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IMMEDIATE / /
To:
ComSubRon 4A
CC:
ComSubPac
From:
LCDR K.S. McBeach, USS Gato
Date: 4 February 1944
Subject:
Patrol Report, Cycle 9 (November 2002)
Remarks:
We departed Midway on December 9, 1943 and arrived in the Yellow Sea area on
December 17. We headed for our assigned area of YS-1.
Sub: USS Gato Class:
Gato
Hull damage: Moderate
(50%) System
Damage: Light (16%)
Crew: Green Status:
Operational
Total Patrol Time: 30.5
Days Repair
Time: 15 Days
Fuel Used: 114,591
Gallons (97%) Realism Rating: 109%
Ships Sunk: 10 Tonnage:
64,510 / 21,482
Warships: 1 (13,440) Merchants:
9 (51,070)
Pilots Saved: 0 Photo
Recons: 1
Weather: Partly Cloudy - Foggy
Sea: Calm - Moderate
Patrol Mileage: 1,179
Nautical Miles
Ordnance Remaining: 1 - MK 18-1 Torpedo, 89 – Deck Gun Rounds.
(Medals Awarded –Silver Star, Bronze Star)
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10) 17 Jan 44 18,30
34-25N x 122-20E (CA) Mogami
13,440
SUNK
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11) 20 Jan 44
10:46 38-54N x
122-20E Photo Recon, (Darian) 0 COMP
Total: 64,510
Raw / 21,482 Adjusted
Damage Sustained:
1. Motor
Room - Heavy
2. Aft Engine Room - Engine
3, Repair at sea
3.
Forward Engine Room - Engine 2, Unable to repair
4. Aft Torpedo Room - Moderate
5. Control Room - SJ Radar, Repair at sea
6. Officers Quarter - Moderate
7. Storage Room 2 - Moderate
8. Aft Battery Room -
Moderate
9. Forward Battery Room
- Moderate
10. Deck Gun 1 - Unable to repair
11. Forward Torpedo Room
- Tubes 1, 4 & 5, Repair at sea.
Aircraft Encountered:
4
Commander’s Comments:
RMKS/ 1. Jan 2 1944,
Newly assigned to Submarine squadron 4A "Turner's Typhoon's"
Commanding USS Gato (SS-212). Heading for the Yellow Sea. Estimated time is
13.5 days burning around 44,000 gallon of fuel.
RMKS/ 2. Jan 15 1944, Clear
morning, moderate sea. Entering the Yellow Sea. Early morning. Used 44,574
gallons 62% left should be plenty to patrol on. All 24 torpedoes, 7 Mk14 and 17
Mk18-1 have been looked over. Have been exercising the crew a lot on the way to
the Patrol Area. Everybody is in a good mood. Need to select a good target for
our first kill. Expect a target rich environment. Heading for YS-4, expect to
be there tomorrow afternoon with the present weather.
RMKS/ 3. Dived at 08:00 to
patrol on Rd, SJ & SD radar active. Will have Radar active until I get a
contact. After a good plot I'll try to keep SJ off line expect for 2-3 sweeps
regular to avoid detection. (According to intelligence report showing that some
DD are equipped with Radar and radar detecting facilities). Run up on shallow
waters. Had to go up to 30 feet to avoid running on ground. Will try to keep as
low profile as possible. Hopefully I will find deeper water soon.
RMKS/ 4. 17:45, Surfaced to
recharge. SJ & SD radar clean of contacts.
RMKS/ 5. 16 Jan 1944, 07:50.
Partly cloudy, moderate sea.
RMKS/ 6. 11:00 Sampan sighted
at B-030. Maneuver to avoid detection (#1 ship contact).
RMKS/ 7. 14:00 Entering YS-4
at Rd.
RMKS/ 8. 17:50 Radar contact
B-355 33,000 yards, 190 feet under keel. 18:00 Contact at B-000 and D30,000
yards. Approx. C117 at 12 knots. Diving to check for Thermal layers. Notice a
layer at 120 feet. (45 feet under keel) Back to surface. Strange thing about
the contact seems to be convoy without an escort. Hope this is the case. 18:25
Contact seems to be a 4 column X 5 row convoy without escort.
RMKS/ 9. 18:45 Visual
contact, (#2 contact) maneuver in front of the convoy. Detecting 3 Oil Tankers.
One in the first row and two in the second. Can't see the back rows yet.
Moving in for our first kill. First attack 3 Oil Tankers sunk. ID'd two more;
the convoy is maneuver to avoid me. 19:33 Fire two Mk18-1 on a Tanker at 1,900
yards. 19:35 Tanker hit and is sinking. The convoy seems to be turning back.
The 5th Tanker is heading my way. A Support ship passing close aft. Fire Two
Mk18-1 for the 5th Oil Tanker and one from aft tubes on the Small Freighter. 19:44
The Oil tanker is sinking and the Freighter is Damaged and on Fire. SURFACE to
Finish him off with the Deck gun, from safe distance.
Résumé: Six ship sunk 13 torpedoes fired, at least 1 missed, no Duds. 5 shells
fired to sink SS. Heading north to continue Patrol.
RMSK/ 10. 22:10 Radar contact
B-000 at D31,100 yards. 22:32 B-000 at 17,700 yards. App. 8 kts. heading south.
Looks like small convoy, very heavy escorted. Don't believe it is a good idea
attacking this convoy. Not enough water under keel to get under any Thermal
layer and very heavy escorted. Moving in anyway to see if there is any "high
priority" target. 22:53 sonar picket up low speed screw at 000 and 008.
RMKS/ 11. 22:55 Visual
contact (#3 ship contact) 1 DD at 020 and one at 340. It is a 2 X 2
convoy. 1 STDM, 1 LF, 1 SS, 1 TT. and 6 escorting DD. I am letting the convoy
run over me.
RMKS/ 12. 23:35 Rd with
convoy. Heading south at 11 knots. 23:40 sending Radio report regarding
contact. GMY-MYT
RMKS/ 13. 17 Jan,
04:50 Foggy, moderate sea. Radar contact at B-170, D35,300
yards. Going around to investigate. 05:00. Contact at B-000, D32,200 yards.
Loom like a single column convoy with 2 (two) front escorts (Much more
promising than 4 ships and 6 escorts). Should be able to maneuver in close in
the fog if I am careful with the radar. 05:10 two escort aft on the convoy
also. Convoy at app. 24,400y, doing 10 knots. Heading 335. Maneuver in front of
the ship, secure SJ radar.
RMKS/ 14. 05:45 DD
visual at 750y, (#4 contact) crash dive. DD fire 3 shots, 1 hit on the deck
gun, on at the bow. Level out on 150 feet under thermal layer. Damage report: 3
injured, two dead. No Deck gun, unable to repair its ready for the scrap yard.
Motor Room, Hull damage, and moderate leaking. Forward Engine room Engine 2
damage. Control room, SJ radar out of order, under repair, pressure hull
damage, minor leaking. Forward Torpedo Room. Tube 1, 4 & 5 damage. No depth
charges dropped. 06:16 the pumps have problem keeping up with the leaking in
the Motor room. Pinging far aft, keep the sub down under the layer as long as I
can. 06:27 pumps can't keep up with the flooding, order Pd. Have a pinging to
my port, can't get a fix of the distance. Without the SJ Radar and the fog, I
can't know how close they are. I hear no engine sound, so either they are dead
in the water listening or a bit more then a mile away. The flooding is
decreasing due to the lower pressure at Pd. No problem leveling the boat on 65
feet. 06:45 Surfaced heading away from the ping. This was a close one.
Should've made one ore two more sweeps with SJ to update my plot.
RMSK/ 15. 12:30 SJ Radar is
operative, SD has stayed clean all the time, guess the plane has problems
flying in the fog too. It's a real soup. (Beijing soap)
RMSK/ 16. 15:21 Radar contact
B-009, small echo 36,800y. 15:40 Contact at B-351, D25,650y. App. 12 knots
heading 312. 16:03 Rd, 88 feet under keel. Sonar picked up Low speed screw at
B-000.
RMSK/ 17. 16:22 Visual: (#5
contact) Coming out of the fog. Unguarded single column convoy. 1 Oil Tanker, 1
Troop Transport & 1 Light Freighter. 16:29 the whole column goes to the
bottom.
RMKS/ 18.
17:37 Radar contact B-310, 35,500y match a report of a CA
Group incoming at 15:23. Heading 173 at 21 kts. Feeding the info to the TDC.
Dive for thermal Layer. One at 120 feet. 17:45 the fog has lifted. Moderate
sea, Partly cloudy. 7 Mk18-1 left in FTR. 18:11 Target at 8,000 y no visual (2
sweeps). 18:18 Sonar picked up Low speed screws at 022 & 027
RMKS/ 19. 18:21 Visual, DD at
B-006 (#6 contact) 18:22 ID 4 Cruisers, 2 CA & 2 CL. CA look's like
Myoko(Reserved) and Mogami. Coming right over me. 18:29 all six front tubes
loose on Mogami. 18:30 Mogami is breaking apart and sinking fast, DD pinging as
hell. I am already at FLANK speed full diving angle heading for Thermal Layer.
No active sonar on my hull. Level at 176 feet (23 feet under keel) 1/3 ordered.
20:18 lost ping contact 20:20 Rd Contact at 13,000y aft. Not a single DC
dropped. 22:00 SJ & SD clean surfacing to recharge. Heading south for home.
Clean attack due to good Pre prep.
RMKS/ 20. 18 Jan 06:24
moderate sea, partly cloudy. Small Radar contact at 8,000 yards. Probably Sampans,
maneuvering to avoid.
RMSK/ 21. 07:24 will go
submerged when I can, this is very shallow water. No place I want to be spotted
in.
RMKS/ 22. 17:04 Radar contact
aft. Probably a convoy catching up.
RMKS/ 23. 19:16 Visual (#7
contact) on 2 Small Freighters guarded by 4 DD. (Comments, heavy guarded
convoys seems to have a rout at 124 Degree E on southern course. Why is that?
Will not engage. Only one fish left and 90 feet under keel.
RMSK/ 24. 19 Jan 07:30 out of
YS-4, calm sea mostly cloudy
RMSK/ 25. 15:49 Incoming
radio message regarding photo recon at Darian. Only one Torpedo but fuel to go,
Should be able to reach harbor tomorrow morning if the weather is the same.
Heading north at Full speed.
RMKS/ 26. 20 Jan 07:12 Radar contact
with ship at Darian. 07:29 Radar contact on SD radar (#1 plane contact since
entering the Yellow Sea.) 07:30, 07:37, 08:27 Heard explosions, picking up ping
from the harbor. Seems to be 2 DD guarding to the south an East. Will go east
of the DD's and around to the north if it is enough water.
RMKS/ 27. 10:46 took a series
of very nice pictures, heading out of the bay the same way I came in. Found a
good route in to the harbor.
RMKS/ 28. 13:31 clear from
the harbor, SD contact (#2 air cont.) at 15,000y Dive to avoid contact. 14:23
SD contact (#3 air contact) (240V Battery) are they looking for something? 14:40,
15:24, 16:23, 17:00 Heard explosions. 17:16 SD & SJ Radar clean, surface to
recharge. Little bit low on fuel, now I will be heading for home.
RMKS/ 29. 21 Jan 07:31 Fast
incoming SD contact. (#4 air contact) Already at 4,800 y crash dive to avoid. I
think we begin to be a little bit tired. Maybe I shouldn't have taken this
photo recon. To shallow to dive! I am a sitting duck, just below radar
depth. 4 Bombs close and hitting, we are taking serious damage. Jettison debris,
hope it works. Have to surface, planes or no planes. Seems that the debris
worked. Planes are out of sight and I am "out of hair". Damage
report: There was no deck gun when we surfaced, I was thinking of dropping it
overboard anyway. Aft TR: PH damage, mod- leak. 40 min. MR: PH damage, sever
damage, minor leaking. 2'40'', DC 4 damage, heavy. 4'40''. AER: Eng 3 damage,
critical, 7'34'' FER: Eng 2 damage, unable to repair. Aft Batt.R: Batt dam,
2'13''. Forw. Batt R: Batt damage, heavy 5''17'' OffQ: PH damage, heavy
leaking, 1'40''. Try to keep surfaced to repair. Moving towards more less
trafficked area. Can be problems to get home. 08:14 two explosions. 08:39 still
on shallow waters (65 feet under keel)
11:00 SD still clean. Heading south.
RMKS/ 30. 22 Jan Out of Patrol
Zone, expect to leave Yellow Sea late this evening. If the weather is on my
side I will maybe be able to take the boat home. Will stay submerged when I am
not recharging. 1,179 miles so far.
RMKS/ 31. 4 Feb 1944, Land Ahoy.
Pearl Harbor in sight. GMY-MYT
Torpedo Performance:
Hits = 20
Duds = 0
Premature = 0
Miss = 3
Deck Gun Performance:
Hits = 5
Misses = 1
LCDR K.S. McBeach
CO: USS
Gato, SS-212
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