Bubblehead1980
11-11-13, 10:15 PM
Started a new career...Balao-USS Hammerhead June 1944, Pearl Harbor.
Ordered to support Operation Forager(Invasion fof Mariannas) east of the Islands.On June 18, 1944 about 0500 made radar contact, rushed ahead, dove at dawn.Closed in, quietly sneaking under an Ashasio Destroyer while at 500 feet, sped up to 6 knots, came to scope depth, fleet carrier Taiho right in front of me at 3000 yards.Set all six Mark 14's for 15 feet, opened outer doors, raised scope again, began firing, as 6th torpedo was leaving tube, noticed target and every other began a zig to starboard, they were not alerted yet, they were making their morning zig, ah the luck.Torpedoes passed agead, number 6 barely missing the bow.Went to 600 feet, avoided charges, could not stay on surface to chase due to heavy air activity.
June 20, 1944, 0600, same area, caught remnants of IJN carrier force(not carriers, guess Allied carrier planes got them) including big battleships(Yamato was spotted , using heavy seas, closed in fast, fired six Mark 14's at Yamato, speed was about one knot too slow, torpedoes missed, made a hard turn to use Mark 18's fired at a Takao Heavy cruiser, they missed aster but one slammed into a Mogami CA and another hit something, but not sure what.The Mogami burned and had a large hole in middle of the ship, forced down by escorting destroyers, surfaced to find debris from sunken ship in area of the cruiser, marker on the map showing ship sunk but was not awarded credit.Another marker in gray showed up, but no awarded credit.I apparently sunk two targets with one torpedo each, that sunk later, but no credit:/\\!!
Ordered home, refueled at Manus Island, then went long way home, conducting patrol en route to Pearl Harbor.
Ordered to support Operation Forager(Invasion fof Mariannas) east of the Islands.On June 18, 1944 about 0500 made radar contact, rushed ahead, dove at dawn.Closed in, quietly sneaking under an Ashasio Destroyer while at 500 feet, sped up to 6 knots, came to scope depth, fleet carrier Taiho right in front of me at 3000 yards.Set all six Mark 14's for 15 feet, opened outer doors, raised scope again, began firing, as 6th torpedo was leaving tube, noticed target and every other began a zig to starboard, they were not alerted yet, they were making their morning zig, ah the luck.Torpedoes passed agead, number 6 barely missing the bow.Went to 600 feet, avoided charges, could not stay on surface to chase due to heavy air activity.
June 20, 1944, 0600, same area, caught remnants of IJN carrier force(not carriers, guess Allied carrier planes got them) including big battleships(Yamato was spotted , using heavy seas, closed in fast, fired six Mark 14's at Yamato, speed was about one knot too slow, torpedoes missed, made a hard turn to use Mark 18's fired at a Takao Heavy cruiser, they missed aster but one slammed into a Mogami CA and another hit something, but not sure what.The Mogami burned and had a large hole in middle of the ship, forced down by escorting destroyers, surfaced to find debris from sunken ship in area of the cruiser, marker on the map showing ship sunk but was not awarded credit.Another marker in gray showed up, but no awarded credit.I apparently sunk two targets with one torpedo each, that sunk later, but no credit:/\\!!
Ordered home, refueled at Manus Island, then went long way home, conducting patrol en route to Pearl Harbor.