The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-10
Old Subs In Action
BY CHANDLER DIEHL

subm arlneS-WOfId war type-haVe Just
come in from administering the japanese one
of their worst drubbings of World War II.
These combat-battered plg-boats were gen
orally classified as too antquated go years
ODD for anything but coastal duty but they
put in IS, 900 miles of Arranging duty in the
Southwest Pacific, sinking three Jap heavy
cruisers one destroyer and two merchantmen,
and suffering no losses themselves.
These small but doughty subs sank a
cruiser carrying aid to the battered Japanese
on New Guinea. They sank one merchantmen
and then another one, filled with supplies,
right in the middle of Jap-held harbor. And
then, after the Marines moved in they blasted
three Jap worshps attempting to carry rein
Inducements to the "slant-eyes'' in the Solo,
mons campaigns.
They also damaged-and possibly sank
another enemy heavy cruiser and another de-
stroyer They kept Jap nerves and Jap supply
lines in the New Guinea-Solomons area con-
SANITY frazz]ed for almost a year. And all
this without single U. S. casualty.
The cruisers were among the Japs' best
and largest.
This submarine group was under command
of Commander E. E. Yeomans of Linton, Ind.
and wrote glowing page of Naval history that
is well in keeping with the later pages writ
ten by the Marines on Guadalcanal Tulagi
Florida and the rest of the Solomns.
Already a ggrateful and appreciative gov
eminent has awarded two Navy crosses and
two silver star medals to commanding Of
ficers. AS Commander Yeomans put it, these
decorations "an honor to all of their crews
as we'll In each mans record there is
notation which guarantees he shares in the
honors."
When the United States entered the war in
December, 1941. some of the subs in this group
were off New Foundland and some at Ber-
muda They were all ordered to the Canal
Zone to prepare for action in the Pacific.
Submarines of this type considered 100
mile cruise q pretty good outing at that time.
Their first war assignment an 8000-mile
trip to Australia.
1--WE ran patrons" Commander Yeomans re-
ported "about everywhere the slant-eyes had
dug in
And" as Yeomans quietly and succinctly
put it, 1.-The score was one-sided.'
One of the subs accounted for an enemy
ship each time it went out on patrol.
1t. Comdr. J. R. Moore of Knoxville, Tenn,
was the skipper the first parols and re-
ceived the Navy Cross for the fine record
compiled by this amazing old sub in sinking
two merchantmen and heavy cruiser.
Lieut.. r. T. Whitaker of Memphis, Tenn, was
the next commander and he received the
Silver Star after the busy craft bumped off
destroyer. Now 1t Comdr. F. E. Brown, 81
Of Reno, New, is the skipper.
Brown invited us aboard to get eyewitness
accounts Of the battle-action. The first score
we learned, cane with Moore in charge AL
merchantmen was picked off with two torpe
does as it was coming from Ragaul.
little over a month later. Moore and his
men painted another little Jap cargo flag on
the subs coming toWer-the score for sink
ing merchantmen.
Signalman First Class George F. Smith of
Akron, Ohio, gave the play-by-play on this one |
I'VE made our approach and fired our fish
at him. Two hit, and they blew the ship in
half
I'VE were just at periscope depth and we
started to submerge. l guess a plane must
have stopped us because one dropped what
felt like a 50Opound bomb on U.S. It fell
fairly cose aboard.
Lieut. Roderick Fox of Milwaukee, Wis,
the fourth officer, had more of interest to re-
port the incident.
Captain Moore was on the bridge that night
right after we suzfaced,'' he recalled.
I'VE were talking about being afraid and
about the theory that your whole life fishes
in front of you just before you die. He turned
to smith and said, I don't know about it,
Smitty, but just as we started to surface
today, I was getting out of nigh school,
In August the sub ran into a cruiser task
force, apparently an advance spearhead for a
convoy of Jap reinforcements for Guadalcanal. |
Signalman Smith said I'VE had all been
olttHlS dIOuIlu ldlhuS dDouI Wlldt we WoulO
do if we saw a Jap battlewagon. Mr.. Fox
got up about then and took a sight through
the periscope. Right away he yelled Jap
cruisers
I'VE thought he was kidding, but when he
said call the captain We figured he was
serious and when he rang the battle-station
signal, we knew it. We sank one of the
cruisers. She went down in seven minutes
Boatswain D. B. Erico of Newark, N. j.,
pushed the firing button and he still gets a |
thrill as he thinks of the cost to the enemy.
Were after all of them we get,' he
said.
The setup on the cruiser attack had been
made to order. Lieutenant Fox said, Il didn't
have to move the periscope an 1nch-the
cruisers we're right there in the sights
While this one sub was running up this
heavy toll, other subs in the group were get
ting in their ticks
One, with Lieut. Cmdr o. G. Kirk of Ohio
at the controls, sank a heavy cruiser. Later,
with Lieut.. H. K. Nauman, 81, of Frankfort
KY, in command, damaged and possibly sank
a destroyer. Commander Kirk received the
Navy Cross.
Another submarine, with Lieut. Cmdr. James
w. Davis SO, of Washington, D. c., at the
controls, sank heavy cruiser. Then with
Lieut.. F. E. Hayler, 49, of Muncie, Ind, in|
command, it damaged a cruiser. Commander|
Davis was awarded the Silver Star Medal.
Other submarines of the group have beenI
commanded by Lieut.. Cmdr. E. K. Harmon
Chicago, and Lieut.. Crndr. H. D. Sturr, Stu~-