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At Mare Island. Crew received 30 days leave. I wound up in Hazleton, PA and found 30-36 inches of snow, no transportaion, trudged two miles with sea bag to my home. Many good times, liberties in Sacramento, (Cellar Bar), great ships parties, and great to be in USA. One night during overhaul, Floyd Ellis RMC(SS), Duty Chief, received a call in the AM from Marines at the North Gate. Come get one of your crew. Ellis found a beat up, bloodied, no hat, looked like one of our CPO's. To his surprise, it was "Mike" Shea, our skipper, and a fighter, that he was. At Mare Island, the Raton was updated, too many items to list. Many engine ring items overhauled, or updated, same with Radar, Radio, Sonar, and hull repairs. My wish came true. We did get another 5"/25 cal deck gun. Completed Navy Yard overhaul on 25 December 1944. From 26 February to 12 March 1945, was de-permed, sound tested, fired dummy torpedoes, re-ballasted, conducted deep dive tests, had live structual test firing, and loaded up. Departed Mare Island, CA on 13 March 1945. Conducted training dives, emergency drills while en-route Pearl Harbor, arriving Sub Base Pearl Harbor on 20 March 1945. Voyage repairs by ORION AS-18. Installed 40 MM on after cigarette deck, moved 20 MM to main deck forward, and new MK 8 TBT with pressure proof binoculars. On 25 March, training began under SUBDIV-161. Fired all guns, fired five torpedoes during approach runs, then eight dummies, simulating MK 18s. Ready for sea on 6 April 1945. 6-18 April en-route Guam, daily dives, emergency drills. 19 April, T-1122 moored alongside HOLLAND. Made repairs, topped off fuel, stores. Underway on 20 April for patrol area in company with TREPANG, SPRINGER. |
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21 April 1945, T-2315. Exchanged calls with ROCK and FLOUNDER. 22-25 April en-route to area. 26 April T-0915 radar contact Yaku Shima. T-2200 transit Akuseki Strait, SPRINGER trailing us. 27 April, T-1840 Danjo Gunto in sight, exchanged calls with CREVALLE. 28 April, T-1840 radar contact with Saishuto Island 123,000 yards. 30 April T-1230 TREPANG reported contact, swung toward him. T-1535-1630 many junks, pulled alongside one, were Chinese, pulled clear. T-1650, in haze sighted ship, dove, "battle stations". Target was a Frigate (PF) flying an enormous set of colors, passed us at 300 yards, begin pinging at position of our dive. T-2130 he was circling, also heard many explosions in TREPANG area, we opened Frigate at two-thirds speed, headed toward Tsingato. 1 May T-0035 exchanged calls on SJ radar with TREPANG, then T-0335 with SPRINGER. Many, many junks in area. 2 May, T-1530, radar contact at 44,000 yards. Range seems great for ship contact, CO, XO, officers and RT grouped, decided atmospheric conditions, target was a ship. T-1703 sighted ship, 15,000 yards, looks like escort, cannot see target, awaiting darkness. Sent out contact report and at T-1715 radar appears normal, now tracking three pips on radar, range 22,000 yards, one target appears to be hugging coast. T-2110 went to "battle stations". T-2150 commenced firing, range 2,300 yards. T-2159 completed firing, turned away at flank speed, on four main engines. T-2200 after one minute thirty seconds, three torpedoes hit target blew up, looked like a medium tanker (AO), loaded with gasoline. T-2206 now parallel with escort at 4,000 yards. T-2211 escort saw us, turned toward, and began firing deck guns. Fired 12 rounds, we went flank, maximum turns, plus. Saw many splashes, some close, escort had range however, his deflection was off, we pulled well clear. 3-4 May in area. 5 May, radar contact Karueppi Retti, 40,000 yards, and fleets of junks all around. T-1222 exchanged recognition with two PBMs. 6 May T-1233, heard series of 34 depth charges. 7-8 May in area, conducting North/South area search legs between Shantung Promontory (China) and Daisei Gunti. On 9-11 May on new station, T-0522 dove. T-0936 sighted Chosen Kan. T-1254 sighted medium cargo (AK) went to "battle stations", closed range. T-1302 bow planes not functioning, then stern planes so at T-1358 secured tracking. T-1722 sighted three columns of smoke, tracking, many junks around, no radar contact, missed out, dove. T-0758 smoke again, 18,000 yards, one lone ship, tracking. T-0848 stern planes out again, still closing. T-0849 final gearing single sonar ping range, began firing. T-0850 saw torpedoes smoking badly, saw one hit aft of stack, target sinking. Took picture, about fifteen survivors in water. T-1103 sighted another lone ship, approximately nine miles, went to "battle stations", re-loaded aft, making final approach. T-1151 single sonar ping range, stern tubes on target, fired. All missed, broached, or went under, we broke off. 13 May many small contacts. T-1940 SJ radar contact 17,400 yards small cargo (AK) running in the "slot", a small passage with only 15 fathoms of water, many junks around. T-2116 range 2,100 yards. Fired forward, no explosions, fish were set at six feet. 14 May, back on station. 15 May, exchanged signals with SCABARDFISH. 16 May, T-0512 dove. T-0710 sighted two ships, one large, one small. T-0745/0746 began firing at large ship, took single ping range, 1,500 yards. T-0746/0748 saw first hit on stern, then one on the bow. T-0749 ship gone, sunk. Ship was a Transport (AP) small ship turned away. At T-0801 loud explosion, felt it, was aerial bomb, went deep. T-0900 back to periscope depth, all clear. |
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