/ / IMMEDAIATE / /
From:
LCDR Ronny Gundersen
To:
ComSubRon 4A
CC:
ComSubPac
Date: 9 May 1943
Subject:
Patrol Report, USS Pogy (August 2002 - Cycle 6)
Remarks:
1st War Patrol USS Pogy
Sub: U.S.S. Pogy SS-266 Class: Gato
Crew: Green Status:
Operational
Hull Damage: Light (3%) System
Damage: None (0%)
Total Patrol Time: 29
Days Repair
Time: 7 Days
Fuel Used: 89,623
Gallons (76%) Realism
Rating: 115%
Ships Sunk: 2 Tonnage:
14,380 / 4,788
Pilots Saved: 0 Photo
Recons: 0
Weather: Clear / Foggy Sea:
Calm / Moderate
Patrol Mileage: 2,272
Nautical Miles
Ordnance Remaining: 6 – Mk-14 Torpedo’s, 45
– Deck Gun Rounds
(Medals Awarded – None)
1) 4/14/43 04:24 50-45N x 172-34E (CA)
Takao N/A DAM
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2) 4/30/43 13:34 50-54N x 173-09E Large
Freighter 6,850 SUNK
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3) 4/30/43 14:25 51-00N x 173-10E Armed
Merchant 7,530 SUNK
Totals: 14,380 Raw
/ 4,788 Adjusted
Damage
Sustained:
1.
Periscope - Destroyed
Aircraft Encountered:
0
Depth Charges:
50
Commanders Comments:
After inspecting our new boat, the USS Pogy, a
nice upgrade from old trustworthy USS Trigger, we left Midway April 3 1943. Our
8 days journey to our patrol area in the Aleutian Islands bid
us no problems and we arrived Saturday 10 April
at 03:19. As we was south of the Rat Islands I ordered a course change to 15'T
to hunt for enemy shipping south and south east of Near Islands. The sea is
moderate and the sky is mostly cloudy.
23:46
Radar has detected contacts at 12,770 yds. They
are heading away from us, probably at a course
of 240 or 250'T. I decide not to follow them.
06:37
Today the weather is foggy and the sea is calm.
I decide to stay on the surface and use our
radar to find ships since the fog will hide us
during the day.
04:15
New surface contact detected by radar at about
8,200 yds. The sea is still calm, but the fog
is gone and it is a clear night. The radar has
detected about 5 ships at 350' relative.
We are closing fast.
04:20
We got visual contact. I can see 2 escorts, 1 CL
and 1 CA of the TAKAO class, 3,000 yds away.
In about 1 second I fired 6 torpedo’s, with
depth set to 16 ft., and got rammed by an escort
that obviously detected us. After launch we
dived as quickly as possible to 390 ft.
We could hear one torpedo premature, one hit and
the rest of them probably missed.
There are now 5 escorts around us, dropping
depth charges on us like rice on newly weds.
I guess the TAKAO wasn't that much damaged, as
our sonar operator could hear no signs of malfunctioning screws or engines.
06:43
Finally the escorts gave up on hunting us. It
was hard to count the number of depth charges
they dumped on us, but I guess about 50 or so
were used. Luckily for us none of them hit us,
not even close. With both our periscopes
destroyed our patrol just got a little bit harder. Fortunately our radars work
so we can still do some surface attacks. And another good thing is that our
torpedo’s can travel 9,000 yds to the target.
That will be handy now.
02:17
Surface contacts detected by SJ radar 250'
relative at 14,500 yds. Two spikes can be seen on
the radar so I suppose it is two transports we
got there.
As we close in to 13,700 yds another spike shows
up. I order flank speed ahead to catch up
to our targets. At 11,000 yds it's 4 spikes on
the radar display. Our first visual is of a
FUBUKI DD. The other one is of an Armed Merchant
Cruiser heading directly away from us at
6,000 yds at 13.6 kts. The two last merchants in
the convoy are Troop Transports.
03:03
At 3,000 yds we fire 3 torpedo’s at the Armed
Merchant Cruiser. Torpedo depth is set to 20 ft,
full speed. All of them missed. We escaped on
the surface.
02:36
Surface contact detected by SJ radar bearing
312' relative at 12,700 yds. The radar shows 5
spikes. We change speed and course to
investigate this convoy. When visual I can spot 1 KUMA
CL,1 YUBARI CL and 2 KAGERO DD. The last contact
is probably a DD too.
We have no chance against these ships on the
surface, so we evade by diving and continues our
patrol.
06:00
Today the sea is heavy and the weather is
overcast. I decide to remain on surface today
because the weather will hide us, the radars
will warn us and we do no good submerged
without a periscope anyway. No ships have been
sighted the last couple of days.
Friday 30 April, 1943
13:05
I decided to stay surfaced today because of the
fog that came last night. The sea is moderate.
This is our last day at patrol before we leave
for home port.
Suddenly surface contacts are detected by our
radar. Looks like a small convoy.
I order a course change and speeds up to close
in on this convoy.
When detected they were 13,300 yds away from us.
13:25
Visual contact of 1-Armed Merchant Cruiser and
1-Large Freighter. We'll try to close in as much
as possible and hope that the fog will conceal
us from these ships guns.
Doh! Some yards behind the convoy a DD appears.
It's a YUGUMO. The convoy is heading 76'T
at 5 kts. Fired 3 torpedo’s at the Large
Freighter at 1,800 yds, torpedo depth set to 12 ft.
One torpedo was a dud, but the next two hit and
sunk the ship. Fired 3 torpedo’s at the Armed Merchant Cruiser at 2,000 yds,
torpedo depth set to 16 ft. 2 of the torpedo’s prematured and 1 missed. The DD
starts to fire at us so we crash dive to 300 ft. The DD overshoots us and
disappears,
but the propeller sound of the Armed Merchant
Cruiser is close by. I decide to surface to attack the merchant again. She is
5,000 yds away from us and is increasing distance to us. I order the crew to
open fire at her to slow her down so we can get in a firing position. At 1,475
yds I fired our last forward torpedo. We have slowed her down to 12 kts with
our deck gun. And the torpedo hit her! A violent fire breaks out and she slows
down fast. At 1,100 yds gunfire can be heard from the merchant. We turn around
and fire a torpedo from aft tube 7 at 1,200 yds. That torpedo prematured so we
fired a second torpedo at 1,700 yds, and that one hit her and sunk her. We used
50 gun shells to slow her down, 13 of them missed. We leave the area quickly to
avoid the DD searching for us in the fog. And sure, a few seconds later the DD
arrives on the scene. We turn away from her at flank speed. Hope they haven't
seen us. A few minutes later I realize they didn't see us. They head straight
for the sunken Armed Merchant Cruiser and slow down to pick up survivors. I
think we made it.
At 7,650 yds we lose visual on the DD.
Our next stop is at Midway. Home sweet home.
LCDR Ronny Gundersen
CO: USS Pogy, SS-266
U.S. Navy
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