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OUR CREED: To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in

the pursuit of duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds,

and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater

accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America

and its constitution.

OOGA OOGA

UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS INCORPORTATED

PALMETTO BASE NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2011

2

Holland (AS 3) with seven submarines alongside, in San Diego harbor, California,

24 December 1934. The submarines are (from left to right): Cachalot (SS 170),

Dolphin (SS 169), Barracuda(SS 163), Bass (SS 164), Bonita (SS 165), Nautilus (SS

168) and Narwahl (SS 167).

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Palmetto Base Officers

Base Commander

Tommy Richardson

Vice Commander: Brian Steffen

Jr. VCDR: D. W. Eggleston

Secretary: Fernando Iglesias

Treasurer: J. P. Watson

Chaplain: Bob Miller

Chief of the Boat: Jim “Snake” Stark

Webmaster: Mark Basnight

Storekeeper: Brian Steffen

Events Chair: Allen “Buzz” Danielson Fundraising Chair: Jim Null Liaison Officer: D. W. Eggleston

Committee Chair: Tom O’Brien

Ship’s Photographer: Jim Null

Bereavement Chair: Randy Browning

Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) Chair: Don Van Borsch

Newsletter Editor: Randy Browning

Members Milt Berkey

David Castro

James L. Charbonneau

Tracy R. Charbonneau

Lonnie Franklin

Ronald Friend

Julian Galloway

Joseph E. Gawronski

Joseph L. Geiger

Glenn E. Harris

Stoney Hilton

Michael House

John Jeffries

Charlie Kerr

James N. Kirby

Arnold Kirk

George “Scram” Kokolis

John J. Krause

Harold R. Lane

William M. Lindler

Eddie McVicker

Mark Morgan

Tom Paige

Larry Peay

Ted R. Schneeberg

James P. Scott

Vince Seay

Leonard M. Snell

John Solis

L. E. Spradlin

Jerry Stout

Clarence Teseniar

Thomas N. Thompson

Jeffro M. Wagner

Medal of Honor Winner, Holland Club, Past District Commander, Past Base

Commander, Past Vice Commander, Past Secretary, Past Treasurer, Past Chaplain,

Palmetto Base Hall of Fame, Palmetto Silver Star Award

Honorary Members Judy Cline Charlie MacKenzie Charles Murray

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November 16, 2010

Attendees Mark Basnight

Milt Berkey

Randy Browning

Allen “Buzz” Danielson Julian Galloway

Joseph E. Gawronski

George “Scram” Kokolis

John J. Krause

Bob Miller

Mark Morgan

Jim Null Tom Paige

Larry Peay

Tommy Richardson

Ted R. Schneeberg

John Solis

Jim “Snake” Stark

Brian Steffen

Don Van Borsch

Jeffro M. Wagner

J. P. Watson

Minutes

• 31 members were present

• Minutes of previous meeting voted on and accepted as in the monthly newsletter, with

the exception that Patricia’s donation was not mentioned

• Treasurer’s report ($2,745.54) was voted on and accepted (Operating Fund: $154.42;

Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS): $2,135.18; Float Fund: $453.00)

• Patricia Riddle Wilcox donated one of her oil paintings (valued at $800.00) for us to

raffle off or sell in order to raise funds for the base. You can see it on the base website

(http://www.palmetto-subvets.org)

• Base Chaplain set Saturday, January 29th as the scrap metal pick up day. You will need

to contact him and provide an address and phone number if you have scrap metal you

are willing to donate. For those willing and able, be at Tommy’s house at 0800 so we

can get started.

• Base Commander informed the members that the Chaplain and Events Chair are

working on a schedule to present CAPT Thornberry and the JROTC there certificated of

appreciation for their services during the Memorial Day ceremony.

• Events Chair informed the membership that the next IA fly out is this Friday, January

21st, arrival at 1000 and depart at 1200

• Base Chaplain informed the membership that he mailed the flea collars to our Sailors in

the desert, but hasn’t heard anything from them. Several members stated that they had

e-mailed them and either got a failure to deliver message or haven’t gotten any

response.

• Base Commander presented Julian Galloway with his Holland Club membership

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• Randy Browning informed the membership of;

° The Salsariata’s fundraiser, presenting the Treasurer with $82.00. Requested more

participation at February 3rd’s event, if only to come out and eat as we get 10% of all

sales between 1500 and 1900

° The Base Secretary will be unavailable for a while so he is taking nominations

for base elections in March

° Massing of the Colors at the Scottish Rite Temple on Sunday, April 17 and

requested as many members can to attend

• Jeffro Wagner donated to Navy books to be raffled off to raise funds for the base

• Vice Commander and Base Commander discussed the passing of a veteran who had no

family and needed his DD214 to receive his proper burial benefits. Vice Commander

had to educate the funeral home director as he thought only those killed in Iraq or

Afghanistan were entitled to fully military honors and a flag.

• Vice Commander

° warned the membership of vet help groups that are actually using the

information they receive to steal veteran’s identities. Before you give any information

to a vet help group, contact the American Legion, Veteran’s Administration or the

Disabled American Veterans to ensure they are a legitimate group

° Reminded the membership of the Hunley memorial service on February 17th

at 1900. Base e-mail was sent with the flyer and additional information.

• Vice Commander, Events Chair and Milt Berkey discussed final preparations for those

individuals who live alone and have no family. Vice Commander said he is working with

the VA to get something setup.

• Fundraising Chair Implored the membership to come up with fundraising ideas as we

are in desperate need of funds to build the float and start other projects we are

interested in.

• John Krause suggested we see if Patricia will display the picture she donated to use at

the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and try and sell it. Him and the Fundraising Chair will

have an answer by the next Board of Directors meeting.

• Base Commander

° Thanked Tom Paige for his dedication and efforts for Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS)

° Informed the membership that LE Spradlin has talked with Charles Murray and

they will be presenting him his certificate…details to follow.

• No Depth Charge, but $62.00 was raised for the float fund

• $31.00 was donated for the operating fund

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Tommy Richardson (Base Commander) presents Julian

Galloway with his Holland Club membership

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Julian Galloway (oldest) and George Kokolis (youngest) submarine

qualified members present

James L. Charbonneau – February 1st

John Jeffries – February 13th

Leonard M. Snell – February 12th

Jerry Stout – February 14th

Thomas N. Thompson – February 23rd

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Bob Miller, L.E. Spradlin, Base Commander Tommy Richardson , Tom

O’Brien , Robin White and Jim Null (taking the picture) presenting

Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Charles P. Murray, Jr., U.S. Army (Ret)

with his honorary Palmetto Base membership

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Dates in American Naval History

February 1

1941 - United States Fleet reorganized, reviving Atlantic and Pacific Fleets

1942 - USS Enterprise and Yorktown make first WW II air strike, Japanese Marshall Islands

1955 - Operation Deep Freeze, a research task force, established in Antarctic

February 2

1800 - USS Constellation (CAPT Thomas Truxtun) defeats la Vengeance

1862 - USS Hartford, Capt David G. Farragut, departs Hampton Roads for Mississippi River

campaign

February 3

1801 - Senate approves peace treaty with France ending undeclared naval war that began 1798

1917 - US severs diplomatic relations with Germany

February 4

1779 - John Paul Jones takes command of Bonhomme Richard

1959 - Keel laying of USS Enterprise, first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, Newport News, VA

February 5

1854 - Dedication of first chapel built on Navy property, Annapolis, MD

1941 - Chief Nurse Marion B. Olds and Nurse Leona Jackson, Navy, arrive on Guam.

1971 - Moonwalk by CAPT Alan B. Shepherd, Jr. USN, Commander of Apollo 14 and CDR Edgar

D. Mitchell, USN Lunar Module Pilot. During the 9 day mission, 94 lbs of lunar material

was collected and Shepard became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon.

Recovery was by helicopter from USS New Orleans (LPH-11).

February 6

1862 - Union gunboat squadron captures Fort Henry, Tennessee River

1922 - World powers sign the Washington Naval Treaty providing for limitation of naval

armament

1973 - In accordance with the agreement at the Paris Peace Talks, Navy Task Force 78 begins

Operation End Sweep, the mine clearance of North Vietnamese waters of mines laid in

1972.

February 7

1800 - USS Essex becomes first U.S. Navy vessel to cross the Equator.

1815 - The Board of Naval Commissioners, a group of senior officers, is established to oversee

the operation and maintenance of the Navy, under the direction of the Secretary of the

Navy.

1955 - Seventh Fleet ships begin evacuation of Chinese nationalists from Tachen Islands

1965 - In response to a Viet Cong attack on barracks area at Pleiku, South Vietnam, aircraft from

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carriers, USS Coral Sea, USS Hancock, and USS Ranger attack North Vietnamese area

near Donghoi.

February 8

1862 - Joint amphibious force capture Roanoke Island, key to Albemarle Sound

1890 - USS Omaha sailors and marines assist Hodogary, Japan in subduing large fire

February 9

1799 - USS Constellation (CAPT Truxtun) captures French l'Insurgente

1943 - Organized Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal ends

February 10

1862 - Union gunboats destroy Confederate ships at Elizabeth City, NC

1900 - Appointment of first naval governor of Guam, Commodore Seaton Schroder

1960 - USS Sargo (SSN-583) surfaces at North Pole

February 11

1862 - SecNav directs formation of organization to evaluate new inventions and technical

development which eventually led to National Academy of Science.

1971 - U.S. and USSR sign a treaty prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on the ocean

floor.

February 12

1945 - USS Batfish (SS-310) sinks second Japanese submarine within three days

1947 - First launching of guided missile (Loon) from a submarine, USS Cusk

February 13

1854 - Admiral Perry anchors off Yokosuka, Japan to receive Emperor's reply to treaty proposal

1913 - Naval Radio Station, Arlington, VA begins operations

1945 - First naval units enter Manila Bay since 1942

1968 - Operation Coronado XI begins in Mekong Delta

February 14

1778 - John Paul Jones in Ranger receives first official salute to U.S. Stars and Strips flag by

European country, at Quiberon, France.

1813 - Essex becomes first U.S. warship to round Cape Horn and enter the Pacific Ocean

1814 - USS Constitution captures British Lovely Ann and Pictou

1840 - Officers from USS Vincennes make first landing in Antarctica on floating ice

February 15

1856 - USS Supply, commanded by LT David Dixon Porter, sails from Smyrna, Syria, bound for

Indianola, Texas, with a load of 21 camels intended for experimental use in the

American desert west of the Rockies.

1898 - U.S. battleship Maine blows up in Havana Harbor.

February 16

1804 - Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, with volunteers from frigate Constitution and schooner

Enterprise, enters Tripoli harbor by night in the ketch Intrepid to burn the captured

frigate Philadelphia. Decatur's raid succeeds without American losses. England's Lord

Nelson calls this "the most daring act of the age."

1815 - USS Constitution captures British Susannah

1967 - Operation River Raider begins in Mekong Delta

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February 17

1864 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sinks USS Housatonic

1942 - First Construction Battalion (Seabees) arrive Bora Bora

1944 - Carrier aircraft strike Japanese fleet at Truk, sinking ships and destroying aircraft

February 18

1846 - General order on Port and Starboard

1944 - Amphibious Force under RADM Hill lands troops on Engebi Island, Eniwetok

1955 - 1st of 14 detonations, Operation Teapot nuclear test

February 19

1814 - USS Constitution captures British brig Catherine

1945 - Marines with naval gunfire support land on Iwo Jima; island secured 16 March.

February 20

1815 – USS Constitution under Captain Charles Stewart, captures HMC Cyane and sloop-of-war

Levant

1962 – Lt. Col. John Glenn, USMC becomes first American to orbit Earth. His flight in Friendship

7 (Mercury 6) consisted of 3 orbits in 88 minutes at a velocity of 17,544 mph with the

highest altitude of 162.2 statute miles. Recovery was by USS Noa (DD-841).

1962 - USS Dixie (AD-14) rescues lone crewman aboard a sailing yawl adrift for four days.

1974 - S-3A Viking ASW aircraft (carrier jet) introduced officially, given to VS-41.

February 21

1944 - Marines with support of naval bombardment and carrier aircraft secure Eniwetok atoll

1945 - USS Bismark Sea (CVE-95) struck by a kamikaze off Iwo Jima and sunk in 90 minutes with

loss of 318 men. USS Saratoga (CV-3) struck by 5 kamikazes but survived with loss of

123. Bismark Sea was last carrier lost in combat during World War II.

February 22

1865 - RADM Porter's gunboats' bombardment cause surrender of Wilmington, NC .

1870 - After arriving on USS Nipsic, and supported by USS Guard and USS Nyack, the Darien

Expedition, commanded by CDR Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr., begins active operations

ashore at Caldonia Bay to survery the Isthmus of Darien, Panama, for an interoceanic

ship canal.

1909 - Great White Fleet returns from round the world cruise to Hampton Roads, VA

1943 - USS Iowa (BB-61), the lead ship of the last class of American fast battleships, is

commissioned.

1974 - LTJG Barbara Ann Allen becomes first Navy designated female aviator

February 23

1795 - U.S. Navy Office of Purveyor of Supplies is established. This is the Navy Supply Corps

Birthday.

1919 - Launching of Osmond Ingram (DD-255), first Navy ship named for an enlisted man

1944 - Carrier groups under Spruance attack Saipan, Tinian and Rota in the Marianas

1945 - Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman raise flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima

February 24

1813 - USS Hornet, Captain James Lawrence, captures HMS Peacock

1968 - Task Force Clearwater established in I Corps

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February 25

1861 - Saratoga, member of U.S. African Squadron, captures slaver sloop Express

1933 - Commissioning of USS Ranger, first true aircraft carrier

1959 - USS Galveston fires first Talos surface-to-air missile

February 26

1811 - Congress authorizes first naval hospital

1913 - Approval of experimental wind tunnel for Navy

1944 - Sue Sophia Dauser, Superintendent of the Navy's Nurse Corps is first woman in Navy to

receive rank of Captain.

February 27

1942 - Battle of the Java Sea, Allied Naval Force attacks Japanese invasion convoy

1973 - First airborne mine sweep in a live minefield took place in the Haiphong, Vietnam ship

channel by helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Twelve on

board USS New Orleans.

February 28

1844 - Explosion of Peacemaker, experimental 14 inch gun, on board USS Princeton.

1893 - Launching of USS Indiana (BB-1), first true battleship in U.S. Navy.

1959 - USS Strong rescues 13 Arab fishermen from Bahrain when their fishing boats floundered

in a storm.

1980 - Blue crew of USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) launches 4 Trident I (C-4) missiles in first

C-4 Operational Test.

February 29

1944 - PB4Y-1s from squadrons VB-108, VB-109, and VD-3, conduct a low-level bombing raid on

Japanese positions on Wake Island.

1968 - Four North Vietnamese trawlers attempting to simultaneously infiltrate supplies into

South Vietnam were detected. Three of the trawlers were sunk in battle on the

following day and one survived by turning back.

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LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE SUBMARINE

John Philip Holland built several submarines before the USS Holland, which became the

first undersea craft commissioned by the U.S. Navy. The Holland was accepted on April 11,

1900 for a price of $150,000. Today's nuclear powered submarines cost in excess of

$30,000,000 exclusive of the power plant.

The first boat known to have been navigated under water was built in 1620 by a

Dutchman, Cornelius Van Drebbel. Van Drebbel is said to have developed a chemical which

would purify the air and allow the crew to stay submerged for extended periods.

Alexander the Great (356 to 323 B.C.) ruler of Macedonian and conqueror of the known

world in his time, is the first person known to have descended into the sea in a vessel of any

kind.

Over three hundred years ago, Mother Shipton, famous English prophetess, predicted

the coming of the submarine when writing, "under water men shall walk, shall ride, shall sleep,

shall talk."

Records of attempts to utilize submarine warfare go back to the earliest writings in

history. Herodotus (460 B.C.), Aristotle (332 B.C.) and Pliny, the elder, (77 A.D.) mention

determined attempts to build submersibles.

Interests in submarines extends to royalty and presidents. The King of England and the

King and Queen of Spain are among those who have made submerged cruises in submarines.

As a result of a trip in an early United States submarine, President "Teddy" Roosevelt ordered

extra compensation for personnel serving in the "Silent Service." President Harry Truman made

a 440 foot dive in a captured German submarine. The first President to cruise aboard a nuclear

submarine was President Eisenhower who rode the USS SEAWOLF out of Newport, Rhode

Island on September 26, 1957.

Dollar for dollar and man for man, the submarine is the country's most economical

weapon. Comprising only 1.6 percent of the Navy's World War II personnel, the submarine

service accounted for 55 percent of all enemy shipping destroyed.

Leonardo da Vinci, the Florentine Renaissance inventor and artist, developed plans for

an underwater warship but kept them secret. He was afraid that it would make war even more

frightful than it already was.

Many instances of submarines being 'caught' by fishing vessels are on record. The

NAUTILUS, world's first nuclear powered vessel, was caught in a fish net and towed the fishing

vessel several miles before the situation was cleared up. There is one instance of a submarine

being captured by an abandoned balloon, and on another occasion a submarine rescued a

blimp and towed it to safety.

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A church in Kyoto, Japan calls its congregation to worship with a bell from a submarine.

The bell, from the submarine USS RAY was purchased for the church, and was transported to

Yokosuka, Japan by another submarine, the USS RONQUIL.

For entertainment on U.S. submarines movies, television, ice cream machines and

stereo music players are available. The USS SEAWOLF also had an electronic organ. There have

been instances of boxing matches held onboard, and the crew of one submarine had a kite

flying contest from an anchored submarine.

Modern submarines can travel faster submerged than they can on the surface. They can

fully submerge in less than a minute.

Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat, was an avid submarine enthusiast. He built

several submersible warships, one of which was known as the Nautilus.

The rig for dive in a modern submarine requires the crew conduct more than 225

individual and operational checks.

The submarine was not generally recognized as a legitimate instrument of warfare until

the Civil War.

Only the cream of Navy manpower is considered acceptable for submarine service.

Volunteer applicants are given exhaustive physical and psychological screening before being

accepted for training. Those who make the grade are trained in the Submarine School at New

London and aboard operating submarines. After graduation from the Submarine School and

actual service in submarines, those who pass all tests may wear the Dolphins, insignia of the

submarine service.

Both nuclear and modern diesel powered submarine are now equipped with a breathing

device known as a snorkel, which permits the vessel to draw fresh air from the surface while

running submerged.

One of the first women to submerge in a submarine is believed to have been Clara

Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.

Submarines have been invented which have been propelled by cars, sails, treadles, hand

operated screws, clockwork, springs, steam stored in tubes, chemical engines, compressed air,

stored gases, electric motors, and nuclear power.

In clear water, a submerged submarine can be spotted from the air at depths up to 100

feet.

The self-propelled torpedo, which gets its name from the eel TORPEDO ELECTRICUS, was

invented by Robert Whitehead in 1868, a number of years before a practical submarine was

developed.

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Insignia of the Navy's submarine service is a submarine flanked by two dolphins.

Dolphins, or porpoises, the traditional attendants to Poseidon, Greek God of the Sea and patron

deity of sailors, are symbolic of a calm sea, and are sometimes called the 'sailors' friend. In

addition to the Dolphins, those World War II submariners who participated in successful

combat patrols may wear the coveted Submarine Combat Insignia.

The first submarine which actually sank another enemy vessel under combat conditions

was the CSS HUNLEY built during the Civil War. The Union frigate HOUSATONIC on blockade

station off Charleston, S. C. was the victim. The incident occurred on February 17, 1864.

Traditionally, United States submarines have been named after fish and other marine

creatures. One exception was the Navy's first submarine HOLLAND which was named after its

inventor, John Philip Holland. Today, ballistic missile submarines are named for famous

American patriots, with the newest class, the OHIO class, named after states. The LOS ANGELES

class of attack submarines are named for United States cities.

Records for enemy shipping sunk by U.S. submarines during World War II are held by

two boats built by Electric Boat . The USS FLASHER sank 100,231 tons of Japanese shipping,

while the USS TAUTOG holds the record for the most ships - 26.

Per cubic inch, there is more science packed into a submarine than into any other

warship. Submariners say 'There is room for everything aboard a submarine except a mistake.'

In 1921, a United States submarine, the R-14, having run out of fuel at sea, rigged sails

from blankets, hammocks, curtain rods and the ramrod of a 3-inch gun, and sailed 100 miles to

port at a speed of two knots.

More decorations for valor have been awarded, per man, to the submarine service than

any other Navy Branch.

Habitability is heavily stressed in the construction of modern submarines. Specially

designed color schemes, mechanical conveniences, air conditioning, and the best chow in the

Navy are supplied to make the vessels more livable. A full time staff is maintained by Electric

Boat Division to work out 'human engineering' problems.

A typical modern submarine may require as many as 2,000 working drawings for the

more than 7,000,000 items used in its construction. Blueprints from these drawings if placed

end to end would make a strip 250 miles long.

The first periscope used by the United States Navy was not built for a submarine. The

ironclad monitor OSAGE utilized a periscope to discover a Confederate cavalry unit taking cover

behind the high banks of the Red River in Arkansas.

In World War II the Germans lost 782 submarines, the Japanese lost 130, and the United

States lost only 52 submarines. Twenty-three of the Japanese subs lost were victims of the

American Submarine Service.

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Submarine tenders, or 'mother ships' of the U.S. Navy usually bear the names of

characters of mythology, the names of submarine inventors, or the names of persons who have

made contributions to the Submarine Service.

A submarine, the TURTLE, was employed by the American revolutionary army to attack

the British. It was built by David Bushnell at Saybrook, Connecticut, just a few miles from the

present site of Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation, and the U.S. naval

Submarine Base.

George Washington Endorsed the use of the first American submarine, David Bushnell's

TURTLE, during the Revolution. Following the vessel's attack on a British man-of-war, he

discussed the potential use of submarines in a letter to Thomas Jefferson.

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, the world's first ballistic missile nuclear powered

submarine, constructed in record time, set a record of its own by remaining submerged 67 days

on its initial Polaris missile deterrent patrol in the Atlantic.

Nautilus has long been a popular name for a submarine. Some of the more famous of

these are Robert Fulton's NAUTILUS (1800), Jules Verne's fictional Nautilus, and the NAUTILUS

of Sir Hubert Wilkins in which he attempted a voyage to the North Pole under the ice (1931).

There have also been three U.S. submarines of that name, including the world's first nuclear

powered submarine built by the Electric Boat Division.

Long considered a versatile and deadly instrument of war, the submarine has broadened

her capabilities with the adoption of nuclear power. Today the submarine serves as a ballistic

missile platform, early warning station, killer of surface and underwater vessels, scout, coastal

raider troop transport, supply ship, mine layer, and seaplane tender.

The United States submarine USS TRITON was fitted with twin reactors and was

considered the longest submarine ever built until the advent of the OHIO class. The TRITON

was designed for a surface displacement of 5,900 tons. Large submarines of other countries

have been the Japanese I-400 (5,220 tons), and the French SURCOUF (2,880 tons).

The USS NAUTILUS was the first submarine with a satisfactory single plant that can be

used for main propulsion both surfaced and submerged.

During their wartime operations submarines have engaged in some unusual maritime

actions. One underseas craft slugged it out with the infantry and field artillery while other

submarines destroyed a zeppelin, a bus, and a railroad train.

In their history, submarines were called by many names such as 'eel boats', 'plunging

boats', 'devil divers', and 'pig boats'. Technically, and by size, the submarine is a ship, but it has

been called a boat since its earliest days, and the term is steeped in tradition. Submariners

almost invariably call their ships 'boats".

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Among the 'first' that Electric Boat Division has introduced into American submarines,

have been the marine Diesel engine, the perfected use of the storage battery, the combination

of battery and internal combustion engine, and the world's first adaptation of nuclear energy to

propulsion in the USS NAUTILUS.

The USS SEAWOLF join the Electric Boat built USS NAUTILUS and SKATE in writing new

chapters in the achievements of man when the nuclear powered submarine came to the

surface at 11:45 a.m. on October 6, 1958 after being continuously submerged for 60 days.

Probably the most expensive ballast ever carried by a ship was two tons of gold and

eighteen tons of silver pesos carried by the U.S. submarine TROUT while on a trip from

Corregidor to Pearl Harbor early in World War II.

The USS NAUTILUS steamed 60,000 miles on a lump of Uranium the size of a golf ball. A

diesel powered submarine would have required 3,000,000 gallons or 300 railway tank cars of

oil.

Two wives of Presidents of the United States have sponsored submarines. Mrs. Dwight

D. Eisenhower christened the USS NAUTILUS, and Mrs. John F. Kennedy christened the USS

LAFAYETTE.

A submarine often navigates by sound when submerged. Sound can travel 3,000

nautical mile or more through water.

On August 17, 1958, the USS SKATE circumnavigated the globe in about fifty minutes.

The SKATE was at a radius of about two miles from the North Pole at the time, and the distance

traveled in the circumnavigation was about twelve miles.

USS TRITON, the only American made twin reactor ship ever built, on May 10, 1960,

completed the first totally submerged circumnavigation of the world when she followed the

route of Ferdinand Magellan for 36,000 miles during 84 days beneath the surface.

When the nuclear powered submarine USS SEADRAGON surfaced at the North Pole

while charting the Northwest passage in August 1960, the crew organized a baseball game.

Because of Polar time differences, when a batter clouted a home run it would land in either the

next day or in 'yesterday'.

The USS SKIPJACK was the first submarine designed from the keel up for top underwater

performance using nuclear power. An earlier SKIPJACK was the first submarine to cross the

Atlantic ocean under her own power (Newport, Rhode Island to Ponta Delgada, Azores, in

1917).

Coronation ceremonies of Emperor Alexander II of Russia in 1855 were enlivened by a

submarine concert . Wilhelm Bauer, a Bavarian inventor, took three musicians under the waters

of Kronstadt Harbor in a submarine he had built, where they played appropriate music during

the coronation. The music was distinctly heard on the surface.

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United States Submarines destroyed a total of 1314 Japanese ships during World War II,

including one battleship, eight aircraft carriers, fifteen cruisers, forty-two destroyers, and

twenty-three submarines. Against this score, fifty-two U.S. Submarines were lost.

The USS SKATE (SSN 578) was the first vessel ever to surface at the North Pole, when on

March 17, 1959 she surfaced there to conduct memorial services for the renowned Arctic

explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins.

USS SKATE and USS SEADRAGON, after affecting a historic rendezvous under the ice,

surfaced together at the North Pole through an opening in the ice on August 1962.

The first diesel engines built by Electric Boat for submarines were installed (1913) in the

USS NAUTILUS and SEAWOLF, namesakes of the first nuclear powered submarines, also built by

Electric Boat.

The USS NAUTILUS made history by cruising submerged from the pacific to the Atlantic

Ocean, passing under the North Pole at 11:15 p.m. EDST on August 3, 1958.

The information contained in this fact is by ETC(SS) Strickland.

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In 1973 an Italian submarine named Enrique Tazzoli was sold for a paltry $100,000 as

scrap metal. The submarine, given to the Italian Navy in 1953 was actually an incredible

veteran of World War II service with a heritage that never should have passed so unnoticed into

the graveyards of the metal recyclers. USS Barb (SS 220) was a pioneer, paving the way for the

first submarine launched missiles and flying a battle flag unlike that of any other ship. In

addition to the Medal of Honor ribbon at the top of the flag identifying the heroism of its

captain, Commander Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey, the bottom border of the flag bore the image of a

Japanese locomotive. The USS Barb (SS 220) was indeed, the submarine that "SANK A TRAIN".

July 18, 1945 (Patience Bay, Off the coast of Karafuto , Japan )

It was after 4 A.M. and Commander Fluckey rubbed his eyes as he peered over the map

spread before him. It was the twelfth war patrol of the Barb, the fifth under Commander

Fluckey. He should have turned command over to another skipper after four patrols, but had

managed to strike a deal with Admiral Lockwood to make one more trip with the men he cared

for like a father, should his fourth patrol be successful. Of course, no one suspected when he

had struck that deal prior to his fourth and what should have been his final war patrol on the

Barb, that Commander Fluckey's success would be so great he would be awarded the Medal of

Honor.

Commander Fluckey smiled as he remembered that patrol. "Lucky" Fluckey they called

him. On January 8th the Barb had emerged victorious from a running two-hour night battle

after sinking a large enemy ammunition ship. Two weeks later in Mamkwan Harbor he found

the "mother-lode" ...more than 30 enemy ships. In only 5 fathoms (30 feet) of water his crew

had unleashed the sub's forward torpedoes, then turned and fired four from the stern. As he

pushed Barb to the full limit of its speed through the dangerous waters in a daring withdrawal

to the open sea, he recorded eight direct hits on six enemy ships.

What could possibly be left for the Commander to accomplish who, just three months earlier

had been in Washington, DC to receive the Medal of Honor? He smiled to himself as he looked

again at the map showing the rail line that ran along the enemy coastline. Now his crew was

buzzing excitedly about bagging a train.

The rail line itself wouldn't be a problem. A shore patrol could go ashore under cover of

darkness to plant the explosives...one of the sub's 55-pound scuttling charges. But this early

morning Lucky Fluckey and his officers were puzzling over how they could blow not only the

rails, but also one of the frequent trains that shuttled supplies to equip the Japanese war

machine. But no matter how crazy the idea might have sounded, the Barb's skipper would not

risk the lives of his men. Thus the problem... how to detonate the charge at the moment the

train passed, without endangering the life of a shore party. PROBLEM?

Solutions! If you don't look for them, you'll never find them. And even then, sometimes

they arrive in the most unusual fashion. Cruising slowly beneath the surface to evade the

enemy plane now circling overhead, the monotony is broken with an exciting new idea. Instead

of having a crewman on shore to trigger explosives to blow both rail and a passing train, why

not let the train BLOW ITSELF up. Billy Hatfield was excitedly explaining how he had cracked

20

nuts on the railroad tracks as a kid, placing the nuts between two ties so the sagging of the rail

under the weight of a train would break them open. "Just like cracking walnuts," he explained.

"To complete the circuit (detonating the 55-pound charge) we hook in a micro switch...between

two ties. We don't set it off, the TRAIN does." Not only did Hatfield have the plan, he wanted

to be part of the volunteer shore party.

The solution found, there was no shortage of volunteers, all that was needed was the

proper weather...a little cloud cover to darken the moon for the mission ashore. Lucky Fluckey

established his own criteria for the volunteer party:

No married men would be included, except for Hatfield,

The party would include members from each department,

The opportunity would be split between regular Navy and Navy Reserve sailors,

At least half of the men had to have been Boy Scouts, experienced in how to handle

themselves in medical emergencies and in the woods.

FINALLY, "Lucky" Fluckey would lead the saboteurs himself.

When the names of the 8 selected sailors was announced it was greeted with a mixture

of excitement and disappointment. Among the disappointed was Commander Fluckey who

surrendered his opportunity at the insistence of his officers that "as commander he belonged

with the Barb," coupled with the threat from one that "I swear I'll send a message to

ComSubPac if you attempt this (joining the shore party himself)." Even a Japanese POW being

held on the Barb wanted to go, promising not to try to escape.

In the meantime, there would be no more harassment of Japanese shipping or shore

operations by the Barb until the train mission had been accomplished. The crew would "lay

low", prepare their equipment, train, and wait for the weather.

July 22, 1945 (Patience Bay, Off the coast of Karafuto, Japan)

Patience Bay was wearing thin the patience of Commander Fluckey and his innovative

crew. Everything was ready. In the four days the saboteurs had anxiously watched the skies for

cloud cover, the inventive crew of the Barb had built their micro switch. When the need was

posed for a pick and shovel to bury the explosive charge and batteries, the Barb's engineers had

cut up steel plates in the lower flats of an engine room, then bent and welded them to create

the needed tools. The only things beyond their control were the weather....and time. Only five

days remained in the Barb's patrol.

Anxiously watching the skies, Commander Fluckey noticed plumes of cirrus clouds, then

white stratus capping the mountain peaks ashore. A cloud cover was building to hide the three-

quarters moon. This would be the night.

21

MIDNIGHT, July 23, 1945

The Barb had crept within 950 yards of the shoreline. If it was somehow seen from the

shore it would probably be mistaken for a schooner or Japanese patrol boat. No one would

suspect an American submarine so close to shore or in such shallow water. Slowly the small

boats were lowered to the water and the 8 saboteurs began paddling toward the enemy beach.

Twenty-five minutes later they pulled the boats ashore and walked on the surface of the

Japanese homeland.

Stumbling through noisy waist-high grasses, crossing a highway and then into a 4-foot

drainage ditch, the saboteurs made their way to the railroad tracks. Three men were posted as

guards, Markuson assigned to examine a nearby water tower. The Barb's auxiliaryman climbed

the ladder then stopped in shock as he realized it was an enemy lookout tower....an OCCUPIED

tower. Fortunately the Japanese sentry was peacefully sleeping and Markuson was able to

quietly withdraw and warn his raiding party.

The news from Markuson caused the men digging the placement for the explosive

charge to continue their work more slowly and quietly. Twenty minutes later the holes had

been dug and the explosives and batteries hidden beneath fresh soil.

During planning for the mission the saboteurs had been told that, with the explosives in

place, all would retreat a safe distance while Hatfield made the final connection. If the sailor

who had once cracked walnuts on the railroad tracks slipped during this final, dangerous

procedure, his would be the only life lost. On this night it was the only order the saboteurs

refused to obey, all of them peering anxiously over Hatfield's shoulder to make sure he did it

right. The men had come too far to be disappointed by a switch failure.

1:32 A.M.

Watching from the deck of the Barb, Commander Fluckey allowed himself a sigh of relief

as he noticed the flashlight signal from the beach announcing the departure of the shore party.

He had skillfully, and daringly, guided the Barb within 600 yards of the enemy beach. There was

less than 6 feet of water beneath the sub's keel, but Fluckey wanted to be close in case trouble

arose and a daring rescue of his saboteurs became necessary.

1:45 A.M.

The two boats carrying his saboteurs were only halfway back to the Barb when the sub's

machine gunner yelled, "CAPTAIN! Another train coming up the tracks!" The Commander

grabbed a megaphone and yelled through the night, "Paddle like the devil!", knowing full well

that they wouldn't reach the Barb before the train hit the micro switch.

22

1:47 A.M.

The darkness was shattered by brilliant light and the roar of the explosion. The boilers

of the locomotive blew, shattered pieces of the engine blowing 200 feet into the air. Behind it

the cars began to accordion into each other, bursting into flame and adding to the magnificent

fireworks display. Five minutes later the saboteurs were lifted to the deck by their exuberant

comrades as the Barb turned to slip back to safer waters. Moving at only two knots, it would be

a while before the Barb was into waters deep enough to allow it to submerge. It was a moment

to savor, the culmination of teamwork, ingenuity and daring by the Commander and all his

crew. "Lucky" Fluckey's voice came over the intercom. "All hands below deck not absolutely

needed to maneuver the ship have permission to come topside." He didn't have to repeat the

invitation. Hatches sprang open as the proud sailors of the Barb gathered on her decks to

proudly watch the distant fireworks display. The Barb had "sunk" a Japanese TRAIN!

On August 2, 1945 the Barb arrived at Midway, her twelfth war patrol concluded.

Meanwhile United States military commanders had pondered the prospect of an armed assault

on the Japanese homeland. Military tacticians estimated such an invasion would cost more than

a million American casualties. Instead of such a costly armed offensive to end the war, on

August 6th the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped a single atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima,

Japan. A second such bomb, unleashed 4 days later on Nagasaki, Japan, caused Japan to agree

to surrender terms on August 15th. On September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Harbor the documents

ending the war in the Pacific were signed.

The story of the saboteurs of the USS Barb (SS 220) is one of those unique, little known

stories of World War II. It becomes increasingly important when one realizes that the 8 sailors

who blew up the train at near Kashiho, Japan conducted the ONLY GROUND COMBAT

OPERATION on the Japanese "homeland" of World War II. The eight saboteurs were: Paul

Saunders, William Hatfield, Francis Sever, Lawrence Newland, Edward Klinglesmith, James

Richard, John Markuson and William Walker.

Footnote: Eugene Bennett Fluckey retired from the Navy as a Rear Admiral, and wears in

addition to his Medal of Honor, FOUR Navy Crosses...a record of awards unmatched by any

living American. In 1992 his own history of the USS Barb (SS 220) was published in the award

winning book, THUNDER BELOW. Over the past several years proceeds from the sale of this

exciting book have been used by Admiral Fluckey to provide free reunions for the men who

served him aboard the Barb, and their wives.

PS: The Admiral graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935 and lived to age 93, passing

on in 2007.

23

The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia

Warrant Officers

The "warrant" portion of the Warrant Officer's title comes from the old French word

warant that meant variously a protector, a defense and an authorization. It is also the source

of our modern word "warranty." In 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to

King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain privileges, they also furnished crews whose

officers were the Master, Boatswain, Carpenter and Cook. Later these officers were

"warranted" by the British Admiralty. They maintained and sailed the ships and were the

standing officers of the navy. Soldiers commanded by Captains would be on board the ships to

do the fighting but they had nothing to do with running the ships. The word "soldiering" came

about as a seaman's term of contempt for the soldiers and anyone else who avoided shipboard

duties.

The warranted officers were often the permanent members of the ships' companies.

They stayed with the ships in port between voyages as caretakers supervising repairs and

refitting. Other crewmen and soldiers might change with each voyage. Early in the Fourteenth

Century the Purser joined the warrant officers. He was originally "the clerk of burser." During

the following centuries the Gunner, Surgeon, Chaplain, Master-at-arms, Schoolmaster and

others signed on.

Warrant Officers were members of our Navy right from its beginning. There were

Warrant Officers on the ships of the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War. When

Congress created our Navy in 1794 it listed the Warrant Officers as the Sailing Masters, Purser,

Boatswain, Gunner, Carpenter, Sailmaker and Midshipman.

Navy Warrant Officers began wearing blue and gold stripes in 1853--on their caps. They

had stripes of half-inch wide gold lace separated by a quarter-inch wide stripe of blue cloth. In

1888 Chief Warrant Officers started wearing the sleeve stripe of a single strip of half-inch wide

gold lace broken at intervals by sections of blue thread half an inch wide. In 1919 the other

Navy Warrant Officers began wearing sleeve stripes of gold lace broken by sections of blue.

Our Revolutionary Army had Warrant Officers but otherwise the Army and Marines did

not have them until the Twentieth Century. In 1916 the Marines made some of their Gunners

and Quartermaster Clerks Warrant Officers. In 1918 Pay Clerks could also become Warrants.

Also in 1918, the Army created Warrant Officers in its Mine Planter Service to serve as Masters,

Mates and Engineers of its seagoing vessels. Congress authorized more Army Warrant Officers

24

in 1920 in clerical, administrative and band leading activities but the intent seems to have been

to reward enlisted men for long service or provide positions for World War I officers who could

not hold their commissions after the war. Between 1922 and 1936 the Army promoted only a

few band leaders and Mine Planter Service members to warrant status. In 1936 the Army held

competitive examinations to replenish its Warrant Officer eligibility lists and once again began

making appointments.

For rank insignia, Marine Warrant Officers wore the insignias of their respective

departments until 1944 when they began wearing gold or silver bars broken by stripes of scarlet

enamel. Amy Warrant Officers got oval bars of gold and brown in 1942. Warrant Officers in the

Army Air Forces wore oval bars of gold and light blue. In 1956 both changed to square-

cornered gold or silver bars with blue enamel stripes for the Air Force and brown for the Army.

There were four grades of Warrant Officers. The Warrant Officer (W-1) wore a gold bar with

two enamel stripes, the Chief Warrant Officer (W-2) a gold bar with three stripes, the Chief

Warrant Officer (W-3) a silver bar with two stripes and the Chief Warrant Officer (W-4) a silver

bar with three stripes. The Army found this system confusing so in 1969 asked its Institute of

Heraldry to design another device. That was the silver bar with black enamel squares

introduced in 1972 and still worn by Army Warrant Officers. Now the Warrant Officer (W-1)

has one square and each higher grade gets another square up to Chief Warrant Officer (W-4)

with four.

25

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26

USS Barbel (SS-316)

Lost on:

Lost on February 4, 1945 with the loss of 81 officers and men on her 3rd war patrol. Based on Japanese records, she was bombed near the southern entrance to the Palawan Passage. The day before, she reported she survived 3 depth charge attacks.

US Navy Official Photo

NavSource.org

NavSource.org

Class: SS 285 Commissioned: 4/3/1944 Launched: 11/14/1943 Builder: Electric Boat Co (General Dynamics) Length: 312, Beam: 27 #Officers: 10, #Enlisted: 71 Fate: Barbel sent a message reporting that she had been attacked three times by enemy aircraft dropping depth charges and would transmit further information on the following night. Barbel was never heard from again. 81 men lost.

27

USS Shark I (SS-174)

Lost on: Lost on February 11, 1942 with the loss of 59 officers and men on her 1st war patrol. Shark was the 1st US submarine sunk by enemy surface craft in the Pacific. She was most likely sunk by depth charges.

US Navy Photo

NavSource.org

NavSource.org

Class: SS 172 Commissioned: 1/25/1936 Launched: 5/21/1935 Builder: Electric Boat Co (General Dynamics) Length: 298, Beam: 25 #Officers: 5, #Enlisted: 45 Fate: Shark was reported as presumed lost, the victim of unknown causes. 59 men lost

28

USS Amberjack (SS-219)

Lost on: Lost on February 16, 1943 with the loss of 72 officers and men on her 3rd war patrol. Off Rabaul, she was attacked by a Japanese patrol plane, attacked by a torpedo boat and then depth charged by a subchaser.

US Navy Official Photo

NavSource.org

NavSource.org

Class: SS 212 Commissioned: 6/19/1942 Launched: 3/6/1942 Builder: Electric Boat Co (General Dynamics) Length: 312, Beam: 27 #Officers: 6, #Enlisted: 54 Fate: She reported having been forced down on the 13th by two destroyers, and that she had recovered an enemy aviator from the water and taken him prisoner. All further messages to the vessel remained unanswered. 74 men lost.

29

USS Grayback (SS-208)

Lost on:

Lost on February 27, 1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men on her 10th war patrol. She appears to have been caught on the surface in the East China Sea by a Japanese carrier plane whose bombs made a direct hit. During this patrol she sank 4 ships totaling 21,594 tons and was tied for 11th in the number of ships sunk.

US Navy Official Photo

NavSource.org

NavSource.org

Class: SS 198 Commissioned: 6/30/1941 Launched: 1/31/1941 Builder: Electric Boat Co (General Dynamics) Length: 307, Beam: 27 #Officers: 6, #Enlisted: 54 Fate: Sunk by Japanese aircraft in East China Sea. All 80 crewmen lost.

30

USS Trout (SS-202)

Lost on:

Lost on February 29,1944 with the loss of 79 officers and men on her 11th war patrol. She was sunk by escorts in the middle of the Philippines Basin after sinking a passenger-cargoman and damaging another in a convoy. She carried out several notable special missions, including carrying over two tons of gold bullion out of Corregidor in February 1942.

US Navy Official Photo

NavSource.org

NavSource.org

Class: SS 198 Commissioned: 11/15/1940 Launched: 5/21/1940 Builder: Portsmouth Navy Yard Length: 307, Beam: 27 #Officers: 6, #Enlisted: 54 Fate: Trout topped off with fuel at Midway and was never heard from again. Japanese records indicate that one of their convoys was attacked by a submarine on 29 February 1944 in the area assigned to Trout. Possibly one of the convoy's escorts sank the Trout.