The Lost USS Wahoo / SS-238

woofiedog · 04-07-07, 03:05 PM

The Battle Report of the USS Sawfish...

Two days prior to the Wahoo’s fatal attempt to exit the Sea of Japan, the USS Sawfish (SS 276) successfully exited through the same route Wahoo attempted.

. On entering LA PEROUSE STRAIT we were fortunate in having terrible weather and passed through undetected. On leaving the Japan Sea, we contacted a small boat, believed to have been a patrol boat, about 15 miles west of the Strait. He trailed us but his speed was insufficient to keep up. The signal station on NISHI NOTORO MISAKI challenged us and kept repeating his challenge for about a half hour. After he challenged us for five minutes, we slowed to five knots and he lost us. When we speeded up to 20 knots, he swung his beam back on us, indicating he was detecting us by sound. The distance to NISHI NOTORU MISAKI at this time was 12 miles.
Two Radar contacts were made in the Strait on what may have been patrols, but nothing was sighted.
Immediately after surfacing on 9 October, with NIJO GAN bearing 290oT, 27 miles, we sighted a plane in what direction at range of 10 miles and dove. Sea was flat. Plane did not drop bombs. Three hours later, about 0930, a patrol boat of PC type arrived on the scene and stopped 3000 yards on our starboard beam and began echo range. We went to 300-372 feet and evaded; the patrol boat did not contact us. He stopped pinging, and commenced listening, after about a half hour. He would stop while listening. At 1140 four explosions were heard and felt, which may have been depth charges or bombs. Having heard nothing since 1200, came to periscope depth at 1430 – nothing in sight. Retired to southeast on first sighting patrol boat until surfacing. Since the patrol boat had our dead reckoning position figured so accurately, it is probable that the plane dropped a float to mark our diving point.

Link: http://www.mackinnon.org/sawfish-4th-patrol-report.html

04-07-07, 03:05 PM	#10
woofiedog Engineer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New England Posts: 216 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	The Battle Report of the USS Sawfish... Two days prior to the Wahoo’s fatal attempt to exit the Sea of Japan, the USS Sawfish (SS 276) successfully exited through the same route Wahoo attempted. . On entering LA PEROUSE STRAIT we were fortunate in having terrible weather and passed through undetected. On leaving the Japan Sea, we contacted a small boat, believed to have been a patrol boat, about 15 miles west of the Strait. He trailed us but his speed was insufficient to keep up. The signal station on NISHI NOTORO MISAKI challenged us and kept repeating his challenge for about a half hour. After he challenged us for five minutes, we slowed to five knots and he lost us. When we speeded up to 20 knots, he swung his beam back on us, indicating he was detecting us by sound. The distance to NISHI NOTORU MISAKI at this time was 12 miles. Two Radar contacts were made in the Strait on what may have been patrols, but nothing was sighted. Immediately after surfacing on 9 October, with NIJO GAN bearing 290oT, 27 miles, we sighted a plane in what direction at range of 10 miles and dove. Sea was flat. Plane did not drop bombs. Three hours later, about 0930, a patrol boat of PC type arrived on the scene and stopped 3000 yards on our starboard beam and began echo range. We went to 300-372 feet and evaded; the patrol boat did not contact us. He stopped pinging, and commenced listening, after about a half hour. He would stop while listening. At 1140 four explosions were heard and felt, which may have been depth charges or bombs. Having heard nothing since 1200, came to periscope depth at 1430 – nothing in sight. Retired to southeast on first sighting patrol boat until surfacing. Since the patrol boat had our dead reckoning position figured so accurately, it is probable that the plane dropped a float to mark our diving point. Link: http://www.mackinnon.org/sawfish-4th-patrol-report.html __________________