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Post by keyboy on Nov 14, 2017 10:14:30 GMT
Patrol After Action Reports are due no later than November 19th, 2017. February 3rd 1944Good morning gentlemen, I won't take up much of your time, as I know that you are preparing to get underway. We have most patrol areas covered this month; but please just ensure that if your patrol is in the China Sea, then you will need to remember that you will be in shallow waters and as a result, you will not be able to dive towards or below test depth.
With the Japanese losing the Marshall Islands, Tokyo would like a trophy from the US. Make sure it isn't you and your crew. Usual China Seas reminder, but above all remember your training and use the experience of your last patrol to guide you and your crew back home next month. God speed. - Captain Lyndon Woodbury - SUBRON Commander ALL Boats have been upgraded with: SJ Radar - July 1942 and Modified MK 14 and Mk 18 Torpedoes (Dud 1) - January 1944
Torpedo Loads as of September 1943: Maximum Load of 24 Torpedoes - 16 x Mk14 and 8 x Mk18 - May adjust the mix by +/- 4
Ships on PatrolUSS Grunt - crushedhat USS Catfish - cajun USS Blackfish - keyboy USS Silversides - tamari Currently at Sea
USS Rover - silentshark USS Haddock - keyboy USS Defiant - wsmithjr USS Redfin - captbridge USS Clownfish - s1cjwmccartney RefitUSS Flasher - lars - March 1944 --------------------------------- Special Instructions: None --------------------------------- [P1a]Patrol Assignment 1944 Jan-Jun Patrols
China Sea ( Shallow Water - Cannot exceed test depth)USS Grunt - crushedhat Java Sea (M)None Java Sea (L)None Java Sea USS Silversides - tamari MarshallsUSS Catfish - cajun Philippines (W)None IndochinaNone Marianas (L)None MarianasUSS Blackfish - keyboy Philippines (T)None Important Information needed in Patrol Report
Boat Name and ID: Commanders Name: Patrol Assignment: Successful Patrol: Yes or No Number of Freighters or Tankers Sank: (Include ship name) Number of War Ships Sank: (Include ship name) Capital Ships Sunk: (Include ship name) Total Tonnage Destroyed: Special Assignment Completed: Yes, No, or N/A Refit Time: Awards Requested:
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Post by crushedhat on Nov 17, 2017 19:45:04 GMT
25 March 1940, USS Grunt enters the harbor at Brisbane, her crew eagerly looking forward to leave. Standard Report FormatBoat ID: USS Grunt Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters or Tankers Sank: 3 Number of Non-Capital Warships Sank: 0 Capital Ships Sank: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 15,300 Special Assignment Completed: NA Refit Time: standard, ready May 44 Awards Requested: Bronze Star for Cdr Neil Balaton Silver Star to Combat Patrol Insignia for entire crew Battle Star for Submarine Narrative:We departed Brisbane on 3 February for new territory, the East China Sea. A few days later, 8 Feb, we were surprised while cruising at night up-on the surface when a flare suddenly lit up the sky. Not waiting to see if my assumption about a long range patrol bomber from Rabaul were the cause, we immediately crash dived. Whatever the flare’s source, we surfaced a short time later and continued unmolested though more vigilant. East of the northern point of Luzon the morning of the 20th we encountered a lone maru of 2,600 tons. Coming to close range, we the deck gun opened fire and proceeded to demonstrate the need for more practice. This was followed up with three fish, of which two hit and sent the maru to the bottom. Off the south coast of Korea the afternoon of the 27th we sighted a convoy. Moving into mdium range I decided to fire the stern tubes (the only one loaded with Mk18s and not wanting to leave torpedo tracks) at the largest target, an 8,600 ton freighter. All four fish hit, breaking the back of the maru. As the two halves began to sink it seemed my efforts to diminish our signature were in vain, a Mikura class escort bearing down on us. The Jap skipper was either lucky or skilled as he tracked my attempt to evade. We experienced some minor flooding as well as losing both the #2 diesel and Electric #4. Though the attack was brief, it was enough to prevent our following the convoy, especially after attempting repairs; while the diesel was quickly back on line, the electric was out of commission. We also learned that the deck gun had suffered irreparable damage, not that that was any great loss given the gun crew’s earlier performance. Continuing down the Chinese coast, we met another lone freighter (4,100 tons) making for Shanghai the evening of 3 Mar. She must have been loaded with munitions because after firing four fish she disappeared in a blinding flash. The rest of the patrol, including the trip home, was uneventful. Grunt and her crew should be ready to patrol again in May. Respectfully submitted, Neil Balaton, Cdr, USN, commanding USS Grunt
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cajun
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 13
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Post by cajun on Nov 20, 2017 2:41:41 GMT
Boat Name and ID: USS Catfish Commanders Name: Barbier Patrol Assignment: Marshalls Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters or Tankers Sank: 2. Ume Maru (5900), Sanju Maru (4600) Number of War Ships Sank: 0 Capital Ships Sunk: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 10,500 tonnes Special Assignment Completed: N/A Refit Time: standard Awards Requested: SCPI, Battle Star
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tamari
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 38
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Post by tamari on Nov 20, 2017 18:11:28 GMT
February and March 1944
Boat Name and ID: USS Silversides SS-236 Commanders Name: Oscar Garrard Patrol Assignment: Java Sea Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters or Tankers Sunk: 2 freighters (Tinian Maru, 5400 tons / Fukushu Maru, 1500 tons) Number of War Ships Sunk: 0 Capital Ships Sunk: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 6,900 Special Assignment Completed: NA Refit Time: 5 months (4 systems damaged, 8 hull damage) Retired Awards Requested: Battle Star, SCPI
Expert Executive Officer roll needed Crew Upgrade roll needed Navy Cross #2 roll for Balao submarine, otherwise new Gato received, ready for patrol May 1944 in either case
Silversides is towed into Brisbane, her active career at an end.
Encountered a Minesweeper hugging the coast during daylight in late February. I fired two electric torpedoes at it from long range, and they both missed. The sweeper continued on course, apparently not noticing the torpedoes, and moved out of range.
Found a lone freighter running a channel in early March. I surfaced next to her at night, and sank it with gunfire.
Another freighter with an escort ran the channel a few days later. An attempt to get to close range failed, and the escort forced us to retreat. We were unable to follow the target for another attempt.
A third freighter + escort appeared the next evening. This time we successfully made close range, but a dud fish left the freighter damaged, along with the escort. A second escort showed itself from the other side of the target, and it hammered the boat for a while until moving off. The damage was minor, and the CE fixed all of it. We followed the freighter and prepared for another shot.
In the back of my mind, that second escort seemed a little too well-placed for a regular mission. Also, a third freighter coming down a channel known to have at least one enemy submarine lurking nearby was suspicious. I decided to stay at medium range for a second attack, but did decide to attack.
The torpedoes hit the freighter hard, and she quickly sank. I didn't fire at the second escort, and it proved to be what it appeared - a dedicated sub-hunter. I can only surmise our survival is because it ran out of ammunition.
I set course for the base as quickly as our wrecked boat could manage. I *know* we only made it due to the skill of our CE keeping what was left of the hull in one piece. When we reached safer waters, we requested and was towed home.
We lost 5 crew and many others suffered various injuries. It was nearly all of us, and it will take some serious shore leave to shake this patrol off.
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Post by keyboy on Nov 25, 2017 11:47:37 GMT
Boat Name and ID: USS Blackfish Commander's Name: Kurtis Mayfield Patrol Assignment: Marianas Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters or Tankers Sank: 5 - Daiki Maru (2200t), Kashima Maru (9900t), Hakui Maru (2600t), Zuiyo Maru (7400t) and Aki Maru (11,400t) Number of War Ships Sank: 0 Capital Ships Sunk: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 33,500t Special Assignment Completed: N/A Refit Time: Standard
Award Requests: Navy Cross for CDR Kurtis Mayfield Battle Star for Sub Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia for crew
Crew Names: Crew Skill: VETERAN CDR Kurtis Mayfield Chief Engineer: Lt Larry Wilson, USN Pharmacist's Mate: PhM1c Earl Coleman, USN Executive Officer: Lt Christopher White, USN 3rd Officer: Lt (jg) Bobby Bryant, USN 3rd Officer: EXPERT
February 5th 1944 Having left Brisbane and out to sea, we headed for the Marianas.
February 18th 1944 Arrived at the patrol co-ordinates around 3pm on the 15th February and only had to wait three days before we had made with two escorted ships; a large passenger ship and a small freighter. We tracked the enemy during the afternoon and as soon as it got dark, I gave the order to surface at mid range and attack, before submerging once again. All six bow tubes were fired, with the majority of torpedoes aimed at the larger ship. Three fish hit the passenger ship, but only two detonated. It was enough to see her listing badly at first and then realised that the Kashima Maru was going under. Only one torpedo hit the freighter and detonated, but this resulted in the Daiki Maru sinking by the stern. The escort detected us, but the first set of depth charges missed. That result was enough to attempt further away and so we slipped away undetected
February 27th 1944 After waiting for just over a week for the next enemy contact, the crew were just waiting for an opportunity to get back into action and during the afternoon of the 27th contact was made with a small escorted passenger ship. I ordered a long range submerged attack, using the aft fired MK 14's; two at the small passenger ship and two at one of the escorts. All four torpedoes missed, but at that range we easily avoided escort detection. I gave the order to follow the group of ship and wait till evening. This time we surfaced before attacking at long range and fired just four steam torpedoes from the bow tubes, before submerging. Both torpedoes hit the Hakui Maru and she made her way to the sea bed. Only one fish hit an escort, which resulted in it coming to a full stop. At long range and with an escort in trouble, we once again easily avoided being detected and moved away from the combat area.
March 10th 1944 Early evening on the 10th, contact was made with two escorted ships; a huge passenger ship and a large tanker. With only ten torpedoes left, I gave the order to get within medium range, surface, fire all torpedoes from both forward and aft tubes and then sink beneath the waves to make our escape. It started well, when three out of the four MK14's hit the Aki Maru and detonated, this broke the back of the passenger ship, before the MK 18's had a chance to hit; not that it mattered, when one missed and the other failed to detonate. Both steam torpedoes hit the Zuiyo Maru and detonated, causing the tanker to list. One of the electric eels hit caused the coup de grâce. At this point the plan went south as we got detected. There was a good hour of being hunted by the enemy, but in the end we made our escape after taking some damage. There was flooding front and aft, two of the electric motors had taken damage and as a result, several crew members had been injured. There had been some heavy explosions on deck and when I tried to use the periscope to see if we were clear of danger, it would not rise or fall. 3rd Officer Bobby Bryant was found unconscious near the torpedo room, having been hit by some pipework. After finding a quiet spot, the medical and engineering teams set to work. Chief Engineer Wilson and his team fixed both electric motors and supervised the pumping out of the water. However the periscope was completely broken and our AA gun had been ripped from its mounting and was gone. Pharmacist's Mate Earl Coleman and his team set about treating the injured and reported that Bobby Bryant was recovering and had cuts to the forehead, but would be ok within a few days.
March 15th 1944 After five days of the patrol without a periscope, the crew and I were glad we reached the end of our patrol and so we started to make our long way back to base.
March 26th 1944 Arrived in Brisbane, Australia, after traversing the rest of the Arafura Sea and finally getting to the Coral Sea, with no enemy contact on our way to the mainland.
USS Blackfish will be ready for the May patrol
Patrol report submitted by Commander Kurtis Mayfield, commanding the USS Blackfish, Subron 9, Pacific Fleet.
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Post by keyboy on Nov 25, 2017 12:02:48 GMT
30th March 1944
To: Vice Admiral Thomas T. Tompkins
Submarine Squadron 9 (SUBRON 9) Report: Four US submarines set sail from Brisbane from the 1st February 1944 onwards. I submit the following results.
Submarine | Freighters Sunk | Tankers Sunk | Warships Sunk | Capital Ship Sunk | Total Sunk | Status | USS Silversides
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,900 tons | Refit | USS Blackfish | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33,500 tons | Refit | USS Catfish | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,500 tons | Refit | USS Grunt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15,300 tons | Refit | Totals
| 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66,200 tons |
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All four submarines completed a successful patrol and each will receive a Battle Star.
All four Captains completed a successful patrol and each will receive the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia.
US Submarines Lost: NonePROMOTIONSNoneAWARDS AND DECORATIONS MEDAL OF HONORNone------------------------------ NAVY CROSSCDR Kurtis Mayfield of the USS Blackfish----------------------------- SILVER STAR
None---------------------------- BRONZE STARCDR Neil Balaton of the USS Grunt-------------------------------- PURPLE HEART3rd Officer: Lt Bobby Bryant of the USS Blackfish------------------------------- UNIT AWARDS NoneSincerely yours
Captain Lyndon Woodbury, Submarine Squadron 9 Commanding
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