I don't think we can really comprehend the amount of time that The History Guy spends in research, script writing, filming, and editing... That's a monumental amount of work for just one video. Thank you for putting in the countless hours to ensure that history is not only fun to learn but also, more importantly, not forgotten.
My father was a twenty year navy sailor. His favorite ships to serve on were frigates, light destroyers. His grandson, my son, serves on a destroyer and carries his legacy with him.
he would have loved the ride on an LKA, deep draft and smooth sailing. Frigates and Destroyers bob like a cork up and down roll side to side.... Give me deep draft and smooth ride and main deck that goes bow to stern in the weather.
I couldn't help recall the great movie, "The Enemy Below", with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens. Made around 1958, it is a riveting tale of destroyer vs u-boat duel. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
The Enemy Below was probably one of the best WWII movies ever produced. As a kid I knew several men who had served in the Navy in WWII, one was on a sub chaser and one was on destroyer. If memory serves, a sub chaser was a smaller vessel than a true destroyer. They both told me the movie was about as true to life as one could get. Great movie. I’d like to see it again.
@@OkieSketcher1949 Another great movie from the same year, I think, is The Bedford Incident -- starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier. It is tense, taut, and has a remarkable ending. I won't tell you, and give it away. It is different from any war movie you ever saw.
This was not the only close quarter action in the Atlantic and at least one DD/DE vs sub encounter the DD/DE crew was throwing potatoes at the sub crew.
I remember this amazing tale because as a teenager I was given a book called Blood on the Sea *, US Destroyer losses of WW2. But I am very glad that THG is covering it with his amazing delivery.
I whole heartedly agree. My grandpa served on the USS Card, and told me stories growing up. and i'm especially grateful for details on his ship, and her adventures during the war.
@A Tiberius The book you refer to is titled Blood on the Sea. I've read it and still have it. And yes, it's an excellent book. U.S. NAVY veteran PO3 '73>'77 ✌🇺🇸
Thank you for making this; my dad was a 20 year old seaman on the Borie and after this episode was assigned to USS Goff and later volunteered as a frogman - UDT-15. His service was from Feb 1, 1940 (17 years old) to Sept 22, 1945 (22 years old).
My dad was on the USS Greer, a "four stacker" destroyer from WWI, on convoy duty in the North Atlantic in WWII. The Greer had an interesting history, which contributed to the US joining the Allies later on. In middle age, Dad went to college and chose WWII as a history course. The final exam had a choice of essays. Dad chose "Imagine you are in a convoy in the North Atlantic, 1942-1943". Dad is now enjoying life at a veterans' home.
@@kennethbradshaw7648 I remember reading in Walter Lord's book, "Day Of Infamy" that during the Pearl Harbor attack the Zeroes were flying so low over the U.S. ships in the drydocks a mechanic threw a monkeywrench at them! (And probably quite a few choice curse words, too!)
Great story and once again great job! My dad was in the Marines in WW2 and as they were going to and back from Iwo Jima, they would stand by the railing of their transport ships and watch the guys on the destroyers circling the convoy at high speed. He said those guys on the destroyers were the real sailors in the navy and the joke was that they were paid three times more than anybody else. Their regular pay on calm days, flight pay for being on top of a huge wave with most of the boat out the water and then submarine pay when it would slide down into the trench and be mostly under water before it popped up again. They would watch some sailor run out of a hatch and slam it shut on the way up and try to get in the next one before it went under. My dad said they all survived even when they got caught when going under and simply held on until the boat came back up. The marines cheered them on and everybody went on their way.
I was a crew member aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in March 1984, the only aircraft carrier to ram a submarine! Actually an accident, well documented by The History Guy in his video, ‘USS Kitty Hawk Collision.’ Have a wonderful Veterans Day all you Vets! 20 year Navy Vet, Vietnam War… Anchors Aweigh! 😀👍🔔
Less known was when the USS Independence. CV-62 , did the same, I worked at Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and we had to cut the entire peak tank from the ship while it was in dry dock as it was filled with concrete to stop the leak. It took a lot of concrete while still at sea to fill that tank but who do you think made the hole ? Navy did not want that info known at the time as the sub had to break past the ring of support vessels to just get hit by the aircraft carrier. This repair work was done under the Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP) rehab in the late 1980's. PNSY saw Kitty Hawk as well and did a rehab. A lot of info about submarine and ship encounters is still kept under wraps today and even crew members don't know about some unless they had a real need to know. I bet crew members aboard the Indy did not even know the deal as the ship never stopped or slowed down when it hit what ever punched a hole in 2" High Yield steel !
The courage shown by both crews clearly deserves to be remembered. The absolute persistence of the captain and crew of the Bory should never be forgotten. History Guy, I don’t know how you find these stories but kudos to you as well. My mornings are made so much richer by your dedication to telling the stories that truly deserve to be told. Thank you History Guy.
I wish I had history teachers like THG. I love history and he makes it even better to learn. When he talks one wants to listen. When you listen to him you learn. There is a lot of history out there, most of it untaught, so I am hoping he is with us for a long time. Thanks to THG.
As a elder man I was lucky enough to hear stories of some of the greatest battles ever witnessed in wwll, man those guys were tough. I wish more of them were still here,miss them alot. RIP brave men and women of WORLD WAR 2.
The old 4 Stack/Flush Deck destroyers, valiantly serving in so many roles beyond what they were originally designed for and well after they had reached obsolescence, once again showed that you often had to fight with what you had, not necessarily what you needed. In the end it is the crews more than the equipment that counts the most.
There is a great alternative history series about these amazing ships and the men who served on them called the Destroyermen, I believe. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I enjoyed the entire series. If you enjoy science fiction and alternative history then it might be worth a look.
@Ken Hanks Because Sometimes You Have To "Do What You Can With What You Have." Burt Gummer (Paranoid Militant With More Guns Than Any Sane person Would Have) :-)
WOW! What a telling of a battle. History Guy gave me goose bumps. I was 11 months old when this battle ensued. My father flew B-25 bombers during WW II. So many brave men.
My dad was part of that I had mentioned that, and he stopped me cold and said don't say that because there were others who did just as well or better who were before me.
If this battle happened just in the daytime it would be incredible. Then, add hurricane and nighttime. Throw all of those superhero movies in the trash can. Why hasn't this been made into a movie?
Unfortunately in all likelihood it would be woke and full of CGI and totally suck. Michael Bay would direct it and every thrown knife would result in a huge explosion.
@@73Trident Bollywood would do it justice,Dancing,music and choreography with dancing girls and saris .Directed by Baz Lurhman.A masterpiece in the making.
Another GREAT ASW documentary by The History Guy! Sometimes I think he’s there, on the decks of both combatants, pencil in hand, writing notes on a clipboard for the annals of history. Somehow they should make The History Guy an ‘Honorary Veteran’ so he can eat breakfast free at Denny’s Restaurant with us Veterans on Nov. 11th. 🤔😀 USN Veteran, Vietnam War, 1970-1972
@@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647 Dear Kirk, Thank you for the well wishes. I hope you enjoy your day off this Thursday if you are a working man or student in school. May God always bless America. 🇺🇸😀👍🙏
A new Sumner-class USS Borie (DD-704) was a member of a squadron of picket boats that included the John W Weeks (DD-701), Hank (DD-702), ans my dad's ship USS Benner (DD-807) off the coast of Japan on August 9, 1945 when they were attacked by a kamikaze. Borie was struck in the superstructure, killing 48 sailors and wounding 66. My dad told stories of how they searched all night for survivors. August 9th, of course, was the date that the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, making this one of the last naval actions in the war in the Pacific.
@@fredbehnken5493 I'm glad your dad was able to make it home when so many of his shipmates did not. I'm happy he was able to share his stories with you. The Benner was a new ship, arriving in the war zone just two weeks before this incident, and only a week after my dad turned 19 years old. He didn't talk about the war until about 10 years before he passed. Then the stories started to flow. It was clear that he considered his service aboard the Benner the most important thing he ever did.
I found this to be one of your best naval battle vlogs yet! My father-in-law served on the USS Cobia during it’s entire WWII deployment, now permanently berthed at Manitowoc, WI. His story’s of the surface battles in the Pacific were incredible, particularly when you can go to the actual boat and still see the battle damage today. Thanks History Guy!
An amazing story - Thank you. My grandfather was a Chief Engineer in the British Merchant Navy - I remember him telling me that his ship was an armed cargo vessel and they ran in to a U boat on the surface during a storm - I think in the Bay of Biscay - they took pot shots at each other with respect deck guns but the swell made it futile and eventually they lost contact in the rough weather and both survived apparently intact. He survived the war in the Atlantic, Malta convoys and later North Africa - not many merchant sailors can say that. There was much more - I wish I had recorded him - he never shared any of this with his children- I guess it was all too raw….
This reminds me of the movie "The Enemy Below." When I was in grade school and high school our bus driver was a WWII sailor about an American submarine. He survived several depth charge attacks and never said much about what he experienced. But he did describe being depth-charged as being like sitting in a barrel and having someone pound it with a sledgehammer.
@@anthonyhargis6855 (The Enemy Below) This movie is based on the novel by D.A. Rayner, and the book and its dust-jacket can be seen at the beginning of one of this movie's trailers. (IMDB)
The BBC did a radio play of this book and imho its was better than the film as by just being audio it added to the unseen enemy from both sides and increased the tension 10 fold
Yes. _The Enemy Below_ is one of the best war movies ever made. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enemy_Below And I too was thinking of it as I listened to this video. The thing is - ramming U-Boats was a real thing. Nineteen had been sunk by ramming in WWI. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-submarine_weapon The first shots fired by the Unites States during WWII - were by the USS Ward attacking a Japanese mini-sub trying to sneak into the harbor by following in an American Ship. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ward The sub, though depth charged - sank because of flooding caused by shell hits. .
@@BigSkyCurmudgeon that is a legend regarding USS O’Bannon. It supposedly happened in the Pacific against a Japanese submarine. It is a popular misconception, based on a comment that the destroyer and the submarine were so close the chef thought they could have thrown potatoes. But the witnesses say that no actual potatoes were thrown.
"Drop depth charges!" "How many?" "All of the them!" The desperate fight is astonishing. A thrilling tale, well told. It is a shame that is cost so many lives.
I wonder if the Tom Hanks movie was lousy based on this specific battle. No matter. My heart was racing as you once again imparted another fascinating piece of history to us all. Thank you, my best to you,your wonderful wife and.....Pookie!
I served on a Charles F Adams class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Semmes DDG 18 from 1983-84 and a Spruance Class Destroyer, USS Kinkaid DD 965 from 1987-89. Tin Can Sailor.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel You're welcome sir. Hard to believe I retired 18 years ago last week. Miss being at-sea at times and going to a new port to explore some history and interact with the locals.
I loved watching the Adams Class DDGs during fleet ops. Sleek greyhounds, if they had wings, Adams Class DDGs could fly! 🤔🤣 When they were morred next to a pier, they still looked like they were steaming ‘All Ahead Flank!’ Bravo Zulu Mr. Sanders from a fellow Tin Can Sailor! 😀👍 USS Perkins (DD-877) 1970 & USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830) 1972
My father fought in that same war. He and his pulp wooding buddy joined up December 8th, 1941, and were in it til the Japanese surrender. They fought together in the South Pacific, and took place in many of the Solomons Campaign. This is a great channel.
Great story. Thank you. I have my flag displayed on the front porch for the entire week in honor of Veteran's Day. I'm not a vet, but my father was (Korean Conflict.)
Ken, Way to go to honor the Veterans this Thursday by flying ‘Old Glory.’ 🇺🇸😀👍 There are some in the government who really don’t care about the sacrifices our Armed Forces have made in past conflicts starting in 1776. 🤔😔 Thank your father for me for his service during the Korean War. Look at the results of South Korea, a free nation and prosperous one at that! Look at North Korea, a starving little communist country that not even Red China won’t help feed. 🤔 Navy Vet, Vietnam War, Naval Gunfire Support, USS Perkins (DD-877) & USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830) 🙂
That was quite the battle, punch . . . counterpunch. Unfortunate that previous attacks and the fear of another German submarine convinced the destroyer crew that it was better to retreat than to search the water for survivors. Thanks THG.
I thoroughly enjoy stories of the smaller surface ships. While the larger capital ships and aircraft carriers get most of the glory, it is the smaller ones such as the tin cans, submarines, etc. that do the most. Basically hand hand fighting either as a whole or as individually, trying to get an upper hand while pitted against each other in such a deadly dance. This is why I loved the movie ‘greyhound’ so much and the stories of taffy 3. Thank you THG! Keep up the awesome work
My grandfather, Alvin Sharp, was on the USS St. Lo, the first USN ship sunk by a kamikaze in the Pacific at the Battle off Samar/Leyte Gulf. Escort carriers were tough little ships. The Destroyers,and crews, that defended them were even tougher.
these were brave men. their stories need to be remembered. My dad was on the USS Phelps. Iowa farm boy to the middle of the greatest war of all time...
My father was a Fire Control Officer on a tin can in the North Atlantic. He said his can was so slow the fan tail would lift out of the water whenever they dropped a depth charge. Btw, a depth charge has a kill radius of about 17 feet. You damned near have to hit the sub to kill it.
If his destroyer was that slow, she either was suffering engineering problems or they weren't at the proper speed. Even the 20 year old Clemson class 4-stackers could make 30 knots in average seas.
Destroyers may not be depicted as being as glamorous as their bigger brethren like battleships or carriers, but man could they fight. Between this and other stories, and the very famous "Last stand of the Tin Can Sailors" at Leyte Gulf, destroyers did their job and more.
Dad served on the Card after some escort Destroyer as sonar chief-he had a great ‘slider’ and flat-tops had competing baseball teams. Maybe this is the event when he saw ‘star shells’ used at close range as anti-personnel weapons. Now it makes sense. Thanks for the terrific video!
Two brave crews, one of the many sad truths of war is that brave men on both sides have to die, at least this time it was our brave men who came out on top.
The USS Card was the last carrier to be sunk. She carried planes from the US to Saigon. When in Saigon she was protected. When gone no one watched her anchorage. The VC planted a mine when she was gone and sunk her when she returned. She settled in the mud and was refloated. Love your work.
The stories that are seldom told are often the most interesting. What great story and wonderful narration of this riveting event. Nice job once again HG!
A Canadian Corvette as part of convoy escort in the North Atlantic storm was seen to fly the following signal: A church Pennant over an Intergatory , over a Course flag. When the Convoy Commodore Queried by light 'What Signal?' The reply he recived was 'Oh God! Where am I?'
Look up HMCS Oshawa vs German sub captured by an Canadian boarding party consisting of two armed with a pistol, a length of chain and one pair of shorts between them. The sub crew were diving off the sub to get away from them....
@@deltavee2 Are you certain it was Oshawa? The wiki page doesn't even hint at any action beyond routine escort and patrol. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Oshawa
@@WhiteCamry You are absolutely right. My bad, the wages of not checking facts first. Apologies, It was the Oakville I was thinking of. The video title is: " The Royal Canadian Navy - Sinking you, but politely " (no quotation marks) The story of the Oakville starts here; czcams.com/video/aa0ahtwzTI8/video.html or it should. For the first time ever I just tried a URL grab at a certain time in the video. Hope it works. [ EDIT: It works. I just tried it. ] At any rate it starts around 26:00 minutes into the vid and Drach does the story justice in his inimitable way. Let me know what you think of the Oakville and crew. Cheers from Ottawa
When I was in elementary school (the sixties), I had a book of WW2 naval stories that had the story of the Borie against the U-Boat. I wish I still had it.
I've missed THG. This is the first video I've seen from him in several months. Good to have ya back. Much to say about these men who served on these old destroyers. The US gave Brits 50 of them in a lend-lease program. I guess we kept several more for our own use. These sound little ships filled the gaps in the first couple of years of the war until production could be cranked up to full speed on the Fletcher class boats. Great job.
I've lived in Terre Haute my whole life and have never heard this story. Thank You History Guy for teaching me something from my home town that I never even heard through school.
I would hazard this is the most incredible war drama on the high seas I've ever been lucky enough to stumble across. I wrote this before the conclusion, I'm editing to say that I'm so pleased that book agrees with me.
Another great, true, recounting of history by the History Guy. On seeing the black and white painting of the Borie over the u-boat, I remember this from my childhood. I lived on these kinds of stories. One slight correction, a Second Lieutenant in the US Navy is an Ensign. But, please keep the history coming, it must all be remembered.
A second lieutenant in the Navy is an Ensign. First lieutenant in Navy is Lieutenant junior grade. A captain in army and air force is Lieutenant in Navy.
@@skytrooper4521 I haven’t been able to find if he was commissioned a Lieutenant or Lieutenant Junior Grade after Pearl Harbor. He was a Lieutenant at the time of the battle.
The comment was a minor correction. Not to anyway diminish the excellent videos you produce. I was in the Navy as an officer, so I merely clarified the ranking. In 1970, I flew out to the USS America in the Gulf of Tonkin from Danang. I was a Lieutenant at the time and we mostly wore Marine jungle fatigues in country. When I got aboard, I was mistaken as a Marine and called Captain. I asked the guy if I just got promoted.
It was great to hear this story again. My uncle, Erwin Currier, passed away last year just a month shy of being 100, had told me this story. He was a radio seamen on the Card at that time.
Many years ago I read about this fight in a paperback book of short WW2 stories. Never have forgotten it, and am glad you did this piece. Remarkable story.
I don't think we can really comprehend the amount of time that The History Guy spends in research, script writing, filming, and editing... That's a monumental amount of work for just one video. Thank you for putting in the countless hours to ensure that history is not only fun to learn but also, more importantly, not forgotten.
I agree. The guys a true patriot
My father was a twenty year navy sailor. His favorite ships to serve on were frigates, light destroyers. His grandson, my son, serves on a destroyer and carries his legacy with him.
Just had a conversation last week with VA Rep who said that Vietnam Nam ended the family military tradition. Not so, huh?
May God keep your boy safe.
See my note to you in the regular comments. Hit the wrong button.
Give your son my best. Greetings from Maine.
he would have loved the ride on an LKA, deep draft and smooth sailing. Frigates and Destroyers bob like a cork up and down roll side to side.... Give me deep draft and smooth ride and main deck that goes bow to stern in the weather.
God bless your family!!
I couldn't help recall the great movie, "The Enemy Below", with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens.
Made around 1958, it is a riveting tale of destroyer vs u-boat duel.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
That movie was based on a book that ,I think, had the same name. I haven't read in in decades but, I remember that it was a good book.
The Enemy Below was probably one of the best WWII movies ever produced. As a kid I knew several men who had served in the Navy in WWII, one was on a sub chaser and one was on destroyer. If memory serves, a sub chaser was a smaller vessel than a true destroyer. They both told me the movie was about as true to life as one could get. Great movie. I’d like to see it again.
@@OkieSketcher1949 Another great movie from the same year, I think, is The Bedford Incident -- starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier.
It is tense, taut, and has a remarkable ending.
I won't tell you, and give it away.
It is different from any war movie you ever saw.
@@OkieSketcher1949 It is rare to meet someone who has even heard of the movie, let alone hold it in high regard.
Its refreshing.
@@craigkdillon - Craig, the Bedford Incident is not one I have seen. I need to look for it. Thanks for recommending it.
I imagine someone joining the German navy would never think they might be killed by a thrown knife during a surface engagement.
The only way to make that story better is if it was a butter knife from the galley.
Especially when he volunteered for the U Boat service.
This was not the only close quarter action in the Atlantic and at least one DD/DE vs sub encounter the DD/DE crew was throwing potatoes at the sub crew.
@@AdmRose from a pirate ship, because every story is better with pirates
@@thomasb1889 I think the Germans thought the DE crew were throwing hand grenades.
I remember this amazing tale because as a teenager I was given a book called Blood on the Sea *, US Destroyer losses of WW2. But I am very glad that THG is covering it with his amazing delivery.
I whole heartedly agree. My grandpa served on the USS Card, and told me stories growing up. and i'm especially grateful for details on his ship, and her adventures during the war.
@A Tiberius
The book you refer to is titled Blood on the Sea. I've read it and still have it. And yes, it's an excellent book.
U.S. NAVY veteran PO3 '73>'77 ✌🇺🇸
@@geoben1810 thank you for the correction
I have that book.
Thank you for making this; my dad was a 20 year old seaman on the Borie and after this episode was assigned to USS Goff and later volunteered as a frogman - UDT-15. His service was from Feb 1, 1940 (17 years old) to Sept 22, 1945 (22 years old).
My dad was on the USS Greer, a "four stacker" destroyer from WWI, on convoy duty in the North Atlantic in WWII. The Greer had an interesting history, which contributed to the US joining the Allies later on. In middle age, Dad went to college and chose WWII as a history course. The final exam had a choice of essays. Dad chose "Imagine you are in a convoy in the North Atlantic, 1942-1943". Dad is now enjoying life at a veterans' home.
Hooray for the history guy!
😳 Close Quarters and near enough to call it hand-to-hand, not what crews of Destroyers or U-boats anticipate.
A battle that Nelson, Jones, and Yi Sun-sin would recognize and approve of how the combatants fought.
I hear you, that was one EPIC sea battle and the narration was perfect!
It was lucky that the Borie didn't have potatoes in deck lockers.
@@genebohannon8820 my dad was aboard Borie at the time and told me the crew actually did throw potatoes.
@@kennethbradshaw7648 I remember reading in Walter Lord's book, "Day Of Infamy" that during the Pearl Harbor attack the Zeroes were flying so low over the U.S. ships in the drydocks a mechanic threw a monkeywrench at them! (And probably quite a few choice curse words, too!)
Great story and once again great job! My dad was in the Marines in WW2 and as they were going to and back from Iwo Jima, they would stand by the railing of their transport ships and watch the guys on the destroyers circling the convoy at high speed. He said those guys on the destroyers were the real sailors in the navy and the joke was that they were paid three times more than anybody else. Their regular pay on calm days, flight pay for being on top of a huge wave with most of the boat out the water and then submarine pay when it would slide down into the trench and be mostly under water before it popped up again. They would watch some sailor run out of a hatch and slam it shut on the way up and try to get in the next one before it went under. My dad said they all survived even when they got caught when going under and simply held on until the boat came back up. The marines cheered them on and everybody went on their way.
I was a crew member aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in March 1984, the only aircraft carrier to ram a submarine! Actually an accident, well documented by The History Guy in his video, ‘USS Kitty Hawk Collision.’
Have a wonderful Veterans Day all you Vets! 20 year Navy Vet, Vietnam War… Anchors Aweigh! 😀👍🔔
Less known was when the USS Independence. CV-62 , did the same, I worked at Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and we had to cut the entire peak tank from the ship while it was in dry dock as it was filled with concrete to stop the leak. It took a lot of concrete while still at sea to fill that tank but who do you think made the hole ?
Navy did not want that info known at the time as the sub had to break past the ring of support vessels to just get hit by the aircraft carrier. This repair work was done under the Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP) rehab in the late 1980's. PNSY saw Kitty Hawk as well and did a rehab.
A lot of info about submarine and ship encounters is still kept under wraps today and even crew members don't know about some unless they had a real need to know.
I bet crew members aboard the Indy did not even know the deal as the ship never stopped or slowed down when it hit what ever punched a hole in 2" High Yield steel !
BZ
My father served on the USS Card during this time . He told me about this battle and others as well. Thank you for putting this on CZcams.
The courage shown by both crews clearly deserves to be remembered. The absolute persistence of the captain and crew of the Bory should never be forgotten. History Guy, I don’t know how you find these stories but kudos to you as well. My mornings are made so much richer by your dedication to telling the stories that truly deserve to be told. Thank you History Guy.
Indeed Agree
I wish I had history teachers like THG. I love history and he makes it even better to learn. When he talks one wants to listen. When you listen to him you learn. There is a lot of history out there, most of it untaught, so I am hoping he is with us for a long time. Thanks to THG.
The Bory captain should have been court marshaled for raming the sub,, cost lives for nothing
@@jimmyhaley727 I agree.. Should have pulled away to distance and sunk her at his leisure
I want to say a very great full thank you. My uncle was Chief Quartermaster William Shakerley, and am very honored to be named after him.
As a elder man I was lucky enough to hear stories of some of the greatest battles ever witnessed in wwll, man those guys were tough. I wish more of them were still here,miss them alot. RIP brave men and women of WORLD WAR 2.
The old 4 Stack/Flush Deck destroyers, valiantly serving in so many roles beyond what they were originally designed for and well after they had reached obsolescence, once again showed that you often had to fight with what you had, not necessarily what you needed. In the end it is the crews more than the equipment that counts the most.
There is a great alternative history series about these amazing ships and the men who served on them called the Destroyermen, I believe. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I enjoyed the entire series. If you enjoy science fiction and alternative history then it might be worth a look.
@Ken Hanks
Because Sometimes You Have To "Do What You Can With What You Have."
Burt Gummer (Paranoid Militant With More Guns Than Any Sane person Would Have) :-)
And the USS Buchan, was transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Cambelton, the rest is not Forgotten History.
@@briangarrow448 I finally got the last Destroyermen book.
I’ve always reminded my sailors, “a ship is an inanimate object, the crew creates the ship”.
WOW! What a telling of a battle. History Guy gave me goose bumps. I was 11 months old when this battle ensued. My father flew B-25 bombers during WW II. So many brave men.
Thank you for another piece of history about the Greatest Generation.
Yes, my father's generation. Saved the world.
@@martinfinster9899 at 17 , 18 , 19 years old not sitting in a coffee shop but fighting for world freedom ...... We owe so much .
My dad was part of that I had mentioned that, and he stopped me cold and said don't say that because there were others who did just as well or better who were before me.
@@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647 when you measure yourself against giants you never feel you are very great
@@johnlansing2902 True, but my dad was very humble and I miss him so much
Now this is a bare knucked sea story well told!
Talk about edge of your seat excitement. This history lesson is the best one yet told. Well done Sir.
Can’t wait for him to discuss the USS Liberty
If this battle happened just in the daytime it would be incredible. Then, add hurricane and nighttime. Throw all of those superhero movies in the trash can. Why hasn't this been made into a movie?
Well they sort of did with The Enemy Below I say sort of based on an English novel.
@@edmondmcdowell9690 Thanks. I'll look that up.
Unfortunately in all likelihood it would be woke and full of CGI and totally suck. Michael Bay would direct it and every thrown knife would result in a huge explosion.
@@RCAvhstape Exactly because Hollywood would completely screw it up. It's what they do.
@@73Trident Bollywood would do it justice,Dancing,music and choreography with dancing girls and saris .Directed by Baz Lurhman.A masterpiece in the making.
Another GREAT ASW documentary by The History Guy! Sometimes I think he’s there, on the decks of both combatants, pencil in hand, writing notes on a clipboard for the annals of history. Somehow they should make The History Guy an ‘Honorary Veteran’ so he can eat breakfast free at Denny’s Restaurant with us Veterans on Nov. 11th. 🤔😀 USN Veteran, Vietnam War, 1970-1972
Thank you for your service time Sir, and Welcome home.
@@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647 Dear Kirk, Thank you for the well wishes. I hope you enjoy your day off this Thursday if you are a working man or student in school. May God always bless America. 🇺🇸😀👍🙏
@@dennisammann9104 Ty/yw
A new Sumner-class USS Borie (DD-704) was a member of a squadron of picket boats that included the John W Weeks (DD-701), Hank (DD-702), ans my dad's ship USS Benner (DD-807) off the coast of Japan on August 9, 1945 when they were attacked by a kamikaze. Borie was struck in the superstructure, killing 48 sailors and wounding 66. My dad told stories of how they searched all night for survivors. August 9th, of course, was the date that the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, making this one of the last naval actions in the war in the Pacific.
My father was the radar officer on the DD704. He had similar stories. He saw the flash of the Nagasaki bomb. Then it was sailing home.
@@fredbehnken5493 I'm glad your dad was able to make it home when so many of his shipmates did not. I'm happy he was able to share his stories with you. The Benner was a new ship, arriving in the war zone just two weeks before this incident, and only a week after my dad turned 19 years old. He didn't talk about the war until about 10 years before he passed. Then the stories started to flow. It was clear that he considered his service aboard the Benner the most important thing he ever did.
I found this to be one of your best naval battle vlogs yet! My father-in-law served on the USS Cobia during it’s entire WWII deployment, now permanently berthed at Manitowoc, WI. His story’s of the surface battles in the Pacific were incredible, particularly when you can go to the actual boat and still see the battle damage today. Thanks History Guy!
An amazing story - Thank you.
My grandfather was a Chief Engineer in the British Merchant Navy - I remember him telling me that his ship was an armed cargo vessel and they ran in to a U boat on the surface during a storm - I think in the Bay of Biscay - they took pot shots at each other with respect deck guns but the swell made it futile and eventually they lost contact in the rough weather and both survived apparently intact.
He survived the war in the Atlantic, Malta convoys and later North Africa - not many merchant sailors can say that. There was much more - I wish I had recorded him - he never shared any of this with his children- I guess it was all too raw….
Thank you for the great history video
As a veteran, I appreciate these personal stories of struggle against a determined, but also human, enemy.
Eloquent comment
This reminds me of the movie "The Enemy Below." When I was in grade school and high school our bus driver was a WWII sailor about an American submarine. He survived several depth charge attacks and never said much about what he experienced. But he did describe being depth-charged as being like sitting in a barrel and having someone pound it with a sledgehammer.
I was thinking the very same thing as I watched this. czcams.com/video/ny6oZED1Hm8/video.html&ab_channel=CliveFive
I also. Can't help but think that this incident served as inspiration for that movie. Well, "great minds" and all that.
@@anthonyhargis6855 (The Enemy Below) This movie is based on the novel by D.A. Rayner, and the book and its dust-jacket can be seen at the beginning of one of this movie's trailers. (IMDB)
The BBC did a radio play of this book and imho its was better than the film as by just being audio it added to the unseen enemy from both sides and increased the tension 10 fold
Yes. _The Enemy Below_ is one of the best war movies ever made.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enemy_Below
And I too was thinking of it as I listened to this video.
The thing is - ramming U-Boats was a real thing. Nineteen had been sunk by ramming in WWI.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-submarine_weapon
The first shots fired by the Unites States during WWII - were by the USS Ward attacking a Japanese mini-sub trying to sneak into the harbor by following in an American Ship.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ward
The sub, though depth charged - sank because of flooding caused by shell hits.
.
Great story...love your vids.
I didn't hear about coffee mugs being thrown at the German sailors. I always found that facinating
That was documented in the fight between USS Buckley and U-66. czcams.com/video/YIBF4HwtANA/video.html
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Ha, those mugs are still on the ocean floor!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel wasn't there a potato attack on a U-boat? grenade imitation?
@@BigSkyCurmudgeon I also heard that potatoes were thrown from another source, the book Blood on The Sea by Robert S. Parkin. 1995.
@@BigSkyCurmudgeon that is a legend regarding USS O’Bannon. It supposedly happened in the Pacific against a Japanese submarine. It is a popular misconception, based on a comment that the destroyer and the submarine were so close the chef thought they could have thrown potatoes. But the witnesses say that no actual potatoes were thrown.
Thank you The History Guy! ✝️🇺🇸✝️
Some gallant gents of all stripes that day. Great story, well-told as always.
"Drop depth charges!"
"How many?"
"All of the them!"
The desperate fight is astonishing. A thrilling tale, well told. It is a shame that is cost so many lives.
Great story History Guy. The close up fight had me sitting on the edge of my chair. Thanks.
I wonder if the Tom Hanks movie was lousy based on this specific battle. No matter. My heart was racing as you once again imparted another fascinating piece of history to us all. Thank you, my best to you,your wonderful wife and.....Pookie!
Greyhound was based on the novel "The Good Shepherd," a work of fiction. The author, C.S. Forrester, also wrote the Horatio Hornblower series.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Thank you! You're the teechur! You are the living embodiment of knowledge... Thanks again.
What an amazing story! History Guy comes through as usual. 👍👍
I served on a Charles F Adams class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Semmes DDG 18 from 1983-84 and a Spruance Class Destroyer, USS Kinkaid DD 965 from 1987-89. Tin Can Sailor.
Thank you for your service.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel You're welcome sir. Hard to believe I retired 18 years ago last week. Miss being at-sea at times and going to a new port to explore some history and interact with the locals.
I loved watching the Adams Class DDGs during fleet ops. Sleek greyhounds, if they had wings, Adams Class DDGs could fly! 🤔🤣 When they were morred next to a pier, they still looked like they were steaming ‘All Ahead Flank!’ Bravo Zulu Mr. Sanders from a fellow Tin Can Sailor! 😀👍
USS Perkins (DD-877) 1970 & USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830) 1972
@@dennisammann9104 Thanks for your service Shipmate. Happy Veteran's Day to you
DDG-11; USS Sellers, here. I have the book by Theodore Roscoe that details this fight.
My father fought in that same war. He and his pulp wooding buddy joined up December 8th, 1941, and were in it til the Japanese surrender. They fought together in the South Pacific, and took place in many of the Solomons Campaign. This is a great channel.
Really really enjoy your Historical Video Documentaries
What an amazing story that I've never heard before. Fantastic episode.
These unknown stories are always the best 👍
Great story. Thank you. I have my flag displayed on the front porch for the entire week in honor of Veteran's Day. I'm not a vet, but my father was (Korean Conflict.)
Ken, Way to go to honor the Veterans this Thursday by flying ‘Old Glory.’ 🇺🇸😀👍
There are some in the government who really don’t care about the sacrifices our Armed Forces have made in past conflicts starting in 1776. 🤔😔
Thank your father for me for his service during the Korean War. Look at the results of South Korea, a free nation and prosperous one at that! Look at North Korea, a starving little communist country that not even Red China won’t help feed. 🤔
Navy Vet, Vietnam War, Naval Gunfire Support, USS Perkins (DD-877) & USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830) 🙂
Hours of boredom followed by 72 minutes of terror. 🤤 The NAVY does it ALL and does it ALL at ONCE! Proud U.S. NAVY veteran PO3 '73>'77 ✌🇺🇸
That was quite the battle, punch . . . counterpunch. Unfortunate that previous attacks and the fear of another German submarine convinced the destroyer crew that it was better to retreat than to search the water for survivors. Thanks THG.
Incredible courage and resolve from both sides.
All of them young kids.
Great work. Respect.
Another good video.
I have busy and fallen behind. Perhaps next weekend I can binge watch those I missed. ;-)
This was intense. You described it very vividly. Thanks so much.
Wow!
Such an incredible recounting of a historic battle, makes a man feel extremely proud to be an American, and a proud veteran too.
A great story of a battle I had never heard of. Thanks.
I thoroughly enjoy stories of the smaller surface ships. While the larger capital ships and aircraft carriers get most of the glory, it is the smaller ones such as the tin cans, submarines, etc. that do the most. Basically hand hand fighting either as a whole or as individually, trying to get an upper hand while pitted against each other in such a deadly dance. This is why I loved the movie ‘greyhound’ so much and the stories of taffy 3. Thank you THG! Keep up the awesome work
Another shining example of the men of the Greatest Generation.
A channel like this having over 1 million subs warms my heart and gives me faith in humanity.
My dad was on board Borie for this harrowing and heroic event ... S1c Robert D Bradshaw.
Great stuff! You can really 'feel' the action when the History Guy is telling it!
I had to watch this again while forwarding it to a friend. I just have to add: Great tie!
My grandfather, Alvin Sharp, was on the USS St. Lo, the first USN ship sunk by a kamikaze in the Pacific at the Battle off Samar/Leyte Gulf. Escort carriers were tough little ships. The Destroyers,and crews, that defended them were even tougher.
Incredible how cutting edge tech can give way to throwing heavy items, knives and whatever else is handy
What an amazing story teller. To hear The History Guy around a campfire would be epic.
You. sir, are one of my favorite online video historians. Your gift of oration makes your channel way out in front. Well done!
these were brave men. their stories need to be remembered. My dad was on the USS Phelps. Iowa farm boy to the middle of the greatest war of all time...
Thank you for your wonderful presentation. Enjoyable and informative as always.
My father was a Fire Control Officer on a tin can in the North Atlantic. He said his can was so slow the fan tail would lift out of the water whenever they dropped a depth charge.
Btw, a depth charge has a kill radius of about 17 feet. You damned near have to hit the sub to kill it.
One of thin reasons the FIDO was so useful. Hedgehogs also changed the equation by throwing a much bigger spread and exploding on contact.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Mr. Limpet was more effective.
Only 17 feet? Wow, I never knew that!
If his destroyer was that slow, she either was suffering engineering problems or they weren't at the proper speed. Even the 20 year old Clemson class 4-stackers could make 30 knots in average seas.
Now THAT would make a great movie!
Destroyers may not be depicted as being as glamorous as their bigger brethren like battleships or carriers, but man could they fight.
Between this and other stories, and the very famous "Last stand of the Tin Can Sailors" at Leyte Gulf, destroyers did their job and more.
Very enjoyable and interesting. Always look forward to your vids. Thank You
Dad served on the Card after some escort Destroyer as sonar chief-he had a great ‘slider’ and flat-tops had competing baseball teams. Maybe this is the event when he saw ‘star shells’ used at close range as anti-personnel weapons. Now it makes sense. Thanks for the terrific video!
History Guy Rules!
Another piece in the puzzle of the Battle of the Atlantic. Thank you.
One of your most exciting narratives. Nicely done !
Two brave crews, one of the many sad truths of war is that brave men on both sides have to die, at least this time it was our brave men who came out on top.
Truth be told Bories crew put up one hell of a fight.
Another amazing story. Thanks.
The USS Card was the last carrier to be sunk. She carried planes from the US to Saigon. When in Saigon she was protected. When gone no one watched her anchorage. The VC planted a mine when she was gone and sunk her when she returned. She settled in the mud and was refloated. Love your work.
The stories that are seldom told are often the most interesting. What great story and wonderful narration of this riveting event. Nice job once again HG!
RCN had a number of similar 'exchanges' with U-boats too. Their stories of convoy escort are quite harrowing. Undertrained and under equiped.
A Canadian Corvette as part of convoy escort in the North Atlantic storm was seen to fly the following signal: A church Pennant over an Intergatory , over a Course flag.
When the Convoy Commodore Queried by light 'What Signal?' The reply he recived was 'Oh God! Where am I?'
Look up HMCS Oshawa vs German sub captured by an Canadian boarding party consisting of two armed with a pistol, a length of chain and one pair of shorts between them. The sub crew were diving off the sub to get away from them....
@@deltavee2 Are you certain it was Oshawa? The wiki page doesn't even hint at any action beyond routine escort and patrol.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Oshawa
@@WhiteCamry HMCS Oakville.
@@WhiteCamry You are absolutely right. My bad, the wages of not checking facts first. Apologies, It was the Oakville I was thinking of.
The video title is: " The Royal Canadian Navy - Sinking you, but politely "
(no quotation marks)
The story of the Oakville starts here;
czcams.com/video/aa0ahtwzTI8/video.html
or it should. For the first time ever I just tried a URL grab at a certain time in the video. Hope it works.
[ EDIT: It works. I just tried it. ]
At any rate it starts around 26:00 minutes into the vid and Drach does the story justice in his inimitable way.
Let me know what you think of the Oakville and crew.
Cheers from Ottawa
Amazing .
WOW! What an engagement! This deserves a movie! Calling Tom Hanks!
Thank you for your wonderful presentation on the battle between USS Borie and U-405.
Great military history story! Well done!
Fascinating, as usual...also tragic. Brave men on both sides, each with a story to tell.
You could make a movie 🎬 about this battle!
It would be great if there was a “further reading” section to learn more. I’d love to learn more about this.
He mentions a book about it
"Sailors' Journey into War" by Robert Maher and James E Wise Jr well worth the read. www.amazon.com/Sailors-Journey-into-War-Captain/dp/0873385837
When I was in elementary school (the sixties), I had a book of WW2 naval stories that had the story of the Borie against the U-Boat. I wish I still had it.
Great story! When one thinks of naval warfare, hand to hand desperate fighting does not usually come to mind
As usual, well researched, organized and narrated. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. History Guy.
The only thing that story lacked was a boarding party with cutlasses like pirates, and every good story has pirates! 😁
Your fast-paced narrative and photo arrangement make this video viewing like a full length movie. Congratsulatoryations, mate!
As a Terre Haute native who did not know of this story, Thank You!!
I've missed THG. This is the first video I've seen from him in several months. Good to have ya back. Much to say about these men who served on these old destroyers. The US gave Brits 50 of them in a lend-lease program. I guess we kept several more for our own use. These sound little ships filled the gaps in the first couple of years of the war until production could be cranked up to full speed on the Fletcher class boats. Great job.
What an amazing story! It certainly deserved to be made into a movie.
I'm a simple man. I see a history guy video I click like :)
I've lived in Terre Haute my whole life and have never heard this story. Thank You History Guy for teaching me something from my home town that I never even heard through school.
I would hazard this is the most incredible war drama on the high seas I've ever been lucky enough to stumble across.
I wrote this before the conclusion, I'm editing to say that I'm so pleased that book agrees with me.
Well, one heckuva story and no mention of pirates. Quite the action, BRAVO ZULU, BORIE.
Another great, true, recounting of history by the History Guy. On seeing the black and white painting of the Borie over the u-boat, I remember this from my childhood. I lived on these kinds of stories. One slight correction, a Second Lieutenant in the US Navy is an Ensign. But, please keep the history coming, it must all be remembered.
A second lieutenant in the Navy is an Ensign. First lieutenant in Navy is Lieutenant junior grade. A captain in army and air force is Lieutenant in Navy.
He was commissioned a Lieutenant after Pearl Harbor.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel You said he was a second lieutenant. The rank of second lieutenant doesn't exist in the U.S. Navy.
@@skytrooper4521 I haven’t been able to find if he was commissioned a Lieutenant or Lieutenant Junior Grade after Pearl Harbor. He was a Lieutenant at the time of the battle.
The comment was a minor correction. Not to anyway diminish the excellent videos you produce. I was in the Navy as an officer, so I merely clarified the ranking. In 1970, I flew out to the USS America in the Gulf of Tonkin from Danang. I was a Lieutenant at the time and we mostly wore Marine jungle fatigues in country. When I got aboard, I was mistaken as a Marine and called Captain. I asked the guy if I just got promoted.
It was great to hear this story again. My uncle, Erwin Currier, passed away last year just a month shy of being 100, had told me this story. He was a radio seamen on the Card at that time.
Made it early this time! Love the content. Thanks THG!
Very well researched, written and presented. Excellent use of stills and clips to accompany the narrative. History is alive right here!
Many years ago I read about this fight in a paperback book of short WW2 stories. Never have forgotten it, and am glad you did this piece. Remarkable story.