The One that Got Away...
((This patrol was the highlight of my un-modded career, which netted over a million tons, just missing 10x the tonnage of the next highest ranked skipper in that war.))
While Captain of the Balao in October of 1944 word was out that major Japanese units would be steaming towards our landings in the Philippines. I gave orders for us to set up off the coast north of those positions and sit tight.
We waited for 4 days, and I was beginning to worry I'd picked a bad spot. Just when I was about to bring us south closer to the beaches, what should hit our sonar but a massive return; not a trite convoy or task-force, but 30+ ships spread over a 10 mile front. Visuals revealed Yamato or Musashi was in the center.
I decided to just sit quiet, dive to 300, then go to periscope depth and shoot. I felt I was pretty well placed. With the range down to 7nm at night, I slowly went deep, engines still and at silent running. However, I wasn't savvy enough. As I passed 250 echo ranging started pinning me, and the depth charges started. They must have detected our malfunctioning surface search radar before I dove- or else they could see a twig on a log at 7 miles in the dark.
None of them felt close to my depth, but the problem was that we'd been detected. Now they would start zigzagging, and at least 5 destroyers seemed to be looking for us. I wasn't about to pass up this chance though. I ordered slow ahead to try to get a little distance from the circling hounds before I came back up.
I put about 1000 yards behind me, but then was worried I would be out of position to the oncoming behemoths in the center of the formation. I ordered back 1/3 and starboard rudder to maintain what I estimated to be the correct placement by dead reckoning off sonar and started back up. During our short scoot the inevitable had happened in the sprawling hive of chaos above. 30 ships traveling at high speed at night, with as many as 10 circling in subchase mode; a Takao class cruiser outright ran over the stern of a destroyer. I can't imagine the DD survived, but I never had the time to find out.
It was those extra 1000 yards that kicked the poodle. "Up scope." What do I see dead ahead but the Yamato...so close she filled the scope! I desperately tried to lock a solution - at 224 yards! At least that was the last number I saw as her main batteries swiftly rotated and depressed. With an 18" salvo blasting into the water and the eager echo ranging furiously closing again from the east I fired all 6 tubes and headed back for 300 feet. The track to target was ridiculously short, 10 seconds or so, ...and nothing happened. I checked the sonar track, and there they were- running well past Yamato. I realized what must have happened. The torpedoes, fired from 60 feet below the surface, hadn't had time to pitch up to 30' before they reached her. They harmlessly ran out, while I endured 2 hours of battering for my foolhardy hubris.
The denouement is no better. 14 hours later I was still nearby as the fleet made its escape. They were under air attack and were firing their main batteries SE at targets I could not see. 6 tubes fired at 6000 yards produced no better result. I can only assume the low-speed tracks were spotted by the many escorts and she altered course; I was well on my way down by the time they would have drawn near her.
That was the only time we spotted those ships from my service in the war, and all we got for it was a blistering headache. From that time on we were a lot more cautious. I wanted to get them all home at the end.
Captain Garrison Lloyd, USS Balao
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