Evening star., 1952-11-17
CHAPTER VII.
SeaWOlf.


SeawOlf.
Seawolf had been long overdue
for repairs. and her crew for an
extensive rest, so she was ordered
to Mare Island Navy Yard for a
complete modernization. While in
California she received a new
skipper. It. Comdr. Royce L.
Gross, commonly known as
"Googy," and Fred Warder left
the ship he had commanded for
more than three years and for
seven war patrols.
On December %, 1943, the Wolf
got under way from the submarine
base at Pearl Harbor for her 18th
war patrol. Lasting only Sc days,
it topped all the superlatives
earned by that fighting submarine
and her amazingly aggressive skip
per.
On January 7, 1914, Seawolf
passed through the Nansei Shoto
chain, and on January 10 she be-
gan a 48-hour battle with Japa-
nese convoy. Torpedoes expended,
II; hits, 9 certain and 4 possible;
ships sunk, 8.
Two days later, still patrolling
her area north of Formosa, but
with only three torpedoes remain
ing on board, Seawolf again
sights smoke. This time it is four
freighters and two destroyers.
Gross Needs Help.
Roy Gross is in q dilemma. He
cannot hope to do much damage
with only three torepdoes, but the
convoy is in his area and he cam
not let it go by. The only answer
is to get help, and quickly.
Hastily a contact message is sent
out, addressed to any and all sub
marines in the vicinity. Another
message is sent ComSubPac, in
Pearl Harbor.
And all the while Seawolf con-
tinues tracking. Googy decided on
a night attack.
Calmly Roy Gross waits his
chance. Finally sharp left zig
puts one of the target vessels
nearly broadside to Seawolf's bow
tubes.
"Fire!" Seawolf's last three tor
pedoes race out into the night,
trailing their streams of bubbles.
They diverge slightly as their fam
shaped spread reaches out for the
left freighter in the starboard col
umn.
Suddenly the forward part of
the target burst into incan-
descence!
Seconds later the after part of
the ship also bursts into holo-
caust. In the brilliant flame
which lights up the stricken YES
sci the fascinated watchers on
Seawolf's bridge see a mast top
pie to one side, the stack to the
other, and then all is blotted out
in a screaming, soaring flame
which CUTS the entire ship in a
single white-hot second.
The Wolf dashes away.
Ten depth charges are heard a
few minutes later-a good sign
and the submarine checks her
headlong rush some five miles
away. The thing on Gross mind
now Is the remainder Of the con-
voy.
COMSUBPAC FROM SEA-
WOLF x URGENT x OPERA
TIONAL x CONTACT x CON-
VOY x THREE FREIGHTERS
TWO DESTROYERS BAS E
COURSE ONE-FIV E-z Err %
SPEED NINE POSIT BAKER
FIVE FOUR YOKE TWO THREE
x ALL TORPEDOES EXPENDED
K TRAILING BIT K
Capt. Joe Grenfell. lately OF
the submarines Gudgeon and
Tunny, now serving on the staff
of ComSubPac, receives the de-
coded message.
One Sub Nearby.
A three-ship convoy is a valu-
able prize, but not one to justify
calling away all submarines in
the general area. 1t is necessary
to select one or two which can
best reach the target from their
present positions.
Several hundred miles to the
southwest of the conveys plotted
position is the Whale. To Gren-
fell's practiced eye there it little
doubt that this is the ship which
must fall heir to the job.
FOR WHALE FROM CON-
SUBPAC x CONVOY THREE
TWO ESCORTS SPEED NINE x
POST BAKER FIFTY FOUR
YOKE TWENTY THREE AT
TWENTY THREE HUNDRED
ITEM x COURSE ONE FIVE
ZERO x SEAWOLF TRAILING
REPORTING x DEPART PRE-
SENT STATION INTERCEPT x
ACKNOWLEDGE K BIT K
Off the coast of China, Fred
Janney, executive officer of the
U. S. S. Whale, decodes the mes
sage and Immediately calls the
skipper, Comdr. A. c. (Acey) Bur-
rows.
Whale veers away from her &C
customed circuit and speeds to the
northeast.
In the meantime. Seawolf has
been keeping contact astern Of the
convoy. 1t is now night, and over
a period of several hours she has
sent two more contact reports.
O245 on the morning of January
16, nearly 48 hours after the
initial contact. SeaWolf is still
trailing. pumping out information
every few hours. Finally Gross
is able to talk directly to Acey
Burrows.
1854. 81 hours after initial con-
tact. three explosions are heard
in the distance. followed a little
later by fourth.
1807-more explosions; flashes
of gunfire in the convoy. Subse-
HksIIvnn Nn.sak - HnIl