The incredible Sinking of Japanese Submarine I-52 during WWII - A Case Study
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2023
- Japanese I-52 traveled 3 months from Japan to Europe to deliver goods to support the Reich's war effort. It was intercepted mid-Atlantic and attacked by a TBF Avenger from the escort carrier Bogue. The TBF deployed sonobuoys, depth bombs and ultimately a Mk-24 acoustic homing torpedo, Fido. The torpedo struck and sank I-52 will all 109 hands. Details of the attack are unpacked and the underwater sonobuoy sounds are described. This submarine was one of 998 axis subs that were sunk in WWII.
- Věda a technologie
Man, I did not know that we used passive sonar buoys in WW2. You learn something every day! This was enlightening.
It's a pretty comprehensive suite of sensors and weapons for small-ish prop plane.
@@williamchamberlain2263 The only thing missing was a digital computer to do the plotting and a data link to make use of other platforms sensors. MAD, Sonar Buoys and Homing Torpedoes were all in wide scale use by the Western Allies by mid 1944.
During late 44, the Allies came up with it to counter the German late methods to beat out asw dd
a British invention, which along with ASDIC, made everything possible.
@@richardvernon317 I knew the Germans had homing torps, didn't know the Allies did as well, much less used them.
WWII US Bombers Channel: "Listen to the sinking of a Japanese Sub..."
History Channel: "Did Bigfoot Arrive On Earth In A Crashed UFO?"
Good one.
Kinda weird, listening to a sub and its crew dying 79 years later.
I was thinking the same.....
Indeed
There are no roses on a sailor`s grave, No lilies on an ocean wave, The only tribute is the seagull`s sweeps, And the teardrops that a sweetheart weeps.
It is odd. It's also very eye-opening for me. My father joined the Navy in 1960 and he was in any submarine warfare technician part of his career. And I never really could comprehend what they heard through the microphones that they dropped. And he described to me like how clear what they could hear was. And he told me that we were far far ahead of. You know this is in the '80s of where we were when he was in and that was 20 years after when this was recorded And the amount of detail you can hear is amazing and I have to imagine that the guys that were actually listening on the aircraft had the ability to tune out some of the interference from the engine and things on their equipment, but what was recorded was just a straight broadcast from the buoy. This is definitely one of the reasons I am glad the internet exists
@@hugh_ghennaux is that from a poem?
I'm ex RAN and as an old sailor I found this a very sobering experience. The explosions, breaking up noises and the sound of escaping air were both chilling and interesting at the same time. It might have occurred many years ago and was clearly necessary at the time, but what l was really listening to was the sound of sailors dying. Very thought provoking.
Yes. Never nice to listen too. But remember that those sailors would themselves don't hesitate to kill other sailors. War is a bad thing. And Ukraine is burning down right now. The politicians starting the war, on both sides, should be the ones fighting it.
I was having the same thoughts and feelings. What a horrible death - one that was unfolding when the sailors were experiencing it and knew what was happening but could do nothing but wait to die (in general, the very rare stories of submariners who were able to escape a sinking sub with breathing apparatus and were thus saved is powerful indeed.)
@@oddvardmyrnes9040 And the gold that they were bringing and the bales of rubber would have financed operations and made aircraft tires (for instance) against US and other Allied forces in Europe (this was post-D Day) -- those Axis activities would have killed many Allied servicemen. The disruption to the blockade-running system also slowed down Japanese acquisition of advanced technology like jet aircraft development -- and possibly atomic weapon technology (see info on the voyage of U-234 German Navy U-Boat), affecting the Pacific War effort. Sinking I-52 saved Allied lives.
I think you were listening to American soldiers saved and still breathing while Japs and Nazis drowned
@@oddvardmyrnes9040 Uh.....were you not aware that Putin and his thugs launched the attack and invasion of Ukraine? If you're going to somehow blame the victims here, are you also of the opinion that the U.S. provoked and deserved the Pearl Harbor attack?
Sent an aircraft carrier to intercept 1 submarine. The axis just never stood a chance, the vast effort put into ASW during the war that this series has covered drives that home. Thanks for the content.
This was one of the escort carriers that Henry Kaiser built on merchant ship hulls. The US Navy Board was opposed to buying these, but Kaiser went over their heads directly to Roosevelt. They were used a lot in the Atlantic for convoy escort and U-boat hunting groups. US Navy Board took a lot of heat over things like this, justifiably. Harry Truman took them to task as only he could!
The axis thought their fighting spirit would make up for any material shortcomings. They were wrong.
Didn't hurt the allies crypto guys were able to decode a lot of the enemies communications (unbeknownst to them).
Still today I wonder how many of the historic events played out because of this. It was all classified for so long, it leaves gaps, or rather hidden events in parts of timelines.
@@joeneighbor
I’ve heard that it shortened the war by 2 years. Some have even said many of the Allie’s victories, even at the end of the war, were largely dependent on the code breakers looking over the enemies shoulders.
@@at1970 At times the Allies relied on Ultra too much - example the Battle of the Bulge was planned without using Enigma and the Allies were caught out for a while and then recovered to stomp on the attack.
I was ASWO on a destroyer during the Cold War, and sonobuoys plus homing torpedoes were standard tools of the trade. Had no idea that sonobuoys and passive homing torpedoes were in use in WW2 until watching these videos.
The sound of a sub breaking up is something I'd heard about (mostly in movies), but it's unreal to hear a recording from an actual ASW engagement.
To say "excellent work" is a massive understatement.
I was on a 688 at the end of the Cold War and I always wondered how well surface ships could actually detect us. We literally had to put a noise-making device (range pinger) on the outside of our hull just so our own ships could find us well enough to play war games and do their ASW exercises. I would imagine all that tech has drastically improved by now though. And my information was always limited by my need to know. But one thing is certain: I don’t miss that life one bit.
@@crinklecut3790 Hmm. I was on a DD963 class. Our biggest challenge in exercises against a 688 wasn't so much in getting an active detection, but that the darn 688s were so bloody fast. It was hard to detect, track, and get a (simulated, of course) shot off before the sub did.
Let’s take a moment to praise the courage and skill of this aircrew. Flying off a tiny carrier in the middle of the night, Blue Water Ops (no divert possible) in the middle of the Atlantic, finding the carrier in the dark after sinking the sub, and landing without a fresnel lens-just an LSO guiding him down. These guys were amazing.
You sir, know your business…call the ball. Go navy!
The Navy Aircrew did a fantastic Job. They probably ranged in age from 18 2 23 24. The Pilot being the "Old Man". Me Navy Aircrew 67 70.
True hero’s!
Same for the submarine crews. They served and defended their country until the last second.
And the courage and skill of the submarine crew as well.
actual mission audio, wow --- never knew or even imagined such a record(s?) existed, well done.
There are tons of audio from both sides of the war
Are they in the us archives or something? When you think you couldn’t see or hear something new about WW2 stuff like this pops up. I didn’t even realize they had sonobuoys towards the end!
Library of congress
@aya-lq9on thanks dick.
For those of you too young to remember, the only recording equipment back then was 78 rpm records. They must have had a recorder with the disc and tone arm held to keep from coming loose. The Germans invented tape recorders. Hitler's speeches were recorded on tape for the radio.
That was quite sobering.
Thanks for going through all the work to bring that to us.
How the axis failed to realize their codes were broken is beyond me.
It went on for years, just as in the case where a US sub hunting group just happens to appear in the vastness of the ocean where their rendezvous was arranged.
Possibly the code work was the single most important victory for the Allies.
@@Reiman33 Another answer is arrogance on the part of the Germans and prejudice on the part of the Japanese. The Germans looked at the number of random permutations provided by enigma and thought the math insuperable. The didn't realize that bad habits like stock phrases and persistent patterns made the encoded results considerably less random than they assumed. The Japanese were convinced that the Japanese language was fundamentally inscrutable to all non-Japanese. They never considered that Allied code breakers didn't have to be able to read Japanese to break their codes nor did they need perfect translations, just enough to get the overall gist from the context. They also had the bad habit of enciphering the exact same message in more than one code which allowed the allies to use the weaker codes as keys to break the stronger codes. Finally authoritarians simply aren't rational. They refuse to acknowledge facts that contradict their beliefs.
The Allies went to extraordinary lengths to protect that secret, sacrificing men and ships to never reveal what was known. Very few were given that information, understandably so.
Even the 5” proximity secrets were protected to the point of allowing aircraft to attack ships by not firing them if there was a possibility that the shells could be recovered.
There are several British CZcams videos on the Bletchley Park code breakers. They have even reassembled the Colossus computer with 1,500 vacuum tubes that is now on display in their museum. It's mind boggling. This was THE biggest secret of WWII. Even bigger than the atomic bomb. It was kept secret after the War because they assumed the Russians captured the German equipment in 1945 and they didn't want the Russians to know they had already broken the teletype codes that Hitler and his generals used.
I think the biggest problem facing the Germans in this regard was the MASSIVE advantage the Allies had in computing power. Without the bombe and its ability to test thousands of potential rotary settings per day, it would have been impossible for Bletchley park (and other allied cryptography efforts) to be anywhere near as effective as it was. The Germans never had an equivalent to the bombe, and as such, it would have been difficult to imagine anyone breaking through the enigma consistently and promptly enough to be of any use. And indeed, before the bombe, even Bletchley Park was having trouble achieving anything of substance.
F'ing creepy. I was very surprised the sonobuoy operator would tell the pilot to "shut up.
Very chilling sounds of the destruction of a submarine. Most unusual and creepy as others have said.
Great information. My father served on the USS Croatan escort carrier (CVE-25), the same class as the USS Bogue. These "little" ships did a great job protecting the convoys as they made their way towards the various ports in Europe and Africa. I'm impressed with the FIDO weapon and its capability, something I didn't know about before. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, the "FIDO" was called that and also named a "mine" in hopes that if the German Intelligence service ever heard about it, there would be less information that it was a high-tech homing weapon. It was a powerful weapon for the Allies.
My uncle was killed, when his sub was sunk by a Jap sub in WW II. My uncle knew what he was getting into; he was fearless &, to this day, is one of my heroes. My dad did six years in the US Navy before, during & after WW II, he also served in the USNR for several years after the war.
A salute to your uncle my man🏅
Was he in the SSN- CORVINA?.
Wow. That was quite confronting. The sound of props followed by the explosions and crunching. The sounds of more than 100 lives snuffed in a few moments of abject terror.
Take solace in the fact they would have died before they could register any pain. The weight of the air compressing as the hull implodes kills quicker than the brain has time to react.
The diesel effect is a bitch
@@sniperboom1202that's not true it didn't go too deep and implode
@@coryb8432 Who cares 😃
@@MrHAPPYHAWAIIAN not you?
I remember hearing this years ago, good that it has not been lost to time. Shipping rubber by submarine is amazing, Germany had really run out of nearly everything.
Risking all those mens lives just for some chunks of Rubber is crazy. They truly were in a desperate situation. This just shows how idiotic that less than six months after this that Hitlers "Battle of the Bulge" really was. They were completely out of Rubber and used the very last of their fuel to make the attack that had 0% chance of success.
Before WWII Michelin Tire Co. in France got their rubber from rubber tree plantations in Viet Nam.
What a terrifying noise. Spectacular historical document.
I had a friend, a much older gentleman, who was a crew member of the Bogue. He told me about this action. He had other great stories of his adventures aboard. But he was especially proud of this one
The sound of the crunching was the submarine imploding beyond its depth limit. With air escaping, the submarine was quickly sinking and couldn't withstand the depths. The saylors aboard that sub died instantly. It was interesting hearing the actual event as it happened.
That was remarkable. I’ve never heard anything like it. Well done.
That's because you were entertaining the troops, Archibold!
I heard this audio before but without the background story...
Keep in mind the recordings were made on 78 RPM phonographs. Tape recorders were invented by the Germans but not available outside of Germany until after the war. i would like to see information on how the sonobouys were recorded. Was the recording machine located on the planes?
@@dfirth224we had wire recording and, in 1942, magnetic tape recording. Researching might do you some good.
I am a US Navy veteran. I have seen the footage of the HMS Hood blowing up in her fight against KMS Bismarck. I have watched heaven knows how many air-to-air combat videos, or infantry and tank combat videos, all of which show men in their literal final moments. I add this video which, though it only has sound, enhances and puts into context the last few minutes of the lives of men who will forever be entombed at the bottom of an ocean. It could just as easily be an American, an ally, Italian, German, or other such sub.
I wonder if the Thresher, or Scorpion, or Kursk, or any other sub sounded like this is their last moments?
Whether in so-called peacetime or in war, (and imho the sea services in particular), serving ones' country can be a nasty, dangerous business.
I appreciate your thorough and well researched approach.
My respect to the creators of this video is in direct proportion to the amount of research and effort they put into it. Massive. Very well done!
I knew the general story of I-52 and its sinking but this in an entirely new level of detail (BTW, many US Escort carriers were named for sounds, bays, and similar marine bodies of water in and around the US states. My father was born a few miles from "Bogue Inlet" and "Bogue Sound" on the coast of North Carolina - he later served with 20th Air Force and 8th Air Force on Okinawa in WWII). The Mark 24 "mine" was an incredible weapon and the use of sonobouys was a huge advance in technology for tracking submarines and confirming a kill. In the movie "Das Boot", there's a scene where the U-Boat submariners can hear and discuss the sounds of a sinking ship's hull and bulkheads breaking -- I never thought that I'd hear a recording of the real thing happening but here it is.
Ultra, dedicated hunter ships and aviation, and technology by the Allies greatly affected the anti-submarine in WWII and completely turned the tables against Axis submarine operations.
The sonobouys and homing technology were invented by Bell Laboratories, division of AT&T Bell Telephone Co. in the U.S. The telephone company invented audio sound equipment for improving telephone call quality. The technology made it's way into the audio recording and broadcasting business. The Colossus computers used by the British code breakers at Bletchley Park were invented by the British Post Office, which operated the telephone system there. They had the most experience working with vacuum tubes (valves).
Retired Bubblehead Chief here- well done! Great video, very informative, and now I know what a submarine sinking sounds like for-real... awesome!
I remember hearing this audio during my sonar training in the 1970’s, it had quite an effect to hear the actual destruction of a submarine in real time.
I"m continually impressed by these vids. Really interesting stuff, and very well done.
Your use of original technical material, which you know a lot about, is excellent and makes all the difference compared to other YT history channels. 👍👍
How horrifying to be in a sinking submarine, without hope, knowing that you're doomed to die.
It was different for the IJN Sailors. Most of them believed that dying for their Emperor meant they would become minor war gods, whose spirits would be worshipped at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The shrine is still there to this day, and from time to time is the source of minor political controversy.
I have to add my voice to all the others who did not know sonar buoys existed in WW2. Amazing the little details you can still learn about that era.
The small carriers were designated CVE. Officially that stood for Carrier, Aircraft (Helicopters were relatively unknown at the time they built), The E standing for Escort. The crews jokingly said CVE stood for Combustible, Vulnerable & Expendable.
Being a former cold war submariner this is a very somber recording. They were the enemy but also you know what they sacrifice and endure on a daily basis serving on submarines, even more so than my generation. can't help but feel the loss.
Japan was a brutal evil country on par or worse than Germany, don’t feel sorry for them
That was sobering and eerie. Never knew there was audio of the sinking of a WW2 submarine. The crunching sounds and explosions sure telegraph the messy end of it.
Amazing. Never thought I would get to hear anything like that.
To think that the first germans torpedoes during their full scale Uboat Campaign had some tech like this one, but usually failed to detonate or just went wide.. and thats why many commanders preferred the old post WWI torps which where not as heavy tech but did their job better.. and then 3-4 years later the Allies successfully used the same type of heavy tech torps but from aircraft to hunt submarines even when they were really deep.. also taking into account that explosions at bigger dept meant heavier damage for the hull.. damn they really flipped the cards.
Anyway.. the recording gives a lot of emotion for me. May they rest in peace in the everlasting ocean waves. Both sides did their job at their best. Honor the fallen.
Those sounds where quite haunting. One could only imagine the brief terror that submarine crew experienced that moment. RIP.!!!
On the bright side it was only the Japanese that lost their lives
@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 That's true, but not the point.!!!
Pitch dark. Middle of the ocean. And your sub gets hit…
This was a very cool vid. I learned more about the technical aspects of WW2 weapons than any other CZcams site. Keep up the good work.
That's incredible. I appreciate the work you do to bring us these audio recordings. It would be awesome for someone to digitally clean up these old recordings.
An exceptional contribution, very well done. Many many thanks, am sharing widely.
Much appreciated!
Wow thank you for these videos on Allied WWII Aerial ASW warfare up until this series of well researched video I was never fully aware of how far along in the technical development The US NAVY and Air forces were using Aerial Homing torpedo's, airdropped ASW passive Sonar Buoys. Also the Avenger was perfect for the ASW role. The old useless Nordon Bombardier position in the central section of Avenger could be turn into a Sonar/Radar operator shack. In addition to the up to 4000lbs bomb load of mixed stores the Avenger was a dream 1st generation Carrier based ASW Hunter Killer. This is really a Awesome video series every new video I am learning so much. A+++++
My dad was a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific. His plane was hit by AA fire and he crashed on his carrier. He lived but the war was over for him. I wish he could watch this with me, he’d really love it.
What an amazing presentation, such professionalism delivered to the understanding of a common man(like me), is another level of excelancy.
This aged well
Thank you for your excellent research and for putting together a video that uniquely conveys the struggle and sacrifices all around.
Great job putting this together!!! Love it
That's the soundtrack to "F**k around, and find out."
The sound of men dying to never return home to their families ever again. Instead dying in the black cold depths of the crushing sea. Crying out their last cries in the smothering, crushing implosion of steel and water.
Keith, another terrific presentation. The audio is haunting after all these decades.
Now that's the way to do it.each part explaned,including the photos.thank you
Fascinating, (and chilling) story of the death of I-52. I remember reading they found it, years ago, but never understood the details of the sinking. Excellent and informative video, tho now i'll have nightmares of the deaths of those 112 ppl on board! War is truly Hell....
Wow that is incredible.
Its amazing what they were able to accomplish with no modern computers.
Analog electronics are capable of a lot.
Mechanical equipment is also quite capable. Pneumatic controllers were quite advanced including pneumatic gas chromatography analysis able to differentiate between ethane and ethylene as one example I have seen.
we unlocked nuclear power and early space flight before we invented the transistor. human ingenuity is pretty neat.
No American should ever forget Pearl Harbor. Teach your grandchildren.
When I worked at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, all of us that repaired/overhauled nuclear submarines were brought into the auditorium one day. The subject was the Navy’s SUBSAFE program of QA and long list of double-checks that came into being after the USS Thresher sank. We listened to audio of the individual ship compartments imploding. I was a believer before hearing that tape, but ALL doubts about the program evaporated on that afternoon.
Very unique and documented information; thoughtfully presented. Thank you for your meticulous research.
This has to be the grimmest recording I've listened to. Thank you for sharing.
I don't really know how it would be possible, but it would be so cool for a submarine that is to be decommissioned to be fitted with hundreds of cameras/high speed cameras and microphones and then set the sub to crush depth. See what this sort of thing looks like from the perspective of the submariners who unfortunately died this way.
Thank you for putting this together.
Very interesting! Unlike any other video I've watched / listened to. Thanks for sharing!
incredible work yet again, thankyou
Heard these tapes at a display for the event at the Museum in Tucson. The recordings were done via "wire recorders". From the museum display info apparently the wire recordings were found by accident while researching the sinking....for to recover the gold if feasible. It is also my understanding the existence of sonar seeker torpedoes as classified until sometime during the Reagan Administration. When the commander of sought to speed away, he sealed his fate as the torpedoe would "seek" the screw(s).
Thank you, your videos are amazing! Brief yet full of relevant highly interesting information, not a single moment wasted with any sort of embellishment. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the channel donation. Much appreciated.
R.I.P. to those who lost their lives.
Well done and very informative. Sobering too to think of the lives lost in that moment.
Let's remember that quite a few men died in this attack. They were the victims of both the superb U.S. Navy and their own government. Conscripts doing what they perceived to be their job, to defend their homeland and loved ones. Not making excuses for them but, they had very little choice but to enlist. A sobering thought as more of the world descends into totalitarian anarchy.
After 78+ years I agree that we can be more philosophical about our WW II enemies.
Have you ever read the book ‘A higher call’? Its an interesting look into that exact sentiment.
Too Bad It Was Only A Few & They Weren't "Victims". They Were Enemy Combatants Killed In A Military Operation. The Japs Were Worse Than The Nazis!
🐂
It IS when different governments can't agree to mutual benefits or agree to compromise for the good of all. The citizens are then called forth to provide the ultimate sacrifice. Think about all that have perished in war. They could have grown up, got married, had kids and those kids growing up could have contributed to their society and the world at large, even travelling around to meet your kids, becoming friends. All those possibilities are gone now.
My wife grew up on a small Island north of Okinawa. She was the youngest of four kids her parents had. Her parents were married just before the war and her oldest brother was born about 1944. He still lives today on that Island. She was born in mid 1950s. My father served on board a US Navy Battleship that was on location during the invasion and battle for Okinawa. That battleship shelled not only Okinawa but many of the smaller surrounding Islands. My wife's parents were terrified during these bombardments and they hid in caves in the island. This Island was a volcanic Island having many such caves. After our marriage in 1983 we traveled to the Island so I could meet the family. Over the years of visiting and us having two sons, watching her parents fill with pride over their Japanese-American grandkids and accepting me into their family only increased my thoughts of how happy I am that they were NOT harmed during the war years. We are both retired with grandkids from our sons and they have wonderful stories sharing with their kids about the many trips to mom's Island were she grew up. It was for them a great adventure. So the moral of the story is communication, understanding and a deep belief to help others of all cultures, races and nationalities. The citizens of every country want to live, grow old and enjoy their grandkids. We don't need to have governments continue to argue about issues that can and should be settled by understanding different points of view and the consequences that await when compromised can't be worked out. I pray every day on my good fortune to have the girl, from Japan, I met and married. Life is fragile as her parents once experienced. I am very glad they survived. Uniting all nations of the earth is a good goal, but to preserve each nation's independence and unique culture and society is BEST for all of US.
Proud U.S. NAVY veteran PO3. 4 years attached to PATRON TWO FOUR
BATMEN.
NAS JAX FLA. '73>'77
🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙
As the son of a naval aviator (PB commander)involved in this very thing, I find this information fascinating. Technology had evolved by ‘44 rendering U-Boats and IJN subs ineffective.Unfortunately, It was necessary to rid the world of evil. It’s shameful those sacrifices seen today seem in vain. Appreciate those who worked hard and also made the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to live free today. Or I can dye my hair green, protesting everything and be paid to do so. Make a choice.
Thank you for another informative, interesting and well researched presentation.
I read about this in a book that my late grandfather had. Never thought I'd actually be able to listen to what transpired and hear men condemning other men to death.
*It's sobering and honestly not what I thought it would be.* 😢
Right on. Thanks for sharing.
Wow. Great video. Very interesting. That was the fastest subscribe I ever hit.
This war like the majority of wars was pointless, rest in peace brave crew of I-52.
Hardly pointless.
@@jakhamar55 What did we exactly gain? Germany is unified again and part of western sphere, Russia was lifted to superpower status of which last fumes we have to witness still today. Pointless.
@@terrylyn So how should the US have responded to Pearl Harbor?
@@DavidOfWhitehills Maybe by not being a d*ck towards japanese in the first place, or do you think they attacked the harbor just because of being evil or what?
Terry Lynn...I am curious. You said the majority of wars are pointless. So please tell us which wars that you would consider not pointless?
R.I.P. all those who lost their lives.
I’m really into ww2. I just finished Shattered Sword. Now I’m reading Citinos series. This is so cool I subscribed instantly
Great video. Learned a ton.
4 patrols on the USS Ben Franklin, SSBN 640 SS (Blue), it was rumored by the Old Salt Chiefs that this technology was used in WW2. Never heard of I Boats in the Atlantic. The Franklin was a Subron16 boat. Which sank more Japanese ships in WW2 but that was in the Pacific. Amazing they could pull off those logistics even with help from Germany.
Damn this channel is aweasome great work.
Brilliant clip ! Many thanks.
One of the most interesting videos I've ever seen on CZcams!!!
The sound of those screws starting to cavitate when the sub put on flank speed... You can feel the fear.
No doubt, they were following training and routine and doctrine. The OP says in another vid that the Axis were unaware of the Fido "mine".
Awesome video! Great job
Fascinating, TY for sharing. I was in VP-48 88-91... I had no idea this kinda thing was going on in 1944.
Couldn't even to begin to imagine the horror the submariners went through in their final moments.
wow.... i NEVER knew they had sonar buoys (especially acoustic homing!) in WW2..... thought that was a cold war thing
.
id love to see that audio "remastered" and put in a waterfall type sound analyzer..... maybe Sub Brief can review it with his trained ears lol
I just shared the link with an associate who has those skills. We'll see if he's got time to do it.
Both the US and Germany had developed acoustic homing torpedoes before the end of the war. I think the German torpedo was deployed a bit before the US homing torpedo, but it wasn't a huge difference.
I've never read anything that compared their performance.
US aircraft were ordered to make sure the submarine was submerged before the torpedo was launched to try and preserve operational security. That's likely why the plane dropped a bomb first. If the bomb didn't kill the submarine outright, it would at least force it under and then they were cleared to use the homing torpedo. They didn't want to risk a submarine seeing them drop a torpedo and shooting off a radio message, I suppose.
The homing torpedo only worked if the target was unaware of it. Shutting down the engines prevented the torpedo homing…
@@allangibson8494 It seems to me that the submarine would be able to hear the torpedo coming. Certainly the sonar man would.
But, if the sub skipper didn't know it was an acoustic homing torpedo, his instincts would be to pile on the speed and maneuver the submarine away from the torpedo.
That would likely be fatal.
The allies had anticipated the development of a German acoustic homing torpedo, had developed counter measures and had them ready to deploy when the Germans begin using them.
I don't know if the Germans ever discovered the allies were using acoustic homing torpedoes or what training they they may have provided their U-boat skippers to deal with them.
@@silentotto5099 Germans did their usual trick of trialling their kit in combat, Its not known if their first attempts of using them actually worked. Their weapon was an submarine launched anti ship weapon. The Mk 24 on the other hand was fully tested before being employed
Great video!
That was wild, the actual sounds of a submarine and her crew going to the bottom. Chilling......
Escort Carriers were important to the Allied war effort. They gave additional, cheap, quick to build flight decks to their respective navies. Big, expensive Fleet Carriers like Yorktown, Essex-classes took years to build, as with all capital ships. But Escort Carriers were quick and cheap to build. USS Bogue in this video was commissioned in less than a year after being laid down. Bogue was the lead ship of her class and 45 total were made. 50 Casablanca-class were made. 19 Commencement Bay-class were constructed for the war.
These Escort Carriers sailed with convoys of cargo ships giving aerial coverage whereas early in WWII, they had very little when past the range of land based naval patrol aircraft. They were part of Hunter-Killer Groups with Destroyer Escorts tasked with sinking submarines. They also were detailed with ferrying aircraft to overseas units, even embarking land based aircraft. The Royal Navy and US Navy used these ships to support landing operations while the bigger Fleet Carriers kept a closer eye on attacking warships or other aircraft trying to disrupt the landings.
The Fleet Carriers could do all this stuff, too, but again, they were bigger, more expensive, fewer and number. Using a Fleet Carrier for most of this work was overkill.
And in the end, when you try to look at it from the perspective of someone in a foxhole getting bombed and strafed, or on a Axis submarine or warships, or some Axis airplane, it didn't matter where those naval aircraft came from. It didn't matter if that Hellcat or TBF Avenger came from an Escort Carrier or a Fleet Carrier, because it was a big problem for you either way.
Lastly I did not know they already had airborne radar sets on something as small as an Avenger by 1943. I knew they had some on PBY Catalinas and some patrol B-24s, but not on a single engine plane like an Avenger.
That old audio was incredible!
Awesome video. I was sad when it ended
Amazing video. I had no idea the technology was that advanced.
Wow. Great use of primary, period sources.
great work !
Amazing content.
Interesting to listen too. I had no idea we had sonobuoys in ww2.
The recordings are so haunting, disturbing and heartbreaking. I get this was an enemy sub but doesn’t change the fact those were fellow human beings. I didn’t think the audio would affect me the way it has.
My last CO in the late 80's, told me about his early active duty in the navy, that had something to do with dropping sonobuoys (from a turboprop plane if i remember correctly) in the Pacific, listening for Russian submarines, but I had no idea the US used sonobuoys during WWII. There was a US submarine that was sunk, the USS Scorpion, shrouded in mystery, I believe there are recordings of its demise. There's a great book about it titled, Scorpion Down. Mystery and Intrigue.
My college electronics teacher was on a anti sub plane in the 1980s It was a P 3 Orion. He told us all kinds of stories about that . There was a long stretch of sonars along the ocean floor going from Iceland to Scotland or something like that They called it "The SOSUS Line"
Fascinating, informative and creepy.
Thank you very much for creating this video.
☮
War truly is hellish.
Good video. The Mark 24 torpedo struck the sub low mid-ship through the fuel tank.
Another amazing video 👍🇭🇲
2:40 although historically precise, you use "of its time" elsewhere in the video, so saying "Largest aircraft carrier vs aircraft carrier battle in history (so far)" would also be as accurate and a bit more exciting sounding as well. Great video and information, thanks for posting.