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From: CMDR
Ronny Gundersen
To: ComSubRon 4A
Cc: ComSubPac
Date: 7 January 1943
Subject: Patrol Report, USS Pogy SS-266 (Cycle
9, November 2002)
Remarks: 4th War Patrol, USS Pogy
Date: 7 January 1943 Patrol Area: Yellow Sea (YS-4)
Sub: SS-266, USS Pogy Class:
Gato
Crew: Elite Status: Operational
Total Patrol Time: 26.8 Days Repair Time: 1 Day
Fuel Used: 102,539 Gallons (87%) Realism
Rating: 115%
Ships Sunk: 11 Tonnage: 76,660 / 25,528
Pilots Saved: 0 Photo Recons: 0
Weather: Mostly Cloudy Seas: Moderate
Patrol Mileage: 995 Nautical Miles
Ordnance Remaining: 0 - MK 14 Torpedo’s, 0 – Deck Gun Rounds.
(Medals Awarded –Navy Cross + Bronze Star)
Date Time Location Ship Type Tonnage
Status
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2) 19 Dec 43 14:40 36-09N
x 124-38E Troop Ship 10,190 SUNK
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3) 21 Dec 43 05:19 36-23N
x 124-44E Factory 4,090 SUNK
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4) 22 Dec 43 03:36 35-28N
x 124-39E Supply 2,200 SUNK
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5) 23 Dec 43 07:21 34-42N
x 123-53E Troop Ship
6,650 SUNK
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6) 23 Dec 43 07:21 34-42N
x 123-53E Oil Tanker
8,470 SUNK
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7) 23 Dec 43 07:22 34-42N
x 123-52E Large Freighter 6,670 SUNK
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8) 23 Dec 43 07:23 34-42N
x 123-52E Large Freighter 6,670 SUNK
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9) 23 Dec 43 07:25 34-42N
x 123-52E Large Freighter 6,670 SUNK
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10) 23 Dec 43 07:36 34-42N
x 123-52E Small Freighter 1,290 SUNK
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11) 23 Dec 43 19:20 34-31N
x 124-11E Oil Tanker
11,820 SUNK
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12) 23 Dec 43 19:25 34-31N
x 124-09E Armed Merchant N/A DAM
Total: 76,660 Raw / 25,528 Adjusted
Damage Sustained:
1. Control Room - Moderate leaking
2. Fwd. Engine Room - Moderate leaking
3. Aft Torpedo Room - Dive planes heavy damage
Aircraft Encountered:
1
Aircraft Shotdown:
Depth Charges:
33
Commander's Comments:
In the morning of 16 December 1943 we arrived The East China Sea (YS-5),
and the day after we arrived our designated patrol area at YS-4. The sea is
moderate and the weather is mostly cloudy. While testing the depths of these
waters we hit the ocean floor several times at about 130-150 ft. The other
skippers said it was shallow here, but I didn't expect this. Anyway we start
our search for enemy ships.
18 December 1943 02:32 Contact detected by radar, bearing
256'R 30,460 yds away. It look like the convoy is escorted by one DD. 03:48 At
6,480 yds the first ship, a Large Freighter, comes to view, followed by an Armed
Merchant Cruiser and a Small Freighter. Behind them comes a Troop ship, another
Small Freighter and two Standard Merchants. They are heading 188'T at 6,1 kts.
The AMC is my primary target and torpedo depth is set to 16 ft. No signs of the
escort yet. At 1,000 yds tube 1-3 is fired at the AMC. All are hits and the AMC
sinks immediately. We can now hear the pinging from the escort. While diving to escape from the escort we
suddenly hit the bottom at 111 ft. Hopefully there's much noise at this depth
so they don't hear us. Going up to 90 ft. we continue to sneak away.
04:19 Detected by the escort!
Only two depth charges are dropped and they lost us again.
05:33 We escaped with no more
incidents and surfaced to continue our patrol surfaced. Because of the depths
in this area we must patrol at radar depth during daytime. I hope the japs are
not patrolling these waters with airplanes.
19 December 1943
17:40 Convoy detected by
radar again. This time bearing 063'R at 33,250 yds. We change heading and speed
to intercept. The convoy is heading 183'T and consists of 1 Large Freighter, 1
Tanker, 1 AMC and 1 Troop Transport. The Tanker is my primary target now and
the Troop Transport is secondary. I can't see any escorts in this convoy. We
never came close enough to fire at the Tanker, but I managed to fire 2
torpedo’s at the Troop Transport from 1,620 yds. Both torpedo’s hit and the
Troop Transport begin to sink.
21 December 1943
02:59 Convoy detected by
radar at 31,650 yds.
03:50 1 DD, a YUGUMO, can be
seen and soon the Merchants shows up. 2 AMC, 3 Converted Factory ships, 1 Troop
Transport, 1 Large Freighter and 1 Supply ship can be seen heading 182'T at 10
kts.
04:55 Fired tube 1-2 at the
CFS as it was the only one to come into range. Torpedo depth set to 12 ft. Both
torpedo’s hit and a fire breaks out on the CFS. A KAGERO DD joins in as soon as
the YUGUMO starts pinging. At 1,400 yds I order to fire tube 3, but the CFS
evades our torpedo. At 900 yds I turn the sub around and tube 7 is fired at the
CFS. The torpedo hit its target and the CFS breaks up. Now we start with our
evasive maneuvers to escape the DDs.
07:28 Escaped the escorts and
continue patrol. 19 DCs were dropped, none of them hit us.
21:26 Another convoy is
detected by our radars at 31,750 yds. I decide to intercept.
22:26 A FUBUKI and a KAGERO
glides out of the darkness. Suddenly we are detected and I order to dive and
hide. Unfortunately we're hit by DCs while diving. The control room has a
moderate leak, another moderate leak in the fwd. engine and our dive planes
received heavy damage. Luckily nothing too serious.
22 December 1943
00:39 We escaped the escorts
and were not hit by any more DCs. 12 DCs were thrown after us.
03:27 A supply ship is
spotted. It must be one of the ships from the convoy earlier. It's heading
266'T at 12.5 kts. Must use
deck gun to slow her down. Once we
opened fire she turned towards us to ram us. I order to fire tube 1 at her, but
the torpedo misses. We have to take a very sharp turn, and at our port side at
230 yds, she finally sinks. Only a few rounds were fired from her deck gun, and
none of the rounds hit us. We used 30 rounds total to sink her, and 10 of those
30 were misses.
23 December 1943
03:38 Convoy detected by
radar again. This time from 33,030 yds bearing 320'R.
07:20 The convoy is heading
316'T at 6 kts. The convoy consists of 4 Large Freighters, 2 CFS, 1 Troop
Transport, 1 Tanker and 2 Small Freighters. The torpedo depth is set to 12 ft.
for the Tanker, the rest will do with 9 ft. Tube 1-2 is fired at the Tanker and
tube 3-4 at the Troop Transport. All four torpedo’s hit and both ships start to
sink. Tube 7-10 is fired at two Large Freighters now behind us. All torpedo’s hit here too and they are both
on their last journey to the ocean floor.
The last torpedo’s in tube 5-6 is fired at a Large Freighter in range,
and of course, the torpedo’s hit at the ship sink. Suddenly the SD radar shows
to spikes closing in.
07:27 Aircraft spotted. It
didn't see us, as on the radar the spikes increase distance again. One Small Freighter
lags behind in the scattering and we surface to sink this ship with our deck gun
since it's unarmed and all. 35 rounds were used to sink her, and 29 of them
were hits. All rounds were fired within 750 yds. After the sinking we dived
again to remain undetected to those planes spotted earlier and resume patrol.
16:40 Convoy detected by
radar at 33,600 yds bearing 180'R. We turn around to face the convoy.
18:59 The convoy looks
un-escorted and its heading 134'T at 6,2 kts. In the convoy there are 3 Large Freighters,
2 CFS, 2 Supply ships, 1 AMC and 1 Oil Tanker. Torpedo depth is set to 12 ft.
and tube 4 is fired at the Tanker at 1,000 yds. The torpedo hit and a violent
fire breaks out on deck. Tube 7-9 is fired at the AMC from 900 yds. One torpedo
miss but the other two are hits. The AMC is also on fire now, and is rapidly
slowing down. I decide to surface to use our deck gun on the two damaged ships.
The rest of the convoy has fled. I concentrate fire at the Tanker first, and
after 6 rounds she begins to sink. Now all efforts are made to sink the AMC.
That sums up to using the deck gun as all torpedo’s are now expended. After 24
hits with our deck gun she is still sailing away at 5 kts. With nothing more
than empty bottles and trash to throw at her, we watch the AMC sail burning
away. Well, hopefully she'll be an easy target for our flyboys if they decide
to show up here. All we can do now is to set the course for home.
25 December 1943
We're leaving the Yellow Sea
and head for homeport. A very good patrol after all.
CMDR Ronny Gundersen
CO USS Pogy, SS-266
U.S. Navy
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