQn3brM

I've read Dick O'Kane did a few sneaky attacks like this in the dark. Took some time, but we could have thrown grenades at those merchants considering how close we were, and the destroyers didn't see us coming! :haha:

How about potatoes? There is a story of one of the US boats passing so close to an IJN escort that the ship's gun could not be trained low enough to shoot, and the US boat could not bring their guns to bear fast enough, but someone on KP duty apparently, was fast enough on his feet to throw some potatoes across at the escort, which the IJN sailors apparently mistook for hand grenades... That story is in one of the books I have, and would probably take forever to find. Perhaps someone else remembers the source... btw, love the videos from SH1 - good stuff! :salute:

Hi Propbeanie,
I remember the potato story as well, lol.

Thanks for the kind words on the video. I had thought about narrating, but then it might take away from a viewer's imagination what I was thinking at the time.

Jeff

Hey Jeff, check your PMs, sir.