USs Billfish...worst depth charging ?

[Rockin Robbins]

Sometimes severity isn't related to duration. I submit this evidence from the sailors involved for your consideration. Welcome to the cruise from hell!

STILL REMEMBER THIS USS FLYING FISH?

On August 28, 1942, Flying Fish (Donaho) hit a battleship of the Kongo class. While setting up to fire at one of the escorts, a plane dropped a bomb close to Flying fish, forcing her deep, while the escorts delivered a devastating depth charge attack. Two hours later Flying Fish returned to periscope depth. While Donaho was scanning the horizon a nervous torpedoman in the after torpedo room accidentally fired a fish from No.7 tube with the outer door closed. For the following two days the crew worked to release the torpedo, finally being able to pull it back inside the ATR. Donaho then proceeded to the Truk area where he was attacked and seriously damaged by a patrol boat. On Sept. 4 he closed another patrol boat on the surface. It opened fire with a three-inch gun. Donaho cleared the bridge, then closed to 600 yards and fired a torpedo, which missed. As Flying Fish dove, she took a terrific down angle. Two Destroyers joined in the attack, dropping a total of 54 depth charges. Flying Fish, severely damaged, went to 350 feet. In order to maintain depth, Donaho had to hold the boat at an 18-degree up angle. The ordeal was over in four and a half-hours as the Flying Fish survived one of the worst depth charging of the war.

And I'm tragically informed that the numbers of US Submarine Vets of WWII are so low now that there will be no more conventions, no more Polaris newsletters, no more "Remember This?" columns. Likely there are no Flying Fish sailors to "Still Remember This." And those who never returned have been joined by those who lived to return on their eternal patrol.

[Rockin Robbins]

Forget being down for 48 hours! How about a 24 hour with 111 people on board? Yikes!

STILL REMEMBER THIS USS PERMIT?

Early in the war the Permit (Chapple) was ordered to Corregidor to evacuate General MacArthur. While enroute, Permit got the word that MacArthur had gotten nervous waiting and decided to leave Corregidor by PT-boat. The Permit was ordered to proceed to a small island where the PT boat was to take MacArthur. MacArthur had already left when Permit arrived at the island near Panay, and only a disabled PT boat was found. Chapple took the 11-man PT boat crew aboard and proceeded back to Corregidor with new orders to evacuate certain key personnel deemed too valuable to be left behind. A senior naval officer among the evacuee was overcome by a sense of duty as Permit was leaving Manila and ordered Chapple, again'st his will, to continue a war patrol despite the fact that Permit had on board a total of 111 men. An unsuccessful attack on three destroyers proved nearly disastrous as the DD's attacked with depth charges and kept Permit down nearly twenty-four hours. Nearly all of Permit's oxygen supply was used up in this interval, and after surfacing she headed directly for Fremamntle, Australia. Upon arrival, Commander Chapple was severely reprimanded by Captain Wilks for unduly risking the lives of valuable personnel. (It was not recorded what was said to the senior naval officer who forced the issue)

[Rockin Robbins]

Puffer account by the US Submarine Veterans of WWII:

REMEMBER THIS USS PUFFER?
At 1100 on the morning of Oct. 9, 1943, Puffer (Jensen) hit a merchantman with two torpedoes while patrolling the northern end of Makassar Strait. The merchantman's escort was not detected, and Puffer fired a second time. Shortly thereafter distant depth charges were heard, and at 1145 six depth charges exploded close by. The concussion caused the conning tower hatch to unseat, admitting a shower of water. A sea valve plug in the ATR was loosened, admitting a thin, high-pressure stream of water. Gaskets were blown out of the main induction valve and the ventilation supply. Ten minutes later another depth charge exploded nearby, followed by four more, staggered in depth, fifteen minutes later. Depth control became difficult. The boat slowly settled to an alarming depth level, with a twelve degree down angle. The temperature reached 125 degrees in parts of the boat. Safety tank, negative, auxiliary, and after trim were all blown dry.
The ASW attack continued for a total of thirty-one hours. Many of the men were in a state of physical collapse. Stations had to be manned by volunteers.
Finally, Puffer surfaced directly from deep submergence at 1910 on October 10, 1943.