The USN Pacific Submarine Campaign - The Dark Year (Dec'41 - Dec'42)

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  • čas přidán 28. 12. 2021
  • Today we take a look at the opening year of the USN's pacific sub campaign, where almost everything went wrong, but laid the groundwork for things to start going right.
    Sources:
    www.amazon.co.uk/Unrestricted-Warfare-Officers-Submarine-Victory/dp/047138495X
    www.usni.org/press/books/silent-victory
    www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Service-World-War-Submarine/dp/1636241263
    www.amazon.co.uk/Sink-Em-All-Submarine-Warfare/dp/1387400738
    Footage from US National Archives video codes:
    428-NPC-26/15510/19449/15510/15502/15887/19460
    Free naval photos and more - www.drachinifel.co.uk
    Want to support the channel? - / drachinifel
    Want a shirt/mug/hoodie - shop.spreadshirt.com/drachini...
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    Episodes in podcast format - / user-21912004

Komentáře • 1,4K

  • @Drachinifel
    @Drachinifel  Před 2 lety +151

    Pinned post for Q&A :)

    • @Ent1610
      @Ent1610 Před 2 lety +7

      How good would Shinano be if she was converted in the same way Kaga was converted (big tall hangar on top of the hull)? And if she had been present at Leyte (in the above mentioned configuration), would the battle have gone differently?

    • @TheArklyte
      @TheArklyte Před 2 lety +10

      For Q&A:
      1)how important was Malacca Strait in WWII?
      2)slightly off topic - If Japan didn't attack Pearl Harbor and then Philippines, what would have been the event that US could have used as an excuse for escalating conflict and joining the war? Would they be forced to join European Front first instead?

    • @mathewkelly9968
      @mathewkelly9968 Před 2 lety +7

      HMAS Graph the RN U boat ......... did any other navy use a captured vessel in active service in ww2 ?

    • @TheArklyte
      @TheArklyte Před 2 lety +4

      @@mathewkelly9968 you mean major navy or any navy? Pretty sure french and chinese used basically anything that was captured or handed down. Same goes partially for soviets and even japanese. US was too rich for that having peacetime industry and all that. UK, Italy and Germany? Nice idea.

    • @TheArklyte
      @TheArklyte Před 2 lety +1

      @@mathewkelly9968 *no idea
      I hate Gboard...

  • @firestorm165
    @firestorm165 Před 2 lety +1661

    The Empire of Japan would like to thank the US bureau of ordnance for their assistance in their early war effort

    • @gmanbo
      @gmanbo Před 2 lety +30

      Amen

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 Před 2 lety +192

      I have to ask. At what point did the Bureau of Ordinance’s behaviour crossed the line between incompetence and treason.

    • @fernandomarques5166
      @fernandomarques5166 Před 2 lety +169

      @@ph89787 When they denied for the 200th consecutive time that the MK14 was faulty.

    • @ivoivanov7407
      @ivoivanov7407 Před 2 lety +91

      @@ph89787 Perhaps when refused to do proper testing, because of expenses.

    • @cp1cupcake
      @cp1cupcake Před 2 lety +62

      @@ph89787 When they were found guilty of intentionally aiding Japan.

  • @gurk_the_magnificent9008
    @gurk_the_magnificent9008 Před 2 lety +705

    “We were using Mk 14 torpedoes and having trouble with them”
    That’s a Royal Navy-caliber understatement

    • @advorak8529
      @advorak8529 Před 2 lety +16

      Also called “being British”.

    • @Admiral8Q
      @Admiral8Q Před 2 lety +21

      In 'Merican, "Those F**kin' Mark 14s!"

    • @blankblank9042
      @blankblank9042 Před 2 lety +6

      I think the 18 month delay in fixing the Mk-14 torpedos was deliberate.

    • @Laotzu.Goldbug
      @Laotzu.Goldbug Před 2 lety +7

      @@blankblank9042 I think the war department wanted to send our sub boys to sea with wooden submarines, to build character, but they figured that wouldn't go over too well so they at least tin coated them.

    • @WyvernYT
      @WyvernYT Před 2 lety +4

      In case anyone happened to miss the video on the Mk 14, "Failure is Like Onions." czcams.com/video/eQ5Ru7Zu_1I/video.html

  • @ladikthrawn7078
    @ladikthrawn7078 Před 2 lety +35

    that story about a Mark 14 torpedo becoming a life raft for a Japanese sailor made my day

  • @Meatwadsan
    @Meatwadsan Před 2 lety +290

    "If the Bureau of Ordnance can't provide us with torpedoes that will hit and explode, or with a gun larger than a peashooter, then for God's sake get the Bureau of Ships to design a boathook with which we can rip the plates off the target's sides." -Admiral Lockwood during an early 1943 Washington conference with Admiral King

    • @jlsperling1
      @jlsperling1 Před 2 lety +20

      The subs' guns ended up being upgraded, with the 3" guns first being replaced with surplus 4" guns from the old 4-pipers and the S-class boats, then later with a 'wet' version of the 5"/25 AA gun modified for surface fire only.
      Oh, they also moved the location of the deck guns from aft to fwd, making them more useful offensively

    • @Idahoguy10157
      @Idahoguy10157 Před 2 lety +8

      What Admiral Lockwood said is an understatement of the mk 14 problem

    • @tombentley8540
      @tombentley8540 Před 2 lety +1

      @@Idahoguy10157 z

    • @himoffthequakeroatbox4320
      @himoffthequakeroatbox4320 Před 2 lety +6

      I'm starting to like this Lockwood guy.

    • @SudrianTales
      @SudrianTales Před rokem +3

      Admiral King: *Demonic voice* What did you say?
      Lockwood: -Scared- The sub weapons aren't good.
      *Admiral King floats up and heads to BUORD*

  • @chillybinbob
    @chillybinbob Před 2 lety +930

    I qualified submarines in 1980. I knew two men who had served aboard WWII diesel boats, although their service was after WWII. Our own submarine, one of the early "41 for Freedom" Missile boats built in the 1960's, still had a lot of interior gear that was exactly the same as a WWII submarine. When I see something on the discovery channel today that shows the interior of new Nuclear submarines, I am well amazed. We were gages, valves, torn clothing, linoleum covered decks forward, asbestos lagged piping, etc. We all owe everything we have learned as a group to those brave men of WWII.
    There is a submarine memorial in Oklahoma (of all places, also my home state) where the USS Batfish SS310 is on display. The ship needs help, it is in peril of decay and has accidentally been floated by floods on more than one occasion. Every year that passes there is less interest in her. Batfish is the champion submarine killer of all time, a record that has stood since 1945

    • @chillybinbob
      @chillybinbob Před 2 lety +20

      @Kirk Wolfe What is a statean?

    • @jimmyseaver3647
      @jimmyseaver3647 Před 2 lety +13

      @@chillybinbob I think it's a weird quirk, calling the USN the "Statean" Navy instead of the US or American Navy.

    • @chillybinbob
      @chillybinbob Před 2 lety +26

      @@jimmyseaver3647 I think it is odd indeed. Perhaps insulting. Personally, I served on Submarines in the United States Navy.

    • @solutionless123
      @solutionless123 Před 2 lety +7

      Americans were jacks of all trades master of none, because they were English and German and French and Italian, etc. They had among them the best aspects of the other great powers. Increasingly though they're not able to figure out things like indoor plumbing and electricity

    • @BlackHawkBallistic
      @BlackHawkBallistic Před 2 lety +16

      @@solutionless123 lmao what? What country are you from? Don't tell me it's one where there isn't air conditioning or tanks of water full of dead animals in a homes attic

  • @RexsHangar
    @RexsHangar Před 2 lety +226

    Came for the Mk14 witticisms, was not disappointed.

    • @Admiral8Q
      @Admiral8Q Před 2 lety

      Heh heh!

    • @Admiral8Q
      @Admiral8Q Před 2 lety +5

      "He also would not hear ANYTHING against the Mark 14 torpedo. Despite that more than every torpedo expended in the entire history of the United States history, the Mark 14 was achieving basically nothing."

    • @shannonrhoads7099
      @shannonrhoads7099 Před 2 lety +5

      The Mark 14 is a deep discussion, and not at all attractive in any field - I heard this from a reliable contact.

    • @VosperCDN
      @VosperCDN Před 2 lety +2

      @@shannonrhoads7099 exactly what the Mk14 didn't have ... reliable contacts!

  • @NathanOkun
    @NathanOkun Před rokem +46

    The Mark 14 torpedo problems caused major problems in the US Navy submarine service for decades after WWII. Many submarine captains from then on would personally cut the wiring inside the new US Navy torpedoes to ensure only impact would work. This was an example of the legacy of this complete FUBAR as long as the US Navy submarine personnel remained in the Navy. As a NAVSEA employee of 41 years (BuORD and BuSHIPS's successor after WWII), this kind of thing was NEVER repeated and ship problems were now top priority and "tomorrow you will be far away fixing a ship problem" -- happened to me twice -- became SOP.

  • @alexisesguerra2544
    @alexisesguerra2544 Před 2 lety +548

    “… the collection of malfunctions that was loosely termed the Argonaut.” 🤣🤣🤣
    For those on eternal patrol, thanks for bringing this part of the Pacific War to light. 👏👏

    • @ottovonbismarck2443
      @ottovonbismarck2443 Před 2 lety +15

      A classic "Drach". Brilliant as ever.

    • @kmech3rd
      @kmech3rd Před 2 lety +22

      Reminds me of an old saying that a Chinook Helo was really "a collection of parts flying in a sloppy formation".

    • @robertslugg8361
      @robertslugg8361 Před 2 lety +4

      The Eternal Patrol Memorial at Pearl overshadowed the other displays by a long shot.

    • @donmarkle1495
      @donmarkle1495 Před 2 lety

      @@robertslugg8361 I

  • @HalfLifeExpert1
    @HalfLifeExpert1 Před rokem +24

    33:00 To be fair, Nautilus provided a most unexpected critical role in the battle, by drawing off the IJN destroyer Arashi, the latter's race to catch up with the carriers gave the Enterprise Dive bombers a most welcome beacon to home in on their targets.

  • @derekr1282
    @derekr1282 Před 2 lety +332

    It's worth mentioning Representative Andrew May in the bit regarding the article on the settings of Japanese depth charges. May was the one who leaked this information to the press upon returning from a tour of bases in the Pacific.
    An estimated 10 submarines and 800 sailors were lost because of the corrections the Japanese made to their depth charges. Admiral Charles Lockwood reportedly said, "I hear Congressman May said the Jap depth charges are not set deep enough. He would be pleased to know that the Japs set them deeper now."
    Andrew May was also a war-profiteer associated with a company that made faulty mortar fuses which detonated prematurely, killing 38 servicemen over the course of the war. He had bribery charges brought against him and was convicted in federal court in 1947.
    He was pretty much an all around stand up guy.

    • @jamesbugbee6812
      @jamesbugbee6812 Před 2 lety +15

      Should have been made a bend over guy.

    • @73Trident
      @73Trident Před 2 lety +63

      May is the reason you don't send politicians to a war front. They can't keep their mouth shut.

    • @touyube2470
      @touyube2470 Před 2 lety +11

      The entirety of America are war profiteers so a rather pointless inclusion on his list of charges

    • @mnxs
      @mnxs Před 2 lety +36

      And he only served 9 months. And was pardoned by Truman. Justice at its finest...

    • @derekr1282
      @derekr1282 Před 2 lety +50

      @@touyube2470 It's a bit different when you use personal political connections to leverage defense contracts to business partners with no experience in the industry, then cut corners in production in order to increase profits, resulting in your final product exploding in the faces of the soldiers using them. Which is what May did.
      Also, I'm not sure exactly how you define "war profiteer," and I'm not sure how "the entirety of America" is counted as such while the other major powers are not. The entire industrial bases of all the major participants were shifted to war production, not just America, and as far as I'm aware, Supermarine was not just giving away their airplanes for nothing. But if we dismiss anyone who makes weapons during wartime as a war profiteer, then the only ones who aren't would be the ones who send their soldiers into battle with nothing but their dicks in their hands.

  • @edfrawley4356
    @edfrawley4356 Před 2 lety +133

    The information about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of Japanese depth charges came from US Congressman Andrew J May after a junket to the Pacific where he learned that American subs where surviving depth charging because the enemy were setting there fuses too shallow and he promptly announced to the world upon his return the actual operating depth of US submarines. Admiral Lockwood later stated that that carelessness by May cost the US 10 submarines and 800 crew and stated that Congressman May would be pleased to know that the Japanese were setting them deeper now.

    • @barrettcarr1413
      @barrettcarr1413 Před 2 lety +34

      Shades of the Falklands War when the War correspondents told that the Argentine pilots were dropping bombs that didn't have time to activate before hitting their targets

    • @cryptickcryptick2241
      @cryptickcryptick2241 Před 7 měsíci

      This was a big blunder. In all fairness, there is a lesson for all of us. People everywhere want answers, transparency, and to feel good about the situation. One can look at the situation from the standpoint of a worried mother, a congressman who is representative of the people, and a newspaper man who needs a story. What to report, which stories to tell, and how to keep the public involved in the war effort are difficult things. Congressmen, are almost always extroverts, and are dealing with a lot of people. If you are dealing with a lot of people time to think about each interaction is limited. How can you get a good news story and not reveal anything useful to the enemy? Well most of those stories could be about one simple worker, among hundreds, who used a well known practice, to repeat a well known procedure. That said, it was a big blunder indeed. Loose lips... sink ships!

  • @fernandomarques5166
    @fernandomarques5166 Před 2 lety +305

    As someone with large amounts of experience in modded Silent Hunter 4 I can say that calling the MK14 torpedo frustrating and irritating is the biggest understatement of the war.

    • @chillybinbob
      @chillybinbob Před 2 lety +41

      Those brave men and their video games!

    • @AdmRose
      @AdmRose Před 2 lety +23

      Torpedo was a dud, sir!

    • @13stalag13
      @13stalag13 Před 2 lety +8

      The Leaders at Bu Ord should have been tried as traitors and executed. They have hurt the war effort more than the enemy!

    • @Deevo037
      @Deevo037 Před 2 lety +8

      @@13stalag13 Better than that they should have been launched out of their own torpedo tubes.

    • @WyvernYT
      @WyvernYT Před 2 lety +1

      "Failure is Like Onions..." czcams.com/video/eQ5Ru7Zu_1I/video.html

  • @marcusfranconium3392
    @marcusfranconium3392 Před 2 lety +279

    It just shows how impressive the dutch submarines wher in the pacific war . first 53 days 53 ships sunk

    • @kurgisempyrion6125
      @kurgisempyrion6125 Před 2 lety +67

      Yup, really hoping Drach covers them in detail maybe with the few British subs in the area as well

    • @dogsnads5634
      @dogsnads5634 Před 2 lety +24

      @@kurgisempyrion6125 One of the issues the UK had was that they had designed and built a number of larger submarines, like the US, for Pacific use but the exigencies of the early part of the war had forced them to be used in areas where their size was a disadvantage like the Med and Kattegat, a number were lost so that there weren't the numbers required out in the far east when the war kicked off there.

    • @kurgisempyrion6125
      @kurgisempyrion6125 Před 2 lety +25

      @@dogsnads5634 Yes I know - just want to read/listen to a detailed account of the few they had in the area and especially the Dutch subs which are often overlooked by American-centric views of the Pacific conflict

    • @przemyslawlib
      @przemyslawlib Před 2 lety +1

      Do you have any sources in English?

    • @jlsperling1
      @jlsperling1 Před 2 lety +3

      @@kurgisempyrion6125 Their newest subs pioneered the 'schnorchel' - the O.16, O.19 minelayers, and the O.25 classes.
      Unfortunately, the RN seriously panned the schnorkels, and removed most of them from Dutch subs in their jurisdiction.
      In my work of creating supplements for the Admiralty Trilogy game system, I included full writeups on the Dutch subs and their torpedo types. Late in the war, they switched to the GB Mk VIII, but their fire control systems were far superior to the British subs.

  • @LazyLifeIFreak
    @LazyLifeIFreak Před 2 lety +161

    When your commanding officer might as well be a traitor, because that is more believable than the Mk14 being effective and lethal to enemy ships.

  • @Big_E_Soul_Fragment
    @Big_E_Soul_Fragment Před 2 lety +24

    Everybody's gangsta until the sub's torpedoes start becoming reliable

    • @cp1cupcake
      @cp1cupcake Před 2 lety +1

      I was looking at how many subs the US lost in WW2. I think it was ~52 and they had ~230 at the end of the war. Now compare to u-boats as they were basically used for the same thing.....
      One had a good time at the beginning of the war, the other hand a good time at the end of it. The reason why the US subs stopped having a good time was because they ran out of targets, not because the enemies adapted.

    • @bkjeong4302
      @bkjeong4302 Před 2 lety +1

      @@cp1cupcake
      Do note that the US was up against opposition whose glaring weak point was ASW and submarine warfare. If they were facing an enemy like the RN I’d expect them to face much higher sub losses.

    • @cp1cupcake
      @cp1cupcake Před 2 lety

      @@bkjeong4302 For sure. I haven't look into it, but I'd expect the Royal Navy had something similar to the US.

    • @PalleRasmussen
      @PalleRasmussen Před 2 lety

      @@cp1cupcake the Royal Navy were expert sub hunters. Look into the career of Commander Walker. I have no idea why his story was not made into a movie instead of that BS with Tom Hanks a few years ago. Made me want to vomit.

  • @cockatoo010
    @cockatoo010 Před 2 lety +45

    33:14
    I think the greatest contribution of Nautilus during Midway was getting a ship dettached to pursue her which will later provide some excelent guidance for some US bombers

    • @ronaldalanperry4875
      @ronaldalanperry4875 Před 2 lety +13

      Surprising that the Nautilus's essential contribution to the Battle of Midway isn't given more emphasis. McClusky's group of dive bombers probably wouldn't have located the Japanese fleet except for the destroyer detached to attack her. It mattered not at all that her torpedos didn't detonate ogainst the Kaga.

  • @guylenz7113
    @guylenz7113 Před 2 lety +34

    I was fortunate enough as a teenager to get a ride on USS Chivo (SS-341), a Balao-class submarine. My father was a Chief on the boat and the Navy actually allowed dependents to go for "joy" rides out of the New London Navy Base on occasion. I pretty much sat in the galley, which was amazingly small, two tables, two foot square, with checkers and backgammon boards laminated into them. I knew we submerged because I could feel the boat tilt and then tilt the other way when we surfaced. This would have been mid 60's. The Chivo never saw action as hostilities ended while she was preparing for her first war patrol. Prior to serving on the Chivo The old man was on nuclear boats, he ended up on a nuke boat that he didn't like the captain, asked to be transferred, and the captain ...knowing why, transferred him to the Chivo as "punishment". It ended up being his favorite boat! Winning...

  • @petersouthernboy6327
    @petersouthernboy6327 Před 2 lety +120

    Topic: Operation Starvation: the aerial B-29 mining of Japan’s inland seas during 1945. It was astonishingly effective yet is seldom talked about.

    • @AsbestosMuffins
      @AsbestosMuffins Před 2 lety +5

      Its like anything the germans did in the atlantic the US was doing in the pacific

    • @demonprinces17
      @demonprinces17 Před 2 lety +21

      @@AsbestosMuffins Big difference, the Germans could only place few mines while we placed thousands

    • @robertsneddon731
      @robertsneddon731 Před 2 lety +40

      It was said that an agile fellow could hop across the sea dry-shod from Honshu to Korea, jumping from sea-mine to sea-mine by the time the war ended.
      The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) started after the war as a minesweeper operation. Not all the wooden ships built for the job made it back home. The JMSDF museum in Kure, just across the street from the Yamato museum, has a lot of good information about the minesweeping operations that had to be carried out so the fishing fleets could sail to feed the starving population without blowing up too often.

    • @scottgiles7546
      @scottgiles7546 Před 2 lety +24

      @@robertsneddon731 "without blowing up too often."
      Just upon occasion.

    • @robertsneddon731
      @robertsneddon731 Před 2 lety +10

      @@scottgiles7546 Reading the JMSDF museum exhibits I rather got the impression that some post-war mine clearance operations were literally suicide missions with the crews willing to get killed to clear the mines.

  • @AnonNomad
    @AnonNomad Před 2 lety +132

    Submarine operations and history during WW2 outside of U-Boats doesn't get nearly enough attention. An incredible theatre of the pacific war, thanks for this.

    • @crankychris2
      @crankychris2 Před 2 lety +1

      Anon, check out the series "Hell Below", I think you would like it.

    • @brucegibbins3792
      @brucegibbins3792 Před 2 lety

      I agree with your observation.
      I've taken to building Submarines from plastic, kits. So far, U-Boat models predominates. Where as those boats of two of the allied navies, RN & USN much less so. Yet, still more than I can complete before the Monkey Pox hits our small corner of the planet.

    • @jacobnugent8159
      @jacobnugent8159 Před 2 lety +1

      The book thunder below is amazing
      It is about the USS Barb

    • @davidvalensi8616
      @davidvalensi8616 Před 2 lety +1

      Thankfully, my father got into the war 1943 when they had working torpedoes (Pacific fleet). He survived being on the Thresher, Tuna and the Roncador. The reason that the U-boats get more attention is probably because a higher percentage of them died. Almost 1 in 4 of the American submariners were lost, as opposed to their 3 out of 4.

    • @johan8969
      @johan8969 Před rokem

      @@davidvalensi8616 I dont really think the situation is comparable in the sense you want it to be. The german subs were consistently better than their counterparts and even in '45 they developed technology way ahead of the allies. The reason why its interesting from a german perspective is because they had such an easy ride at first, but lost due to circumstances out of their control.

  • @cristolaze5309
    @cristolaze5309 Před 2 lety +8

    “One of the sailors caught an engineer eyeing up the bedsheets wondering how many they need to improvise a sail” loved that

  • @blue2sco
    @blue2sco Před 2 lety +38

    The Mk 14 torpedo was designed by Isoroku Yamamoto, when he was over in the United States as a attache 😉

    • @mpetersen6
      @mpetersen6 Před 2 lety +11

      There are probably a number of fairly pristine MK 14 torpedoes littering the western Pacific

    • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
      @JohnRodriguesPhotographer Před 2 lety +2

      No I don't think it was him I think it was the same guys who came up with the original M16 though.

  • @Kwolfx
    @Kwolfx Před 2 lety +58

    The wreck of one of the S-Class submarines that was stationed at Manilla at the start of war, today lies off of Imperial Beach; which is South of San Diego California, just North of the Mexican border. She survived six war patrols before being sent back to the U.S. shortly before the end of 1942. She was going to used for aerial bombing practice in 1945 but sank on her own. In the 1950's she was refloated and going to be sold for scrap, but broke her tow cable and sank again. I learned a great deal about this vessel while preparing to dive the wreck over 25 years ago.
    The S-37 suffered nearly as many mechanical breakdowns as the S-36; including a non-stop oil leak which caused the S-37's commander to sometimes head in one direction then double back; in an attempt to create a false trail in case a Japanese scout plane or warship spotted the oil slick. Her Mark 10 torpedoes also had the depressing tendency to sink before they reached their intended targets. The S-37 was laid down in 1918 and launched the following year, which meant that many of her crew were younger than the submarine they served aboard. The S-37 did have at least two successes, sinking the Kagero class destroyer Natsushio in February 1942. She also sank the 2,700 ton transport Tenzan Maru and is thought to have damaged another destroyer off Savo Island.
    If you want to know what it was like to be inside one those non-airconditioned submarines under normal operating conditions, here is a description taken from the personal journal of a junior officer who served aboard the S-37:
    "The bunks beyond the wardroom are filled with torrid, skivy clad bodies, the sweat running off the white, rash blistered skin in small rivulets. Metal fans are whirring everywhere overhead, and at the end of the bunks, close to my ear, I am playing cribbage with the skipper, mainly because I don’t like to wallow in a sweat soaked bunk most of the day. I have my elbows on the table near the edge and I hold my cards with my arms at a slight angle so the sweat will stream down my bare arms, without soaking the pile of cards in the center. Overhead is a fine net of gauze to catch the wayward cockroaches, which prowl across the top of the wardroom and occasionally fall straight down. They live in the cork insulation, which lines the inside of the submarine itself. We’ve killed over sixteen million cockroaches in one compartment alone. The deck in the control room is littered with towels, used to sponge up the water dripping off the men and the submarine itself. The food is routine, something canned. The dehydrated potatoes, powdered onions, and reconstituted carrots have the same general taste; like sawdust."
    (Source: www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/S37.htm )

    • @visassess8607
      @visassess8607 Před rokem +1

      That sub wasn't going to sink under any conditions than her own lmao

  • @kilotun8316
    @kilotun8316 Před 2 lety +19

    Ah yes, the Mk 14 Torpedo. Japan's second best torpedo after the Type 93. Loved the inclusion of the English officer's snarky reply to the offer of the Mk 6 Exploder.

  • @Big_E_Soul_Fragment
    @Big_E_Soul_Fragment Před 2 lety +45

    Captains: The torpedoes suck!
    BuOrd: *He's delusional, take him to the infirmary!*

    • @j.collett2364
      @j.collett2364 Před 2 lety +2

      Nice! This is a Dyatlov reference right?

  • @christopherthompson3387
    @christopherthompson3387 Před 2 lety +6

    My Uncle was on the S-44 when she was in the vicinity of North Kurils in 1943. His name was Dale R. Thompson and he was a Motor Machinist's Mate 2. On the night of 7 October, the S-44 made radar contact with a "small merchantman" and closed in for a surface attack. Several hundred yards from the target, her deck gun fired and was answered by a salvo. The "small merchantman" was a destroyer. The order to dive was given, but S-44 failed to submerge. She took several hits, in the control room, in the forward battery room, and elsewhere. The Captain gave the order to abandon ship. Eight men got out, but only two survived and were repatriated after the Japanese surrendered and the war was over. My Uncle was not one of the survivors.
    I served in the US Army for ten years because it was the right thing to do...and also because every single one of my Uncles (and my Father) served our country in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. Some things in this life can be horrible...like war. But, when our loved ones are the target, who will stand up for them? I was taught there are some things one just has to do...and doing nothing is not an option. I am proud of every US serviceperson who has "done their time." I mourn for those who paid dearly.

    • @jackthorton10
      @jackthorton10 Před 7 měsíci

      A toast to those who gave all, a toast to those who came home, shaken but not wavered

  • @przemekbozek
    @przemekbozek Před 2 lety +168

    That's a brilliant topic, looking forward to hear a continuation

    • @khaldrago911
      @khaldrago911 Před 2 lety +7

      Great video, as always. I love how he manages to inject humor into such a dry subject.

    • @ericluffy7970
      @ericluffy7970 Před 2 lety +9

      I'm amazed only 320k subscribers. Don't effect me, but content so solid his delivery deserves more. Hope does well enough with the add money to be worth keeping them rolling out

    • @inyobill
      @inyobill Před 2 lety +3

      @@ericluffy7970 I suspect folks are so turned off by history subjects in schools, that they never go back to learn any on their own. Nearly the case for myself. I accidentally started reading history analyses and original sources in my 20s, and was instantly hooked. Possibly originated with my reading of The Cruel Sea at about 17 yr of age. So long ago, wow.

    • @inyobill
      @inyobill Před 2 lety +3

      Brilliant topic by a brilliant poster.

  • @notshapedforsportivetricks2912

    "However the Pacific was big. Douglas Adams-style big"
    I KNEW that Drach was a HHGTTG Fan.

    • @touyube2470
      @touyube2470 Před 2 lety

      It's a shame that yanks are acronym fans

  • @OtakuLoki
    @OtakuLoki Před 2 lety +61

    ". . . the collection of malfunctions that was loosely termed, the Argonaut."
    Beautiful.
    Thank you for another great video, Drach.

  • @elpatron7916
    @elpatron7916 Před 2 lety +10

    The 3rd front was fought against our own admirals

  • @ZillyWhale
    @ZillyWhale Před 2 lety +76

    This is so little talked about. I love that Drach is covering it.

    • @TheEDFLegacy
      @TheEDFLegacy Před 2 lety +7

      I'm fully expecting to be 90 years old and seeing a video upload to this channel, about some obscure Naval fact that hasn't been covered yet, despite uploading 3 videos a week for over 50 years because of course he did.

    • @ZillyWhale
      @ZillyWhale Před 2 lety +2

      @@TheEDFLegacy He's probably creating a secret cache of videos in order to have generations experience a new Drach video.

  • @gmanbo
    @gmanbo Před 2 lety +80

    Dark times indeed. When the commander won't allow reality of the situation to be improved upon because it would make him look bad......
    Praise the angry king and his contribution to setting a fire over at the beauro of ordinance.
    We through stories and documentary like this one to remember the mistakes of the past. Hopefully some of the people with influence pay attention.
    The whole mark 14 bit is simply embarrassing ( and worse). The fact that the Submarine Admiral suppressed captains and crews trying to fix the issue is simply criminal.

    • @tomservo5347
      @tomservo5347 Před 2 lety +12

      I would like to hear exactly what Admiral King wrote and said to the Bureau of Ordinance that lit a fire underneath them. All I can say is that it's a miracle the replacement Pacific theatre submarine commander had a direct, open line to Emperor King. I could imagine King reading all of the reports from sub skippers along with studying diagrams of the Mark 14 and then proclaiming himself the world's foremost expert in it's failings. Definitely the right man in the right place at the right time fighting bureaucracy in it's worst form.

    • @gfodale
      @gfodale Před 2 lety +2

      At 62 years, it's with regret to inform you, most 'people with influence', know too much and have too little time, to be bothered by observations of those below them.

    • @gmanbo
      @gmanbo Před 2 lety +2

      @@gfodale I know but every once in awhile miracles do happen.... But most of the time observations from below only penetrate the minds of those with influence with... Reality smashing them in the face with what's actually going on.
      Sadly reality on the ground doesn't penetrate into the bubble near often enough. In some places..... Well China is a good current example.

    • @tomyrody4412
      @tomyrody4412 Před 2 lety +2

      He really should've been booted from the navy.

  • @roguejoe
    @roguejoe Před 2 lety +64

    Qualified Submarines in 2011 aboard SSN725. Then went to build the Mk48 ADCAP at Yorktown Weapons Station for Shore Duty. These lessons of the Mk14 are still taught and heeded today in the SUBFOR. It is institutional memory at this point. If the torpedo doesn't work, you or your friends are dead. Did a lot of rework at the facility to be absolutely certain I turned my wrenches correctly and fix any failures.
    Love the vids, you keep making, I'll keep watching!

    • @t900badbot
      @t900badbot Před 2 lety +1

      Hello, from Ocean View, Norfolk. My Grandfather also qualified subs in the 80s and 90s then went to work for JTASK.

    • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
      @JohnRodriguesPhotographer Před 2 lety +1

      The sad thing for the United States military was that it wasn't just the mark 14 that had problems. The torpedo that armed the devastator and the Avenger wasn't worth the Philippines either. It took major rework and I believe it was Caltech to get that one working and then it was a fortunate combination of bubblegum and bailing wire to do it.

    • @chillybinbob
      @chillybinbob Před 2 lety +4

      The MK48 was a godsend to Submarines. It, as you know, is updated fairly often. I remember at AUTEC, on the 658, our first experience with ADCAP led to our admiration as the torpedo started to detect the towed targets as soon as the outer door was opened.
      I think the ADCAP forced the Navy to create targets that were harder to detect, as our first experience was a very quick 8 for 8. This was the first ADCAP in around 1980? I was still a noob.

    • @roguejoe
      @roguejoe Před 2 lety

      @@chillybinbob That's really neat to learn! My two visits to AUTEC (4 each) I went 7/8. And the miss was because an Officer wouldn't listen to SONAR (us).

  • @hossmcgregor3853
    @hossmcgregor3853 Před 2 lety +28

    For those interested, the USS Cavalla, a Gato class sub, is a museam ship at Seawolf Park in Galveston; Texas.

    • @sirboomsalot4902
      @sirboomsalot4902 Před 2 lety +2

      Cavalla holds the honor of sinking the Shoukaku iirc

    • @hossmcgregor3853
      @hossmcgregor3853 Před 2 lety +1

      @@sirboomsalot4902 The History Guy did a video on her. Worth the watch.

    • @wdavis6814
      @wdavis6814 Před 2 lety

      Visited her a few weeks ago. It was really cool!

    • @jlsperling1
      @jlsperling1 Před 2 lety

      @@wdavis6814 We have the Pampanito on display at Fishermen's Wharf.

    • @philgiglio7922
      @philgiglio7922 Před 2 lety

      @@sirboomsalot4902 her first war patrol. She was also commissioned on February 29th uirc

  • @michaeldunn6690
    @michaeldunn6690 Před 2 lety +32

    Esh just goes to show how brave and dedicated these men were. To be ordered into battle knowing your boat and almost useless weapons arent up for the task takes some serious intestinal fortitude that I really think todays generations (mine included) would lack! Thank you gentlemen for your service!

    • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
      @JohnRodriguesPhotographer Před 2 lety +3

      This is part of why I am so pro defense spending. It saves our troops lives they come home.

  • @chrismaverick9828
    @chrismaverick9828 Před 2 lety +23

    As big of a history buff as I am, as much as I've read of the Silent Service in WWII, I still cannot comprehend the giant brass balls it took to go to sea in a small steel pipe whose crews knew they were going to see depth charges and their torps were crap. God bless those sailors; those who are still on patrol, those who survived and are no longer with us, and the very few who remain to speak of it in those rare moments when it might seem okay to remember and speak up. I only wish more of them would have put their stories to print.

    • @philgiglio7922
      @philgiglio7922 Před 2 lety +3

      Always sad that while Dad was alive he never told any stories, but 1. Best friends Dad was airborne in WW2, served in Korea and Vietnam...as an MD: deceased now wish he had written his autobiography...the few stories Ian told me wish he had... Colonel potter is real

  • @Axel0204
    @Axel0204 Před 2 lety +24

    Thanks for this video, Drach. As a US Navy submariner, this topic is very near to my heart. Also, let us raise a toast to those on Eternal Patrol.

  • @stephenrickstrew7237
    @stephenrickstrew7237 Před 2 lety +10

    Big thanks to the Author for making this huge story a series …. Perhaps Sub Trek….. Wrath Of King …

  • @TrojanHell
    @TrojanHell Před rokem +3

    The torpedo struggles are so classic. I will never get enough of the Mark 14s shenanigans.

  • @mark37f
    @mark37f Před 2 lety +2

    Drach: Lahaina Lah - high -nah Nice place to visit.

  • @DRNewcomb
    @DRNewcomb Před 2 lety +14

    No discussion of this period is complete without mention of USS Sailfish and Morton Mumma.

  • @karlvongazenberg8398
    @karlvongazenberg8398 Před 2 lety +19

    Many snippets covered by this video were also immortalised by the movie "Operation Pettycoat".

    • @earlyriser8998
      @earlyriser8998 Před 2 lety +5

      I just watched that the other day and it is still a funny movie....about a serious subject. The TV series "Silent Service" is a great series and some else noted above.

    • @Mikey300
      @Mikey300 Před 2 lety

      “Sighted Tanker . . . Sank Truck!!!”

    • @spikespa5208
      @spikespa5208 Před 2 lety +1

      "My, what a beautiful shade...." "Please, lady, I'm trying to eat!"

    • @Mikey300
      @Mikey300 Před 2 lety +1

      @@spikespa5208 Marion Ross as Lt. Colfax, before she was Mrs. C on "Happy Days".

  • @tomservo5347
    @tomservo5347 Před 2 lety +26

    A new Drach video, ending this year on a high note.
    I recommend the old black and white series 'The Silent Service' hosted by then retired Tommy Dykers-a decorated WW2 USN sub skipper who produced the series. Each episode covers different crews, subs, and sometimes odd events the crews and skippers went through with Dykers interviewing a member of the actual crew the episode covered.

    • @Contrafactum
      @Contrafactum Před 2 lety +4

      Binged watched the entire series. Many ultimately famous TV actors appeared in leading and minor roles.

    • @tomservo5347
      @tomservo5347 Před 2 lety +10

      @@Contrafactum The one that stuck out most to me was Deforest Kelly. My favorite episode was the one where the chief by the name of Archer crawled up a 14" tube to fix a leaking seal that was seriously affecting the sub's performance. It was topped off by Dyker's interview at the end with the actual Chief Archer and Dyker revealing that he in fact was the sub's skipper during the event with a smile. Nice reveal at the end.

    • @Contrafactum
      @Contrafactum Před 2 lety +4

      Yes, I've seen that one twice. Among several others, I remember Jack Lord, Leonard Nimoy and Bob Denver in a brief but effective scene.

    • @tomservo5347
      @tomservo5347 Před 2 lety +2

      @@Contrafactum Can't think of the actor's name-I think he played Fred Rutherford, Lumpy's dad on 'Leave It To Beaver' and he was also on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. He played the sub pharmacist that had to do an emergency appendectomy. The sailor survived but was later killed by a Mark 14 that circled back and hit them. Irony at it's worst. I think the pharmacist didn't survive the war either.

    • @Contrafactum
      @Contrafactum Před 2 lety +3

      That would be Richard Deacon, another versatile character actor.

  • @jayadkisson2075
    @jayadkisson2075 Před 2 lety +31

    There are those who might suggest that one of the failings of that Supreme Commander of Self-Promotion known more popularly as Dugout Doug was in allowing the greater portion of the pre-war U.S. torpedo stock to be lost at Cavite, but in retrospect that might have been one of his greatest unheralded contributions to the Allied war effort.

    • @danielgregg2530
      @danielgregg2530 Před 2 lety +1

      Acruallt, the pre-war hand-made torpedoes were more reliable than the earlier wartime mass-produced ones.

    • @shannonrhoads7099
      @shannonrhoads7099 Před 2 lety +5

      Actually, it compounded the issue, as many those were perfectly serviceable Mk 10s, which BuOrd hadn't seen fit to 'improve'.

    • @danielgregg2530
      @danielgregg2530 Před 2 lety +2

      @@shannonrhoads7099 You mean BuOrd

    • @shannonrhoads7099
      @shannonrhoads7099 Před 2 lety +2

      @@danielgregg2530 Fixed! Unlike an actual BuOrd thing. XD

    • @philgiglio7922
      @philgiglio7922 Před 2 lety +1

      My godmother was a nurse stationed in the Philippines after I shall return. He's living in a mansion, eating off the regimental china and the troops are living in pup tents and eating cold C & K rations.

  • @guhalakshmiratan5566
    @guhalakshmiratan5566 Před 2 lety +11

    One of my patients served (post war) alongside a fellah who was a veteran of the USS Barb - and was a part of the landing party that blew up a Japanese train during WWII! If you've never read it, "Thunder Below" - the war time exploits of Medal of Honor recipient Commander (later Admiral) Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey is HIGHLY recommended!

  • @shadowwarriorshockwave3281
    @shadowwarriorshockwave3281 Před 2 lety +10

    Submarine love especially the US submarines is so unappreciated and under talked about thanks for covering this amazing part of history.

  • @13stalag13
    @13stalag13 Před 2 lety +2

    Congrats on a VERY well done episode Drach, keep up the great work.

  • @WildBillCox13
    @WildBillCox13 Před 2 lety +2

    A worthy series arc. Thanks for posting and happy years to come.

  • @e.k.bellinger9496
    @e.k.bellinger9496 Před 2 lety +51

    I always learn something new from Drach, even,as in this case, on a topic I have studied thoroughly. Two very minor corrections: 1. Andrew Jackson May opened his big mouth about the Japanese depth charge settings in June of 1943, not 1942. He also later was convicted of war profiteering. 2. US Submarine crews call themselves sub-ma-REE-ners. I'm a sub-ma-REE-ner's daughter.

    • @Faithmanagesalways
      @Faithmanagesalways Před 2 lety +3

      Sadly, as a former submariner, I've just found it sometimes easier to live with the mispronunciation, especially in media. Face to face, though, you bet there's going to be corrections.

    • @mnxs
      @mnxs Před 2 lety +6

      Drachinifel is British, so I'd bet the difference in pronunciation stems from that.
      Also, just read up on Andrew J. May. Holy shit, what an idiot - and a great asshole to boot. I can't believe he only served 9 months in prison, and that was for his war profiteering - *not* for disclosing confidential information. And he was *pardoned* ... I mean, wtf.

    • @kenoliver8913
      @kenoliver8913 Před 2 lety +2

      @@mnxs Yep, it in British English you usually put the stress on the first syllable while in American English you tend to put it on the second. Eg compare the pronunciation of "debris" (a French word which Americans pronounce the French way).

    • @mnxs
      @mnxs Před 2 lety +1

      @@kenoliver8913 Huh, that's really interesting, I didn't know that. Or rather, I suspect its one of those things where I could tell the difference from a hunch, but not really knowing why. Thanks!

    • @Internutt2023
      @Internutt2023 Před 2 lety +1

      My Ex-Wife's father served on a boomer in the late 70's - 1980's. He said, they always called themselves "Sub-ma-REE-ner's" , like you said, and when someone pronounced it "Sub-mar-i-ner" , they just thought that term meant they were a really lousy sailor.

  • @MartinCHorowitz
    @MartinCHorowitz Před 2 lety +58

    A number people were promoted for involvement on the "successful" Mark 14 development effort, leading to a lot of of resistance to the reports of dismal performance. People who were praised for cost effective reductions in development testing were exposed by actual war time performance. This was a part of the drive to extensive testing that is now done on Military programs in the US.

    • @demonprinces17
      @demonprinces17 Před 2 lety +6

      And alot of that testing is fugded

    • @MartinCHorowitz
      @MartinCHorowitz Před 2 lety +6

      @@demonprinces17 Not Mention Ignoring Albert Einstein's suggestions for How to fix the Contact detonator..

    • @Zarastro54
      @Zarastro54 Před 2 lety

      @@MartinCHorowitz what was his suggestion?

    • @louisavondart9178
      @louisavondart9178 Před 2 lety +1

      Actually..the Mk 14 was never test fired. Not once. How that was covered up is beyond me.

    • @MartinCHorowitz
      @MartinCHorowitz Před 2 lety +3

      @@louisavondart9178 There is a methods known as qualification by analysis and qualification by Simulation, but neither would appropriate for a new torpedo now. Back then testing and acceptance weren't as wells standardized, and gave way too much leeway.

  • @glennpettersson9002
    @glennpettersson9002 Před 2 lety +1

    I live in Western Australia and some years back one of the local radio stations had a talk back about Fremantle and Perth during WW2, the stories were wild and they were fairdinkum Navy towns back in the day.

    • @sadwingsraging3044
      @sadwingsraging3044 Před 2 lety +1

      There is some town in Australia that fined the US several hundred dollars for a drunken brawl.
      Still hasn't been paid!

  • @GrumpyGrobbyGamer
    @GrumpyGrobbyGamer Před 2 lety +2

    A wonderful video! The topic is absolutely fascinating, and I really love the way you delivered it. Thank you very much Drach.

  • @stephensmith5982
    @stephensmith5982 Před 2 lety +3

    Thanks for the video found it most informative. Can't wait for volume II.

  • @nerva-
    @nerva- Před 2 lety +5

    One of my favorite episodes you've done.

  • @RustyDice
    @RustyDice Před 2 lety +10

    I've been fascinated with this subject since a small child playing Silent Service on the C64 - it got me into history, and due to the importance of technology, engineering! Looking forward to this 😉

  • @ZombieSurvivalist11
    @ZombieSurvivalist11 Před 2 lety +5

    I have been waiting years for a good cideo of the submarine campaigns in the pacific and am so happy that someone like drach did it and came through. Thank you so much!

  • @heirofrohan7865
    @heirofrohan7865 Před 2 lety +101

    Mark 14s ladies and gents. The killer torpedo that killed their own crews rather than the enemy.

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 Před 2 lety +9

      The only use is for the submariners to beat up the Bureau of Ordinance pukes who thought the Mark 14 was perfect.

    • @isaaclao2380
      @isaaclao2380 Před 2 lety +1

      by both frustrations and the malfunction

    • @legatvsdecimvs3406
      @legatvsdecimvs3406 Před 2 lety

      @@ramal5708
      G7e T5 was the German homing torpedo. Mark-14 had no homing ability, it could be set to attack in a specific direction while maneuvering, it could change its course underwater through a pre-planned attack.

    • @mitchellhawkes22
      @mitchellhawkes22 Před 2 lety

      It's not quite like you say, Herr Goebbels. But nice try at propaganda.

    • @coolcat1684
      @coolcat1684 Před 2 lety

      There was a bastard navy admiral with clout that stubbornly pushed that faulty torpedo …

  • @benwilson6145
    @benwilson6145 Před 2 lety +7

    The small fuel lighter mentioned at 36 min was in fact the MV Ondina a Royal Dutch Tanker of 9070 Tonne. The ship had been damaged in an action with two Japanese Merchant Cruisers the Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru. The MV Ondina with assistance from the HMIS Bengal had sunk the Hokoku Maru was hit by a 4 inch shell from the MV Ondina causing the Long Lance Torpedo's to explode and eventually sink the ship. The Aikoku Maru shelled the MV Ondina causing fires to break out, The crew abandoned the tanker in lifeboats and were machine gunned by the Japanese. The HMIS Bengal having used all its shells sailed off. Aikoku Maru rescued the crew from the sunk sister Hokoku Maru and also sailed away.
    The survivors from the MV Ondina reboarded the tanker, put out the fires and sailed to Fremantle.
    The damaged MV Ondina could not be repaired but was used by Operation Potshot at Exmouth as a fuel depot for the submarines.

  • @tobiasGR3Y
    @tobiasGR3Y Před 2 lety +3

    Hooray, a Rum Ration for my birthday! Appreciate it Drach; have a good new year and to more videos in 2022!

  • @michaelclark587
    @michaelclark587 Před 2 lety +3

    Drach... another outstanding piece of work. Well done.

  • @man-o-flick88
    @man-o-flick88 Před 2 lety +3

    This is a fascinating topic and I really hope we see more thank you for making this

  • @mollybell5779
    @mollybell5779 Před 2 lety +5

    I am in utter awe of your knowledge regarding older naval vessels. Thank you for your frequency of quality posts. Fantastic stuff, truly.

  • @MrGouldilocks
    @MrGouldilocks Před 2 lety +2

    Yes!!!! I've been wanting to learn more about this topic for years, but there are precious few videos on CZcams that cover it, really looking forward to this series

  • @pedenharley6266
    @pedenharley6266 Před 2 lety +2

    Wonderful (as always), Drach!

  • @beaumagoffin7397
    @beaumagoffin7397 Před 2 lety +21

    US Submarines in my opinion are one of the most underrated parts of the pacific war, if you get the time I would highly recommend visiting Uss Bowfin in pearl harbor today, and she also deserves a video as she has an interesting wartime career thanks for all your work Drachinifel

    • @ottovonbismarck2443
      @ottovonbismarck2443 Před 2 lety +6

      It doesn't get the attention it deserves, but I was certainly aware of it. They really crippled the Japanese war effort in a far more serious way than German subs affected the British effort. The lack of radar and ASW doctrine within the IJN certainly helped.

    • @MrEnvirocat
      @MrEnvirocat Před 2 lety +3

      If you don't wish to fly to Hawaii, there is the USS Drum in Mobile, AL (in great shape) and the USS Batfish in Muskogee, OK (not as much).

    • @jw427
      @jw427 Před 2 lety +2

      And the Cavalla in Galveston, Tx

    • @mechanicman8687
      @mechanicman8687 Před 2 lety +2

      Pomponito in San Francisco but the homeless are probably squatting in it…

  • @lucasmetro
    @lucasmetro Před 2 lety +4

    I need more. Relistening second time and damn hearing actual submarine campaigns is so much more interesting

  • @wavecannon3688
    @wavecannon3688 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for the Douglas Adams reference Drach.
    It does the old heart good.
    And prevents Panic ;)

  • @TheFreaker86
    @TheFreaker86 Před 2 lety +1

    Great video and outstanding effort 👍🏻 can’t wait for the next part

  • @williamsmith7302
    @williamsmith7302 Před 2 lety +3

    I look forward to your next segment as this will cover the period when my grandfather served aboard USS Bluefish SS-222.

  • @animal16365
    @animal16365 Před 2 lety +3

    I got so involved listening to this episode that I lost track of time.

  • @OkaNieba
    @OkaNieba Před 2 lety +1

    Please continue this topic Drach. its really interesting stuff!!!

  • @mastermariner7813
    @mastermariner7813 Před 2 lety +2

    Clay Blair would be proud. Waiting for the next edition. Thanks

  • @jonathanwoody7242
    @jonathanwoody7242 Před 2 lety +3

    Many Thanks Drach! My father served at Fremantle on sub optical repair for the time period shown in this vid.

  • @TSWest
    @TSWest Před 2 lety +3

    Thanks Drach, I've been waiting for this type of in-depth coverage of the US submarine campaign in ww2. Can't wait for the 2nd part. If anyone is interested in one of the stars of this campaign I would suggest Richard O'Kane's autobiographical book "Clear the Bridge!". It's a great read and if at first it seems a bit dry just remember that he wrote it in the same way that he hunted, cool and deliberate. There were many great sub captains during the war but O'Kane was something special as were the crew of U.S.S Tang. May they never be forgotten.
    Edit - I forgot to mention that if you want a more complete perspective of O'Kane, as well as his mentor Dudley "Mush" Morton, then read "Wahoo". Those two basically set the standard for submarine operations that abandoned the outdated pre-war conceptions.

  • @glenmartin2437
    @glenmartin2437 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you for covering this part of the Pacific War.

  • @trickydicky2908
    @trickydicky2908 Před 2 lety +1

    Great video. I listen to your lectures as I work on my rc boats.

  • @mitchellstadnik752
    @mitchellstadnik752 Před 2 lety +6

    Great content, as a cold war veteran aboard the USS Pintado ,I was well aware of the contributions of our for father's

  • @christopherridle7670
    @christopherridle7670 Před 2 lety +7

    Great Video Drach!
    My Great Uncle, a destroyerman, called US subs, "Pig-Boats." This was due to the smell of their sailors.

    • @roberttuttle5405
      @roberttuttle5405 Před 3 měsíci

      There is a book titled "Pigboats" It was a very good read.

  • @dnel6494
    @dnel6494 Před 2 lety +1

    Outstanding job on this episode!!! Thanks for the info

  • @mikeupton5406
    @mikeupton5406 Před 2 lety +1

    This was EXCELLENT!
    Thankyou Drac!

  • @janerkenbrack3373
    @janerkenbrack3373 Před 2 lety +5

    Great video, and good coverage of the period. One of those Gato class subs, the USS Silversides, is parked at Muskegon, Michigan, where the town has built a first class museum for it, and gives tours year round of both the museum and the submarine. The Silversides had a great career, and is the most successful WWII US sub still afloat. The movie, Destination Tokyo, starring Cary Grant and John Garfield, has a scene where a Pharmacist's Mate performs an appendectomy while submerged. This story was taken from the Silversides where this actually happened.
    It is well worth a visit to Muskegon to see this museum and sub, as there are other WWII era ships to tour as well. But I would suggest waiting until after winter is over, as it is still Michigan.

  • @Azwarrior94
    @Azwarrior94 Před 2 lety +4

    Dark year sounds like an understatement given all they went through.

  • @2serveand2protect
    @2serveand2protect Před 2 lety +1

    For Heaven's sake! - cannot even imagine how that first year must have been frustrating...

  • @leotoro51
    @leotoro51 Před 2 lety +1

    Amazing footage for narrative history - MOOOOORRREEE like that mate ! And Happy new Year mate :)

  • @GavinTheFifer
    @GavinTheFifer Před 2 lety +7

    I’m so happy someone is finally doing an in-depth look at the USN submarine campaign

  • @mattblom3990
    @mattblom3990 Před 2 lety +5

    USS Sea Dragon and Argonaut...Have to admit those names are much more classic than simply naming the new subs after states.

    • @JugSouthgate
      @JugSouthgate Před 2 lety +2

      In the USN, ballistic missile submarines are named after states. Attack submarines are named after cities. Why, you ask? In the words of Admiral Rickover: "Fish don't vote".

  • @Thomas-ju2jn
    @Thomas-ju2jn Před 2 lety

    Hope you continue this series, it is another worthwhile wealth of information from you.

  • @buggerall
    @buggerall Před 2 lety

    Apparently CZcams had forgotten about you completely despite being subbed for years. It's so good to be back! Great content as usual.

  • @robp7652
    @robp7652 Před 2 lety +7

    Just rewatched your torpedo one a couple hours before this came out.

  • @4stringmanagmaildcom
    @4stringmanagmaildcom Před 2 lety +4

    My Uncle was on board the USS Gudgeon (11:05 in the video) during the attack. As a young lad I remember him telling of the aftermath. Bodies floating in the water, fuel oil everywhere, fires still burning. Reprovisioning as quickly as possible to get back out to sea in case there was another attack.

  • @paulsmith9831
    @paulsmith9831 Před 2 lety +1

    That was superb. Great work!

  • @ryandick9649
    @ryandick9649 Před 2 lety +1

    Very enjoyable! My fourth-grade math teacher had three books on her shelf about the Pacific WWII submarine war, and I found them intensely interesting - more so than Mrs. Van Tatenhove thought appropriate during class time. I don't know what they were, but I can vividly remember the intense sense of despair that the stories portrayed. Now I understand why.

  • @Chrisey96.
    @Chrisey96. Před 2 lety +3

    "You thought it was a long way down the road to the chemist but that's peanuts to space"

  • @azulaspencer
    @azulaspencer Před 2 lety +4

    ever since I read about it in Thunder Below, the story of Lockwood getting pissed with English continuing Wither's habit of snubbing his captains, and instead circumventing the Bureau of Ordinance entirely and talking to King while also ordering his subs to use contact rather than magnetic is still extremely amusing to me

  • @philip48230
    @philip48230 Před 2 lety +1

    Again, I truly enjoy the approach this podcast uses … reviewing actual reports and after action reports. I keep sharing with my uplink supervision that business (ours in particular) need to start doing periodic versions of after action reports on business operations to evaluate what is working and truly identify what isn’t working … along with how to fix.

  • @randallvaughan7337
    @randallvaughan7337 Před 2 lety +1

    Excellent video! Well done.

  • @Korhanne
    @Korhanne Před 2 lety +6

    I think we can all thoroughly respect the mark 14 torpedo as being one of the best assets the japanese had.

  • @georgegordonmeade5663
    @georgegordonmeade5663 Před 2 lety +3

    In late November, 1943, I was on the USS Balao operating in the Java Sea. We encountered a Japanese task force, and sank two carriers, and a Fuso class battleship. The ocean was only 100-200 feet deep and we were killed trying to escape the destroyers…. Anyone else love Silent Hunter 4?

    • @nunyabusiness1846
      @nunyabusiness1846 Před 2 lety +1

      Haven't played it since it came out does it still have 2d sprites for crew?

  • @roanferguson8873
    @roanferguson8873 Před 2 lety +1

    Can't wait to see the next part of this.

  • @KI4HOK
    @KI4HOK Před 2 lety +1

    Please oh please continue to tell the stories of the Silent Service. They need to be heard!