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05-01-23, 08:06 PM | #1 |
Swabby
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SHCE SS-417 Tigrone 5 May 1945 in The Yellow Sea
11 March 1945, the crew of the SS-381, Sand Lance, and I are given a new boat, SS-417 Tigrone.
5 May, 1945, we are on our third patrol, the first in Northern Japan, the second the very dangerous and shallow Yellow Sea, and yet again, the Yellow Sea. We had previously chased a medium convoy NW and managed to sink 2 standard merchants ships, each 13,000 tons, and 2 oil tankers, each 18,000 tons, along with a few smaller merchants. We also used our deck gun to destroy 3 patrol craft and an escort destroyer, all in the cover of darkness. After sailing back SW we received radio reports of a convoy from the NW headed in our direction, so we turned to intercept, timing our attack for after sunset. Did I mention there is nowhere to hide in the Yellow Sea in daytime? I should have. Some 20 miles out the radar officer spotted the convoy. He estimated a single merchant ship with 7 or more escorts. I briefly hesitated, as I felt the Japanese were setting a trap with this many escorts. The moon was not due to rise until 0000 hours, it was so dark we could barely see ourselves, and I doubted their ships had radar, so we continued our intercept. My 1st Officer and I mapped out an attack plan from the radar plots. It appeared there were 3 small patrol craft to the front of the convoy. Rather than losing the the chance to surprise the enemy, we went to radar depth and crept forward. I guessed we would have enough time to sink maybe 4 escorts before taking a shot at the merchant vessel, and then try to escape on the surface using our PPI radar. It seemed like years waiting for the radar officer to call out we were as close 3500 yards. We got a visual sighting about 2000 yards out and watched a patrol craft zig to port in front of us, and then back again before I even needed to call a dive to 80 feet to avoid a collision. For the rest of it's course it was unswerving on our starboard side. We fired at maybe 800 yards, and then held our breath as the radar officer continued to call out the bearings and distances of the other escorts approaching. The first torpedo found home and the patrol craft exploded brightly in the periscope. Several more patrol craft turned right towards us and the sinking escort. We maintained our course at 1/3rd speed hoping the other escorts could not hear us yet. Somehow we managed to sink the next 3 patrol craft, and a destroyer as they approached. We turned to port as a 5th patrol craft from the East was closing on us, along with an escort destroyer from the North. As the patrol craft reached 500 yards, we fired tube 7, but it missed. We had enough time to fire tube 8, and this torpedo hit! Moments later the unlucky torpedo shot that missed, continued right into the escort destroyer coming from the North as the already sinking patrol craft's course crossed the escort destroyer's southbound course. It hit the destroyer's magazine sending debris everywhere. Checking the periscope twice, and then radar, we surfaced. As soon as our diesel engines came online we went to flank speed to intercept the merchant, which had turned North to escape the conflagration. The crew of the merchant could only hear and see flames and explosions from all the escorts being hit, and sinking; they never saw our boat. We proceeded to chase them with radar and we could see their ship still had some lights glowing in the darkness. We had 2 bow, and 4 stern torpedoes ready to fire. As we closed distance with the merchant, our radar picked up a destroyer just NW of the escaping merchant. I had hoped my radar officer had misread his scope earlier, but he now confirmed an 8th escort vessel. We positioned our boat on the starboard beam of the merchant to hide ourselves from the destroyer while setting the torpedo data computer with information to make an attack on this merchant. Once we passed forward of the merchant we fired 2 of the last 3 stern torpedoes. Both hit, but only crippling it. The detonation and flames got the attention of the destroyer which began closing on the stricken and flaming ship. As the destroyer was getting closer we dove to 40 feet to avoid visual detection, and watched what the destroyer would do. As the destroyer moved in, we fired one of the last bow torpedoes at the merchant, slowed to 1/3rd speed and waited. This torpedo finished the already burning ship and it went under. The destroyer, still approaching the merchant slowed considerably. After updating the TDC we fired the last bow tube, and 25 seconds later all we heard was the sound of an undetonated torpedo bounce off the destroyer's hull. Not a lucky shot. I called for full left rudder and flank speed- we were still at periscope depth, so the destroyer couldn't see us in total darkness, even with our periscope up; though we could see its silhouette against the merchant's flaming wreck. Keeping left rudder until we had a 0 angle stern shot, we waited for the destroyer to get just under 500 yards from us, and fired our last torpedo. I waited almost 10 seconds before shouting hard right rudder to avoid a collision if our torpedo missed. Thankfully it didn't. We surfaced to see the damage we had done, turned 90 degrees to starboard and set course for Guam; thankful to live through another patrol. Especially, to live through a Yellow Sea patrol. YouTube video here: Last edited by JconradH; 05-03-23 at 07:02 PM. Reason: better grammar & easier to read formatting |
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