The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-25
VISIT
USS CREENLlNC

vantage of the Nays invitation to
inspect a Naval craft. their first
since the beginning of the war, the
submarine U.S.S. Greenling, moor
cd at the Customshouse wharf for
tne past two days, will yield the
center OF the stage to a DESTROYER
with four other Naval vessels due
10 arrive today for the observance
OF Navy Day Saturday.
Another submarine, the Quill
pack the destroyers Dashien and
Harlan R. Dickson, and the des.
troyer escort Coates, will come in
TO port today. A destroyer will
dock at the custom house wharf.
and the other ships will be at the
terminal of the Champion Com
press company.
Officers and crewmen Of the
Greenling have high praise for the
Wilmington, brand of hospitality al
ready shown them. Ensign R. l..
Brown, Engineering Officer, said,
Three of our men said they want
ed chicken dinners. Their request
was put in yesterday morning c
paper CThe Starr, and by 7 am.
someone had come to the SUBJ
marine and invited them to South
ern-fried chicken dinner"
81 want to 60 deer hunting"
said 1t. :jg) c. H. Mccall, Exc
cutlve Officer. I've heard that
this is good section for hunting"
1t. Mccall has served aboard the
Greenling for two years.
Few fighting ships of our Navy
have records comparable to that
OF the Greenling. And few subma-
rlnes have come as close to dis
aster before engaging the enemy.
On its "Shakedown" first trial
cruise in Block Island sound, New
York. a Navy patrol bomber
depth-charged the Greenling and
almost sank it. This case of mis-
taken identity was so serious that
the Navy department, when it
learned the facts, notified the kin
of the Greetings crew that they
were 'presumed lost" A week la
ter the sub returned to port.
The log of the Greenling records
many sunk Jap freighters. tankers
and warships. Painted on the con-
ming tower are % markers, denot.
ing IA enemy transports sunk, six
warships sunk, and three probable
sinkings. Alongside the markers is
the laconic legend, $50 Sony."
For three patrols, which togeth-
er lasted 146 days, the Greenling
was given a Presidential citation.
A Jap destroyer, several tankers,
freighters and transports were
sunk during these three patrols, as
well as fishing vessel and small
escort craft which were sunk by
machine-gun fire.
The skipper of the Greenling, 1t.
Commander W. H. McClaskey,
USNR, has been on IL long COM
bat patrols. ''Our most hazardous
patrols probably were during the
first year o + the war when we
were without radar." says Com.
mander McClaskey.
While the Greenling was compil-
ing total of more than 100000
tons of enemy shipping sunk and
$4,000 tons damaged, the sturdy
little underseas fighter was being
depth bombed regularly. Most
people don't realize that a sub is
depth-bombed on practically every
PATROL said Ems. Brown, who
rose to the position of engineering
officer through the ranks.
Asked about the sensation of be-
ing the target for an enemy depth
charge, Ems Brown said: when
the enemy ship is directly over
head, you hear a sound exactly
like that of a freight train passing
close by. A depth bomb well,
I suppose it's like being in bar
rel and having someone pound it
with an axe" ..
1t. Gg) H. E. Troxell, Jr., US
Mr., communications officer, is a
former football star at Duke uni
versity and played in the 1912
Rose Bowl game.
Next mission for the crew of the
Greenling and of the other ships
will be a big list of special Navy
Day events, climaxed by an adj
dress by Rear Admiral Jules