World War 2: Submarine Stories: True Stories From the Underwater Battlegrounds (Submarine Warfare, World War 2, USS Barb, World War II, WW2, WWII, Grey wolf, Uboat, submarine book Book 1)

by Ryan Jenkins

  The Germans were also in the midst of developing an improved version of the Type XXVIIB5 that was to be known as Type XXVIIK. This model was to have a closed circuit circulation (CCC) engine. This and other changes would have made the submarine more resilient. However, the Germans were not able to complete these plans before the end of the war.

  Chapter 8: The Floating Museum

  The USS Bowfin (SS-287) cannot be left far behind when it comes to interesting backstories. After all, she was launched exactly one year after the Pearl Harbor attack, on December 7th, 1942, and was given the nickname the Pearl Harbor Avenger for this very reason. She was one of the most successful war submarines that the United States had, thus living up to her nickname. What makes the USS Bowfin even more special is the fact that she is one of the few war submarines that survived the length of the war.

  The USS Bowfin was one of the new Balao class submarines, and the third in that class. She was named after the ray-finned fish in the Mississippi and the Great Lakes, which were aggressive in nature. For her time, she was one of the best submarines that ever existed, one that was matched the American design of that time seamlessly.

  Her design was similar to those of the other Balao class submarines. Her best speed along the water was around 20 knots, and while underwater, she could still zip at 9 knots. The range of the Bowfin was effective too – reaching about 11,000 nautical miles. Testing conditions showed that she could go nearly 400 feet deep, though, like with other submarines, this was only tested in the event of emergencies. Seven officers, along with nine times the personnel were usually associated with the vessel, something that was yet again typical of her class. This was later increased to a total of eighty (with 8 officers, and 72 enlisted).

  Her main aid in warfare were the ten 21-inch torpedo tubes, which were unique because there were four such tubes at the stern during a time when torpedoes are associated only with bow fittings. A total of twenty torpedoes were carried aboard, which mean a great deal of damage could be done. She also had several surface weapons including a caliber deck gun, supported by a Bofors 40 mm, and a cannon, an Oerlikon 20 mm.

  The Bowfin hit a couple of locations before leaving for the war. First, she headed towards Connecticut, where the crew was trained and given an overview of the vessel’s functions. Some testing was also conducted on the vessel itself. Sailing through the Caribbean waters, she then passed the Panama Canal in order to enter the Pacific, which allowed the Bowfin to proceed towards her first location, Brisbane, Australia, under Commander Joseph Harris Willingham.

  For her first patrol, Commander Willingham coordinated with Fredrick C. Lucas, Jr., who was commanding USS Billfish, in order to launch a stealth attack. There were five ships assigned to her, and the Bowfin managed to sink three of them – two tankers and a cargo ship, as a result of most of her torpedoes meeting their mark. Five days later, she managed to sink two more enemy vessels, one of which was carrying close to a hundred enemy soldiers, this time using gunfire.

  Not only did the USS Bowfin fight the war during the first patrol, she also engaged in two secret missions that most people till date are unaware of. There were two trips made to the Philippine Islands, which were held by Japan back then. As a result of the first mission, she had provided critical supplies such as medication, ammunition, and radio transmitters, apart from some financial support to the Guerilla warriors there. This was a part of the plan to make sure Japan’s effort to establish more and more control over the islands was not fruitful, and effectively disrupted their progress. Apart from this, she also transported nine Guerilla fighters from the Philippines who had been specially chosen for this purpose to Australia.

  For this patrol, Commander Willingham was awarded a second gold star, after which the command of the USS Bowfin changed hands. Lieutenant Commander Walter Thomas Griffith relieved and succeeded him; he had previously served on two other vessels as well.

  After being refit by the USS Orion, the Bowfin was on her way to the South China Sea for her second patrol. On November 9th, 1943, despite being under attack from Japanese aircrafts overhead, she managed to attack and sink three schooners of the five in that group, before going under to dodge the attack on her. She managed to resurface and destroy yet another large schooner that night. Soon after, she also set on fire two more vessels that had been laden with oil.

  Around two weeks later, while she was off the Indochina coast, she found that she was caught in between Japanese shipping activity, and had to reverse all her engines in order to make sure she did not collide with an unsuspecting Japanese tanker. Soon after, she attacked the ships and managed to torpedo and sink two of them – a freight ship and a tanker. She also sank a small French vessel that night, which had been captured by the Japanese.

  Two days hereafter, she coordinated with USS Billfish yet again, in order to attack a convoy. The Bowfin was responsible for sinking two of the ships because of the torpedo attack launched. During this attack, however, there was some damage sustained by the USS Bowfin, as a result of which she had to head back to Fremantle to ensure proper repair. Even so, on the way back to Fremantle, she managed to sink a yacht that was in enemy service.

  After being refitted, the USS Bowfin set off on her third patrol, under the command of Griffith’s time as well. Another schooner was soon sunk, followed by a freight ship and an escort. Soon after, she returned to Darwin, was refitted, and set off on her fourth patrol.

  It was around this time that she had a guest on board from Australia, who had heard of the Bowfin’s reputation and wanted to see it for himself – Rear Admiral Ralph Waldo Christie. He served as the officer on watch as often as possible, and took up night shifts as well, proving to be not only an impressed, but very fitting guest – even if he had joined the vessel against the command of his seniors.

  Once the Bowfin was back at sea, she used her torpedoes to sink a cargo ship. Soon after, she began the chase of a large tanker that proved to be quite testing. Six of the torpedoes were fired but all of them missed their mark as the tanker changed course. Following this, six more were fired, of which two hit their mark – this was enough to damage the vessel but not enough to sink it just yet. However, she caught fire due to the attack from the tanker’s guns. Firing a few more torpedoes at the tanker, she submerged quickly in order to make sure nothing could be permanently damaged. By the time she managed to resurface, the tanker had already gone.

  After this, she headed to Makassar Strait, where the USS Bowfin set up an entire minefield. It is believed that at least two large vessels were harmed or sunk due to this minefield. However, as the Bowfin had not been sure of the effectiveness of the minefield when they set it (simply because they had no way of being sure the enemy ships would sail exactly this way), she could not claim the results as being her own achievements. She set back to Fremantle, and managed to sink two schooners along the way.

  The next patrol was not quite as successful, even though a lot happened during this period. The target area was the Celebes Sea this time, and when the Bowfin came across an enemy convoy in Obi Strait, she fired her torpedoes immediately – which caused some damage to one of the large enemy vessels. However, the submarine was under attack from enemy aircrafts and was forced under, where enemy ships depth-charged her. This caused some damage due to shock, even if most of it was not serious. The next day, she resurfaced and fired again, only to have one of the torpedoes explode prematurely which forced her under yet again. Third time lucky, when the USS Bowfin surfaced again, the damaged vessel from the first attack was thoroughly damaged this time around and sunk, and yet another enemy ship was damaged. Around this time, the Bowfin had to return to Darwin in order replenish its exhausted weapons.

  At sea again, the Bowfin located yet another convoy and attacked them – however, the torpedoes all missed their mark because she was on her defensive due to the escort vessels present. Less than a week later, she launched a night attack on a five-vessel convoy, and managed to sink two of the cargo
vessels, while heavily damaging another one in the process. By this time, she had expended all of her torpedoes yet again and hence had to return to Darwin.

  Commander Griffith was relieved of his duty of captaining the submarine, after which he returned to Portsmouth and worked with a new fleet submarine, the USS Bullhead. He commanded the Bullhead till the end of her second war patrol. Command of the USS Bowfin, on the other hand, was passed on to Commander John Corbus.

  On April 25th, 1944, USS Bowfin set off on her next patrol, to the Palau area. There were not many enemy targets in sight. However, she torpedoed and managed to sink a freighter that was part of a convoy. Soon after, she was under severe depth-charge attack due to which she had to go under. Cordus then had to redirect the Bowfin to recover downed American pilots, offering lifeguard support because of the air strike that had hit the islands. She then returned to Pearl Harbor through Midway Island.

  USS Bowfin set off on her next patrol on 16th July, and the target area this time was the Ryukyu Islands. After nearly a month of shadowing, she was able to sink two ships that were a part of the convoy. Apart from this, some of the torpedoes launched during this attack also destroyed a crane, a dock, and an IJN bus where sailors were supposed to have been boarding.

  The night of August 22nd proved to be a grim one for USS Bowfin. A night attack ensured she did her duty, managing to sink not only three cargo ships, but also two destroyer escorts that had been a part of that convoy. However, of the torpedoes that were fired and the damage that was caused, one proved to be very disturbing. A transport vessel named Tsushima Maru was sunk, which was said to have been carrying close to 1,500 civilians. These included many parents and teachers, but more importantly, a little over half of these civilians were children who were being displaced. They were being taken away from the Japanese mainland because of the expectation of a US-led invasion there.

  59 children survived this traumatizing ordeal – and USS Bowfin, and other authorities back in the US were unaware of the civilian loss they had caused till much later.

  Around one week later, Corbus used the surface guns to take out a small enemy trawler. There were two survivors, who were taken aboard as prisoners for questioning. Once out of torpedoes, the Bowfin stopped at Midway and transferred the prisoners there.

  Authorities considering sending the USS Bowfin to assist with the invasion of Leyte, but the damage that she had sustained had already been severe (including leaking oil fuel tanks). Soon after, she moved ahead to Pearl Harbor and was then sent to San Francisco for a complete overhaul.

  On 21st September, Bowfin arrived at San Francisco for the major overhaul. A lot of necessary repair was completed during this period. Apart from this, new equipment was also installed – the most notable of which was new FM sonar mine detection gear. Equipment’s were not the only things that changed about USS Bowfin though. The crew changed as well – most of them were transferred to other ships and patrols, while new men replaced them. All these changes almost a brand-new her. The testing of the equipment and training of the crew was done off of San Francisco. Commander Corbus was relieved of his duty by Commander Alexander Kelly Tyree.

  USS Bowfin’s next patrol started through Pearl Harbor yet again, after, which travelled to Honshu. The aim of this patrol was not only to target enemy vessels, but also rescue the American airmen who had been downed. She managed to sink one enemy ship while surviving attack from the other. Then, she went on to Guam to be refitted.

  It was during this time that Mac’s Mops was formed – this was a group of five submarines that coordinated their attacks, and was led by Commander Bernard F. McMahon of USS Piper. They were entrusted with the responsibility of destroying any Japanese picket boat that came their way. Owing to the fact that no picket boats could be sighted, the submarines split up in order to become individual lifeguard stations, of which Bowfin was assigned south of Honshu. Soon after, Bowfin sank a Japanese destroyer vessel, while another one managed to escape. Though under depth charges from an unarmed destroyed, she managed to reach her patrol area.

  There, she attacked three picket boats and rescued several airmen to be transferred while she returned to her home base.

  For her next patrol, Bowfin needed to proceed through the Tsushima Straits (which were heavily mined) without a coding machine and reach the Sea of Japan. Post reaching the place, they were supposed to report how they had avoided the mines, where they had been detected, and what track the vessel had followed, following which they needed to continue patrol there. However, she was given orders to return and get her machine. On the way back, Bowfin managed to sink one enemy ship, and conducted FM sonar investigations of the nearby minefields and then returned to Guam.

  Using her mine-detecting sonar, Bowfin and eight other submarines traversed through the heavily mined straits all over again, to reach what was known as the Emperor’s Backyard. The sonar emitted a gong-like sound whenever it came close to 300 yards of a mine, and Bowfin’s crew nicknamed this Hell’s Bells. Bowfin managed to sink a cargo ship and a freighter in the journey after this, while engaging in rescue missions to save any American survivors. Enemy attack and action soon followed. Of the nine vessels that went to the Sea of Japan, eight returned.

  While on her way to the Marianas Islands for her next patrol, the crew received the news that the Emperor of Japan had officially surrendered – marking the end of USS Bowfin’s great association with the Second World War. After being an active part of the Cold War that followed, USS Bowfin became a floating museum in the year 1979, to be stationed at Pearl Harbor, a part of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

  She stands not only as a testament to history, but as a tribute to all those submariners who lost their life during the war.

  Chapter 9: HMS Perseus and an incredible survivor

  HMS Perseus was a kind of Parthian-class of British submarines, which had a ship of the same name. The submarines were built before 1930, and were used during the Second World War. They were capable of achieving a speed of 18 knots when on the surface, and close to 9 knots when submerged. Like other ships produced during the time, she was fitted with a variety of weapons – including a deck gun, two machine guns, and eight torpedoes.

  Initially, the vessel had been assigned to a part of China. However, in 1940, long after the submarines had been commissioned, HMS Perseus got reassigned to the Mediterranean waters. The crew was expected to patrol the Greek waters and attack only when necessary. During this time, she had a 59 member strong crew, along with two passengers. One of these passengers was John Capes who was on his way to Alexandria.

  It was believed that the Perseus torpedoed a ship on the 3rd of December. However, the real tale was what followed this event. On the cold night of 6th December, Perseus had surfaced so she could charge her batteries while in the darkness, so she could be ready for another day underwater. It was around this time that she hit what is now recognized as an Italian mine – and was destroyed.

  She sank, taking all the sixty people along with her. However, John Capes decided to attempt a daring escape – something that was incredibly dangerous, considering the cold, and the depth of the water. He tried as hard as he could to quickly attach the DAVIS Submarine Escape Apparatus, which consisted of a rubber lung, an oxygen bottle, a mouthpiece, and a pair of goggles. He wore the apparatus himself and then proceeded to help others by attaching it to whoever looked like they had survived the attack, even if they had been injured.

  There was, in this case, yet another challenge. The apparatus had been tested at the depth of around 100 feet – but here John Capes was, in a sunken submarine, while his depth gauge showed the depth of 270 feet (incorrectly so, as the gauge was broken – even so, the actual depth was 170 feet, almost two times the depth the apparatus had been tested under). The odds seemed impossible; after all, no one was known to have survived after having the bare minimal to keep them alive. Still, he decided to risk the attempt anyway.

  After pushing three of his
companions up through the hatch, he tried to swim upwards, ignoring the burst of pain he felt in his lungs and body due to the pressure, the depth, and low availability of oxygen. With a burst of resilience, he pushed himself towards the surface while attempting to ignore the sheer fear the great, wide ocean seemed to bring out in him now.

  And even as he broke the surface, he realized that his ordeal was not over yet – there was still so much more to deal with. None of his companions had made it to the surface, which meant he was the only survivor of the deepest escape recorded so far. This meant he was all-alone in the vast ocean. As he looked around him, he spotted some white cliffs in the darkness, and realized he had no choice but to swim towards them.

  The following morning, two local fishermen, on the shores of Kefalonia, discovered his unconscious form. In order to blend in with the Italian locals, he had his hair dyed black, and lost over 30 kgs. He received nothing but care from the local inhabitants of the island, who cared for him and hid him among them as if he were one among their own. During the 18-month period that he spent in hiding, several families risked hosting him as he moved from house to house in order to make sure he did not draw too much attention to himself.

  In May 1943, in an operation organized by the Royal Navy, he was brought back to Alexandria through Turkey, even though the journey was roundabout and dangerous.

  Though he was awarded a medal for his escape, there were very few people who believed him – those who did not buy his tale far outnumbered those who did, and these kinds of people were not just from outside the Navy, but within the Navy too.

  There were several reasons for this disbelief. To begin with, there was nobody to corroborate his story because there were no witnesses to this event. Second, as he had been a guest on the submarine, his name was not a part of the official list of crewmembers. Third, the depth gauge indicated he had survived after having been 270 feet under the water, which was not something that was practically possible. Fourth, the hatches were not supposed to be so easily opened (sealed from the outside) in order to prevent their sudden opening in case of a shock due to a depth charge.