U.S.S. WAHOO (SS-238) — war patrol report SS-238_WAHOO.pdf

— page 1 —
START OF REEL
JOB NO. [HANDWRITTEN: F-108]
[HANDWRITTEN: AR-159-78]
OPERATOR [HANDWRITTEN: HANCOCK]
DATE [HANDWRITTEN: 9.13.78]

1.0
1.1
1.25
2.8
2.5
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.4
1.6

THIS MICROFILM IS
THE PROPERTY OF
THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT

[IMAGE: Department of Defense seal]

MICROFILMED BY
NPPSO-NAVAL DISTRICT WASHINGTON
MICROFILM SECTION

REEL TARGET - START AND END
NDW-NPPSO-5210/1 (6-78)

— page 2 —
[HANDWRITTEN: WAH 00 (SS-238)]
[HANDWRITTEN: WWII PATROL FILE]
[HANDWRITTEN: ALL MATERIAL ON THIS REEL IS DECLASSIFIED]

[HANDWRITTEN: J.A. KOONTZ]

— page 3 —
Office of Naval Records and History
Ships' Histories Section
Navy Department

HISTORY OF USS WAHOO (SS 238)

The ship was called the one-sub wolf pack, she was called plenty
of things by the Japs, she was called WAHOO! No one knows where she
is now. Perhaps there is some Valhalla for submarines, some happy
hunting ground for the men who found such good hunting under the seas.

The keel of the WAHOO was laid 28 June 1941 at the Navy Yard,
Mare Island, California, where she was launched 14 February 1942 with
Mrs. William C. Barker, Jr., wife of Captain William C. Barker, Jr.,
USN, swinging the traditional bottle of champagne against the sub-
marine's blunt nose. She was commissioned 15 May 1942 with Lt. Comman-
der Marvin G. Kennedy as her first Commanding Officer.

It was a great day for WAHOO, 23 August 1942, for she was slipping
out of Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol. Three days later she
crossed the 180th meridian and another three days found her surfacing
in enemy water 90 miles east of Taongi Atoll. While patrolling north
of Ponape, between Hall and Namonuito Islands, she picked up the sound
of fast propellers crossing her bow headed toward Truk. Her first
contact - probably a patrol boat.

WAHOO never did find out whether she sank her first tanker 15
miles north of Truk on 6 September for an approaching plane forced her
to dive. Two explosions followed, after which the sound of propellers
was lost. With a Jap plane overhead and the Jap base nearby, no per-
iscope observations could be made.

Just before midnight of 20 September the officer on watch sighted
a column of smoke across the horizon and WAHOO started out for a "kill."
Upon approaching, the target appeared to be of the 6500-ton KEIYO MARU
class. One torpedo hit scored as the Jap ship took a 50 degree list
and settled by the stern. An escort approached and WAHOO was greeted
with about a dozen depth charges dropped 1000 yards off. Shortly after,
sounds were picked up which sounded like internal explosions from the
cripple. Billows of black smoke were seen until the ship slid under
the surface.

Just about the time WAHOO got her speed up, an escort vessel came
down upon her by leaps and bounds, but the most welcome rain squall
WAHOO had ever had the pleasure to encounter afforded sweet sanctuary.
But the Jap escort followed WAHOO right on through and forced her to
plunge right back into the squall and make a radical turn which left
the Jap pursuer barely visible on the horizon.

The last of September WAHOO sighted a Jap aircraft tender but she
presented no target for a torpedo and was lucky in zig-zagging to
safety. But WAHOO had apparently found a busy sea lane, for 5 October
brought an aircraft carrier into view. She was well protected with an
AMAGIRI class destroyer ahead and astern and the best approach was
still 7000 yards away. It was heartbreaking for the submarine to see
the best target she could ever hope for slip away over the horizon un-
touched. The carrier's position was successfully radioed to Pearl
Harbor.

— page 4 —
- 2 - (USS WAHOO)

The first war patrol ended 17 October 1942, and WAHOO had cut her
fighting teeth. She had sunk one medium sized freighter and scored one
or two hits on a small tanker.

Before her second war patrol, WAHOO was equipped with a 4-inch
gun and two 20 millimeter guns, which she tested on her departure from
Pearl Harbor, 8 November. She arrived in the patrol area 20 November
near Bougainville, and had her first chance at a Jap ship ten days
later. It was a dark night with brilliant flashes of lightning at
irregular intervals which illuminated the sea to the horizon all around.
Neither sound equipment nor radar could pick up the target and the
lightning flashes proved to be inadequate illumination to afford a
satisfactory approach.

After patrolling the Buka-Kilinaileau Channel for 17 days without
a good contact, WAHOO started to patrol the sea lanes between Truk and
the Shortland Islands for a few days. Heavy smoke was sighted on 10
December which proved to be three heavily loaded freighters escorted
by an Asashio class destroyer. WAHOO closed in and fired a spread of
four torpedoes into the largest of the three freighters. Three hits
were scored, but before WAHOO could pick up another target, the de-
stroyer had closed in and was laying a pattern of depth charges across
her stern.

'WAHOO was jolted by some 40 odd explosions which resulted in
some flooding, some of the lights going out, and a series of nuts,
bolts and paint chips flying around. As the explosions sounded farther
astern, WAHOO came up to periscope depth to have a look around. One
freighter was picking up survivors and the destroyer was still
patrolling the area, periodically dropping depth charges. The target
ship settled slowly and sank at 1815, WAHOO moving on to new waters of
opportunity.

One of the Emperor's submarines hove into view on 14 December at
3000 yards. WAHOO closed the distance between them and noticed the
Rising Sun and "12" painted on her conning tower. The first torpedo
of a spread of three hit forward of the conning tower and the sub
went down with Jap sailors still on the bridge. She collapsed with a
terrific noise way down in Davy Jones' locker.

The patrol terminated as WAHOO churned into Brisbane 26 December,
with a heavily loaded freighter and a Japanese submarine to add to her
score.

While she was undergoing a refit period at Brisbane, Australia,
Lt. Commander Kennedy was relieved as Commanding Officer by Lt.
Commander Dudley W. Morton on 31 December 1942.

As the third war patrol started out, WAHOO was ordered through
the vicinity of Wewak, a more or less undetermined spot. The position
was determined as behind Kairuru and Mushu Islands on the northeast
coast of New Guinea by a two-bit atlas owned by one of the sailors
aboard. WAHOO steamed into a harbor at Mushu Island and sighted a
ship which at first appeared to be a "sitting duck" target but a
second look proved it to be a Fubuki class destroyer just getting
underway. The first spread of three torpedoes missed and a fourth
was evaded as the destroyer charged at full speed. The topside was

— page 5 —
- 3 - (USS WAHOO)

covered with Jap on turret tops and in the rigging. Over 100 members
of the crew must have been acting as lookouts. WAHOO withheld fire
until the destroyer had closed in to 800 yards and then let a torpedo
fly which hit amidships with a terrific explosion and broke the ship's
back. WAHOO commenced her nine-mile trip to the open sea with the
sinking destroyer still firing and shore batteries joining in a chorus
of gun fire.

The next day, 25 January 1943, WAHOO fired a tommy gun across the
bow of a fishing boat and brought her alongside. By sign language,
it was learned that there were originally nine in the crew of fisher-
men; three had died, one was apparently blind, another very sick and
a third obviously suffering from scurvy. Neither the Camoro nor
Filipino mess boys could converse with the Malayans in the boat. They
were given food, water and directions as WAHOO extended a helping hand.

The role of the Good Samaritan ended as WAHOO sighted smoke on the
horizon 26 January. She approached and soon two masts pierced the line
where sea and sky met. With a submerged approach, she lined up a two-
ship target and four torpedoes were sent on their way. The first two
hit one ship in the bow and stern. The third passed ahead of the sec-
ond target but the fourth torpedo struck the Jap.

The first target was listing badly and sinking by the stern, the
second was headed directly for WAHOO at slow speed. A third Jap ship
was sighted beyond the second one. It was a huge transport. When
this big target came into firing position a spread of three torpedoes
was let go, two of which struck home. The second ship was still coming
down on WAHOO so she fired two torpedoes down the Jap's throat. The
second scored but it didn't stop her and WAHOO was forced to turn hard
left and duck with full speed to avoid collision.

So many explosions followed that it was hard to tell what was
taking place. Eight minutes later, upon coming to periscope depth,
it was observed that the first target had sunk, the second still going,
but slowly, with evident steering trouble, and the transport was still
afloat but stopped. The transport was firing continuously at the
periscope wake with deck guns and rifles, but it didn't prevent WAHOO
from firing another torpedo at 1135. The torpedo wake headed right for
the stack and the explosion which followed blew the midships section
high into the air. Troops commenced jumping over the side like ants
off a hot stove. Her stern went up and she headed for the bottom while
WAHOO took pictures.

The second target was crippled but still going away. She was
tracked but WAHOO's batteries were getting low and she could not close
the range. During the chase, the masts of another ship poked above the
horizon and revealed a tanker as she joined the crippled ship. At
1829 WAHOO finally got into position to fire a spread of 3 torpedoes
into the tanker and observed one good hit. As the tanker turned away
at high speed, WAHOO continued the chase on the surface. After num-
erous approaches, a stern tube shot hit the tanker just abaft midships.
Her back was broken and she sank almost immediately.

WAHOO turned on full speed to chase the freighter, the last tar-
get remaining. It was quite evident that she had a good crew aboard
for she upset the approaches and kept up a lively gunfire which almost

— page 6 —
- 4 - (USS WAHOO)

hit the bow of the submarine, forcing her to dive. Fifteen minutes
later, upon surfacing, a searchlight commenced sweeping on WAHOO's bow.
It was assumed that this was a man-of-war and the freighter would
approach it for protection. The attack had to be pressed home in a
hurry and, as the freighter headed for the searchlight, she made a
target sep-up which released WAHOO's last two torpedoes for hits
which exploded so violently it jarred the crew of the submarine.

As the belated man-of-war was coming over the horizon, silhouett-
ing the freighter in her searchlight, WAHOO headed out for the wide,
watery wastes, leaving the searchlights sweeping a clear horizon with-
out a ship in sight. It had taken four hits in three separate attacks
to sink the last ship.

Before returning to Pearl Harbor, WAHOO sighted another convoy
and radioed the position for a possible attack by another submarine
in the area. She also took pictures of the Japanese Phosphorite
Works on Fais Island.

Damage Inflicted on Third War Patrol

Sunk

1 destroyer - Asashio class 1500 tons
1 freighter - Dakar Maru class 7160 tons
1 freighter - Arizona Maru class 9500 tons
1 tanker - Manzyu Maru class 6520 tons
1 transport - Seiwa Maru class 7210 tons
Total 31,890 tons

The fourth war patrol covered a period of 42 days between de-
parture 23 February from Pearl Harbor and return to Midway, and took
her to a patrol area along the Nagasaki-Formosa shipping lanes. After
encountering many small vessels around Maikotsu Suido, the skipper
decided that this was not good hunting territory as the vessels were
all too small. This channel of operations was dubbed "Sampan Alley".

On 19 March WAHOO found a freighter for a target very early in
the morning. She sped to gain a good firing position by daylight and
finally let go with a torpedo which disintegrated the after part of
the ship. The forward part of "NANKA MARU" followed the stern down to
the bottom in less than three minutes, leaving only an empty row boat
and debris on the surface to fight for the Rising Sun.

Later the same morning, another freighter was sighted and WAHOO
commenced a seven mile chase to put a tremendous hole in the bow of a
new freighter. A second torpedo hit amidships but it was a dud. By
constant maneuvering, the ship presented no mo e target sep-ups and
the chase had to be abandoned.

While patrolling off Chosen Kan Point on 21 March, WAHOO was re-
warded by sighting a ship at 7000 yards. Closing for the kill, the

— page 6 —
- 4 - (USS WAHOO)

hit the bow of the submarine, forcing her to dive. Fifteen minutes
later, upon surfacing, a searchlight commenced sweeping on WAHOO's bow.
It was assumed that this was a man-of-war and the freighter would
approach it for protection. The attack had to be pressed home in a
hurry and, as the freighter headed for the searchlight, she made a
target sep-up which released WAHOO's last two torpedoes for hits
which exploded so violently it jarred the crew of the submarine.

As the belated man-of-war was coming over the horizon, silhouett-
ing the freighter in her searchlight, WAHOO headed out for the wide,
watery wastes, leaving the searchlights sweeping a clear horizon with-
out a ship in sight. It had taken four hits in three separate attacks
to sink the last ship.

Before returning to Pearl Harbor, WAHOO sighted another convoy
and radioed the position for a possible attack by another submarine
in the area. She also took pictures of the Japanese Phosphorite
Works on Fais Island.

Damage Inflicted on Third War Patrol

Sunk

1 destroyer - Asashio class 1500 tons
1 freighter - Dakar Maru class 7160 tons
1 freighter - Arizona Maru class 9500 tons
1 tanker - Manzyu Maru class 6520 tons
1 transport - Seiwa Maru class 7210 tons
Total 31,890 tons

The fourth war patrol covered a period of 42 days between de-
parture 23 February from Pearl Harbor and return to Midway, and took
her to a patrol area along the Nagasaki-Formosa shipping lanes. After
encountering many small vessels in the Maikotsu Suido, the skipper
decided that this was not good hunting territory as the vessels were
all too small. This channel of operations was dubbed "Sampan Alley".

On 19 March WAHOO found a freighter for a target very early in
the morning. She sped to gain a good firing position by daylight and
finally let go with a torpedo which disintegrated the after part of
the ship. The forward part of "NANKA MARU" followed the stern down to
the bottom in less than three minutes, leaving only an empty row boat
and debris on the surface to fight for the Rising Sun.

Later the same morning, another freighter was sighted and WAHOO
commenced a seven mile chase to put a tremendous hole in the bow of a
new freighter. A second torpedo hit amidships but it was a dud. By
constant maneuvering, the ship presented no mo e target sep-ups and
the chase had to be abandoned.

While patrolling off Chosen Kan Point on 21 March, WAHOO was re-
warded by sighting a ship at 7000 yards. Closing for the kill, the

— page 7 —
- 5 - (USS WAHOO)

submarine waited for position to send off three torpedoes. The third
one struck amidships and the ship went down and out of sight in four
minutes. The 33 slant-eyed survivors, counted clinging to debris in
the chilly water, were spending their last hour before visiting their
honorable ancestors.

It was good hunting that morning, for the officer on watch sighted
a ship at 13,000 yards, later identified as the NITU MARU. Three tor-
pedoes fired from the stern was enough to hit the ship under the
bridge and under the mainmast. The ship went down vertically by the
bow.

On 22 March WAHOO headed for a point just around the corner from
Port Arthur to contact some Chinwangtao traffic. She had to maneuver
carefully in the "wading pond" known as the Yellow Sea to prevent
plowing her nose in the bottom. She was not bothered by plane patrols
up to this point because this was virgin territory for submarines,
but the honeymoon was over now and the trouble could be expected at
any time.

The next day, a small freighter was sighted and WAHOO maneuvered
to a position for firing one torpedo which hit just under the bridge.
It was a collier and after she was hit she was obscured by a cloud
of coal dust. She settled fast and thirteen minutes later was no
longer in sight.

It was very disappointing for the WAHOO crew on 24 March when,
after tracking a large tanker, she let go three torpedoes with no
luck. Two torpedoes exploded prematurely, the third missed and so
did the fourth. The tanker opened up with 4" or 5" guns placing a
very close burst just ahead of the submarine. Torpedo trouble had
almost cost her life, and allowed the Jap tanker to open up on her
radio to frustrate WAHOO's newly discovered shipping route.

The personnel aboard the submarine may have been disappointed
but they hadn't given up. Following the ship into the night, they
finally had her outlined in the middle of a rising moon. The second
torpedo of a spread of three hit the Jap ship and Davy Jones caught
her stern first as the bow disappeared below the surface. The Japs
never used a drop of the full load of fuel oil that marked the spot.

The moon was shining brightly the next night when a green running
light indicated the starboard side of a ship. Two torpedoes were
fired, both of which exploded prematurely, and WAHOO pursued the ship
on the surface with her 4-inch gun booming and a generous stream of
20 millimeter fire raking the deck at close range. The Jap freighter
was pounded with almost 90 rounds of 4-inch and burst into flames in
several places. Her life boat was dangling from the forward davit
and the Nips decided it was time to swim for it. About a dozen
chattering survivors were passed in the water, and the crew yelled at
them "So solly, please."

A lookout reported a ship on the horizon about this time and the
first freighter was left burning and listing badly as WAHOO pursued
the new target. It turned out to be a neat little diesel-driven
freighter of about 1000 tons. With all her guns blazing, WAHOO
approached on the surface. Fires were started but were soon put out

— page 7 —
- 5 - (USS WAHOO)

submarine waited for position to send off three torpedoes. The third
one struck amidships and the ship went down and out of sight in four
minutes. The 33 slant-eyed survivors, counted clinging to debris in
the chilly water, were spending their last hour before visiting their
honorable ancestors.

It was good hunting that morning, for the officer on watch sighted
a ship at 13,000 yards, later identified as the NITU MARU. Three tor-
pedoes fired from the stern was enough to hit the ship under the
bridge and under the mainmast. The ship went down vertically by the
bow.

On 22 March WAHOO headed for a point just around the corner from
Port Arthur to contact some Chinwangtao traffic. She had to maneuver
carefully in the "wading pond" known as the Yellow Sea to prevent
plowing her nose in the bottom. She was not bothered by plane patrols
up to this point because this was virgin territory for submarines,
but the honeymoon was over now and the trouble could be expected at
any time.

The next day, a small freighter was sighted and WAHOO maneuvered
to a position for firing one torpedo which hit just under the bridge.
It was a collier and after she was hit she was obscured by a cloud
of coal dust. She settled fast and thirteen minutes later was no
longer in sight.

It was very disappointing for the WAHOO crew on 24 March when,
after tracking a large tanker, she let go three torpedoes with no
luck. Two torpedoes exploded prematurely, the third missed and so
did the fourth. The tanker opened up with 4" or 5" guns placing a
very close burst just ahead of the submarine. Torpedo trouble had
almost cost her life, and allowed the Jap tanker to open up on her
radio to frustrate WAHOO's newly discovered shipping route.

The personnel aboard the submarine may have been disappointed
but they hadn't given up. Following the ship into the night, they
finally had her outlined in the middle of a rising moon. The second
torpedo of a spread of three hit the Jap ship and Davy Jones caught
her stern first as the bow disappeared below the surface. The Japs
never used a drop of the full load of fuel oil that marked the spot.

The moon was shining brightly the next night when a green running
light indicated the starboard side of a ship. Two torpedoes were
fired, both of which exploded prematurely, and WAHOO pursued the ship
on the surface with her 4-inch gun booming and a generous stream of
20 millimeter fire raking the deck at close range. The Jap freighter
was pounded with almost 90 rounds of 4-inch and burst into flames in
several places. Her life boat was dangling from the forward davit
and the Nips decided it was time to swim for it. About a dozen
chattering survivors were passed in the water, and the crew yelled at
them "So solly, please."

A lookout reported a ship on the horizon about this time and the
first freighter was left burning and listing badly as WAHOO pursued
the new target. It turned out to be a neat little diesel-driven
freighter of about 1000 tons. With all her guns blazing, WAHOO
approached on the surface. Fires were started but were soon put out

— page 8 —
- 6 - (USS WAHOO)

and the ship speeded to 19 knots in an effort to ram the sub. One of
the Japs was in the forestop waving his arms in an apparent effort to
conn the ship. A few 20 millimeter hits in his vicinity caused him
to slide down the guy wire like a monkey. Repeated gunfire soon had
the ship blazing all over and she went dead in the water.

During this engagement the first freighter was seen to sink and
the second had been persuaded to join her. WAHOO had expended 170
rounds of 4-inch and 2000 rounds of 20 millimeter ammunition in sink-
ing these two ships.

Shortly thereafter an aircraft was sighted. This was bad, for a
plane was sure to have seen the ships burning and sinking and would
pass the alarm, spoiling the newly found hunting grounds.

When a large passenger freighter was sighted at 1222, WAHOO com-
menced her approach and knew that something had gone wrong when the
big ship suddenly reversed course. It was another plane. The sub
tried to clear the area on three engines as a new Jap destroyer closed
the range to 8000 yards. WAHOO was now the hunted instead of the
hunter. She went to 150 feet and rigged for depth charging. It hurt
her pride to crawl into her shell and hide. The destroyer may have
picked up sounds from one of the sunken ships, for explosions were
heard in that direction. Finally, all was clear so she left the area
behind her.

The next morning, WAHOO opened up with all her guns on a trawler
and threw some "Molotov cocktails" made by the marines on Midway. The
sea was rough and the trawler water-soaked so she didn't burn. She
was left in a wrecked condition. Two more motor sampans were left full
of fish and full of holes on 28 March. The crew was sorry the sea was
too rough to board them to get a mess of fresh fish.

It was just light enough at 0255 the next morning to see a fairly
large freighter through the periscope. In an hour and twenty minutes,
WAHOO had maneuvered into a good position to let two torpedoes go at
the freighter identified as the KIMISHIMA MARU. The first torpedo hit
under the mainmast and completely disintegrated everything abaft the
stack. The forward section sank soon after, making a good deal of
noise as she broke up. The second torpedo missed because the first
stopped the Jap in his tracks.

With all torpedoes expended, WAHOO headed back for her base,
arriving at Midway 6 April 1943.

Score for 4th War Patrol

Sunk

1 freighter - Nanka Maru class 4065 tons
1 freighter - Seiwa Maru class 7210
1 freighter - Nitii Maru class 6543
1 freighter - Katyosan Maru class 2427
1 tanker - Syoyo Maru class 7499

— page 8 —
- 6 - (USS WAHOO)

and the ship speeded to 19 knots in an effort to ram the sub. One of
the Japs was in the forestop waving his arms in an apparent effort to
conn the ship. A few 20 millimeter hits in his vicinity caused him
to slide down the guy wire like a monkey. Repeated gunfire soon had
the ship blazing all over and she went dead in the water.

During this engagement the first freighter was seen to sink and
the second had been persuaded to join her. WAHOO had expended 170
rounds of 4-inch and 2000 rounds of 20 millimeter ammunition in sink-
ing these two ships.

Shortly thereafter an aircraft was sighted. This was bad, for a
plane was sure to have seen the ships burning and sinking and would
pass the alarm, spoiling the newly found hunting grounds.

When a large passenger freighter was sighted at 1222, WAHOO com-
menced her approach and knew that something had gone wrong when the
big ship suddenly reversed course. It was another plane. The sub
tried to clear the area on three engines as a new Jap destroyer closed
the range to 8000 yards. WAHOO was now the hunted instead of the
hunter. She went to 150 feet and rigged for depth charging. It hurt
her pride to crawl into her shell and hide. The destroyer may have
picked up sounds from one of the sunken ships, for explosions were
heard in that direction. Finally, all was clear so she left the area
behind her.

The next morning, WAHOO opened up with all her guns on a trawler
and threw some "Molotov cocktails" made by the marines on Midway. The
sea was rough and the trawler water-soaked so she didn't burn. She
was left in a wrecked condition. Two more motor sampans were left full
of fish and full of holes on 28 March. The crew was sorry the sea was
too rough to board them to get a mess of fresh fish.

It was just light enough at 0255 the next morning to see a fairly
large freighter through the periscope. In an hour and twenty minutes,
WAHOO had maneuvered into a good position to let two torpedoes go at
the freighter identified as the KIMISHIMA MARU. The first torpedo hit
under the mainmast and completely disintegrated everything abaft the
stack. The forward section sank soon after, making a good deal of
noise as she broke up. The second torpedo missed because the first
stopped the Jap in his tracks.

With all torpedoes expended, WAHOO headed back for her base,
arriving at Midway 6 April 1943.

Score for 4th War Patrol

Sunk

1 freighter - Nanka Maru class 4065 tons
1 freighter - Seiwa Maru class 7210
1 freighter - Nitii Maru class 6543
1 freighter - Katyosan Maru class 2427
1 tanker - Syoyo Maru class 7499

— page 9 —
- 7 - (USS WAHOO)

Score for 4th War Patrol Continued

1 freighter - Kimishima Maru class 5193
1 freighter - Sinsei Maru class 2556
1 freighter - Hadachi Maru class 1000
1 trawler - #625 100
2 Sampans - 100
Total 36,693 tons

Damaged

1 freighter - Toi Tori class 5973 tons

Leaving Midway for her 5th war patrol, WAHOO headed for the patrol
area via the Kurile Islands 25 April. Through the morning mist of
4 May she sighted an auxiliary seaplane tender fairly near a harbor.
One torpedo of a spread hit the tender between the stack and the
bridge. She tooted her whistle, commenced firing, and turned away,
dropping depth charges in her wake. A stern view showed a port list.

Two ships were seen hugging the shoreline on 7 May. The after
ship was fitted with guns and appeared to be escorting the other. Two
torpedoes fired at the lead ship, YUKI MARU, scored a hit right under
the stack, and broke her back. A spread of four torpedoes was blown
out toward the escort but she turned and miraculously steamed between
them. As YUKI MARU sank, WAHOO went deep to avoid the depth charging
and plane patrols which followed.

The next day WAHOO sighted a convoy zig-zagging along the coast of
Kobe Zaki. Two vessels were escorting a naval auxiliary similar to
the KINRYU MARU of 9310 tons. Three torpedoes were fired. One ex-
ploded half way to the target, the second was deflected from its course
by the first explosion and the third was a dud which sent a plume of
water up the ship's side as the air flask exploded. A series of depth
charges was WAHOO's only reward for this disappointment.

She wasn't disappointed, however, on 9 May, when two radar con-
tacts led her to a tanker and a freighter making a night run between
ports without escort. A spread of three torpedoes reached out for the
tanker and three more went after the freighter. The first torpedo hit
the tanker amidships, breaking her back. She sank by the bow and
caught fire aft. The third torpedo hit the freighter under the
bridge, breaking its back while the fifth hit her aft. She sank by
the stern as WAHOO cleared the area for the Tokyo-Paramushiru route
to the tune of distant depth charges and explosions throughout the
day.

Japanese bombers apparently spotted WAHOO during the morning of
12 May, for explosions from bombs or depth charges sounded all during
the morning. At 1725 she chased after smoke on the horizon and found
two freighters in column. They were well beyond the range for a sub-
merged attack so WAHOO surfaced and raced after the enemy at full speed
while charging her batteries. By 2051 the ships were picked up by
radar at 9400 yards and the submarine worked around to their stern so

— page 9 —
- 7 - (USS WAHOO)

Score for 4th War Patrol Continued

1 freighter - Kimishima Maru class 5193
1 freighter - Sinsei Maru class 2556
1 freighter - Hadachi Maru class 1000
1 trawler - #625 100
2 Sampans - 100
Total 36,693 tons

Damaged

1 freighter - Toi Tori class 5973 tons

Leaving Midway for her 5th war patrol, WAHOO headed for the patrol
area via the Kurile Islands 25 April. Through the morning mist of
4 May she sighted an auxiliary seaplane tender fairly near a harbor.
One torpedo of a spread hit the tender between the stack and the
bridge. She tooted her whistle, commenced firing, and turned away,
dropping depth charges in her wake. A stern view showed a port list.

Two ships were seen hugging the shoreline on 7 May. The after
ship was fitted with guns and appeared to be escorting the other. Two
torpedoes fired at the lead ship, YUKI MARU, scored a hit right under
the stack, and broke her back. A spread of four torpedoes was blown
out toward the escort but she turned and miraculously steamed between
them. As YUKI MARU sank, WAHOO went deep to avoid the depth charging
and plane patrols which followed.

The next day WAHOO sighted a convoy zig-zagging along the coast of
Kobe Zaki. Two vessels were escorting a naval auxiliary similar to
the KINRYU MARU of 9310 tons. Three torpedoes were fired. One ex-
ploded half way to the target, the second was deflected from its course
by the first explosion and the third was a dud which sent a plume of
water up the ship's side as the air flask exploded. A series of depth
charges was WAHOO's only reward for this disappointment.

She wasn't disappointed, however, on 9 May, when two radar con-
tacts led her to a tanker and a freighter making a night run between
ports without escort. A spread of three torpedoes reached out for the
tanker and three more went after the freighter. The first torpedo hit
the tanker amidships, breaking her back. She sank by the bow and
caught fire aft. The third torpedo hit the freighter under the
bridge, breaking its back while the fifth hit her aft. She sank by
the stern as WAHOO cleared the area for the Tokyo-Paramushiru route
to the tune of distant depth charges and explosions throughout the
day.

Japanese bombers apparently spotted WAHOO during the morning of
12 May, for explosions from bombs or depth charges sounded all during
the morning. At 1725 she chased after smoke on the horizon and found
two freighters in column. They were well beyond the range for a sub-
merged attack so WAHOO surfaced and raced after the enemy at full speed
while charging her batteries. By 2051 the ships were picked up by
radar at 9400 yards and the submarine worked around to their stern so

— page 10 —
- 8 - (USS WAHOO)

the attack could be made with the ships silhouetted in the setting
quarter moon. Both ships were heavily loaded and presented a two-ship
target. Two torpedoes were sent toward the ANYO MARU and two more
went after the leading ship. The first torpedo hit at the mainmast
position. The second did not explode and the ship was still plowing
through the water with no hits observed on the leading ship. A quick
"end-around" provided a bow shot which netted nothing. The sub swung
around for a hurried stern shot. A low order detonation resulted
which lacked the "whack" accompanying a real explosion. ANYO MARU
was smoking furiously when WAHOO retired under the gunfire of the lead
ship.

Her fifth patrol completed, WAHOO arrived back at Pearl Harbor 27
May.

Score for Fifth War Patrol - 25 April to 21 May 1943

Sunk
1 freighter - Yuki Maru class 5704 tons
1 tanker - Huzisan Maru class 9527
1 freighter - Hawaii Maru class 9467
Total 24,698 tons

Damaged
1 Ex-Seaplane Tender 15650
Hamikawa class
1 freighter 9257
Anyo Maru class
Total 24,907

After sufficient rest and replenishment at Pearl Harbor, Wahoo
started on her sixth war patrol in Japanese waters. The first oppor-
tunity for attack started with the sighting of smoke just before mid-
night of 14 August. The approach revealed two medium sized freighter
and one small one. A torpedo fired at the first ship missed. The
second target was saved by a dud. Several more misses and a prematur
explosion of a torpedo only served to bring on the Japanese OTORI class
torpedo boats. It was not WAHOO's night. Several more attacks were
spoiled by faulty torpedo performance and the submarine returned to
base. Not to be whitewashed altogether, WAHOO on her return trip,
destroyed several Jap sampans and returned with a number of prisoners.

On a submarine, everyone has to work together, fight together and
when their time comes, they are lost together. That is the way it was
with WAHOO on her seventh war patrol as she ended her career, probably
in the Sea of Japan late in 1943. It was the last chapter in the
story of a fine ship and an heroic crew.

— page 10 —
- 8 - (USS WAHOO)

the attack could be made with the ships silhouetted in the setting
quarter moon. Both ships were heavily loaded and presented a two-ship
target. Two torpedoes were sent toward the ANYO MARU and two more
went after the leading ship. The first torpedo hit at the mainmast
position. The second did not explode and the ship was still plowing
through the water with no hits observed on the leading ship. A quick
"end-around" provided a bow shot which netted nothing. The sub swung
around for a hurried stern shot. A low order detonation resulted
which lacked the "whack" accompanying a real explosion. ANYO MARU
was smoking furiously when WAHOO retired under the gunfire of the lead
ship.

Her fifth patrol completed, WAHOO arrived back at Pearl Harbor 27
May.

Score for Fifth War Patrol - 25 April to 21 May 1943

Sunk
1 freighter - Yuki Maru class 5704 tons
1 tanker - Huzisan Maru class 9527
1 freighter - Hawaii Maru class 9467
Total 24,698 tons

Damaged
1 Ex-Seaplane Tender 15650
Hamikawa class
1 freighter 9257
Anyo Maru class
Total 24,907

After sufficient rest and replenishment at Pearl Harbor, Wahoo
started on her sixth war patrol in Japanese waters. The first oppor-
tunity for attack started with the sighting of smoke just before mid-
night of 14 August. The approach revealed two medium sized freighter
and one small one. A torpedo fired at the first ship missed. The
second target was saved by a dud. Several more misses and a prematur
explosion of a torpedo only served to bring on the Japanese OTORI class
torpedo boats. It was not WAHOO's night. Several more attacks were
spoiled by faulty torpedo performance and the submarine returned to
base. Not to be whitewashed altogether, WAHOO on her return trip,
destroyed several Jap sampans and returned with a number of prisoners.

On a submarine, everyone has to work together, fight together and
when their time comes, they are lost together. That is the way it was
with WAHOO on her seventh war patrol as she ended her career, probably
in the Sea of Japan late in 1943. It was the last chapter in the
story of a fine ship and an heroic crew.

— page 11 —
- 9 - USS WAHOO (SS 238)

USS WAHOO (SS 238) earned six Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific
Area Service Medal, for participating in the following operations:

1 Star/Anti-submarine Assessment -- 14 December 1942
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 23 August to 17 October 1942
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 17 January to 7 February 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 23 February to 6 April 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 25 April to 21 May 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 2 to 29 August 1943

She earned the Presidential Unit Citation for the period of 16
January to 7 February 1943 in the New Guinea area.

* * * * *

STATISTICS

DISPLACEMENT 1,525 tons
OVERALL LENGTH 311 feet
SPEED 20 knots

* * * * *

Restencilled October 1950

— page 11 —
- 9 - USS WAHOO (SS 238)

USS WAHOO (SS 238) earned six Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific
Area Service Medal, for participating in the following operations:

1 Star/Anti-submarine Assessment -- 14 December 1942
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 23 August to 17 October 1942
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 17 January to 7 February 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 23 February to 6 April 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 25 April to 21 May 1943
1 Star/Submarine War Patrol - Pacific -- 2 to 29 August 1943

She earned the Presidential Unit Citation for the period of 16
January to 7 February 1943 in the New Guinea area.

* * * * *

STATISTICS

DISPLACEMENT                                          1,525 tons
OVERALL LENGTH                                          311 feet
SPEED                                                    20 knots

* * * * *

Restencilled October 1950

— page 12 —
FF12-10/A16-3 SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET Gt
Serial 01249 Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
[STAMP: DECLASSIFIED] [HANDWRITTEN: Comsubch] 1 November 1942
COMSUBPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 83 Reg. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 7.0.4.]
U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) FIRST WAR PATROL. R.S. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 11 01738]
[HANDWRITTEN: CONFIDENTIAL]

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : The Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet.
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of First War Patrol.
Enclosure: (A) CSS-10 Ltr.File FC-10/A16-3(043) of 20 Oct.1942
(B) CSD-102 Ltr. FB5-102/A16-3(1) Serial 016
of October 20, 1942.
(C) Subject Patrol Report.

1. The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet,
agrees with the comments of Commander Submarine Division 102
and Commander Submarine Squadron TEN that more time on this
patrol should have been spent in close proximity to PIAANU Pass.

2. A successful attack on the RYUJO would have had
far reaching results and it is unfortunate that the WAHOO failed
to press home an attack in this instance. Opportunities to
attack an enemy carrier are few and must be exploited to the
limit with due acceptance of the hazards involved. The
Commanding Officer realized his mistake in the instance, as
noted in paragraph 17 of the report. The lesson learned by
this experience should impress on all Submarine Commanding
Officers the necessity for continuous alertness, and quick,
positive action immediately when a contact is made.

3. Firing of four single torpedoes in the attack
on September 20th undoubtedly resulted in the needless expend-
iture of torpedoes over what would have been required to obtain
the same results had a torpedo spread been used in the initial
attack.

4. The WAHOO is credited with having inflicted the
following damage on the enemy:
SUNK
1 Freighter 6,441 tons

R.H. ENGLISH.

DISTRIBUTION
(35CM-42)
List III: SSs.
Special: P1(5),P3(5), Z1(5)
Comsublant (2)
Comsubsowespac (2)
[SIGNATURE: E.R. Swinburne]
E.R. SWINBURNE.
Flag Secretary.

43996 [STAMP: FILMED]

[STAMP: COMMANDER IN CHIEF]
[STAMP: U.S. FLEET]
[STAMP: RECEIVED]
[STAMP: 2 NOV 23 13]
[STAMP: 13]

— page 12 —
FF12-10/A16-3 [HANDWRITTEN: CominCh] SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET
Serial 01249 Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
COMSUBPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 83 1 November 1942.
[STAMP: DECLASSIFIED] Reg. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 4.0.4.7]
[HANDWRITTEN: CONFIDENTIAL] R.S. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 11 01738]
U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - FIRST WAR PATROL.

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet.
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of First War Patrol.
Enclosure: (A) CSS-10 Ltr.File FC-10/A16-3(043) of 20 Oct.1942
(B) CSD-102 Ltr. FB5-102/A16-3(1) Serial 016
of October 20, 1942.
(C) Subject Patrol Report.

1. The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet,
agrees with the comments of Commander Submarine Division 102
and Commander Submarine Squadron TEN that more time on this
patrol should have been spent in close proximity to PIAANU Pass.

2. A successful attack on the RYUJO would have had
far reaching results and it is unfortunate that the WAHOO failed
to press home an attack in this instance. Opportunities to
attack an enemy carrier are few and must be exploited to the
limit with due acceptance of the hazards involved. The
Commanding Officer realized his mistake in the instance, as
noted in paragraph 17 of the report. The lesson learned by
this experience should impress on all Submarine Commanding
Officers the necessity for continuous alertness, and quick,
positive action immediately when a contact is made.

3. Firing of four single torpedoes in the attack
on September 20th undoubtedly resulted in the needless expend-
iture of torpedoes over what would have been required to obtain
the same results had a torpedo spread been used in the initial
attack.

4. The WAHOO is credited with having inflicted the
following damage on the enemy:
SUNK
1 Freighter 6,441 tons

R.H. ENGLISH.

DISTRIBUTION:
(35CM-42)
List III: SSs.
Special: P1(5),P3(5), Z1(5)
ComSublant (2)
ComSubSowespac (2)
[SIGNATURE: E.R. Swinburne]
E.R. SWINBURNE
Flag Secretary.

[STAMP: 43996 FILMED] [STAMP: COMMANDER IN CHIEF
U.S. FLEET
RECEIVED
42 NOV 23 13
13]

— page 13 —
11 01738
dn
F05-10/.A16-3(F35- SUBMARINE SQUADRON TEN
102)
Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
October 20, 1942.

Serial 043

CONFIDENTIAL

From: The Commander Submarine Squadron Ten
To : The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - First War Patrol - Com-
ments on.

1.
The WAHOO's patrol covered a total of fifty-five
days, of which thirty-four were spent on station. The last
four days were spent patrolling to the westward of the assigned
area. More time should have been spent in closer proximity to
Piannu Pass.

2.
In the attack on September 6, there is insuffi-
cient evidence to support a belief that a hit was obtained up-
on the tanker. The masthead height was probably underestimated.

3.
On September 14, sea and weather conditions are
not stated. Under certain conditions, when an aircraft screen
is known to be present, the practice of going deep between peri-
scope observation is sound. However, to resort to an approach
wherein no periscope observation is made for thirty-two minutes
invites failure.

4.
The attack on the freighter which was sunk was
conducted in such a way as to indicate that again ranges were
in error. If ranges had been more accurate, a more favorable
firing position would have been obtained. It appears that
the firing mechanism of the first torpedo failed to arm due to
the short run. The subsequent tactics used in evading the es-
cort were well conducted.

5.
To get in an attack on such a valuable target
as an aircraft carrier calls for the greatest degree of aggres-
siveness. The fact that the RYUJO was not sighted until at a
range of 11,000 yards bears out the Commanding Officer's state-
ment that a more alert watch could have been kept.

6.
It is regretted that so much difficulty was en-
countered in the operation of the SJ Radar. This has greatly
handicapped the WAHOO since valuable training in the use of
this equipment has been missed. During the current refit pe-
riod, Radar personnel should receive special instruction in

- 1 - ENCLOSURE (A)
[HANDWRITTEN: 2]

— page 13 —
11 01738

F05-10/.A16-3(F35- SUBMARINE SQUADRON TEN
102)
dn
Care of Fleet Post Office,
Serial 043 San Francisco, California,
October 20, 1942.

CONFIDENTIAL
From: The Commander Submarine Squadron Ten
To : The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - First War Patrol - Com-
ments on.

1. The WAHOO's patrol covered a total of fifty-five
days, of which thirty-four were spent on station. The last
four days were spent patrolling to the westward of the assigned
area. More time should have been spent in closer proximity to
Piannu Pass.

2. In the attack on September 6, there is insuffi-
cient evidence to support a belief that a hit was obtained up-
on the tanker. The masthead height was probably underestimated.

3. On September 14, sea and weather conditions are
not stated. Under certain conditions, when an aircraft screen
is known to be present, the practice of going deep between peri-
scope observation is sound. However, to resort to an approach
wherein no periscope observation is made for thirty-two minutes
invites failure.

4. The attack on the freighter which was sunk was
conducted in such a way as to indicate that again ranges were
in error. If ranges had been more accurate, a more favorable
firing position would have been obtained. It appears that
the firing mechanism of the first torpedo failed to arm due to
the short run. The subsequent tactics used in evading the es-
cort were well conducted.

5. To get in an attack on such a valuable target
as an aircraft carrier calls for the greatest degree of aggres-
siveness. The fact that the RYUJO was not sighted until at a
range of 11,000 yards bears out the Commanding Officer's state-
ment that a more alert watch could have been kept.

6. It is regretted that so much difficulty was en-
countered in the operation of the SJ Radar. This has greatly
handicapped the WAHOO since valuable training in the use of
this equipment has been missed. During the current refit pe-
riod, Radar personnel should receive special instruction in

- 1 - ENCLOSURE (A)
[HANDWRITTEN: 2]

— page 15 —
FB5-102/A16-3(1) SUBMARINE DIVISION 102
Serial 016 Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
11 01738 October 20, 1942.

CONFIDENTIAL

From: The Commander Submarine Division ONE HUNDRED TWO.
To : The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238); First War Patrol, Comments
on.

1.
The WAHOO spent 34 days in or in vicinity of the
assigned area. During this period five worthwhile torpedo tar-
gets were contacted. Two of the targets were extremely valuable
vessels, the RYUJO and CHIYODA. Of the five, one 6500 ton
freighter was sunk. More targets probably would have been
sighted had Piaanu Pass been kept under closer observation than
shown in the track chart.

2.
Japanese tankers and other fast auxiliaries have
been observed to be carrying depth charges which they apparent-
ly drop either to embarrass the attacking submarine or to
countermine approaching torpedoes. This might have been the
tactics employed by the small tanker attacked on the morning
of September 6th and is offered as an explanation of the two
delayed explosions which were heard one minute after torpedoes
were estimated to have crossed the track.

3.
It is very unfortunate that attack positions
were not attained on either the CHIYODA nor RYUJO. In the case
of the former, luck alone was the factor that saved her from
complete destruction or severe damage. In the case of the latter,
the situation upon sighting indicated that attack position, if
attainable, would be gained only by the most aggressive kind of
approach. It is regrettable that the need for such immediate
action was not recognized.

4.
S.J. Radar It is regretted that so much difficul-
ty was experienced with the S.J. Radar. Had the radar been kept
in operating condition it might well have made the desired con-
tact with RYUJO at noon on October 5th. No effort should be
spared to keep this valuable instrument in perfect operating
condition throughout a patrol. In regard to the tuning of the
system it is suggested that the proximity of any high land in
the patrol area at night will provide the "willing" target re-
quired for this purpose. The urgent need for trained radar
maintenance men in submarines is again noted.

5.
While the patrol was not outstanding in either
results or aggressiveness it is certain that the resultant season-
ing of officers and crew has prepared them to meet any situation
on future patrols with resolution and effectiveness.

6.
Material. WAHOO will be refitted by SPERRY assist-
ed as necessary by the Navy Yard.
It is assumed that steps have been taken to pre-
vent a repetition of the gross carelessness which placed tube
number 1 out of commission.
ENCLOSURE (B)
[HANDWRITTEN: 4]

— page 15 —
FB5-102/A16-3(1)
Serial 016

CONFIDENTIAL

From:
To :
Subject:

1.
assigned area. During this period five worthwhile torpedo tar-
gets were contacted. Two of the targets were extremely valuable
vessels, the RYUJO and CHIYODA. Of the five, one 6500 ton
freighter was sunk. More targets probably would have been
sighted had Piaanu Pass been kept under closer observation than
shown in the track chart.

2.
Japanese tankers and other fast auxiliaries have
been observed to be carrying depth charges which they apparent-
ly drop either to embarrass the attacking submarine or to
countermine approaching torpedoes. This might have been the
tactics employed by the small tanker attacked on the morning
of September 6th and is offered as an explanation of the two
delayed explosions which were heard one minute after torpedoes
were estimated to have crossed the track.

3.
It is very unfortunate that attack positions
were not attained on either the CHIYODA nor RYUJO. In the case
of the former, luck alone was the factor that saved her from
certain destruction or severe damage. In the case of the latter,
the situation upon sighting indicated that attack position, if
attainable, could be gained only by the most aggressive kind of
approach. It is regrettable that the need for such immediate
action was not recognized.

4.
S.J. Radar It is regretted that so much difficul-
ty was experienced with the S.J. Radar. Had the radar been kept
in operating condition it might well have made the desired con-
tact with RYUJO at noon on October 5th. No effort should be
spared to keep this valuable instrument in perfect operating
condition throughout a patrol. In regard to the tuning of the
system it is suggested that the proximity of any high land in
the patrol area at night will provide the "willing" target re-
quired for this purpose. The urgent need for trained radar
maintenance men in submarines is again noted.

5.
While the patrol was not outstanding in either
results or aggressiveness it is certain that the resultant season-
ing of officers and crew has prepared them to meet any situation
on future patrols with resolution and effectiveness.

6.
Material. WAHOO will be refitted by SPERRY assist-
ed as necessary by the Navy Yard.
It is assumed that steps have been taken to pre-
vent a repetition of the gross carelessness which placed tube
number 1 out of commission.
ENCLOSURE (B)

SUBMARINE DIVISION 102
Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
October 20, 1942.

The Commander Submarine Division ONE HUNDRED TWO.
The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238); First War Patrol, Comments
on.

[HANDWRITTEN: 4]

— page 16 —
DECLASSIFIED - OPNAV INST 5500.30
[HANDWRITTEN: BY OPLOGIS DATE 6-13-62]

CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - REPORT OF FIRST WAR PATROL.

PERIOD FROM AUGUST 23 TO OCTOBER 17, 1942.

AREA: North of latitud 7° - 15 and SW of a
line bearing 315°T from TAUAIAP Pass.

OPERATION ORDER: Number 73-42.

1. NARRATIVE.

August 23- 0900(VW) Departed Pearl. Made trim dive and received
two indoctrinational depth charges from escort. Set
speed 14 knots for area.

August 26- 0630(X) Made trim dive.

August 26- 2230(Y) Crossed 180th Meridian.

August 28- 0700(M) Lookout reported sighting airplane. Uncon-
firmed. Improbable.

August 29- 0730(M) Submerged. Surfaced at 1730.

August 29- 1830(M) Aircraft contact on Radar at ten miles. Sky
heavily overcast and squally. Submerged. Surfaced at
1900. Position ninety miles East of TAONGI ATOLL.

August 31- 0625(L) Sighted airplane about six miles ahead. Sub-
merged. Surfaced at 1730(L).

September 1- 0600(L) Aircraft contact on Radar at three miles.
Submerged. The time of day and geographical position
(North of PONAPE) made this contact most unexpected.
However there was a very bright moon and possibly
this area is being given a thorough search. During
the night the O.O.D. had picked up three greenish
lights at about half hourly intervals in the distance.
There maybe a connection between the lights and the
early morning contact.

September 1- Sound contact ahead. Nothing in sight by periscope.
Sound followed contact 30° change in bearing and re-
ported propeller beats and speed changes. Lost con-
tact after about twenty minutes. (0720(L).

September 3- 0500(K) Commenced periscope patrol. Submerged out-
side of assigned area between HALL and NAMONU ITO
Islands about 40 miles NE of boundary line, proceed-
ing southwesterly.

[STAMP: FILMED]
[STAMP: 43996]

- 1 - ENCLOSURE (C)

— page 16 —
DECLASSIFIED - OPNAV INST 5500.30
BY P01661C DATE 6-13-62
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - REPORT OF FIRST WAR PATROL.

PERIOD FROM AUGUST 23 TO OCTOBER 17, 1942.

AREA: North of latitud 7° - 15 and SW of a
line bearing 315°T from TAUAIAP Pass.

OPERATION ORDER: Number 73-42.

1. NARRATIVE.

August 23- 0900(VW) Departed Pearl. Made trim dive and received
two indoctrinational depth charges from escort. Set
speed 14 knots for area.

August 26- 0630(X) Made trim dive.

August 26- 2230(Y) Crossed 180th Meridian.

August 28- 0700(M) Lookout reported sighting airplane. Uncon-
firmed. Improbable.

August 29- 0730(M) Submerged. Surfaced at 1730.

August 29- 1830(M) Aircraft contact on Radar at ten miles. Sky
heavily overcast and squally. Submerged. Surfaced at
1900. Position ninety miles East of TAONGI ATOLL.

August 31- 0625(L) Sighted airplane about six miles ahead. Sub-
merged. Surfaced at 1730(L).

September 1- 0600(L) Aircraft contact on Radar at three miles.
Submerged. The time of day and geographical position
(North of PONAPE) made this contact most unexpected.
However there was a very bright moon and possibly
this area is being given a thorough search. During
the night the O.O.D. had picked up three greenish
lights at about half hourly intervals in the distance.
There maybe a connection between the lights and the
early morning contact.

September 1- Sound contact ahead. Nothing in sight by periscope.
Sound followed contact 30° change in bearing and re-
ported propeller beats and speed changes. Lost con-
tact after about twenty minutes. (0720(L).

September 3- 0500(K) Commenced periscope patrol. Submerged out-
side of assigned area between HALL and NAMONU ITO
Islands about 40 miles NE of boundary line, proceed-
ing southwesterly.

[HANDWRITTEN: FILMED
43996]
- 1 - ENCLOSURE (C)

— page 18 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of First War Patrol.

September 14- 1025(K) Picked up propeller noises and shortly
thereafter sighted ship bearing 270°T, distance
12,000 yards, angle on the bow 65° port. Ship was
screened by a single float plane similar to Navy
Reconnaissance Bomber type 95, and by a small patrol
boat. Came to normal approach course and approa-
ched by sound for thirty two minutes. At the end of
thirty two minutes came to periscope depth for the
shot and found range to be 4,000 yards and track
about 110 port. Target was identified as a small
freighter of about 2500 tons, and being in an un-
favorable firing position broke off the attack.
Ship proceeded into TRUK via PIANPU PASS.

The surface escort was not observed through the
periscope, but was plainly heard and tracked by our
sound. It was the same high pitched, fast pro-
peller beat as was heard on 5th and 11th of Sept.
The escort would run for about five minutes and get
ahead of the freighter, then lie to and drop astern.
It was presumed that he had listening gear but no
echo ranging. There was no indication that we
were detected, which is further borne out by the fact
that our target made a 25° zig in our direction
during our approach.

September 14- 2055(K) While engaged in routine servicing of
torpedoes No.1 tube as inadvertently fired with a
fully ready war shot in the tube, both outer and
inner doors being closed, and with 400 lbs., per
square inch, of impulse air. Details are given
under "Major Defects Experienced." This tube
is out of commission for the remainder of the patrol.

September 20- Having spent seventeen days in Southeastern part
of the area and seeing but two small ships heading
toward PIANPU PASS, decided to spend a week patrol-
ling south of NUKONUITO Island for East-West Traffic.

September 20- 2255(K) With a bright moon, clear sky, no wind,
and a flat sea, the O.O.D. sighted a column of
smoke bearing 322°T. Ran toward it for half an
hour on the surface and then submerged for a per-
iscope attack. At 0001 target was identified as
a freighter of about 6500 tons of the KEIYO MARU
Class, similar to that of plate 69. Course estim-
ated at 135°T. Speed 12 knots at this time, alth-
ough at various times the ship would stop and lie
to for appreciable periods.

[HANDWRITTEN: 7]

— page 18 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of First War Patrol.

September 14- 1025(K) Picked up propeller noises and shortly
thereafter sighted ship bearing 270°T, distance
12,000 yards, angle on the bow 65° port. Ship was
screened by a single float plane similar to Navy
Reconnaissance Bomber type 95, and by a small patrol
boat. Came to normal approach course and approa-
ched by sound for thirty two minutes. At the end of
thirty two minutes came to periscope depth for the
shot and found range to be 4,000 yards and track
about 110 port. Target was identified as a small
freighter of about 2500 tons, and being in an un-
favorable firing position broke off the attack.
Ship proceeded into TRUK via PIANPU PASS.

The surface escort was not observed through the
periscope, but was plainly heard and tracked by our
sound. It was the same high pitched, fast pro-
peller beat as was heard on 5th and 11th of Sept.
The escort would run for about five minutes and get
ahead of the freighter, then lie to and drop astern.
It was presumed that he had listening gear but no
echo ranging. There was no indication that we
were detected, which is further borne out by the fact
that our target made a 25° zig in our direction
during our approach.

September 14- 2055(K) While engaged in routine servicing of
torpedoes No.1 tube as inadvertently fired with a
fully ready war shot in the tube, both outer and
inner doors being closed, and with 400 lbs., per
square inch, of impulse air. Details are given
under "Major Defects Experienced." This tube
is out of commission for the remainder of the patrol.

September 20- Having spent seventeen days in Southeastern part
of the area and seeing but two small ships heading
toward PIANPU PASS, decided to spend a week patrol-
ling south of NUKONUITO Island for East-West Traffic.

September 20- 2255(K) With a bright moon, clear sky, no wind,
and a flat sea, the O.O.D. sighted a column of
smoke bearing 322°T. Ran toward it for half an
hour on the surface and then submerged for a per-
iscope attack. At 0001 target was identified as
a freighter of about 6500 tons of the KEIYO MARU
Class, similar to that of plate 69. Course estim-
ated at 135°T. Speed 12 knots at this time, alth-
ough at various times the ship would stop and lie
to for appreciable periods.

[HANDWRITTEN: 7]

— page 25 —
CONFIDENTIAL
U.S.S. HADDOCK - Report of First War Patrol.
Subject: Report of all enemy warship, merchant vessels, patrol vessels, and
5. Sampans sighted including position, course and speed, and time of sighting.

| DATE | TIME & POSITION | COURSE | SPEED | DESCRIPTION | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0525(K) 6 Sept. | | 145° | 10 | 2400 ton tanker; similar to that of PLATO; except with 3" gun mounted in bow. | Escorted by one airplane and one torpedo boat. Hit by at least two torpedoes. Probably two torpedoes. |
| 1015(K) 14 Sept. | 10-51N, 152 miles W of PIAANU | 135°-110° | 10 | 2500 ton freighter similar to SENSEI listed on page 163. | Escorted by one airplane and a surface patrol. |
| 2225(K) 20 Sept. | 7-43N, 150-36 | 135° | 12 | 6500 ton freighter similar to KEIYO listed on page 69. | Passed about 200 yards abeam during moonlight. Sunk. |
| 0010(K) 21 Sept. | 7-43N, 150-36 | 1350 | 12 | 6500 ton freighter similar to KEIYO listed on page 69. | Seen at about 4000 yards in moonlight. This was the escort of above listed ship. |
| 2200 (K) 24 Sept. | 8-03N, 150-24 | 270° | 12 | Patrol boat similar to our old 110 ft chasers. Very low with single stack and low structure slightly forward. | [HANDWRITTEN: oil] burning. |

- 10 -
ENCLOSURE (C)
[HANDWRITTEN: 1/4]

— page 26 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject:
5. (continued).

U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of First War Patrol.

DATE | POSITION | COURSE | SPEED | DESCRIPTION | REMARKS
-----|||-------||
0545(K) | Lat. 7-58 N | 1700075° | 18 | Aircraft tender | Unscreened.
30 Sept. | Long. 151-02E | | | (TVDD). | NORP PASS
| | | | No planes | aircraft seen
| | | | on deck. | ing this per
| | | | | riod.
1535(K) | 2 miles West | 330° | 8 | Fishing boat of about: | No armament
3 Oct. | of ULUL Island | | | 150 tons. Rounded bow; | noted.
| NANO TUITO | | | elevated forecastle,
| | | | masts with fore
| | | | about 50 ft. high
| | | | two booms rigged from
| | | | about 45°
| | | | in about 30 ft. high
| | | | aircraft carrier
| | | | booms rigged from
| | | | ships at angle of
| | | | 45° | Hended for
| | | | | TRUK. Five
| | | | | in area dur-
| | | | | ing this
| | | | | period.
0654(K) | Lat. 9-15 N | 345°000° | 14 | Aircraft carrier | No aircraft
5 Oct. | Long. 149-00E | | | CVT3 and two AIRCRAFT | deck. All four masts up.
| | | | | class destroyers.

- 11 -
ENCLOSURE (C)

[HANDWRITTEN: 15]

— page 27 —
CONFIDENTIAL
6.
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of First War Patrol.
Description of all aircraft sighted, including type, position, course, altitude
and time of sighting.

TIME | POSITION | TYPE | COURSE | ALTITUDE | REMARKS
-----||------|||
1500(VW) | Lat. 20-50N. | JPN | 080 | 2000 feet | Radar contact 100 miles East of
23 Aug. | Lon. 159-30 W. | PBY | | | TAONGI.
1510(VW) | Lat. 20-35 N. | USN | 080 | 2000 feet | Sighted at long range.
23 Aug. | Lon. 159-35 W. | PBY | | | 60 miles North of ENIWETOK.
1830(M) | Lat. 17-05 N. | Large | | 3000 feet | Radar Contact.
29 Aug. | Lon. 165-05 E. | OOC O | | |
0625(L) | Lat. 14-30 N. | | | 3000 feet | Sighted while making approx.
31 Aug. | Lon. 170-05 E. | | | | 60 miles North of ENIWETOK.
0600(L) | Lat. 12-45 N. | Large plane | East | 2000 feet | Did not observe closely.
1 Sept. | Lon. 161-05 E. | | | |
0525(K) | 15 miles WNW | Reconnaissance | | 2000 feet | Air screen for freighter.
6 Sept. | of TRUK. | bomber type 95 | | |
| | single float biplane | | |
0750(K) | 40 miles WNW | Reconnaissance | | 2000 feet |
8 Sept. | of TRUK. | bomber type 95 | | |
| | single float biplane | | |
1025(K) | 12 miles W. | Reconnaissance | | 1000 feet |
14 Sept. | of PIAANU PASS, | bomber | | |
| | TRUK. | | | |

- 12 -
ENCLOSURE (q)
[HANDWRITTEN: 16]

— page 28 —
CONFIDENTIAL
U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of First War Patrol.
6. (Continued)

TIME AND | POSITION | TYPE | COURSE | ALTITUDE | REMARKS
DATE | | | | |
0745(K) | 40 miles NW of | Single float | East | 4000 feet. | Formation flight observed
30 Sept. | TRUK | seaplane (95) | | | at long range.
0650(K) | 35 miles NW of | Single float | East | 4000 feet. |
30 Sept | TRUK | seaplane (95) | | |
0700(K) | 35 miles NW of | Small seaplane | East | 2000 feet. |
1 Oct. | TRUK | | | |
1240(K) | Lat.12-35 N | Unidentified | East | 3000 feet. | Sighted at long range.
9 Oct. | Long.158-50E | | | |
0700(L) | Lat.14-00 N | | Southwest | 3000-4000 | Radar contact at two
10 Oct. | Long.162-30E | | | Feet. | miles.
1220(L) | Lat. 15-50 N. | Two motored bomb- | | |
11 Oct. | Long. 171-34E. | MITSUI ISHI 97 Army | | |
| | Heavy Bomber. | | |
0945(X) | Lat.19-20N | USN PBY | East | 2000 feet. |
15 Oct. | Long.168-00E | | | |
1500(X) | Lat.20-35 N | USN PBY | East | 1200 feet. |
16 Oct. | Long.161-24 E. | | | |
1750(VW) | Lat.20-35 N. | USN PBY | East | 1600 feet. |
16 Oct. | Long.161-16.5 E. | | | |

[HANDWRITTEN: 11]
= 13 = ENCLOSURE (C)

— page 34 —
SS238/A16

U. S. S. WAHOO
Care of Fleet Post Office
[STAMP: DECLASSIFIED - OPNAV INST 5500.16] San Francisco, California
[STAMP: BY AUTHORITY OF CNO] November 26, 1942.
[STAMP: NARA, DATE 13 OCT 2004]
[STAMP: SECRET]

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - REPORT OF SECOND WAR PATROL.

PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 8, 1942 to DECEMBER 26, 1942.

AREA: Dog (East).

OPERATION ORDER: ComSubPac SECRET dispatch 041947 of
November 1942 and ComTaskFor 42 SECRET dispatch 150805
of November 1942.

PROLOGUE:

Arrived Pearl Harbor on October 17, 1942, from first
war patrol. Commenced refit on October 18 with U.S.S.
SPERRY repair forces. Shifted to Submarine BASE, Pearl
on October 22 to complete refit, which was completed on
November 2. Three day training period and readiness for
sea on November 8. Installed 4 inch gun and two 20 mm.
guns.

NARRATIVE:

1.
November 8- 0900(VW) Underway for patrol in company with small escort
vessel P-28. Made trim dive, received indoctrination
depth charge, made structural test firings on 4 inch gun,
and fired 10 rounds of target ammunition for training.
Sighted numerous planes and ships during the day. The
escort returned to port at dark.

November 9- Sighted U.S.Navy patrol planes at 0700, 0710, and 1250,
all times Xray.

November 14- Passed to command of ComSoPac at zero hours zed at
Lat. 7-50N; Long. 176-15E.

November 16- Having run submerged during part of 14th and all of 15th
daylight periods in passing Mili, decided to run on surface;
MILI, JALUIT and MAKIN all being about 120 miles distant.
At 1020(M) contacted airplane at 6 miles on radar and
submerged.

[HANDWRITTEN: FILMED]
[HANDWRITTEN: 45350]

— page 41 —
[HANDWRITTEN: C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L (crossed out)]
[STAMP: SECRET]

U. S. S. WAHOO

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND War Patrol.

— page 42 —
SECRET

U. S. S. WAHOO
SUMMARY OF SUBMARINE ATTACKS

| | Attack # 1 | Attack # 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Number of torpedoes fired: | 4 | 3 |
| 2. Firing interval: | 12"-9"-12" | 9"-10" |
| 3. Point of aim: | M.O.T. | M.O.T. |
| 4. Track angles: | 122°S, 125°S, | 78°P, 80°P, 82°P. |
| | 127°S, 130°S. | |
| 5. Depth setting: | First two: 15' | All: 10'. |
| | Second two: 6' | |
| 6. Estimated draft: | 23' | 18' |
| 7. Torpedo performance: | Normal. | Normal. |
| 8. Estimated enemy speed: | 11 kts. | 12 kts. |
| 9. Results of attack: | 3 hits. | 1 hit. |
| | Target sank. | Target sank. |
| 10. Evidence of sinking: | Visual. | Visual. |
| 11. Spread employed: | Divergent: | Divergent: |
| | 0°, 6°R, 6°L, 6°L. | 0°, 4°L, 4°R. |
| 12. Estimated firing range: | 700 - 800 yds. | 850 yds. |
| 13. Gyro angles: | 355° | 359° |
| | 8° | 352° |
| | 359° | 357° |
| | 2° | |

Detailed data required is listed in table above. There
were eight (8) contacts and two (2) attacks. The two night contacts on
November 30th and December 12th should have resulted in attacks, but we
muffed the chances. Anyhow, we did learn something about night fighting,
we hope.

- 9 -

— page 43 —
SECRET

[HANDWRITTEN: ---]SECRET
[HANDWRITTEN: ---]C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
Subject: U. S. S. WAHOO
U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND War Patrol.

— page 46 —
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
[STAMP: SECRET]

U. S. S. WAHOO

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND War Patrol.

8. (a) 0205(K) December 17.
   (b) Small DD or escort vessel.
   (c) Lat 5-45S; Long. 156-13E.
   (d) Course - southerly.
   (e) Speed - moderate.
   (f) Proceeding singly in the direction of the SHORTLANDS.

6. DESCRIPTION OF ALL AIRCRAFT SIGHTED, INCLUDING TYPE,
   POSITION, COURSE, ALTITUDE AND TIME OF SIGHTING.

   1. (a) Time and date - November 8.
      (b) Type - Various.
      (c) Position - Off Pearl Harbor.
      (d) Course - Various.
      (e) Altitude - Various.
      (f) Remarks - Normal operating planes.

   2. (a) November 9 at 0700, 0710 and 1250.
      (b) U.S.Navy PBY
      (c) 200 - 250 miles SW of Pearl Harbor.
      (d) SW in AM - NE in PM.
      (e) 1000 - 2000 feet.
      (f) Routine patrols.

   3. (a) November 16 at 1020(M).
      (b)
      (c) 150 miles SW of MILI ATOLL.
      (d)
      (e)
      (f) Radar contact at 6 miles.

- 13 - and
- 14 -

— page 47 —
SECRET [STRIKETHROUGH: CONFIDENTIAL]

U. S. S. WAHOO

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND Patrol (War).

— page 49 —
[HANDWRITTEN: SECRET]
[HANDWRITTEN: C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L]

U. S. S. WAHOO

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND War Patrol.

— page 51 —
[CROSSED OUT: CONFIDENTIAL]
SECRET
Subject: U. S. S. WAHOO
U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of SECOND War Patrol.

13. HEALTH AND HABITABILITY.

    The health of the crew was excellent throughout this
    patrol. Only six persons received treatment for colds,
    none of which passed the "sniffling" stage. The only
    serious illness was one case of Cellulitis, left ankle,
    which was treated with hot MGSO₄ dressings and a short
    course of Sulfathiazole. Habitability was excellent
    during the entire patrol due to good functioning of the
    Air Conditioning Plant. When the air conditioning units
    were shut down during the depth charge attack a marked
    discomfort was noted throughout the boat within a few
    minutes, although some sweating would doubtless have
    been noticeable in any case. The average submerged tem-
    perature was 88° F.

14. MILES STEAMED ENROUTE TO AND FROM STATION.

    Miles steamed to station, 2987.
    Time enroute, 264.5 hours.
    Average speed enroute, 11.3 knots.
    Miles steamed from station, 1515.
    Time enroute, 127 hours.
    Average speed enroute, 11.9 knots.

15. FUEL EXPENDED.

    Fuel used enroute to station 29,912 gallons.
    Fuel rate of consumption 10.0 gal. 1 mile.
    Fuel expended on station 9430 gallons.
    Fuel expended enroute Brisbane 26,428 gallons.
    Fuel rate of consumption 17.4 gal. 1 mile.

16. FACTORS OF ENDURANCE REMAINING.

    (a) Torpedoes - 17
    (b) Fuel - 26,050
    (c) Provisions - 30 days.
    (d) Fresh water - Unlimited.
    (e) Personnel - 15 days.

- 19 -

— page 53 —
[HANDWRITTEN: 86507]
[HANDWRITTEN: 7725]
dn

TF42/A16-3
Serial 0015

[STAMP: CONFIDENTIAL]
[STAMP: SECRET]
[STAMP: CONFIDENTIAL]

TASK FORCE FORTY-TWO
Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
December 28, 1942

From: The Commander Task Force Forty-two.
To : The Commander in Chief, United States Fleet.
Via : The Commander South Pacific Force.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238), Second War Patrol, Com-
ments on.

Enclosure: (A) Copy of subject patrol report.

1. Enclosure (A) is forwarded herewith.

2. The WAHOO completed her second war patrol on
December 26, 1942, having spent 46 days at sea and 29 days in
the assigned area.

3. Eight contacts were made, of which only two were
developed into attacks, both of which resulted in sinkings.
However, it is believed that at least three of the other con-
tacts should have been developed into attacks; namely, on 30
November on the freighter, on 8 December on the large tanker,
and again on December 12, speed should have been used to close
this apparently unescorted vessel. It is noted that the radar
functioned exceptionally well and it appears that this informa-
tion was not used to best advantage to develop these contacts.

4. Sound conditions varied from poor to good; -gen-
erally, however, they were poor.

[STAMP: RECEIVED] 5. The WAHOO returned in excellent material condi-
[STAMP: JAN 11 1943] tion. The current refit will be accomplished by the SPERRY
(AS12).

[HANDWRITTEN: FILE NO. A16-3/238] 6. The WAHOO is congratulated on sinking:
[HANDWRITTEN: 71839] 1 freighter of SYOEI MARU Class - 5644 tons,
1 submarine (I-2) - 1955 tons.

DISTRIBUTION:
VCNO, Cincpac,
Comsowespac, Comsublant,
Comsubpac, Comsubswespac,
CSS 8 & 10, CSD 102, WAHOO File,
Each SS TF42 (not to be taken to sea, BURN),
Patrol Summary File, War Diary.

JAMES FIFE, Jr.

[HANDWRITTEN: Finished-Burn-File]

— page 54 —
DECLASSIFIED - OPNAV INST 5500.30
BY [HANDWRITTEN: OPNAV] DATE [HANDWRITTEN: 13-67]
[STAMP: CONFIDENTIAL]
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Third War Patrol, report of.

— page 58 —
**CONFIDENTIAL**
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Third War Patrol - Report of

At 1136 saw ship and headed for the cripple, our second target, which was
now going away on course 085°. Tracked her at six knots, but could not close her
as our battery was getting low.

At 1155 sighted tops of a fourth ship to the right of the cripple. Her
thick masts in line had the appearance of a light cruiser's tops. Kept heading
for these ships hoping that the last one sighted would attempt to pick up surviv-
ors of the transport. When the range was about 10,000 yards, however, she turned
right and joined the cripple, her masts bridge structure and engines aft identi-
fying her as a tanker. Decided to let these two ships get over the horizon while
we surfaced to charge batteries and destroy the estimated twenty troop boats now
in the water. These boats were of many types, scows, motor launches, cabin
cruisers and other nondescript varieties. At 1315 made battle surfaces and manned
all guns. Fired a 4" gun at largest scow loaded with troops. Although all troops
in this boat apparently jumped in the water our fire was returned by small caliber
machine guns. We then opened fire with everything we had. Then set course 085°
at flank speed to overtake the cripple and the tanker.

At 1530 sighted smoke of the fleeing ships a point on the port bow. Changed
course to intercept. Closed until the mast tops of both ships were in sight and
tracked them on course 350°. They had changed course about 90° to the left
apparently to give us the slip. Maneuvered by mooring board to get ahead undeter-
ted, but kept mast heads in sight continuously by utilizing No. 1 periscope and
locating look-out on top of periscope shears. At 1721, one half hour before sun-
set, with the two ship's masts in line, dived and commenced submerged approach.
Target zigs necessitated very high submerged speeds to close the range. Someone
said the pitometer log indicated as much as 10 knots. Decided to attack tanker
first, if opportunity permitted, as she was yet undamaged. At 1829, when it was
too dark to take a periscope range, fired a spread of three bow torpedoes with
generated range 2300 yards, on a 110° port track. One good hit was observed and
heard one minute, twenty-two seconds after firing. This apparently stopped him.
Started swing for stern tube shot on the freighter but he had turned away.

Surfaced twelve minutes after firing and went after the freighter. Was sur-
prised to see the tanker we had just hit still going and on the freighter's
quarter. We were most fortunate to have a dark night with moonrise not until
2132, and to have targets that persisted in staying together. Our only handicap
was having only four torpedoes left, and those in the stern tubes.

Made numerous approaches on the tanker first, as he was not firing at us.
Even attempted backing in at full speed, but the ship would not answer her rudder
quickly enough. After an hour and a half we was able to diagnose their tactics.
Closed in on tanker from directly astern, when they zigged to the left we held
our course and speed. When they zigged back to the left we were on parallel cours
at about 2000 yards range. Converged a little on the tanker from her port beam,
twisted left with full rudder and power. He thus gave us a stern tube shot, ran
1850 yards on a 90° port track. At 2025 fired two torpedoes at tanker the
second hitting him just abaft of his midships breaking his back. He went down in
the middle almost instantly.

- 5 -

ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 59 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Third War Patrol. - Report of . . .

Immediately after firing changed course to head for the freighter and went
ahead full. Passed the tanker at 1250 yards by SJ radar, at which time he occupi
full field in 7x50 binoculars. This fixes his length at about 500 feet. Only the
bow section was afloat and its mast canted over when we left him astern.

At 2036, eleven minutes after firing on the tanker, commenced approach on
our last target. It was quite evident that this freighter had a good crew aboard.
They did not miss an opportunity to up-set our approach by zig-zagging, and kept up in-
cessant gunfire to keep us away. Much of this firing was at random, but at 2043
they got our range, placed a shell directly in front of us which ricocheted over
our heads and forced us to dive.

Our "gun-club" could take a lesson from their powder manufacturers. It was
truly flashless, a glow about the intensity of a dimmed flash-light being the
only indication that a projectile was on its way. It is somewhat disconcerting
when a splash is the first indication you are being fired upon.

We tracked the freighter by sound until the noise of shell splashes let up
then surfaced at 2058, fifteen minutes after diving, and went after him. Two
minutes later a large search-light commenced sweeping sharp on our port bow, its
rays seemingly just clearing our periscope shears. Assumed this was from a ran-
ge-finder and that the freighter would close it for protection. Our attack obvio-
ly had to be completed in a hurry. Headed for the search-light beam and was most
fortunate to have the freighter follow suit. At 2110 when the range was 2900
yards by radar, twisted to the left for a straight stern shot, stopped and stead-
ied. Three minutes later with angle on the bow 135° port by radar tracking, fired
our last two torpedoes without spread. They both hit, the explosions even jar-
ring us on the bridge.

As the belated escort was now coming over the horizon, silhouetting the
freighter in her search-light we headed away to the east and then five minutes
later to the north. Fifteen minutes after firing the freighter sank leaving
only the destroyer's search-light sweeping a clear horizon. It had required
four hits from three separate attacks to sink this ship.

At 2130 set course 358° for FAIS ISLAND. At 2345 sent dispatch to Comsubpac
concerning new route and engagement.

Two men were injured by 20mm explosion. The cause is covered in the Report
of Investigation and treatment in the Health and Habitability Report, included
herewith.

January 27th (All times K): 0720 Sighted smoke over the horizon, commenced
tracking and changed course to intercept. At 0801 when masts of three ships
were in sight, dived and continued approach. The mean course was plotted as
146° with the whole convoy zigging simultaneously thirty degrees either side
of base course. At 0830 the tops and stacks of two more freighters, and those
of a tanker with engines aft were in sight.

- 6 - ENCLOSURE(A)

— page 63 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Third War Patrol - Report of.
6. AIRCRAFT SIGHTED:
None - one felt.

7. SUMMARY OF SUBMARINE ATTACKS:
| Attack No.                  | 1.                  | 2.                  | 3.                  |
| :| :| :| :|
| Date                        | 1/24/43             | 1/24/43             | 1/24/43             |
| Location (Latitude)         | 3° 23' S            | 3° 23' S            | 3° 23' S            |
| Location (Longitude)        | 143° 34' E          | 143° 34' E          | 143° 34' E          |
| Number of torpedoes fired   | 3                   | 1                   | 2                   |
| Hits                        | 0                   | 0                   | 1                   |
| Sunk (Tonnage)              | ---                 | ---                 | 1850                |
| Damaged                     | ---                 | ---                 | ---                 |
| Type of target              | FUBUKI Class Destroyer | FUBUKI Class Destroyer | FUBUKI Class Destroyer |
| Range of firing             | 1800                | 1900                | 800                 |
| Estimated draft of target   | 10'                 | 10'                 | 10'                 |
| Torpedo Depth setting       | 2'                  | 2'                  | 2'                  |
| Bow or stern shot           | Bow                 | Bow                 | Bow                 |
| Track angle                 | 110 S               | 135 S               | 20 S                |
| Gyro angles                 | 358. 0. 2           | 5                   | 15. 18              |
| Target speed used           | 15                  | 20                  | 20                  |
| Firing interval             | 11sec. 12sec.       | ---                 | 20 sec.             |
| Spread: amount and kind     | 2° divergent        | ---                 | None                |
| Type of attack              | Periscope           | Periscope           | Periscope           |

- 10 -
ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 67 —
Hn

CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - THIRD WAR PATROL - REPORT OF

8. ENEMY A/S MEASURES:
The enemy apparently uses gun-fire whenever possible
as a nuisance factor to keep a submarine down. The fire of their
merchantmen was in general inaccurate, but their destroyers should
not be underestimated.

Air-craft bombs were evidently dropped as a nuisance
factor also, in an attempt to make us lie on the bottom. The
noise only is disturbing.

The depth charging consisted of a single pattern
laid on the last known position, with destroyer speed about 35
knots.

9. MAJOR DEFECTS:
None.

10. COMMUNICATIONS:
Radio reception was very good and was complete. No
attempt was made to use the underwater loop for submerged reception.
Two messages were sent to ComSubPac from contact area. In neither
case were we able to reach NFM and the message was given to an
Australian station in each case.

Last serial received: SubPac Serial 14
Last message sent: WAHOO 052045 of February.

11. SOUND CONDITIONS AND DENSITY LAYERS:
Sound conditions were generally fair to poor.
Propellers were picked up at ranges of 4000 to 5000 yards. At
WEWAK BEACH noises were very distinct from each island and were
used to check the DR position. While evading attack by destroyer
January 27 in 4-31N; 140-40E, two density layers were encountered.

- 14 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 73 —
[HANDWRITTEN: 20601060]
[HANDWRITTEN: 1-]

March 3, 1943
(U.S. NAVY PHOTO NO. 62-3579)
This picture shows the 7,000 ton Japanese transport as she
sank after being struck by torpedoes from the submarine WAHOO, commanded by Lt.
Cdr. Dudley W. Morton, of San Jose, Calif. She was already under water
to 6,000 enemy troops.
The four ships of the convoy which was
WAHOO destroyed north of
New Guinea. Lt. Comdr. Morton's submarines also sank a Japanese destroyer on the
same patrol.

OFFICIAL NAVY PHOTOGRAPH
NOT TO BE RELEASED
UNTIL 1400 MWT MONDAY
MAY 3, 1943 FOR PUBLICATION

— page 74 —
[HANDWRITTEN: Cominch]

FF12-10/A16-3(5)/(12) SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET
Serial 0198

[HANDWRITTEN: 5]
[HANDWRITTEN: Copy]
[STAMP: Reg. No. 3640]
[STAMP: No. 3 0386]

Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
February 12, 1943

CONFIDENTIAL
COMSUBPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 138
U.S.S. WAHOO - THIRD WAR PATROL.

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of Third War Patrol.

Enclosure: (A) Copy of Subject War Patrol.
           (B) Comsubron 10 conf. ltr. Serial 011 of February 8,
               1943

1. The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, takes great plea-
sure in commending the Commanding Officer, Officers and crew of the WAHOO on
an outstanding war patrol. This patrol speaks for itself, and the judgment
and decisions displayed by the Commanding Officer were sound.

2. All attacks were carried out in a most aggressive manner, and
it clearly demonstrates what can be done by a submarine that retains the in-
itiative.

3. The WAHOO is credited with inflicting the following damage on
the enemy:

                               SUNK
1 destroyer (ASASHIO Class) - 1500 tons
1 freighter (DAKAR MARU Class) - 7160 tons
1 freighter (ARIZONA MARU Class) - 9500 tons
1 tanker (MANZYU MARU Class) - 6520 tons
1 transport (SEIWA MARU Class) - 7210 tons
                               TOTAL: 31,890 tons

                               J. H. BROWN, Jr.,
                               Acting.

DISTRIBUTION
(1M-43)
List III: SS
Special
P1(5), EN3(5), Z1(5),
Comsublant (2), X3(1),
Comsubsowespac (2)
Subschool NL (2)
Comtaskfor 42 (2)
[SIGNATURE: E. R. Swinburne]
E. R. SWINBURNE,
Flag Secretary.

[STAMP, upside down: 1943 MAR 5 22 21]
[STAMP, upside down: RECEIVED]
[STAMP, upside down: U.S. FLEET]
[STAMP, upside down: COMMANDER IN CHIEF]

— page 75 —
[STAMP: DECLASSIFIED]
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - REPORT OF FOURTH WAR PATROL
(Period from February 23 to April 6, 1943.)

PROLOGUE

Arrived PEARL on February 7, 1943 from THIRD War Patrol.
Commenced refit by tender, relief crew and ship's force.
Shifted 4" gun from aft to forward and mounted a third 20mm gun on the for'd
4" gun foundation. Completed refit on February 15, 1943.

Readiness for sea February 17, 1943. Conducted training maneuvers
17 to 19 inclusive. Dry-docked at SuBase PEARL February 21, 1943 for emergency
repairs to No. 5 torpedo tube shutter. Cleaned and painted bottom. Undocked
ship February 22, 1943.

NARRATIVE

1.
February 23: 1300W; Underway from PEARL for patrol areas via MIDWAY. With
surface escort until dark.
February 23-27: Enroute MIDWAY encountering generally rough weather with mostly
head seas. Conducted daily dives and training. Sighted several friendly planes
enroute.
February 27: 0600Y; Picked up air escort on 30 mile circle bearing east from
MIDWAY.
0830Y; Moored starboard side to the port side U.S.S. TARPON, at
SuBase MIDWAY.
1430Y; Departed MIDWAY for patrol areas having taken on 16,000
gallons fuel oil and 2,500 gallons of fresh water.

Crossed International Date Line.

February 27 to
March 11: Enroute to patrol areas conducting daily training dives, fire
control drills and battle surface drills. Had the unique experience of making
passage from PEARL to inside of the China Sea without sighting a plane and con-
sequently made the entire trip on the surface. The seas were generally rough
and from ahead. Had to slow to one engine speed several times, because of ex-
cess fuel consumption per mile.

During the first torpedo control drill after leaving MIDWAY, the
gyro-setting indicator regulators were found to fail intermittently. For ten
days Lieutenant R.N. HENDERSON spent practically every moment when off watch in
tracing out these troubles, finally locating them in loose connections and in
improperly adjusted overload relay micro-switch. Through his untiring efforts
the equipment was placed in proper operating condition prior to entering the area.
He is deserving of the highest praise. It is gratifying to have a torpedo officer

-1-
ENCLOSURE (A)

[HANDWRITTEN: Filmed]
[HANDWRITTEN: 48631]

— page 78 —
Pn

CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - FOURTH War Patrol, report of.

0201; Radar contact 3,200 yards and immediately sighted
vessel resembling a destroyer with very sharp angle on the bow and with the
moon in back of us. Dived and pointed own ship towards target for a pos-
sible "down the throat" defensive shot. Lost sight of the target when
the range was about 1,400 yards. The target was not a destroyer, but another
SHOKY MARU.

0323I; Surfaced when SJ radar failed to pick up anything.

0600I; Dived with CHU TO Light bearing 138°T. distant 11
miles.

0620I; Sighted another SHOKY MARU. He was making radical
and frequent zigs at 7 knots speed.

This MAIKOTSU SUIDO is definitely not a good place for
submarine attacks. It is shallow, with islands and shoals everywhere.
However, we considered it worth while to reconnoiter to see where this
Yellow Sea traffic is located. We call this channel "Sampan Alley".

Sighted several lighted sampans during the night.

1940I; Upon surfacing set course North and when we crossed the
path of the ships sighted by the U.S.S. HADDOCK we changed course and follow-
ed this track heading us for the proximity of SHANTUNG PROMONTORY.

Our SJ radar went out of commission during the night. We
have no technician aboard, but Lieutenant C.C. JACKSON II and our leading
radioman have been relieved of all duties, while concentrating on this
valuable instru ment.

March 17:
Did not dive this morning. Visibility was excellent and sea
calm. Had some difficulty in dodging all of the junks and trawlers to pre-
vent being sighted.

0800H; Dived on what we thought was a plane contact. After
talking it over, considered contact was very likely a flight of three geese.
Stayed submerged while a few junks got out of sight.

1000H; Surfaced.

1055H; Dived. Too many trawlers and junks were in sight to
dodge all of them. This area appeared to be a shipping route too. A half
dozen trawlers remained close to us the remainder of the day.

1835H; Surfaced.

Many lighted sampans sighted during the night.

- 4 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 80 —
Pn
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - FOURTH War Patrol, report of.
to shoot at more targets at this spot.

0930H; Continued submerged patrol heading away from the range
of the morning engagements.

Except for one day of fog, the weather has been perfect. To-
night we are patrolling along the route our two victims came in on yesterday.
It leads to a light off the KOREAN COAST and just South of CHINNAMPO. We
shall patrol off of this light tomorrow.

No small fishing boats sighted to-night - the first time
"no-see"!!

March 20: 0310H; Sighted ship. Commenced approach.

0440H; Dived.

0515H; Broke off the approach when target turned out to be a
small patrol or a trawler. The visibility was so good that this small craft
was sighted at an unusually long range.

Sighted several smoking ships well inshore and over the hori-
zon. We are going over there to-night and patrol off CHOSAN KAN Point to-
morrow. The traffic to CHINNAMPO, a large port, must pass that point, so
we hope to have some luck.

March 21: The currents encountered around this point were really strong,
but conformed with those shown on the chart.

0515H; (FOURTH ATTACK). O.O.D. picked up ship with a range
about 7,000 yards and angle on bow 30° starboard. Commenced approach immed-
iately. At second observation ship had changed course 60° to his right put-
ting us on his port bow so we swung ship again and closed at high speed.

0700H; Fired three torpedoes at large freighter identified as
SEIWA MARU 7,210 tons, range 1,600 yards, 117 port track, speed 11 knots.
Third torpedo hit amidships and he went down by the bow, attaining a
vertical angle and was out of sight in four minutes. Numerous survivors
in the water (temperature of water and air 40°F). There was debris for the
survivors to cling to. Considered they could last but a couple of hours.
Took several pictures.

This was a Torpex head and they really blew a ship to pieces
and the sound was terrific to us. Twice a wash basin has been knocked off
the bulkhead in the forward torpedo room.

- 6 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 81 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - FOURTH War Patrol, Report of

0930H; (FIFTH ATTACK). O.O.D. sighted ship range 13,000
and angle on bow 5° starboard. Manouvered for a stern shot.

0958H; Fired a spread of three torpedoes at large freighter
indentified as NITU MARU, 6,543 tons, 87° starboard track, speed 10 knots,
range 800 yards. Two Torpex torpedoes hit, one under his bridge and the other
under his mainmast.

This ship went down vertically by the bow and was out of sight
in three minutes 10 seconds. Had the water been deeper he would have sunk
faster, because the bow was resting on the bottom as it sank. Two junks were
nearby and they appeared to be heading to pick up survivors. Ordered battle
surface to destroy the junks.

1037H; Surfaced and found junks fleeing away instead of heading
for the survivors. We chased them, but when we were within two miles of the
beach and nearing shoal water we broke off the chase. Also we were just out-
side of a large port and we did not want to invite trouble, so we headed back
for the survivors. Decided to hunt for anything worth salvaging and pick up a
survivor.

We found four survivors. Two on the bottom of one overturned
boat, one on the botton of another over-turned boat and a fourth floating by
in a life jacket.

We attempted to pick up at least one of them. They seemed to
ignore us entirely. After a few minute of this indifference we said to hell
with them and went after something worth salvaging. Picked up a couple of
House Flags which we cannot identify. One large life ring with S.S. NITU MARU
- TARUNI painted on it and a large book which appears to be a Merchant Marine
Manual.

1138H; Departed this area at full power and then commenced a
surface patrol heading for SHANTUNG PROMONTORY at two-third speed.

March 22; Patrolling off SHANTUNG PROMONTORY. Weather has freshened up
with seas and wind from the northwest and horizon slightly hazy.

0700H; Made trim dive and inspected main motor that was noisy.
Found a loose brush and repaired it.

0815H; Surfaced and continued surface patrol now heading for
a point off of LAOTIEHSHAN PROMONTORY which is just around the corner from PORT
ARTHUR. We believe we can contact some CHINWANGTAO traffic here.

1400H; Dived upon sighting two power sampans.

- 7 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 84 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO & FOURTH War Patrol, report of.
fk
1924H (SEVENTH ATTACK). Radar made contact at 10,000 yards
bearing about 090°T. This was considered fine radar and operator per-
formance as the contact was noticed on the same bearing and just short
of land contacts.

This indicated to us that we had a ship and that we were right
on its track and we were about to stop their end run play. Commenced
surface approach tracking by radar and maneuvered for a stern shot. It
was quite dark.

1949H: Fired a spread of three torpedoes at a large tanker
with engines aft, identified as SYOYO MARU 7,499 tons, range 1,700 yards,
track 80° starboard, speed 12 knots. The first two torpedoes had premature
explosions at end of 18 second runs.

Third torpedo missed.

1955H: Fired fourth torpedo and it missed.

2000H: The tanker let go several 4 or 5 inch rounds at a range
of about 3,500 yards using the Nip' famous flashless powder. One of the
shells landed directly ahead of us and burst with a loud bang. We dived
and tracked the target.

Here again faulty torpedoes frustrated an attack, wasted four
valuable torpedoes that we have carried over 5,000 miles, almost caused
the WAHOO to be destroyed, and allowed the target ship to open up on its
radio and frustrate our newly discovered, fertile, shipping route.

2014H; (EIGHTH ATTACK). Surfaced after fourteen minutes of
ducking target's shots. He was still shooting, but it must have been at
random as he had not seen us the past fourteen minutes. Went ahead full
power to get up ahead of this follow quickly or we would both end up in
DAIREN HARBOR.

2054H; When were well ahead and had the target in the middle
of a rising moon we dived.

2122H; Fired a spread of three torpedoes at target 1,200 yards
range, 90° starboard track, target speed 10 knots. Second torpedo with
TNT head, hit him in the engine room. He sank in 4 minutes and 25 seconds
going down by the stern. The target was loaded to the gills with fuel oil.

It is interesting to note that when we tracked this target at
slow speeds we got ono/speed and when we were making high speeds, we ob-
tained another target speed. The slow speed tracking is more accurate.
This is caused by pitometer log inaccuracy.

- 10 -

— page 90 —
CONFIDENTIAL
                                                                                             F
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Fourth War Patrol.

— page 92 —
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S. WAHOO - Report of Fourth War Patrol.
F
ENEMY SHIPS SIGHTED (Continued).

DATE | TIME | POSITION | COURSE SPEED | TYPE AND
     |      |          |              | DESCRIPTION
3/25/43 | 0436H | Lat. 38° 12'N | 343° | 8.5 knots | 1-AK 2,556 tons
        |       | Long. 123° 24'E |      |           | SINSEI MARU
3/25/43 | 0510H | Lat. 38° 10'N | Var- | 13 knots | 1-AK 1,000 tons
        |       | Long. 123° 26'E | ious |           | Similar to
        |       |                |      |           | HADACHI MARU
3/25/43 | 1222H | Lat. 38° 01'N | 300° | 10 knots | Passenger Freight.
        |       | Long. 123° 36'E | 120° |           | Large
3/25/43 | 1458H | Lat. 37° 55'N | 300° | 12 knots | New type DD.
        |       | Long. 123° 35'E |      |           | It was echo-ranging.
3/29/43 | 0416H | Lat. 30° 25'N | 080° | 8.5 knots | 1-AK 5,193 tons
        |       | Long. 129° 41½'E |      |           | KIMISIMA MARU

NOTE: Sampans, Junks, Trawlers and other fishing craft were
encountered daily. As many as twenty being in sight at one time
from the bridge. In general those off the KOREAN COAST and in the
middle of the Yellow Sea were well lighted. Those encountered off
SHANTUNG PROMONTORY and in the GULF OF POHAI were darkened and
under sail.
Areas listed below held particularly heavy concentrations
of fishing craft.

DESCRIPTIONS | LOCATION
TOKARA KAIKYO | 30° - 10'N : 130° E.
SHIMONOSEK - FORMOSA | 31° - 50'N : 127° - 25'E
(Trade route)
MAIKOTSU SUIDO | 34° - 20'N : 125° - 40'E
LAOTIEHSHAN CHANNEL | 38° - 35'N : 121° - 10'E
(Loathesome Channel)
Southeast of SHANTUNG PROMONTORY | 36° - 10'N : 123° - 20'E

6. DESCRIPTION OF PLANES SIGHTED.

TIME | TYPE | LATITUDE | LONGITUDE | COURSE | ALT.
Mar. 24, 1943 | Float | 38° - 33'N | 122° - 12'E | SW | 2,000
0645H | Large
Mar. 25, 1943 | Land | 38° - 27'N | 121° - 02'E | W | 3,000
1345H | Bomber
Mar. 31, 1943 | Large | 31° - 05'N | 140° - 15'E | S | 1,000
0831H | Land
      | Bomber

- 18 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 96 —
CONFIDENTIAL
F

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Fourth War Patrol.
Summary of Submarine Attacks (Continued). Note: 7 and 8 are the same target.

| Attack | (8) | (9) | (10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | March 24, 1943. | March 25, 1943. | March 29, 1943. |
| Location (Latitude) | 39-00N | 38-13N | 30-26N |
| Location (Longitude) | 122-16E | 123-24E | 129-41E |
| Torpedoes Fired on each attack | 3 | 2* | 2 |
| Hits | 1 T.N.T. | 0 | 1 Torpex |
| Number Sunk (Tonnage) | 7,499 | 0+ | 5,193 |
| Type of Target | AO | AK | AK |
| | SYOYO MARU | SINSEI MARU | KUTSUSHIMA MARU |
| Number Damaged or Probably Sunk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Range | 1,200 | 1,300 | 900 |
| Periscope Depth | 60' | 62' | 64' |
| Surface Night | | | |
| Deep Submergence | | | |
| Draft | 28' | 24' | 24' |
| Estimated Target | | | |
| Torpedo Depth Setting | 10' | 6' | 15' |
| Bow or Stern Shot | Bow | Bow | Bow |
| Track Angle | 90° St'bd. | 87° St'bd | 90° Port |
| Gyro Angle | 354° | 012°; 018° | 353°; 341° |
| | 359 3/4; 359 1/2° | | |
| Estimated Target Speed | 10 knots | 8.5 knots | 8.5 knots |
| Firing Interval | 44 secs; 30 secs. | 15 seconds | 18 seconds |
| Spread - Amount and Kind | Longitudinal | Longitudinal | Longitudinal |
| Time for Target to Sink | 4 mins; 25 secs | | 2 mins; 32 secs. |

Remarks: * Both torpedoes exploded prematurely. Runs 26 and 49 seconds.
         + This target was later sunk by 4" gunfire.

- 22 - ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 99 —
CONFIDENTIAL
                                                                F
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Fourth War Patrol.

— page 101 —
FB5-44/A16-3
Serial 04-B

CONFIDENTIAL
From:
To :
Subject:

1.
of forty-two (42) days between departure from Pearl Harbor, and
return to Midway. Eighteen (18) days were spent in patrol area.
Patrol was terminated by expenditure of all torpedoes.

2.
During this patrol, as on the third patrol of this
ship, the outstanding aggressiveness and the magnificent fight-
ing spirit of the captain, officers, and crew were largely res-
ponsible for the splendid results obtained.

3.
The Commanding Officer displayed great enterprise
and excellent judgement in covering his patrol area. The area
was covered in a most thorough manner. It is particularly note-
worthy that in order to increase the scope of the search a sur-
face patrol was conducted during daylight hours on seven of the
eighteen days in the patrol area. This was done after experience
indicated that anti-submarine measures in the area were not suf-
ficiently effective to make a surface patrol foolhardy.

4. Comments on attacks.

(a) Attack No. 1.

Excellent firing position, but range was in
error. In this case an echo range to check the
periscope range before firing would have been
extremely valuable.

(b) Second Attack.

Approach data on this attack was felt to be very
accurate. Therefore, only one torpedo was fired and
it did the trick.

(c) Third Attack.

On attack 3 A firing interval was excessive.
However, two hits were obtained and target would
probably have sunk had second torpedo exploded.

- 1 - ENCLOSURE (B)

COMMANDER SUBMARINE DIVISION FORTY-FOUR RS
In Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
April 9, 1943.

The Commander Submarine Division FORTY-FOUR.
The Commander Submarine Force, PACIFIC FLEET.
U.S.S. WAHOO, Report of Fourth War Patrol -
Comment.

The Fourth War Patrol of the WAHOO covered a period

— page 102 —
F85-44/A16-3
Serial 04-B

CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO, Report of Fourth War Patrol -
         Comment.

(c) Third Attack. (Cont'd)
    On attack 3 B a single torpedo was fired when spread
    might have been used to advantage.

(d) Sixth Attack.

    This ship was not observed to sink but the commanding
    Officer feels certain she went to the bottom. He bases
    this on the belief that the ship was so small it could not
    have survived the explosion, plus the fact that ship was not
    sighted when WAHOO surfaced thirteen minutes after firing.

(e) Seventh and Eight Attacks.

    While frustrated by faulty performance of torpedoes on
    seventh attack the Commanding Officer would not be denied this
    valuable target. After an unsuccessful attack, WAHOO surfaced,
    gained a favorable position, and executed a second attack which
    resulted in the destruction of the ship.

    Attention is invited to the remarks in the patrol report
    to the effect that tracking the target with submarine making
    high speed gave different target speed than when tracking
    at low submarine speed.

(f) Ninth Attack.

    Here again faulty performance of torpedoes ruined an
    attack. It will be noted that torpedoes were set on six feet
    depth on this attack. The sea was calm.

(g) Third Gun Attack.

    The need for some effective means of setting fire to
    wooden trawlers and sampans was demonstrated during this
    attack. During current refit period WAHOO plans to have
    personnel practice throwing buckets of oil with a view to
    using this method of setting wooden boats on fire during
    future patrols.

- 2 -
ENCLOSURE (B)

— page 103 —
FB5-44/A16-3
Serial 04-B

COMMANDER SUBMARINE DIVISION FORTY-FOUR Rs
In Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
April 9, 1943.

CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO, Report of Fourth War Patrol -
           Comment.

— page 104 —
FE5-44/A16-3 COMMANDER SUBMARINE DIVISION FORTY-FOUR
Serial 04-R In Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
April 9, 1943.

CONFIDENTIAL

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO, Report of Fourth War Patrol -
Comment.

— page 105 —
[HANDWRITTEN: Extra Copy]
1d
FF12-10/A16-3(5)/(16) SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET
Serial 0484
CONFIDENTIAL

Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California.
April 13, 1943.

COMSUBPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 164
U.S.S. WAHOO - FOURTH WAR PATROL.

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of Fourth War Patrol. [STAMP: FILED]

Enclosure: (A) Copy of Subject War Patrol Report.
           (B) Copy of Comsubdiv 44 Conf. ltr. FB5-44/A16-3
               Serial 04-B of April 9, 1943.
           (C) Copy of Comsubron 10 Conf. ltr. FC5-10/A16-3
               (FB5-102) Serial 053 of April 12, 1943.

1. Outstanding in aggressiveness and submarine warfare efficiency,
this was the fourth war patrol of the WAHOO and the second under its present
Commanding Officer. Sinking eight ships, one trawler and two sampans and
damaging one other ship, the WAHOO continued the outstanding record established
on its third war patrol.

[HANDWRITTEN: ✓]
[HANDWRITTEN: 66] 2. Faulty torpedo performance in the form of prematures subjected
the WAHOO to dangerous shell fire on a night attack. Another torpedo, a dud,
allowed a damaged ship to get away.

3. It is gratifying to note that all of the WAHOO's gun battles
were executed only after a careful estimate of the situation was made; each
was carried out with military aggressiveness, professional competence and yet
free of foolhardy recklessness. These attacks were carried out when they
could be made with the submarine having the definite advantage. It is well
to remember that our submarines are very valuable and, at the same time, vul-
nerable targets when gunfire is used as the attacking weapon.

4. Throughout the patrol, the Commanding Officer exhibited ex-
cellent judgment in his strategic study of the shipping lanes, thus covering
the area efficiently and most productively.

5. The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, again takes
great pleasure in commending the Commanding Officer, officers and crew of
the WAHOO on this, their second successive outstanding war patrol.

[HANDWRITTEN: Op. 12 has seen]
[HANDWRITTEN: C Brown]

[STAMP: OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
FLEET MAINTENANCE
MAY 5 - 1943
RECEIVED
NAVY DEPARTMENT]

[TYPED: - 1 -] [STAMP: FINISHED-NEWCOMER-FILE]
[STAMP: MAY 1 1943]
[HANDWRITTEN: 12 May 116]
[HANDWRITTEN: A16-3(23)/SS238]
[HANDWRITTEN: 2 5]

— page 107 —
FCS-10/A16-3(FF5-102)                                                              dn
Serial 053                                                              SUBMARINE SQUADRON TEN

                                                                        Care of Fleet Post Office,
                                                                        San Francisco, California,
                                                                        April 12, 1943.

CONFIDENTIAL

From:           The Commander Submarine Squadron Ten.
To :            The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject:        U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238), Fourth War Patrol - Comments on.

                1. The fourth war patrol was again outstanding and
maximum aggressiveness and cool daring. The intelligent planning and sound
judgment of the Commanding Officer in making his decisions enabled the WAHOO
to outsmart the enemy, retain the initiative, and inflict a considerable
amount of damage.

                2. The patrol extended over a period of 42 days, of which nine-
teen days were spent in the area. The patrol was terminated on expenditure
of all torpedoes.

                3. One of the outstanding features of the patrol was the success-
ful penetration into the area by surface cruising alone. The WAHOO was almost
as successful on return from the area, being forced down on only a few occasions.

                4. A total of 24 torpedoes were fired during ten separate attacks.
Eight hits were scored, and a ninth hit was a dud. In the attack on the
KIMISIMA MARU on March 29, the second torpedo would have been a hit had the
first torpedo not done the job too completely. Counting this as a hit, a
score of 37.5% was made. Had it not been for the dud and four prematures,
this percentage would have been still higher and the tonnage sunk, although
considerable, would have been still greater.

                5. The gun attacks on the AK's, the trawler, and the sampans were
well executed. The percentage of hits obtained and the sinking of over 3500
tons of cargo-carrying ships by the 4-inch gun crew is most gratifying. The
recommendation made by the Commanding Officer for larger tubes for the 20 MM
guns is concurred in.

                6. The Commander Submarine Squadron Ten takes pleasure in extend-
ing a "Well Done" to the Commanding Officer and personnel of the WAHOO for a
highly successful patrol, during which the following damage was inflicted on
the enemy:

                                                SUNK
AK (NANKA MARU) 4,065 tons
AK (SEIWA MARU) 7,210 tons
AK (NITU MARU) 6,543 tons
AK (KATYOSAN MARU) - - - - - - - 2,427 tons
AO (SYOYO MARU) 7,499 tons
AK (KIMISIMA MARU) - - - - - - - 5,193 tons
AK (SINSEI MARU) 2,556 tons **
AK (HADACHI MARU 1,000 tons **
Trawler 100 tons **
2 Sampans (approx. 50 tons each)- 100 tons **
**Sunk by gunfire.               TOTAL SUNK: 36,693 tons

                                                DAMAGED
AK TOTTORI MARU 5,973 tons ENCLOSURE (C)

— page 108 —
[HANDWRITTEN: DECLASSIFIED - OPNAV INST 5500.30 BY OP 09B1C DATE 6-13-6V]
CONFIDENTIAL                                                              Rs

                     U.S.S. WAHOO - REPORT OF FIFTH WAR PATROL
                     (Period from April 25 to May 21, 1943)

                                  PROLOGUE

         Arrived submarine base, MIDWAY ISLANDS April 6, 1943
after FOURTH War Patrol. On April 7, 1943 commenced refit by Sub-
marine Base, relief crew and ship's force.

         During April 21 to 22 conducted training exercises under-
         way.

         Ship ready for sea April 25, 1943.

                                  NARRATIVE

1.
April 25:  1500Y; Departed MIDWAY under air escort for patrol area
           via the KURIL ISLANDS.

           Crossed the International Date Line.

April 27:  Tested new flashless powder during complete darkness.
           Still our powder is not flashless, but it gives off a
           diminished flash. This powder cannot be compared with
           that employed by the Japs against us, on numerous occa-
           sions. It is also understood that the British and
           German's flashless powder is as effective as the
           Japanese. Furthermore, this powder produces a great
           amount of smoke and is considered a handicap to the gun
           crew when firing with an unfavorable wind.

April 29:  155H; Slowed to one engine speed (80-90) due to heavy
           head seas.

April 30:  1000L; Seas having diminished, speeded up to two main
           engines.

           1620L; Upon surfacing from daily submerged drills sheared
           two shear pins in bow plane rigging mechanism. Stopped;
           lying to while replacing these shear pins. At 1720L,
           the repairs completed, continued course and speed.

May 2:     Encountered hail and snow on the morning watch.

           1423L; Sighted snow capped mountain peaks on ONEKOTAN
           ISLANDS of the KURIL ISLANDS.

           1639L; Slowed and commenced surface patrol along the
           KURIL ISLANDS. Will investigate NATSUWA tomorrow in
           close and submerged.

[STAMP: FILMED
50307]
                                     - 1 -                               ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 109 —
CONFIDENTI L                                                              Rs
Subject:             U.S.S. WAHOO - Fifth War Patrol - Report of.

May 3:    0400K; Dived six miles east of MATSUWA and proceeded to
          reconnoiter the island. Found a four to five thousand
          ton freighter broken up on beach of MATSUWA opposite BENJO
          TO, apparently a victim of a storm. Fresh appearing paint
          on the protruding parts indicated that this was a recent
          wreck. Observed well developed air field consisting of
          four large hangars with dispersal stowages in back, a [HANDWRITTEN: ✓]
          large landing field apparently equipped with flood lights,
          administration buildings, radio station barracks etc.
          This installation is considered comparable to the air
          station on Eastern Island, MIDWAY. Took several photo-
          graphs and plotted positions of outstanding features on
          chart included as enclosure "A" then cleared island
          submerged.

          1105K; Due to absence of any plane activity surfaced and
          continued patrol of the KURIL CHAIN to the southward.

          The Islands observed this far south are barren and com-
          pletely covered with snow and ice, the installation on
          MATSUWA being the only indication of any activity. [HANDWRITTEN: O]

May 4:    0420K; Dived and proceeded to reconnoiter MOYORO WAN on
          the northeast tip of ETOROFU ISLAND where there are sulphur [HANDWRITTEN: →]
          works. The harbor was jammed with float ice and no
          activity could be observed. As the currents were apparent-
          ly causing the ice floes to surround us, changed course
          to southeast to get clear.

                               ATTACK No. 1

          0525K; The O.O.D. sighted, through the morning mist, what
          appeared to be a small ship or patrol, range about six
          thousand yards, angle on the bow 30° port. This put him
          on a course parallel to the Island Chain. This observa-
          tion was confirmed by the Commanding and Executive Officers.
          Five minutes later the ship changed course presenting a
          zero angle on the bow. He was in view through the mist
          prevented identification of the ship as other than a small
          freighter or patrol [HANDWRITTEN: O] until the range was 3,200 yards. At
          this time he was coming out of the mist and the angle on
          the bow was sufficient to identify him as a larger target
          not worthy of torpedo fire. On the next observation
          identified target as an auxiliary seaplane tender and
          maneuvered for stern torpedo shots.

                                     - 2 -                               ENCLOSURE (A)

— page 110 —
1d
CONFIDENTIAL
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Fifth War Patrol.

May 7: by a spread of four torpedoes at the escort. The first torpedo
Continued hit the YUKI MARU under the stack and broke her back. The second
torpedo missed ahead. The patrol turned towards and successfully
avoided the four torpedoes fired at her, though how she got
between those four torpedo tracks will always remain a mystery.
As the YUKI MARU had sunk, went deep and avoided the patrol at
full speed then silent running. None of his depth charges were
too close. Observed him from periscope depth and cleared vicinity.
Heard considerable distant depth charging or bombing, and observed
planes searching during remainder of the day.

May 8: Proceeded down coast, skirted fishing fleet, and dived a mile and
a half off KOBE ZAKI.

0512 K: Sighted small ship and made approach. He was running
within fifteen hundred yards of the beach, turning into every cove,
Broke off attack when he was observed to be too small for torpedo
fire.

ATTACK NO. 3

1413 K: Sighted three ships coming down the coast, commenced ap-
proach. The convoy was zig-zagging, and when the range had closed
was identified as two escort vessels, similar to the one encoun-
tered yesterday, escorting a naval auxiliary similar to the KINRYU
MARU (9,310 tons).

1503 K: Fired spread of three torpedoes; range 2,500, 90° port
track, speed 10 knots, depth setting fifteen feet. The first tor-
pedo (torpex) aimed at MT, prematured after a 51 second run half-
way to the target. The second torpedo aimed at mainmast, and down
practically the same track as the first, was evidently deflected
by the premature or failed to explode. The third torpedo fired
at the foremast hit the point of aim but failed to explode. Both
sound operators reported the thud of the dud at the same time.
A column of water about ten feet high was observed at the
targets side abreast of her foremast as the air-flask exploded.

1510 K: Received first of the series of depth charges expected
under these circumstances.

May 9: Proceeded up coast with the intention of closing KONE SAKI prior
to diving.

- 4 - ENCLOSURE (A)
[HANDWRITTEN: (6)]

— page 112 —
[HANDWRITTEN: 6.01153]
[HANDWRITTEN: 1d]

CONFIDENTIAL

Subject: U.S. WAHOO - Report of Fifth War Patrol.

— page 120 —
[HANDWRITTEN: 6 0115]

CONFIDENTIAL

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - FIFTH War Patrol.

12.
SOUND CONDITIONS AND DENSITY LAYERS (CONTINUED)

All types of gradients were encountered. In the extreme case of
May 9, ten miles east of KONE SAKI, the temperature dropped from 37 degrees to
32 degrees in going from periscope depth to 100 feet. It is felt that this
alone prevented the echo ranging AS vessel from gaining sound contact. The
bathythermograph was used constantly during dives and was very valuable for
predicting the sound conditions existing.

13.
HEALTH AND HABITABILITY

Health and habitability were excellent, except for one threaten-
ing case of appendicitis during return voyage.

14.
MILES STEAMED

Enroute to Area2,964
In Area803
From Area3,061

15.
FUEL OIL EXPENDED

Enroute to Area8.68 gal. per mile.
In Area8.58 gal. per mile.
From Area15.80 gal. per mile.

16.
ENDURANCE FACTORS

TorpedoesNONE
OthersIndefinito.

17.
PATROL ENDED

Patrol ended by orders of ComSubPac after expenditure of all
torpedoes.

- 13 - ENCLOSURE (A)
[HANDWRITTEN: (15)]

— page 121 —
[STAMP: 6 01153]

TC5-10/A16-3(FB5-102)                 SUBMARINE SQUADRON TEN
Serial 086
                                       Care of Fleet Post Office,
                                       San Francisco, California,
                                       May 22, 1943.

CONFIDENTIAL

From:         The Commander Submarine Squadron Ten.
To :          The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Subject:      U.S.S. WAHOO, Fifth War Patrol - Comments on.

              1.      The fifth war patrol of the U.S.S. WAHOO was again
outstanding in aggressiveness and efficiency. In one ten action
packed days the WAHOO delivered ten torpedo attacks on eight different
targets.

              2.      Although the results were gratifying, faulty torpedo
performance cut positive results probably as much as 50%. Such
erratic performance indicates determined and aggressive approaches
must have been a source of keen disappointment to the Commanding
Officer and personnel of the WAHOO. Seven hits were observed of
twenty-four torpedoes fired, for a score of 29.2%. One of these seven
was believed to have been of low order detonation.

              3.      During this patrol, aggressiveness, determination and
fighting spirit of the Commanding Officer, officers and crew again
manifested in the excellent results obtained. The Commander Submarine
Squadron Ten takes pleasure in congratulating the Commanding Officer
and personnel on inflicting the following damage on the enemy:

                                      SUNK

AK (YUKI MARU Class)

— page 122 —
[HANDWRITTEN: Confirmed]
FF12-10/A16-3(5)/(1) SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET
Serial 0705

CONFIDENTIAL
COMSUBPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 184
U.S.S. WAHOO - FIFTH WAR PATROL.

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of Fifth War Patrol.
Enclosure: (A) Copy of Subject War Patrol Report.
(B) None.
(C) Copy of Comsubron 10 Conf. ltr FC5-10/A16-3(5)
(FF5-102) Serial 086 of May 22, 1943.

[HANDWRITTEN: A]
Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
May 29, 1943.
[STAMP: 14094]
[STAMP: 22 JUN 6 01153]

[STAMP: COMMANDER IN CHIEF U.S. FLEET RECEIVED 1943 JUN 17]

1. The U.S.S. WAHOO's fifth war patrol was the third
for the present commanding officer. Typical of the previous two
patrols, this one was carried out in the same aggressive and
successful manner. These three patrols establish a record not
only in damage inflicted on the enemy for three successive patrols,
but also for accomplishing this feat in the shortest time on
patrol. The WAHOO has sunk a total of 93,281 tons and damaged
30,880 more in only twenty-five patrol days.

2. Once again the WAHOO utilized all the weapons
available in conjunction with sound strategic and tactical judgment.
This combined with team-work of personnel made this fifth war patrol
another outstanding example of how to conduct submarine warfare.

3. The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet,
congratulates the Commanding Officer, Officers, and crew of the
U.S.S. WAHOO for this their third successive aggressive and
successful war patrol during which the following damage was inflicted
on the enemy:

SUNK
1 Freighter (YUKI MARU Class) 5,704 tons
1 Tanker (SHUZISAN MARU Class) 9,527 tons
1 Freighter (HAWAII MARU Class) 9,467 tons
Total 24,698 tons

DAMAGED
1 Ex-Seaplane Tender (KAMIKAWA Class) 15,650 tons
1 Freighter (ANYO MARU Class) 9,257 tons
TOTAL 24,907 tons

[STAMP: 50307 FILMED]
C. A. LOCKWOOD, Jr.
(Distribution and authentication on next page)
[HANDWRITTEN: ①]

— page 124 —
U.S.S. WAHOO
DECLASSIFIED-ART. 0445, OPNAVINST 5510.1C
BY [HANDWRITTEN: H.M.M.] DATE [HANDWRITTEN: 6/21/78]

DECLASSIFIED

August 29, 1943
C/o Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, Calif.

From: The Commanding Officer.
To : The Commander in Chief, United States Fleet.
Via : (1) The Commander Submarine Division 102.
(2) The Commander Submarine Squadron TEN.
(3) The Commander Submarine FORCE, Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO, Report of War Patrol number SIX.

Enclosure: (A) Subject report.
(B) Track Chart.

1.
Enclosure (A), covering the SIXTH war patrol of this
vessel conducted in the Japan Sea during the period August 8, 1943
to August 29, 1943, is forwarded herewith.

[SIGNATURE: D.W. Morton]
D.W. MORTON

[STAMP: FILMED]
[HANDWRITTEN: 55592]

— page 125 —
U.S.S. WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL

PROLOGUE TO

(A)

Arrived PEARL HARBOR, May 21, 1943 after FIFTH War Patrol.

On May 22, 1943 Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN, Commander-
in-Chief, U.S. PACIFIC FLEET, came aboard and made presentations of awards.

On May 23, 1943 departed for Navy Yard, Mare Island, Cal.
for renewal of main storage battery and a general overhaul.

On May 29, 1943 arrived Navy Yard, Mare Island, Cal. and
commenced overhaul.

On July 11, 1943, completed overhaul.

July 11 to 20th, inclusive post-repair trails and training
period.

On July 20, 1943 Captain John B. Griggs, Jr., USN came
aboard and made presentations of awards.

On July 21, 1943 departed for PEARL HARBOR. Furnished
services for surface and air forces the first day while enroute.

On July 27, 1943 arrived at PEARL HARBOR.

On July 29, 1943 Executive Officer and Chief-of-the-Boat
transferred to hospital. Diagnosis; Appendicitis Acute. Lieut.Comdr.,
Verne L. Skjonsby USN, reported aboard and assumed duties as Executive Of-
ficer.

July 30 to Aug 1, underway for training purposes. Fired
three exercise torpedoes.

(B)
NARRATIVE

August 2nd: Departed for patrol Area via MIDWAY. Conducted daily
drills.

August 6th: 0845Y; Moored alongside U.S.S. SPERRY at MIDWAY.
1700Y; Departed MIDWAY for assigned patrol area.

Conducted daily drills while enroute to area.

Crossed International Date Line, skipped Saturday 7th.

— page 135 —
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL...

[Page ELEVEN]

(C)
WEATHER
Good weather was encountered during the entire trip.

(D)
TIDAL INFORMATION
Currents encountered were as given in sailing directions.
Except that the northerly current in the JAPAN SEA was
stronger than expected, (about 1.8 knots).

(E)
NAVIGATIONAL AIDS
SOYA MISAKI, NOSHAPPU MISAKI, and KAMOI lights
were observed, showing approximately characteristics given
in light lists, but reduced in intensity.

(F)
ENEMY SHIPS SIGHTED

No. :TIME   : LAT.  : TYPE(S)   :INITIAL   : EST.    : HOW       : REMARKS
    :DATE   : LONG. :           : RANGE     : COURSE  : CONTACTED :

— page 138 —
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL... Page FOURTEEN
(TORPEDO ATTACK REPORT FORM)

U.S.S. WAHOO TORPEDO ATTACK No. 2 PATROL No. 6
TIME GCT 1722 DATE Aug. 14, 1943 LAT. 43-07N. LONG 139-55E

TARGET DATA --- DAMAGE INFLICTED

Description:
'6,000 Ton AK, steaming alone. Visual contact, full moon,
overcast sky surface visibility good.

Ship(s) Sunk:
None.

Ship(s) Damaged or
Probably Sunk:
None.

Damage Determined by:

Target Draft 14 ft. Course 030 Speed 11.5 knots Range 1050

OWN SHIP DATA

Speed 3.5 knots Course 110 Depth 63 Angle 170 (At firing)

FIRE CONTROL AND TORPEDO DATA

Type Attack:
NIGHT, RADAR, PERISCOPE.

Tracked for 45 min. after obtaining initial radar range
of 11,000 yards. Used TBT bearings until dive for peri-
scope attack. TDC problem checked accurately. Torpedo
hit point of aim and "thud of the dud" plainly heard by
both sound operators at same time periscope observer saw
plume of spray alongside target.

— page 139 —
Subject: USS WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL... Page Fifteen

(TORPEDO ATTACK REPORT FORM)
U.S.S. WAHOO TORPEDO ATTACK No. [HANDWRITTEN: 3] PATROL No. [HANDWRITTEN: 6]
TIME [HANDWRITTEN: GCT] [HANDWRITTEN: 1918] DATE [HANDWRITTEN: August 14, 1943] L.T. [HANDWRITTEN: 43°- 15'N] LON [HANDWRITTEN: G] [HANDWRITTEN: 140°- 03'E]

TARGET DATA—DAMAGE INFLICTED

Description: 6,000 Ton AK Sama target as attack #2

Ship(s) Sunk: None

Ship(s) Damaged or
Probably Sunk: None

Damage Determined by:

Target Draft [HANDWRITTEN: 14] Course [HANDWRITTEN: 025] Speed [HANDWRITTEN: 11.5] Range [HANDWRITTEN: 800] (at firing)

OWN SHIP DATA

Speed [HANDWRITTEN: 3 K] Course [HANDWRITTEN: 269] Depth [HANDWRITTEN: 64] Angle [HANDWRITTEN: 345; 343] : (at firing)

FIRE CONTROL AND TORPEDO DATA

Type Attack: Night Radar Periscope.

Tracked target for another hour and a half after previous
attack while gaining position ahead. Target data checked
with that for initial attack. [HANDWRITTEN: 4] div. fire spread
of two torpedoes using as points [HANDWRITTEN: 1/4] aim points
from bow and stern. Both missed.

— page 149 —
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO -- SIXTH WAR PATROL...
Page TWENTY-FIVE

U.S.S. WAHOO GUN ATTACK No. 3 PATROL No. 6
TIME 0759(Zed) DATE Aug. 20 LAT. 45-47N LONG 148-42E

TARGET DATA --- DAMAGE INFLICTED

SUNK: One enemy fishing vessel approximately 35 tons.

DAMAGED OR
PROBABLY SUNK:

DAMAGE DETERMINED BY: Observation by ships company.

DETAILS OF ACTION
(TIMES ZED)

0759; Sighted ship bearing 180°R., shortly after sinking the fish-
ing vessel described in attack #2.
0804; Dived and tried to close target.
0904; Battle surfaced manning all guns and pursued target at full
power. 0917; Fired warning burst across bow.
0919; Commenced firing.
0930; Ceased firing - Sam-pan sinking rapidly. By the time
this ship got to the wreckage the target had sunk, attempted picking up
survivors, no success.
Four (4) rounds of 4"/50 High-capacity, point detonating am-
munition with the Mk 30-1 "superquick" feature operative were used. Four
direct hits, several of which were at the waterline, undoubtedly accounted
for the rapid sinking of this vessel. Attacks made show this amm-
unition quite satisfactory at least on this type of target.
Fifty(50) rounds of 20mm ammunition loaded one(1)HET to two(2)
HEI was fired, but due to the short time these guns were able to fire at
effectively, no conclusive observations could be made concerning their effect
in this attack.
The mean range of firing was 1,500 yards.

— page 151 —
Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL Page TWENTY-SEVEN

(M) RADAR

S.J. Radar performance was very erratic with maximum ranges
on land ranging from 13,800 yds to 28,00 yds. The minimum
ranges were obtained under conditions of heavy fog. Overall
performance could be considered fair as maximum ranges on tar-
gets appeared shorter than on past performance. No lost time.

The S.D. Radar proved useful for navigating and though it was in-
operative at one crucial time, the set was very reliable through-
out the rest of the trip with land ranges up to 41 miles. Total
lost time four hours.

(N) SOUND GEAR AND SOUND CONDITIONS

Sound conditions enroute to and on station can be described in
one word, terrible. At times the temperature of the water drop-
ped as much as 10 degrees in ten feet at periscope depth. Tem-
perature on one occasion dropped from 58° to 25° from periscope
depth to 300 feet. The average temperature differential on
station was 23°. Two to three density layers were encountered
every time we went deep. The bathythermograph was a great help.
During approaches, target screws were heard up to 3,000 yards.
The QC sound head was used to "ping" a range, just prior to
firing, but sound conditions were so poor that no reliable re-
sults were obtained.

(O) HEALTH AND HABITABILITY

Health of the crew was good. A few members of the crew had
minor head colds, which were treated with nose sprays, aspirins,
and A.P.C. capsules. One case of constipation required bed and
rest. One case admitted with diagnosis #2715, an unerupted
right inferior third molar. Treated with incision of the gingiva
and drained, this was followed with iodoform gauze packing, and
sodium perborate...

— page 154 —
F35-42/A16-3
Serial 025
CONFIDENTIAL

SUBMARINE DIVISION FORTY TWO

Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
4 September 1943.

From: The Commander Submarine Division FORTY TWO.
To : The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
Via : The Commander Submarine Squadron FOUR.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Sixth War Patrol -
Comments on.

1. The WAHOO spent a total of twenty-eight days on
this patrol. Of this time only seven days were actually spent
in the assigned area. The patrol was terminated early after
the expenditure of ten torpedoes on six targets without having
inflicted any apparent damage on the enemy.

2. This is the fourth patrol of the present Command-
ing Officer and the first patrol subsequent to a Navy Yard
overhaul. The first three patrols of this Commanding Officer
were outstanding and highly successful and resulted in the
sinking and damaging of considerable tonnage.

3. Nine separate torpedo attacks were made on six
different targets. With the exception of the third attack in
which a spread of two torpedoes was used all attacks were del-
ivered with single torpedoes. The impact of the torpedo on
the target, fired on the second attack, was heard by both
sound operators and at the same time a plume of spray at the
target was also seen by the periscope officer. Other than
this "dud" no hits were made on any of the targets.

4. All attacks were delivered under cover of dark-
ness after the target had been tracked by radar for periods
varying between forty-five minutes to an hour and a half.
Precise data were obtained on all targets and the Commanding
Officer in each case skillfully maneuvered his boat to an
excellent firing position for the initial attack. The ranges
in all cases except one were under eleven hundred and fifty
yards and in general small gyro angles (about five degrees)
were used on the torpedoes. In an endeavor to obtain improved
torpedo performance low power was used on two attacks without
success. On still another attack a track of one hundred fifty
degrees was accepted in preference to one nearer ninety in
the hope that a glancing impact was the answer.

- 1 -

— page 155 —
FC5-4/A16-3
Serial 0226
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L

FIRST E. DORSE, JR. to
CSD 42 Conf. Ltr. FF5-42/A16-3
Serial 025 of 4 September 1943.

From:
To :
Via :

Subject:

1.
with the same aggressiveness which has made her past performances
outstanding. Nine attacks were made within seven days on station,
indicating a productive area.

2. All attacks were made from ideal positions,
average torpedo run 1,070 yards, gyro angles small, all tracks
close to 90°. Only one hit was observed and this was a dud.
Accurate determination of the cause of the misses is of course
impossible. One possible cause is the fact that all torpedoes
were set for shallow depths, average depth setting 5.5 feet.
The unreliable torpedo performance with shallow depth settings
has been noted in the past. The decision of the commanding
officer to fire single torpedoes, while understandable is not
concurred in. A minimum of two, preferably three torpedoes,
using a spread, should be fired at any target worthy of torpedo
expenditure, taking into consideration the poor performance of
the Mark XIV torpedo, the many unknowns in torpedo firing and
the fact that medium size vessels can withstand one torpedo
hit when it isn't in a vital spot.

3. The destruction of the sampans by gun fire was
conducted with the usual efficiency of the WAHOO. It is re-
commended that the WAHOO be credited with the following damage
inflicted on the enemy.

Sunk

Copy to:
CSD 42
CO WAHOO

SUBMARINE SQUADRON FOUR

Care of Fleet Post Office,
San Francisco, California,
6 September 1943.

The Commander Submarine Squadron FOUR.
The Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet.
(1) The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
(2) The Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet.

U.S.S. WAHOO - Report of Sixth War Patrol -
Comments on.

The sixth war patrol of the WAHOO was conducted

3 Sampans.

— page 156 —
FF12-10/A16-3(5) SUBMARINE FORCE, PACIFIC FLEET 1d
Serial 01235 Care of Fleet Post Office,
CONFIDENTIAL San Francisco, California,
8 September 1943.

THIRD ENDORSEMENT to [STAMP: 28 SEP 1943]
WAHOO Report of Sixth [HANDWRITTEN: 16 E 2]
War Patrol dated 8-29-43.
[HANDWRITTEN: A16-3(23)/SS238]
COMSUBSPAC PATROL REPORT NO. 246 [STAMP: 95298]
U.S.S. WAHOO - SIXTH WAR PATROL. [HANDWRITTEN: 3]

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : The Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Fleet.
Via : The Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Report of Sixth War Patrol,
(2 August to 29 August 1943).

Enclosure: (A) Copy of subject war patrol report.
(B) Copy of Comsubdiv 42 Conf. 1st. end. FB5-42/A16-3,
Serial 025 dated 4 September 1943.
(C) Copy of Comsubron 4 Conf. 2nd. end. FC5-4/A16-3, [HANDWRITTEN: (C) copy rec'd]
Serial 0226 dated 6 September 1943.

1. The WAHOO's sixth war patrol was the first after a navy yard
overhaul. It was carried out in the Japan Sea.

2. Many contacts were made and nine aggressive torpedo attacks were
carried out. The lack of success of these attacks is being investigated.
Failure to use torpedo spreads during most of the attacks undoubtedly contribu-
ted materially to the lack of success. Torpedo spreads must be used to cover
possible errors in data or possibility of duds.

3. Three sampans were sunk by gunfire and six prisoners were
brought back from one of them.

4. This patrol is not considered successful for Combat Insignia
award.

5. The WAHOO is credited with inflicting the following damage to
the enemy:

SUNK
3 - Sampans - 96 tons

Distribution and authentication C. A. LOCKWOOD, Jr.
on following page.
- 1 -

— page 158 —
[HANDWRITTEN: D] [HANDWRITTEN: 3]
11 1207
A

FF12-10/A4-1 (11) COMMANDER SUBMARINE FORCE
UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET

Serial 001642 Care of Fleet Post Office,
[STAMP: DECLASSIFIED] San Francisco, California,
9 November 1943.

From: The Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.
To : The Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet.
Via : The Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - loss of.

1.
It is with deep regret that the Commander Sub-
marine Force, Pacific Fleet, reports that the U.S.S. WAHOO has
not been heard from since her departure from Midway on 13
September 1943, and it is presumed that this vessel has been
lost.

2.
In accordance with Commander Task Force Seventeen
Operation Order No. 193-43, the U.S.S. WAHOO, in the command of
Commander Dudley W. Morton, U.S.N., departed Midway on 13 Septem-
ber 1943, for an offensive patrol of approximately one month's
duration in the Japan Sea. Her orders were to proceed through
Etorofu Strait and La Perouse Strait and into the Japan Sea. Not
later than sunset on 21 October she was to depart her patrol
area and return to Midway following the reverse of her outgoing
route. The WAHOO had orders to report the results of her patrol
by despatch after passing through the Kuril Island Chain enroute
to Midway. If the WAHOO remained her full time in her area,
this report would have been made about 23 October 1943. This
report has not been received.

3.
The distance from La Perouse Strait to Midway
via the routing prescribed for the WAHOO is approximately 2,200
miles. Had the WAHOO departed her area on the date specified
and proceeded at one-engine speed, she would have reached
Midway on 1 November 1943. No word having been received from
the WAHOO, on 30 October 1943 a despatch was sent to Commander
Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, Subordinate Command, requesting
him to arrange aircraft search along the expected direction
of the WAHOO's approach from Midway. This search has produced
negative results.

4.
In view of the above facts, the U.S.S. WAHOO is
presumed to have been lost while engaged in a war patrol in
enemy waters.

5.
While no word has been received from the WAHOO
since her departure from Midway, the results of one of her

- 1 -

— page 161 —
Reg. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 9981]
R.S. No. [HANDWRITTEN: 14 1201]

Cincpac File

Pac-F3-Sn
L11-1/SS
Serial 001527

SECRET
S E C R E T

UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET
AND PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
HEADQUARTERS OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF

[STAMP: COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF]
[STAMP: U.S. PACIFIC FLEET]
[STAMP: 1943 NOV 27]
[STAMP: REGISTERED]
[STAMP: 8]

1st Endorsement on
Comsubpac ltr. FF12-10/
A4-1(11) Serial 001642
of 9 November, 1943.

From: Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet.
To : Commander in Chief, United States Fleet.

Subject: U.S.S. WAHOO (SS238) - Loss of.

1. Forwarded, concurring in the presumption
expressed in paragraph 4 of the basic letter that the U.S.S.
WAHOO was lost while engaged in war patrol in enemy waters.

2. The WAHOO, under the command of Commander
D.W. Morton, was an outstanding unit of the submarine force
whose record itself is brilliant. Her merit had been re-
cognized by the award of the Presidential Unit Citation.

3. The Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet,
adds his deepest regrets to those of the Commander Submarine
Force, Pacific Fleet. Beyond the probable loss of her brave
officers and men, the further loss of such an effective ship
will be deeply felt. This last regret is tempered by the
knowledge that among her contemporaries there are many who
are capable, willing, and ready to match her deeds.

4. By copy of this endorsement, the Commander
Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, is directed to submit recom-
mendations for suitable awards in absentia.

[SIGNATURE: C.W. Nimitz]
C. W. NIMITZ

Copy to:
Comsubpac

— page 162 —
WAHOO (SS 238)

WAHOO returned to Pearl Harbor from her sixth
war patrol on 29 August 1943 with the dejected
air peculiar to a highly successful submarine who
suddenly could not make her torpedoes run true. In
twenty-eight days away from port, seven of them spent
in her assigned area in the Sea of Japan, WAHOO had
expended ten torpedoes in nine attacks without inflict-
ing any damage on the enemy. Her Skipper, Cdr. D. W.
Morton, returned to port to have the torpedoes changed
or checked, and requested that WAHOO be sent back to
the Japan Sea for her seventh patrol.

On 9 September, WAHOO again departed Pearl. She
topped off with fuel at Midway and left there on 13 Sep-
tember heading for the dangerous and important Japan
Sea. Shortly afterwards, SAWFISH left Midway and also
headed for this area. WAHOO was to pass through
Etorofu Strait, in the Kurile Islands, and La Pérouse
Strait, between Hokkaido and Karafuto, and enter the
Japan Sea about 20 September. She was to head south
and remain below 43 degrees north after 23 September,
and below 40 degrees north after 26 September. SAW-
FISH was to follow WAHOO, entering the Japan Sea
about 23 September and patrolling the area north of
WAHOO.

No transmission was received from WAHOO, either
by any shore station or by SAWFISH, nor was she sighted
by SAWFISH after she left Midway. She had orders to
clear her area not later than sunset 21 October 1943,
and to report by radio after passing through the Kurile
Island chain enroute to Midway. This report was ex-
pected about 23 October, but Midway waited in vain.
By 30 October, apprehension was felt for WAHOO's
safety and an aircraft search along her expected course
was arranged. When this revealed nothing, WAHOO
was reported missing on 9 November 1943.

Although no transmission was received from WAHOO
after her departure on patrol, the results of one of her
attacks became known to the world via a Tokyo broad-
cast. Domei was quoted as reporting that on 5 October,
a "steamer" was sunk by an American submarine off
the west coast of Honshu near the Straits of Tsushima.
It was said that the ship sank "after several seconds"
with 544 people losing their lives. The submarine could
have been none other than WAHOO; none other was
operating in that area.

D. W. Morton

In reporting this broadcast, TIME magazine of 18
October 1943 stated:

"KNOCK AT THE DOOR"

"In the rough Tsushima Straits where two-decker,
train carrying ferries ply between Japan and Korea, an
Allied Submarine upped periscope, unleashed a torpedo.
The missile stabbed the flank of a Japanese steamer. Said
the Tokyo radio: the steamer went down in 'seconds'
with loss of 544 persons aboard.

"Fifty miles across at their narrowest, the Tsushima
Straits are Japan's historic doors to the Asiatic main-
land. Over them centuries ago Regent Hideyoshi's
armada sailed to battle the Koreans and send home
38,000 enemy ears pickled in wine. Upon them in 1905
crusty Admiral Togo smashed the Russian Fleet. Pre-
sumably the submarine knocking at the door last week
was American. It had achieved one of World War II's

— page 163 —
most daring submarine penetrations of enemy waters,
a feat ranking with German Günther Prien's entry at
Scapa Flow, the Jap invasion of Pearl Harbor, the U. S.
raid in Tokyo Bay."

Information gleaned from Japanese sources since
the cessation of hostilities indicates that an antisubma-
rine attack was made in La Pérouse Strait on 11 Octo-
ber 1943. This was two days after SAWFISH went
through the Straits. Supplementary data on the attack
also revealed that a Japanese patrol plane found a floating sub and
attacked it, with 3 depth charges." SAWFISH was at-
tacked here while making her passage, and that attack
is not mentioned in Japanese records; the primary at-
tacking agency in that case was a patrol boat, and about
five depth charges were dropped. Thus it is safe to as-
sume that the attack cited here was made on WAHOO,
and is not the attack on SAWFISH with an incorrect date.
Both Tsushima Straits, where the attack on the steamer
was made, and La Pérouse Straits, through which
WAHOO was to make good her exit from the Japan Sea,
had been mined. This despite the fact
that SAWFISH transited La Pérouse on 9 October and
reported no indication of mining. It is felt, however,
that WAHOO succumbed to the attack referred to above,
and not to a mine.

WAHOO was one of the Submarine Force's most
valuable units during her six patrols, and her feats
have become submarine legend. She sank 27 ships,
totaling 119,100 tons, and damaged two more, making
24,900 tons, in the six patrols completed before her
loss. Her patrolling career began in August 1942 in
the Carolines. On this patrol WAHOO sank a freighter.
Her second patrol was in the Solomon's, and she sank a
freighter. WAHOO conducted her third patrol in the
Palau area. She sank two large freighters, a transport,
a tanker, and an escort vessel. In addition, she entered
Wewak harbor, on the north coast of New Guinea, seri-
ously damaged a destroyer, which was later found
beached there, and obtained reconnaissance data. For
her fourth patrol, WAHOO went to the Yellow Sea west
of Korea. Here she sank eight freighters, a tanker, a
patrol craft and two sampans in March 1943.
Going to the Kurile chain for her fifth patrol, WAHOO
sank two freighters and a large tanker, also doing dam-
age to another freighter and a large (15,600 ton) aircraft
transport. The sixth patrol of WAHOO was the disap-
pointing one in the Japan Sea due to poor torpedo per-
formance. Not one of the many attacks on merchantmen
resulted in a torpedo hit; WAHOO's only sinkings were
of three sampans by gunfire. WAHOO was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation for her third patrol. Com-
mander Morton was considered one of the topnotch offi-
cers in the Submarine Force, and the loss of this ship
was an irreparable blow to the Service.

Japanese records now reveal that the following ships
were sunk in the Sea of Japan shortly before WAHOO's
loss: TAIKO MARU 2,958gt., 25 Sept.; KONRON MARU
7,903T., 1 Oct.; KANKO MARU 1,288gt., 6 Oct.; and
KANKO MARU 2,995gt., 9 Oct. WAHOO was the only
submarine who could have sunk these ships.

"Just sight,

track,

shoot

and

Sink!"

-D. W. Morton*

WAHOO Battle Flag

*As quoted by Newsweek, 3 May 43.

— page 165 —
UNITED STATES
SUBMARINE LOSSES
WORLD WAR II

Reissued with an Appendix of
Axis Submarine Losses, fully indexed,
by
Naval History Division
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Washington: 1963