[DaveyJ576]

There is an interesting story from WWII, somewhat apocryphal in nature, that humorously illustrates the destructive nature of seawater. Be forewarned that although verified to be true, as with any sea story some of the “facts” may have been stretched and distorted by inebriated sailors during its many retellings.

The USS Seadragon (SS-194) was under the command of LCDR W.E. “Pete” Ferrall on 08 December 1941 when Japanese forces attacked Cavite in the Philippines. Moored alongside the USS Sealion (SS-195) and undergoing overhaul at the time, she was not hit in the attack, but received shrapnel damage from bombs that fatally damaged the Sealion. Heat from the explosions blistered the paint on her starboard side. In the ensuing days she quickly made repairs and got underway for Java.

Over the next several months, Ferrall and the Seadragon were kept constantly on the move conducting aggressive anti-shipping patrols and running special missions back and forth to the Philippines. Operating out of several different ports in Java and Australia, there was little time to conduct proper maintenance and many items of concern had to be put by the wayside. One of these items was paint. In mid January 1942, surfacing after a depth charge attack, the crew noticed that the black paint she normally wore was flaking off in large splotches, revealing the red primer underneath. There was little that could be done at the time and the ‘Dragon stayed on patrol and continued to push back against the Japanese, paint job be damned.

Towards the end of her 2nd patrol, sometime in late March, strange reports began circulating on the air that really mystified the whole Navy, especially the normally reticent Submarine Service. Radio Tokyo, along with its infamous mouthpiece Tokyo Rose boldly announced that the U.S. Navy was contravening the rules of civilized warfare by unleashing a fleet of red pirate submarines on the South China Sea. These “Red Pirates” as she called them would be hunted down and exterminated by the forces of Imperial Japan. “Death to the Red Submarines!” became a Tokyo Rose rallying cry.

While the rest of the Navy scratched their heads and wondered what the heck ol’ Rose was talking about, the crew of the Seadragon were laughing hysterically! It was them! By that time the boat was in full lobster red mode. Her basic black had all but completely shed itself and the red primer announced her presence rather garishly. Apparently during her forays she had been spotted several times by the Japanese and her unusual paint job had left a deep impression on the enemy.

Being the Navy’s sole red submarine was actually quite a liability and Ferrall ordered a return to the basic black at the next opportunity. By this time, though, the legend of the “Red Dragon of the South China Sea” had been firmly established.