"Be More Aggressive!"

[Sailor Steve]

I've just been glancing through Peter Padfield's War Beneath the Sea, and in his chapter America At War he has this note:

One CO returning from his failed attempt to penetrate the Gulf of Lingayen reported that his crew had been aboard under trying conditions since 8 December 'and an opportunity to rest and relax in the sunshine is rapidly becoming imperative for the maintenance of good health, morale and efficiency'. His was a fleet boat with air-conditioning, refrigerated food, separate messroom and washing facilities, and two-bunk cabins termed staterooms for officers and petty officers, all of which would have been the envy of the submariners of any other navy, indeed of their own S-boat crews.

The Lingayan Gulf attack started December 22, so they had been to sea a total of 14 days.

Of course sources such as Padfield and Blair also mention that most of the complaints were real, such as torpedo problems; and they cite poor preparation, especially as the American Submarine Service had never been to war and was still unsure what to look for in combat officers.

Still, I thought it was pretty funny.