Evening star., 1952-11-29
SUBMARINE Piper and Skipper Barely Slipped
comd, Es~sa s.eeA Through Mine Net Near Wars End
By Comdr. Edwe:d L. Beech, U. S. N
CHAPTER XVIII.
Piper.

she had just begun her SECOND
patrol, and I had a long wai1
ahead of me.
Finally the long-waited notice
came, and I flew to Pearl Harbol
to take command of my ship. But
then came more delays. Piper
was being fitted with specia
equipment to penetrate the Strait.
of Tsushima, between Japan anc
Korea.
Ever since Wahoo had failed tt
return from the Sea of Japan
back in October, 1943, that ares
had not seen an American sub.
marine.
Then, in June. 1945, nine Amer.
lean submarines passed through
the mined Straits of TSushims
into Mush Morton's old patro
area in the Sea of Japan. They
lay doggo for a few days, anc
then suddenly exploded into &C.
ton. Twenty-eight ships they
sank in IL days. and Japan knew
that her last lines of physical con.
tact with the rest Of the worlc
were doomed.
Worming our way through thu
mine fields would be tricky bust.
ness, but nine boats had showr
it could be done, and Piper wa.
eager to be off about 1t. It was 9
big honor to have been selected
but we were the last Of the second
wave Of seven boats scheduled K
go through singly-and there was
a strong possibility that we woulc
be too late.
At TOO on August 5, 1945, W.
backed away from our berth anc
set out for Japan at last, with al
the speed our engines could give
us.
News of Hiroshima.
We had not been long under
way when a rather peculiar mes
sage came in describing some kind
of bomb which had been dropped
on Hiroshima and had done a lot
OF damage. I hardly gave it q
second thought.
At $500 on the 18th Piper sub
merged in the approaches to Tsu-
shima. All during the day. with
the crew at special mine-passage
stations, we proceeded submerged
cropping our way along, watching
the special FIN equipment for the
first sign of detection of mines
Indications would be by visual
presentation on a cathode ray tube
accompanied by a gonglike ring
ing-which some one had named
Hell'S Bells-for each mine. Along
about midday both indications
came at once.
There they are, captain!"
was in the coming tower, but
Arnold Christensen, for the mo.
ment on the mine watch" was
the first man to spot them. The
equipment began to ring continu.
ously, and the cathode ray tube
showed seemingly solid line ot
mines. There were no holes any.
where, but we had to find one
somewhere and slip through it.
There! A hole at last! Slightly
to the right. Right full rudder!'
I ordered, speaking as calmly al
I could and deliberately pitching
my voice low.
Ever so slowly the opening
drifted to the left, until centerec
directly in front of our bow.
ordered the rudder amidships
Seconds passed.
We commenced to pass directly
between two mines, equidistant
from each. The mines disappeared
from the indicator. but we could
still hear the chimes.
They were abeam now-now
abreast the after torpedo room
Were clear" somebody said
But I continued to watch the FIN
equipment indicator, for just be-
fore the mines passed clear, q
veritable nest of them had shown
up, dead ahead, accompanied BY
an incessant cacophony Of jan
Cling chimes.
Too Late to Shift.
No hole at all this time! Colo
sweat on my forehead. Too late
to change course-it had already
been too late when we picked ur
this latest group. Nothing to dc
but remain at slowest creeping
speed and hope to see a hole as
we get closer.
A trapped. panicky feeling rises
just beneath consciousness, but ]
manage to keep it there. It's ur
to me, only me! A small hole
develops, to the right again-and
cockeyed-but it's the best there
is.
"Starboard back emergency
Port ahead emergency! Right full
rudder!" That's all we can do
I haven't taken my eyes from
the screen. and so I see us swing
into the hole. We just seem tc
get into it.
The mines draw up alongside
pass aft. ringing incessantly, along
the hull. open my mouth tc
give the order to put the rudde1
amidships again and equalize the
screws, when the telephone talker
interrupts rapidly:
Mine cable scraping port-side
after battery"
Disturbing the cable might set
of the mine floating on the end
of it. Or even if it doesn't actually
SnaQ as the shin r1novee obood ~,