Wahoo
Page 33
UNITED STATES SHIP WAHOO
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
“For distinctive performance in combat in the New Guinea Area, January 16 to February 7, 1943. In bold defiance of an enemy destroyer attempting to run her down in a confined harbor, the WAHOO remained at periscope depth to counter with a daring attack, sinking the Japanese vessel by her torpedo fire. Pursuing similar tactics while under sustained fire, she fought a fourteen hour battle, attacking an unescorted armed enemy convoy and destroying the entire force, two freighters, one tanker and one transport and their personnel. The high combat efficiency of the WAHOO, her officers and men, is exemplified in the destruction of 31,890 tons of enemy shipping during a War Patrol from which she escaped intact.”
For the President,
Secretary of the Navy.
GLOSSARY
After trim. Variable ballast tank to adjust submarine’s tilting moment and weight.
Air banks. Groups of 11-cubic-foot air bottles in midships ballast tanks for storing high-pressure air to charge torpedoes; blow tanks; and, reduced from 3,000 to 200 pounds per square inch, for other uses.
Angle on the bow. The angle formed by the longitudinal axis of a ship and the line of sight from the submarine intersecting her.
A-scope. A radar screen giving a horizontal presentation.
Auxiliary tanks. Three variable midships ballast tanks, one generally reserved for fresh water.
Ballast tanks. Spaces between the pressure hull and outer hull not reserved for fuel, and located inside the pressure hull in the torpedo rooms. They are blown dry when surfaced and completely flooded when submerged.
Bathythermograph. An instrument to record sea temperature at the submarine’s depth and to show any abrupt change or gradient which will reflect enemy echo ranging.
Bendix log. An underwater manometer for measuring speed.
Betty. Japanese patrol torpedo plane or bomber.
Bow buoyancy. A ballast tank to give extra buoyancy forward when surfacing in heavy weather or in an emergency.
Bow planes. A pair of large horizontal rudders, rigged out on diving to help give the initial down angle and then in conjunction with the stern planes, to control depth.
Can. Storage batteries.
Cavitation. The formation of pockets of vacuum by rotating propeller blades. The collapsing vacuum creates propeller noise.
CinCPac. Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet.
Clamp down. Going over decks in living spaces with a damp swab.
ComSubDiv. Submarine Division Commander.
ComSubPac. Commander Submarine Force Pacific Fleet.
ComSubSoWesPac. Commander Submarine Forces Southwest Pacific Fleet.
Conn. The authority directing the steersman or the individual act directing and thus maneuvering a ship.
Conning tower. A small horizontal hull between the bridge and the control room. It contains all the ship and torpedo control devices: steering stand, chart desk, sonar gear, torpedo data computer and its angle solver, the SJ surface search radar, torpedo firing panel, Pit log, dead-reckoning indicator, bathythermograph, and two periscopes.
Control room. The midships compartment containing all diving controls: the ship’s gyrocompass (and its auxiliary when available), an auxiliary steering stand, the AC switchboard, and the radio room.
CPO. Chief Petty Officer.
DE. A destroyer escort.
DivCom. Division Commander.
Dogs. The pawls securing a watertight hatch or door.
Dogwatch. Normally the 1600 to 1800 or the 1800 to 2000 watches, which are dogged or halved for the crew.
DR. Dead-reckoning position obtained from ship’s course and speed.
Drain pump. A two-piston, high-pressure pump for pumping to sea.
DRI. Dead-reckoning indicator with inputs from Pit or Bendix log and gyrocompass. Dials show latitude and longitude.
End-around. Surface and submerged maneuver to pass a ship and gain a position ahead.
Engine-air induction. Large mushroom valve and piping to provide air for the dieseis.
Fire control. The mechanics of directing gunfire or torpedoes.
Five by five. Loud and clear radio signal or voice.
Fix. An accurate position by star sights or bearings of land positions.
Forward trim. Variable ballast tank used to adjust boat’s tilting moment and weight.
Fox. Radio broadcast schedule of messages for submarines.
Gradient. A layer where the temperature of seawater and to a lesser degree its density changes quickly and will bend sound waves of echo ranging clear of a submarine below the layer.
Gyro angle. The angle set into each torpedo’s gyro by the TDC so its steering mechanism will keep the torpedo on course to hit the point of aim.
Hull-down. A ship beyond the horizon with only masts showing.
IC switchboard. Interior communications switchboard. Handles AC electricity for gyrocompass, torpedo data computer, radios, sound.
ISWAS. A hand-held circular slide rule with azimuth scales and pointer on the back to figure distance to the track and tactical courses.
JK. Supersonic listening sound head.
JP. An amplified sonic receiver.
Limber holes. The scalloped openings in the superstructure where it meets the ballast tanks or pressure hull.
Losing bearing. Dropping behind when trying to overtake and pass a ship.
Mark-18. A new electric powered, wakeless torpedo with a speed of 27 knots and a range of about 4000 yards.
Mark-14. A steam torpedo (alcohol and compressed air) with a range of 5000 yards at 47 knots and 9000 yards at 31 knots.
Maru. A suffix to the names of Japanese merchant ships; hence, in submarine language, any Japanese ship except a warship.
Momsen lung. A breathing apparatus for escape and as a life preserver when reaching the surface.
Negative tank. A tank holding 14,000 pounds of ballast to accelerate diving.
Normal approach course. An approach course perpendicular to the bearing of the enemy. It will reach the enemy if possible.
Normal course. An approach course perpendicular to the track of the enemy.
One bell. A single order to maneuvering.
IMC. The submarine announcing system which includes the diving alarm, collision alarm, and general alarm (battle stations) in a somewhat melodious note, frequently called the Bells of St. Mary’s.
ONI-208J. Identification manual of Japanese merchant ships, used by submarines to help in identifying ships.
PBM. A U.S. Martin Catalina patrol bomber.
PC. A patrol craft about half the length of a destroyer.
PCO. Prospective commanding officer, normally reporting from another related assignment or from a smaller submarine, making a refresher and updating patrol before taking his own fleet boat command.
Pit log. A common name for all logs, from the original Pitometer log.
Point. A point of the compass, accurately 11¼ degrees; the best way for lookouts to report direction with each sector divided into eight points (one point abaft the starboard beam).
Poppet valve. Valve to vent residual impulse air into the boat after a torpedo firing, rather than having it form a great bubble, which would mark the submarine’s position.
Pressure hull. The submarine’s inner hull and conning tower; built to withstand sea pressure at the stipulated test depth plus a large safety factor.
QC. The echo-ranging half of a sound head.
Relative bearing. The direction or bearing in degrees measured clockwise from own ship’s bow.
Safety. A special ballast tank with the strength of the pressure hull, which can be blown and the flood valve closed to compensate for some flooding in the boat.
S-boat. A numbered class of post-World War I submarines still operating in World War II.
SD. Nondirectional air-search radar.
Stadimeter. Periscope rangefinder requ
iring target’s height or length to determine range and angle on the bow, respectively.
Stern planes. A pair of horizontal rudders that control the angle on the boat and, working with the bow planes, the depth.
TBT. Target bearing transmitters, one forward and aft, receive hinge pin of 7 × 50 binoculars fitted with vertical hair to transmit relative bearings to conning tower.
TDC. Torpedo data computer. Keeps the target range current and displays the relative aspects of own ship and target continuously. The angle-solver section computes the hitting gyro angle continuously and keeps it set on the gyros in the torpedoes.
Torpedo gyro. The internal gyro that is spun on firing and guides the torpedo course set at the instant of firing.
Torpex. An explosive in torpedo warheads composed of TNT and metal flakes.
Trim pump. A rotary pump for shifting ballast and pumping to sea.
True bearing. The bearing in degrees measured clockwise from the earth’s true north. In practice, this is duplicated by the submarine’s gyrocompass.
Ultra. A priority, classified message containing information derived from broken Japanese codes.
Very star. Various signal flares fired from a large-barrel pistol.
Zeke. A Japanese Zero fighter or bomber.
Copyright © 1987 by Richard H. O’Kane
Published by Presidio Press
505 B San Marin Drive, Suite 300
Novato, CA 94945-1340
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to Presidio Press, 505 B San Marin Drive, Suite 300, Novato, CA 94945-1340.
Library of Congress-in-Publication Data
O’Kane, Richard H., 1911–1994
Wahoo: the patrols of America’s most famous World War II submarine.
eISBN: 978-0-307-54884-9
1. O’Kane, Richard H., 1911–1994. 2. Wahoo (Submarine) 3. World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations—Submarine. 4. World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations, American 5. World War, 1939–1945—Personal narratives, American. 6. United States. Navy—Biography. 7. Seamen—United States—Biography. I. Title.
D783.5.W3044 1987 940.54’51 87–6925
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