/ /
IMMEDIATE /
/
From: CMDR Greg Turner II
To:
ComSubPac
Date:
31 October 1942
Subject: Patrol
Report, USS Gato SS-212 (Cycle 4,
June 2002)
Remarks: 1st War Patrol, USS Gato
Date:
31 October, 1942 Patrol
Area: Empire (SJ- 4)
Sub: USS Gato SS-212 Class:
Gato
Crew: Green
Status: Under Repair
Total Patrol Time: 23.3
Days Repair
Time: 26 Days
Fuel Used: 95,516 Gallons (82%) Realism Rating: 100%
Ships Sunk:
4 Tonnage: 8,750 / 2,914
Pilots Saved:
0 Photo Recons: 0
Weather: Partly Cloudy - Foggy Seas: Moderate /
Calm
Patrol Mileage: 675 Nautical
Miles
Ordnance Remaining: 4 -
MK 14 Torpedo’s, 89 – Deck Gun Rounds.
(Medals
Awarded –Silver Star + Bronze Star)
Date Time Location Ship Type Tonnage
Status
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2)
14 Oct 42 12:52 37-17N x 141-57E (DD) Asashio 2,370 SUNK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3)
14 Oct 42 15:43 37-26N x 141-57E Oil Tanker 3,050 SUNK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4)
14 Oct 42 21:17 37-51N x 141-49E Small Freighter 1,300 SUNK
Total: 8,750 Raw /
2,914 Adjusted
Damage Sustained:
1. Deck Gun - Destroyed
2. Periscope – Destroyed
3. Torpedo Tubes 1,5,8,9 –
Disabled
4. DC Motors 1 + 2 –
Disabled
5. SD Radar - Disabled
6. Aft Engine Room Hull –
Severe
7. Engine 3 – Heavy
8. Forward Battery –
Heavy
9. Fuel Tanks – Heavy
10. Torpedo Tubes 3,4,5,6,7
Outer Doors Damaged
11. Aft Engine Room Hull –
Heavy
12. Conning Tower Hull –
Heavy
13. Motor Room Hull –
Heavy
14. Forward Torpedo Room
Hull – Heavy
15. Radio – Heavy
16. Crew Quarters Hull –
Heavy
17. Crew Mess Hull – Heavy
18. Sound Heads – Heavy
29. Bow Planes – Heavy
Aircraft Encountered:
1
Aircraft Shot Down:
Depth Charges:
N/A
Commander's
Comments:
RMKS/
1. Departed Pearl Harbor mid-morning 3 October 1942 enroute to Southern
Japan (SJ-4).
RMKS/
2. Arrived on station afternoon of 13 October 1942 with 24 Mk-14
torpedo’s on board. Transited in through SJ-9 and planned to enter my PZ
through the straits south of Kyushu. 19:57 while enroute to the straits a
lookout thought he spotted a light off our starboard beam aft but after
searching nothing was found and I continued on. At 04:32 I entered the strait
at flank speed with calm seas and a very dark sky. Remained surfaced to avoid a
recently detected minefield.
RMKS/
3. 05:05 I ran head on into a Destroyer that was either patrolling the
area or passing through but things turned bad in a hurry. This Destroyer came
charging out of the dark and was within 1,000 yds before my lookouts spotted
it. I reversed course to evade and ordered the Deck Gun manned and all
torpedo’s made ready. At 05:06 I launched 1 torpedo aft from 840 yds set at 4
feet and watched it run just a few feet by the Destroyers bow. By this time the
Destroyer had gotten our range and had started to make hits with its forward Deck
Gun. I fired a 2nd and a 3rd torpedo from 740 and 520 yds
respectively. The second torpedo missed but the third hit in the bow and caused
a tremendous explosion, which pummeled the Gato with debris. The damage to the
Gato had already been done and was pretty bad. My gun crew only fired 6 rounds
before the gun was hit by Jap fire. This hit resulted in 1 - Killed (MoMM3c
Weber) and 5-Wounded (LT-jg Campbell) (MoMM2c Jackson) (F1c Potts) (S1c Hiller)
(Bkr3c Woods). The most serious injury was a 6-inch gash created by shrapnel to
F1c Potts. The remainder received cuts and bruises but miraculously nothing to
bad. As our Pharmacist Mate tended to the wounded the XO reported in on the
damage.
(Aft Engine Room Hull
Breached - Engine 3 Damaged Heavily - Fuel Tanks Ruptured and Leaking - Conning
Tower Hull Breached - Radio Damaged - Forward Battery Damaged - Forward Torpedo
Room Hull Breached - Bow Planes Damaged - Outer Doors on Tubes 1, 4, 5, 6
Jammed Shut.)
I
couldn’t believe more injuries were not incurred after seeing the damage
report. I headed south to affect repairs and keep us in relatively shallow
water (220 Feet). Due to the Battery damage I remained surfaced even in broad
daylight to avoid Chlorine Gas from building up.
RMKS/
4. At 06:13 while I was on the bridge standing watch the 1MC suddenly
announced, “Fire in the Forward Torpedo Room”.
I landed in the Control Room and was nearly trampled as my XO went
charging by with a Fire extinguisher in each hand. I ordered the collision
Alarm, which expedited the closing of the watertight hatches to prevent spread
of the fire and ordered all vents closed. The fire spread rapidly throughout
the Forward Torpedo Room and due to extreme heat was difficult to battle. After
roughly 20, minutes the fire was extinguished and the cause was found to be
that a can of cleaner had tipped over and ruptured during our shelling and set
a few rags on fire. Fumes apparently hadn’t built up enough to cause an
explosion. After making sure no smoldering material remained I secured from
collision and vented the boat to help remove smoke and heat. By 07:42 the XO
reported that flooding and leaks had been contained. I immediately set a course
for open water away from any land. The next concern was the severe leak in the
Fuel Tank. I shifted what fuel I could to the undamaged tanks but being this
early in the patrol there was insufficient space to empty the damaged tank.
Finally at 11:55 the damaged tank ran dry and I made 3 dives to periscope depth
to flush what fuel remained out to prevent having an oil slick. My XO reported
that we lost an estimated 15, 932 gallons of Diesel Fuel nearly 1/6 our fuel
capacity. Repairs continued at Periscope Depth and by 12:41 all repairable
items had been fixed. As soon as the radio was working I had a contact report
sent off to Pearl but no reply was received. Unsure if the set is functioning
properly. After talking with my Senior Officers and the crew it was decided
that since the wounded were not in need of immediate medical care other than
what our Doctor could provide that we would again try to enter our Patrol Zone.
After surfacing at 17:30 all hands not on watch assembled for the Burial at Sea
of MoMM3c Robert Weber, I gave a short prayer and we watched as his body was
committed to the deep. This was my first loss under my command and it hurt me
greatly. With sad hearts we continued our patrol.
RMKS/
5. 13 October 1942 with Moderate seas and Mostly Cloudy skies the USS
Gato once again entered the strait off southern Kyushu at 19:00. We had passed
through the strait by 21:00 with no contacts this time. I set course to pass
south of the Osumi Shoto Islands then swing north. 23:59 my port lookout
reported a Destroyer heading for us at less than 1,000 yds at high speed.
Apparently the Japs must have radar and had us locked in there gun sights. The
first salvo hit the Periscopes and killed all 4 lookouts (QM3c Porter) (TM1c
Richards) (CY Bowman) (MoMM2c Crutchfield). Myself and (LT Marshall) were
injured in this action. I received a small cut to the left forearm and a
twisted knee from jumping down into the Conning Tower. (LT Marshall) my XO
received a broken left forearm as one of the dead lookouts fell from the high
periscope position on top of him. He came down the hatch headfirst and Conning
Tower personnel caught him. The 4 dead lookouts were left to the mercy of the
sea as we went under. Damage reports were reported at once as being,
(Forward Torpedo Tubes
1,3,5 Damaged – Aft Torpedo Tubes 6-10 Damaged – Motor Room Hull Heavy Leaking
– DC Motors 1+2 Disabled – Aft Engine room Hull Severe leaking – Crew Quarters
Hull Heavy leaking – Crew Mess Hull Heavy leaking – SD Radar Disabled – Sound
Heads Heavy Damage)
With
my XO temporarily incapacitated LT Wilkins took over damage control. I dove to
250 feet hoping to slip away from this Destroyer but the port shaft had a
slight noise in it. I fear it was giving our position away. At 00:07 Damage
control reported flooding in the Aft Battery Room, Aft Engine Room and the
Motor Room. With flooding increasing I had little choice but to surface or
loose the boat. I made all available torpedo tubes ready and ordered the Chief
of the Boat to break out every available small arm we had. 00:14 surfaced with no idea where the
Destroyer was and found it to be about 1,400 yds to my 080`. I came hard to
port at flank speed and began running. Ten minutes later I lost visual in the
dark on the DD. I turned to 101` in case we had been spotted. At 00:30 the DD
was spotted bearing 172` at 2,280 yds heading for us at about 26 kts. They must
have radar. With my periscope out and the boat flooding I turned toward the DD
and prepared to fire all forward tubes. At 00:32 fired 1st torpedo
from 2,040 yds set for 2 feet. Fired 2nd torpedo from 1,800 yds and
fired a 3rd torpedo from 1,500 yds. The 1st torpedo
prematured about halfway to the target. The 2nd torpedo hit in the
bow ripping it open. The 3rd hit it appeared in almost the same
place as the 2nd and the DD stopped and settled rapidly by the bow.
It sank in less than a minute. After seeing the second hit I turned away at
maximum speed to clear the area. With the flooding increasing I headed for one
of the Osumi Shoto Islands to reach shallow water. At 01:57 I stopped with
about 100 feet of water under the keel just a few hundred yards off the coast
of the northern most island. Being short handed I only had 2 lookouts and 2 men
on the AA gun while the remainder made repairs at a break neck pace. By 07:20
everything that could be repaired had been. My XO with his arm in a sling
reported that several systems were inoperable.
(Torpedo Tubes 1,5 8,9
were damaged beyond repair and the torpedo’s in these tubes were stuck – SD
Radar was Destroyed – DC Motors 1+2 were Destroyed – Both Periscopes were
Destroyed – Deck Gun was Destroyed.)
I
took the boat down to 200 feet to give the crew a rest for the day while I
decided whether to return to port or not.
RMKS/
6. Thursday 15 October 1942 after a trip through the boat to check all
hands and a conference with my department heads it was decided to give one more
shot to finding enemy shipping. All hands wanted to avenge the loss of there
comrades. The 4 lookouts that were killed were never found and I held a
memorial in the Crew Mess to honor their sacrifice and loss. At 16:50 we
surfaced and commenced patrolling again.
RMKS/
7. 18:01 lookouts spotted 1 Tanker and 1 Small Freighter at 3,200 yds
bearing 050`. I observed them long enough to get there general heading then
decide to go to periscope depth and close into firing position then do a fast
surface and fire torpedo’s and submerge again if need be. At 18:21 I surfaced
1,050 yds off the tankers forward port quarter and setup and fired 2 torpedo’s
at it set for 13 feet and fired 1 torpedo at the Small Freighter set for 11
feet from 1,000 yds. Both torpedo’s hit the tanker but one was a dud. The one
explosion set off a massive fire, which forced the crew to abandon ship. The
torpedo fired at the Freighter prematured and I fired a 2nd torpedo
at it from 820 yds only to watch this one premature also. The Freighter turned
away and I fired a 3rd torpedo (Bow Tube) from 1,100 yds. This hit
and set the Freighter on fire and caused it to slow and turn to the southwest
thus closing the distance. At 18:55 fired a 4th torpedo from 990 yds
and sank the Freighter.
RMKS/
8. Friday 16 October 1942 05:28 spotted 1 Kagero DD bearing 021 at 4,800
yds. I reversed course at flank speed to clear the area. Lost visibility on the
DD at 05:30 and dove to periscope depth to await dark. Surfaced at 18:38
RMKS/
9. Saturday 17 October 1942 Moderate seas and extremely Foggy, No
contacts
RMKS/
10. Sunday 18 October 1942 dove to periscope depth at daybreak and at
08:20 sonar reported low speed screws. Had no choice but to sit and wait for
this contact to pass. Did hear what sounded to be Deck Gunfire though. At 13:31
heard an Aircraft over fly our position. No further contact made before
surfacing at 18:14.
RMKS/
11. Monday 19 October 1942 while setting at 200 feet heard Gunfire at
11:13 in the distance. At 14:47 sonar reported low speed screws but contact was
lost before dark. Surfaced at 20:00.
RMKS/
12. Tuesday 20 October 1942 Submerged at daybreak and headed north toward
the shipping lane from Nagasaki to Formosa. No Contacts
RMKS/
13. Wednesday 21 October arrived
at destination and submerged to 200 feet at daybreak. Heard either Gunfire or
Depth Charges in the distance. Surfaced at dark and at 21:32 lookouts spotted a
single Standard Merchant being escorted by 1 Shiratsuyu DD. Range to Merchant
was 5,300 yds bearing 316` and 4,300 yds to DD bearing 350` out in front of the
merchant, speed 12.4 kts. Seas were relatively calm and with a bright moon I
couldn’t close anymore while surfaced. At 21:39 fired 2 torpedo’s from 5,160
yds at slow speed set for 17 feet then turned south to open the distance in
case the DD followed up the wakes. At hitting time no explosions were heard so
I assume both torpedo’s missed. Both vessels escaped heading toward Nagasaki.
RMKS/
14. Thursday 22 October 1942, Dove to 200 feet at sunrise to await dark.
At 09:12 sonar reported low speed screws bearing 180`. With so many warships
this far north I elected to head south again. Surfaced at 17:00 heading south.
RMKS/
15. Friday 23 October 1943, while preparing to dive for the day lookouts
spotted a small convoy bearing 031` ranging from 5,800 yds to 6,700 yds.
Identified 1-Factory Ship, 1-Tanker, 1-Armed Merchant, and 1-Supply Ship. I lay
to and when the Tanker closed to 3,600 yds at 06:22 fired 2 torpedo’s set for
24 feet. Both missed and the convoy began to scatter. I maneuvered around until
I gained a firing position on the Factory Ship. At 06:42 fired my last Bow
torpedo at the Factory ship from 1,400 yds set at 20 feet. The Factory Ship
spotted us and opened fire so I hastily departed the surface heading for 200
feet. It only fired 2 rounds and both missed. Both my torpedo’s also missed as
the Ship turned hard to starboard after spotting me causing the torpedo’s to
miss astern. With only 1 operational torpedo left Aft I elected to save it for
self Defense and head for port. Surfaced at 17:20 and set course for Pearl
Harbor.
RMKS/
16. Enroute to base received radio message from ComSubPac Approving my
actions in sinking the Destroyers. Tonnage was awarded for this action. Arrived
Pearl Harbor 31 October 1942.
List
of torpedo performance:
Hits: 6
Duds:
1
Missed:
7
Premature:
5
Operational:
1
Stuck
in Tubes: 4
CMDR Greg Turner II
CO USS Gato, SS-212
ComSubRon 4A
/ SEND /