Commander Fluckey and the USS Barb [Archive]

Rockin Robbins

10-22-09, 06:39 AM

The really crazy part about Fluckey, was he was not "crazy ape@#$%" at all. As unorthodox and off the wall as his tactics were, he was not a "to hell with the risks" maniac like Dick O'Kane or Mush Morton, whose hate for the enemy was such that they took any offered odds in battle and pressed every situation to the death.

Fluckey was a scientific risk mitigator, carefully calculating the risk in every situation. What looked like foolhardy bravado never was. The audacity of the Namquan attack was it's primary advantage because it was unprecedented and completely unexpected. The Japanese never realized they were under attack by a submarine! Unlike Morton and O'Kane, Fluckey revolutionized submarine strategy and tactics. His vision of how a sub should be fought was the future of the US submarine fleet as he assumed Admiral Lockwood's position after his retirement.

Fluckey racked up one of the highest scores of the war in a career that didn't even start until the middle of 1944, after all the targets were gone and submarine after submarine returned to port full of torpedoes and reporting no targets found. He must have made life hell for the rest of the skippers!:D With all the rewards of the most decorated submarine of the war, Fluckey was proudest of the one medal that no crewmember ever earned while he skippered Barb, the purple heart. That says volumes about his loyalty to his crew and his great ability as a captain. He's my personal favorite of all skippers of the war, and an autographed copy of Thunder Below is one of my most treasured possessions.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/Silent%20Hunter%204/100_7762.jpg

DaveyJ576

10-22-09, 04:23 PM

Rockin,

I must vigorously disagree with your statements about Morton and O'Kane. To call two of the most decorated and respected submarine commanding officers in all history "maniacs" and to say that they did not revolutionize USN submarine warfare and tactics is disengenous at best and downright derogatory at worst.

Dudley Walker Morton was a highly intelligent and thoughtful man who cared deeply about his crew and his mission. He DID revolutionize USN submarine tactics by shattering the deeply engrained pre-war mindset of caution and showing that an aggressive, fighting submarine could be successful despite crappy torpedoes and questionable upper level leadership. Scores of submarine skippers took inspiration from his successes and when Charlie Lockwood said to an excuse ridden underperforming skipper, "If Mush can do it, so can you!" they had little else to say. His tactic of giving the periscope to the Exec to make the observations while he ran the overall show WAS revolutionary. Not only did it allow him to keep an overall eye on the big picture, but it provided a superb training environment for his junior officers, two of which (O'Kane and Grider) went on to accomplish great things.

Did Morton hate the Japanese? Most definitely, but not in the context of a hood wearing Klan member. He hated them because of the unwanted war that they had forced on our nation, for taking him and other Americans away from their families and loved ones, for the brutal and cruel treatment of the Chinese, Filipinos, and our P.O.W.’s, and yes, for catching us asleep at the switch and embarrassing the hell out of us on the world stage. He channeled that hatred into supreme aggressiveness and an indomitable fighting spirit, two of the best qualities that we look for in a warrior. As the Commanding Officer, he was also tasked with the job of motivating the Iowa farm boys, Detroit factory workers, and Pennsylvania shopkeepers amongst his crew to perform the normally repugnant job of killing human beings. Aboard the boat, and on her battle flag was the exhortation, “SHOOT THE SUNZA BITCHES”. Partly dehumanizing the enemy through hatred was one of the motivational methods he chose. A distasteful method to be true, but one that he felt was absolutely essential if the Wahoo was to prevail against a determined enemy.

To characterize Morton and O'Kane as "to hell with the risks maniacs" is utterly incorrect. A submarine skipper with this quality would not have survived first contact with the enemy, much less numerous and successful war patrols. At a time when too many skippers were overly cautious or giving up early, Morton's philosophy of pressing "every situation to the death" was exactly what was needed. He once told O'Kane, "Tenacity, Dick. Stay with the bastard 'till he's on the bottom."

While it is true that Richard Hetherington O'Kane was initially brash, impetuous, and probably a bit mouthy Morton recognized this early on and also saw in him some great qualities. Morton took him under his wing and molded him into an outstanding Naval Officer and leader of men. O'Kane sucked up Morton's tutelage like a sponge and when he got his own boat he proved he had learned his lessons well. How can you possibly argue with the Tang's war record?

I completely agree with your characterization of Gene Fluckey. The man was a superb submarine Commanding Officer and richly earned all the laurels and accolades that have been heaped upon him over the years. Your belief that the Namkwan Harbor raid was a masterpiece of military tactics is also wholly justified. However, I should point out that Mush Morton, Dick O'Kane, and the crew of the Wahoo made a similarly daring and masterful penetration of Wewak Harbor, New Guinea in January, 1943, two full years before Fluckey's raid!

Rockin, I have enjoyed reading your posts in the past. Your level of knowledge is exceptional and you have even caught me in a goof or two. But your characterization of Morton and O'Kane is so far off track that it borders on insulting to two of our greatest WWII heroes. I sincerely hope that this is nothing more than my misreading or misunderstanding your opinion. If my statements above seem harsh, it is only that I get very defensive when it comes to the memory of all of our submarine heroes.