New Photograph

This photograph is courtesy of recent museum visitor and former Razorback crewmember Mel Kleinsorge.

Mel was aboard 1962, just after Razorback received her "North Atlantic" sail and participated in the "Swordfish" test.

In exchange for the donation of the photograph, we made sure Mel left with membership applications for both USSVI and the Razorback Crewmember's Association.

In Memoriam - USS Swordfish (SS-193)

Swordfish was a very successful submarine, despite being a pre-war Sargo-class submarine with only four torpedo tubes forward (Razorback, like most WWII submarines had six torpedo tubes forward). She sank a destroyer and sank or damaged 28 merchant ships, including three that she engaged on the surface with her 3" 50-caliber deck gun.

Swordfish also holds the distinction for being the first U.S. submarine to sink a Japanese vessel during World War II. She also participated in the evacuation of critical personnel from the Philippines.

USS Swordfish (SS-193) was lost with all hands during her thirteenth war patrol.

She had been ordered to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, in preparation for the planned amphibious assault on the island, a Japanese stronghold. She transmitted a radio message on January 3rd and was never heard from again.

January 12th is given as the most likely date of her loss, as USS Kete (SS-369) reported radar contact with a submarine that morning, and then heard the sounds of a depth charge attack in the same area about four hours later. It is generally believed that the radar contact was with Swordfish, making it likely that she was lost in the subsequent depth charge attack. However, Japanese records do not record any attack, so her true fate may never be known.

In Memoriam - USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

On January 8, 2005, USS San Francisco (SSN-711), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine ran aground on an uncharted seamount while traveling submerged at a speed of about 35 knots at a depth of approximately 525 feet. Machinist Mate 2nd. class Joseph Allen Ashley of Akron, OH perished in the accident. 23 other crewmen were severely injured and 74 other crewmen were slightly injured.


The area in which San Francisco was operating was relatively uncharted, and even though there were references in some of San Francisco's charts to discolored water (an indication of the presence of a sea mount), the warning was not transferred to the charts her crew was using during the accident.

As a result of the accident, her Commanding Officer, Kevin Mooney was reassigned to unspecified duties in Guam and given a nonjudicial letter of reprimand. Six crew members were also issued similar letters, and received a reduction in rank. In contrast, twenty other officers and crew members were awarded for their actions during the crisis.

San Francisco was repaired at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. Her heavily damaged bow section was replaced with that of the retired USS Honolulu (SSN-718). By "recycling" parts from one submarine to repair the other, the Navy saved approximately $100 million.

More than 1,000,000 pounds of material was involved in the transfer of the bow section.

USS San Francisco returned to service in 2009 and is now home ported in San Diego, CA.

Ship's patch graphic courtesy of Paul Honeck.

Official U.S. Navy photograph.

Naval History Magazine

The February 2010 issue of Naval History magazine is now available in the museum store for $5.00 (including sales tax).

It has several submarine-related articles that may be of interest:

• "Cat on a Cold Steel Dive Plane" - The CO of a Sturgeon-class submarine tries to improve the morale of his crew...
  
• "Naval History News - Churchill's Lost Sub Found" - HMS E18, lost in 1916 during the First World War, was discovered in the Baltic. Evidence suggests she struck a mine while operating on the surface.
• "Naval History News - Two Still Missing" - Three of five Japanese submarines brought to Hawaii after World War II and then sunk in 1946 have been located, but the location of two more (I-203 and I-400) remains a mystery.
• Historic Fleets - Fifty Years Ago, An Unusual Vessel Made History" - The story of the Bathyscaph Trieste, now on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in the Historic Washington Navy Yard.
• "Two Coconuts and a Navy Cross" - The story of the survivors of a crashed Navy PB4Y, later picked up by USS Gunnel (SS-253). (You have to read the article to find out about the coconuts, but it's a heck of a story...
• "Slaughter in Paradise" - German U-Boat operations in the Caribbean.
• "Another Piece of the Torpedo Junction Puzzle" - The sinking of YP-389 by U-701 off Cape Hatteras, NC. (U-701 would be sunk by an Army bomber weeks later in the same area.)

On the Civil War front, there are reviews of two new books, The Civil War at Sea by Craig L. Symonds and Bluejackts & Contrabands - African Americans and the Union Navy by Barbara Brooks.

Anniversary of Razorback's Return to Duty

On January 7th, 1954, Razorback returned to active duty after spending 16 months in the shipyard being modified and modernized under the GUPPY (Greater Underway Propulsive Power) program. The GUPPY modifications were so extensive and took so long to accomplish that submarines going through the program were routinely decommissioned, freeing up their crews for duty on other submarines.

Some of the major modifications included:

• Increased battery capacity
• Streamlined outer hull
• Addition of a snorkel
• Improved sensors

While the snorkel allowed Razorback to run her diesel engines while submerged at periscope depth, the streamlining of the outer hull greatly improved her underwater performance while on battery. Some of these changes were:

• Removal of both deck guns
• Removal of 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft guns
• Rebuilding of the bridge/periscope shears structure as a streamlined "sail"
• Capstans made retractable
• Deck cleats made retractable
• Deck safety rail stanchions made flush with the deck
• All deck safety rails made removable
• Replacement of the pointed bow and towing fairlead with a rounded bow (known as the "Guppy Bow")

These improvements increased Razorback's top underwater speed from approximately 10 knots to nearly 20 knots, and increased her "sustained" speed (the speed she could maintain for long periods) from 2 knots to over 10 knots. Razorback could now cruise underwater faster than a destroyer could hunt for her.

We also have a copy of the booklet issued for the recommissioning ceremony. Her CO at recommissioning was LCDR Charles E. Stastny, USN. Six other officers, eight Chief Petty Officers, and 74 enlisted men were assigned to Razorback when she was commissioned. A digital copy of this program is available on our website. (Adobe PDF File)

In Memoriam - USS Scorpion (SS-278) - Last Seen 05 January 1944

USS Scorpion (SS-278) left Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 29 December 1943 to conduct her fourth war patrol. Her assigned patrol area was the northern East China Sea and the Yellow Sea between mainland China and Korea.

On the morning of 05 January, 1944, Scorpion requested a rendezvous with the nearby USS Herring (SS-233) in order to transfer a sailor who had suffered a severely broken arm. The rendezvous was accomplished late that afternoon, but heavy seas prevented the transfer of the injured man.

Scorpion was never seen or heard from again.

After the war, an examination of Japanese records revealed that a number of anti-submarine mines had been laid in the approaches to the Yellow Sea in late December 1943. Although several American submarines crossed the minefields without incident, Scorpion was in the area at the time when the mines would have been the freshest, and therefore the greatest danger.

Although the exact cause for Scorpion's loss may never be known for certain, the most likely cause is a Japanese mine.

Submarine in the Fog

In 2005 one of AIMM's many volunteer photographers arrived at the submarine early in the morning.

The river was shrouded in fog, completely hiding the southern bank, and making Razorback appear as if she was all alone on the river.

A Naval Hero From Arkansas

Today is the birthday of Admiral Charles Maynard "Savvy" Cooke, Jr.

Admiral Cooke was born in Fort Smith on 19 December, 1886. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in only two years while also working full time on local road repair crews.

He entered the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he graduated second in the Class of 1910, earning the nickname "Savvy". According to his classmates, the nickname reflected Midshipman Cooke's common sense and practicality as much as his academic billiance.

As was the tradition of the day, he was not immediately commissioned, but instead served on various ships, including the battleships USS Connecticut, USS Maine, and USS Alabama. During this time he met, courted, and married Helena Leslie Temple, the daughter of a prominent family from Philadelphia.

On 17 November, 1913, then Ensign Cooke reported to submarine school, then held in New York Harbor aboard USS Tonopah, an ironclad monitor, long since removed from front line service and pressed into duty as a floating classroom.

Picked for early promotion during his submarine training, Savvy Cooke first reported for duty as the Executive Officer of the submarine K-2. Less than a month later, he became Commanding Officer of USS E-2, after that's submarine's CO was severely injured in an accident. Seawater entered the battery well of E-2 sending deadly chlorine gas throughout the small submarine.

Just a few months after assuming command of E-2, then LT(jg) Cooke was in New York harbor, on the deck of his former school ship Tonopah, when he saw the wake of a passing boat swamp a small canoe. The two teen-aged boys in the canoe were swept overboard, into the frigid waters of the harbor. One boy was trapped under the overturned canoe. Without hesitation, Savvy lept into the water, risking his own life to save both boys.

Savvy's courage would be tested again on 16 January, 1916 when experimental batteries installed aboard E-2 exploded, killing four men outright and injuring ten, one of whom would later succumb to his injuries. At the time of the explosion, Savvy was aboard the nearby submarine tender USS Ozark (the former monitor USS Arkansas). He immediately rushed to his stricken submarine, and led a group of men inside to rescue his injured crewmen, despite the obvious dangers.

Savvy Cooke and his crew were completed absolved of blame in the accident. Despite this, he spent the next two years in shore duty assignments.

In December 1918, a newly promoted LCDR Cooke was assigned to the outfitting of USS R-2, a submarine then still being built. His mother christened R-2 and Savvy became her first CO when she was commissioned on 24 January, 1919.

He repeated the process for the larger submarine S-5. When S-5 sank on 01 September, 1920 while in transit from Boston to Baltimore, Savvy Cooke was able to lead his crew on a successful escape from the sunken submarine.

With her bow stuck in the mud, S-5's after ballast tanks were blown, bringing her stern just above the water. Even though the decks were nearly vertical, and they only had hand tools (their one electric drill failed after a short time), S-5's crew was able to cut a small triangular hole, six inches wide by eight inches tall through the 3/4" thick steel hull. The crew was able to attract the attention of a passing freighter, the steamer Alanthus. With the help of the crew from the Alanthus and another passing ship, the passenger steamer General George W. Goethals, the small hole was enlarged enough to allow every man from S-5's crew to escape.

The plate cut from S-5's hull is on display in the US Navy Museum in the Washington Navy Yard:

(From the book Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five by A.J. Hill)

The straight edge on the right side of the plate is one side of the hole cut by S-5's crew.

Following the S-5 disaster, Savvy Cooke's career continued to advance. He served in a succession of increasingly important assignments, both ashore and at sea, then was assigned as Commanding Officer of the battleship USS Pennsylvania in February, 1941. Captain Cooke had remarried following the tragic death of his first wife. Although his family had usually accompanied him, in 1941 Captain Cooke sent them to California because he believed war was coming.

"Savvy" Cooke was right.

Surviving the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Captain Cooke oversaw the repair of his ship, but was transferred to the Navy's Strategic Planning Division in Washington, DC when Pennsylvania was ready to return to battle. Quickly promoted to Rear Admiral, by 1945 he had been promoted again to Vice Admiral, was head of Strategic Planning for the entire Navy, and was the principal adviser to Admiral King, Chief of Naval Operations.

Savvy Cooke still saw his share of action. He was present at the Normandy Invasion and went ashore at noon on D-Day.

Although he almost certainly would have been an outstanding fleet commander during the war, it was believed that he performed a far more valuable service in his role in Strategic Planning. One of his contemporaries said that of all those unsung heroes who helped win WWII, Savvy Cooke's name "stands out at the top".

After the war, Admiral Cooke spent two years in China, trying unsuccessfully to bolster support for the Chinese Nationalists. He then served as Commander, Seventh Fleet, retiring in early May, 1948.

Admiral Charles M. Cooke, Jr died on 24 December 1970. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

(Sources: Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five by A.J. Hill and the US Naval Historical Center)

In Memoriam - USS F-1 (SS-20) - Sunk 17 December 1917

On the morning of 17 December, 1917, USS F-1 (SS-20), along with her sister ships F-2 (SS-21) and F-2 (SS-22), got underway for an engineering test. The plan was to steam south from San Pedro to Point Loma, then return. The submarines, designed in the early 1900s and commissioned in 1912 could only make 10 knots on the surface. The round trip was scheduled to take about eight hours.

Since heavy fog is common off the California coast in winter, the plan for the engineering test included a contingency plan for the three submarines to turn to seaward if they ran into poor visibility.

F-1 was closest to the shore, with the other two submarines to her west.

About 1830, the three submarines encountered the expected thick fog. F-1 turned slightly west and sent a radio message to the other two submarines reporting her course change. Unfortunately, this message was not received by the other two boats. F-3 continued on her course south, and F-1 passed behind her, unseen.

At 1904, F-3 began turning to starboard with the plan of reversing course to the north to quickly exit the fog bank.

Eight minutes later, F-1's lights were spotted. The two submarines were on a collision course with a combined speed of nearly 20 knots.

Despite last minute maneuvers by both submarines, F-3 struck F-1 at nearly a right angle, near the bulkhead between the control room and the engine room.

The four men on F-1's makeshift bridge were thrown into the water. A fifth man manged to climb out of the control room, but he was the only one to get out of the doomed submarine.

Nineteen men perished in the accident.


In October, 1975, USNS De Steiguer (T-AGOR-12), an oceanographic research ship, located in 635 feet of water. The hull is laying on its starboard side, with the hole made by F-3 clearly visible.

Photographs courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center.

In Memoriam - USS S-4 (SS-109) - Lost 17 December 1927

USS S-4 (SS-109) sank on 17 December 1927 after being accidentally rammed by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Paulding during tests off the New England coast.

Originally commissioned in 1919, in 1920-21, S-4 made a historic voyage from New London, CT through the Panama Canal, to Pearl Harbor and on to Cavite, Philippines. At the time, it was the longest voyage ever undertaken by an American submarine. S-4 traveled as far as the coast of China during her tenure in the Far East.

In 1925, S-4 was reassigned to the West Coast and she returned to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where she had been built, in early 1927 for dry docking, maintenance, and modernization.

Following the refit, S-4 put to sea for the normal series of post-dry docking tests, escorted by a US Coast Guard cutter, Paulding.

During these tests, tragedy struck.

After completing a submerged run at full speed, S-4 began to surface. The Coast Guard cutter was not equipped with sonar, and her crew misjudged their position in relation to the submerged submarine.

The Coast Guard Cutter's crew spotted the submarine's periscopes, but not in time to prevent the collision. S-4 was struck in her Battery Compartment, which was forward of the Control Room and Conning Tower. Part of the Coast Guard Cutter's bow broke off inside S-4.

The submarine's entire crew survived the initial accident. Men in the Battery Compartment tried in vain to stop the flooding, but had to quickly retreat to the Control Room, then to the Engine Room as flooding progressed. Six men were trapped in the Forward Torpedo Room, the remaining 28 men were trapped aft, in the Engine Room and Motor Room.

The submarine settled to the bottom in 110' of water.

By the time divers arrived on the scene, the men in the after compartments had already succumbed to the combination of cold, chlorine gas, and falling oxygen levels, but the six men in the forward torpedo room were still alive and were able to communicate with the divers on the outside by tapping on the hull.

Unfortunately, S-4 was not designed with a forward torpedo room escape trunk and by the time air lines and special fittings could be hooked up, the CO2 level had risen to 7%, far too high to support human life.

The failure to rescue S-4's crew raised a very public outcry and forced the Navy to being exploring means of both submarine escape and submarine rescue, ultimately leading to the development of the Momsen escape lung and the Momsen-McCann Diving Bell.

The successors of both of these devices are still in use today. American submarines now carry the SEIE, or Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment, a full-body suit that allows escape from a submarine at 600', or almost six times deeper than S-4.

The Momsen-McCann Diving Bell has become a host of submarine rescue equipment, including the Submarine Rescue Chamber, as well as specialized, self-propelled rescue submarines.

While the loss of men aboard S-4 was tragic, they did not die in vain.

Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center.

In Memoriam - USS Sealion (SS-195) - Sunk 10 December 1941

The first American submarine to fall victim to a Japanese attack was USS Sealion (SS-195). The start of World War II found her, along with her sister ship, USS Seadragon (SS-194) in the final stages of an extensive overhaul at the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines. The two submarines were moored side-by-side.

On the afternoon of 10 December, a group of 54 Japanese planes attacked the shipyard.

Only two Japanese bombs actually struck Sealion. The first exploded outside the conning tower. In addition to destroying a machine gun mount on Sealion, a fragment from this bomb pierced Seadragon's conning tower, killing one officer.

A second bomb struck Sealion aft, penetrating the pressure hull and entering the after engine room, where it exploded, killing four men.

Damage from the explosion and resulting flooding was extensive. All motor controls, reduction gears and main motors were destroyed. Sealion was completely immobilized.

Unfortunately, the Cavite Navy Yard was nearly completely destroyed by the same Japanese attack, and repairs were impossible. Nor was it practical to tow the submarine some 5,000 miles to Pearl Harbor, the nearest working repair facility.

All valuable gear such as gyroscopes, radios and sonar equipment was removed from the crippled submarine.

On Christmas Day, 1941, three depth charges were exploded inside Sealion's hull to prevent her from being used by the enemy.

In Memoriam - USS Capelin (SS-289) - Sunk 23 November 1943

USS Capelin's disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

After being out 17 days on her first war patrol, she returned to the U.S. submarine base in Darwin, Austrailia with a defective conning tower hatch mechanism, too-loud bow planes, and a malfunctioning radar tube. After these flaws were corrected, she left for her second patrol on 19 November.

Although USS Bonefish (SS-223) reported sighting a United States submarine on 2 December in Capelin's assigned area in the Molukka and Celebes Seas, nothing was heard from the boat after she departed on her second war patrol.

Postwar records revealed that on 23 November, 1943, an American submarine was attacked off Halamaera, a heavily fortified island in Capelin's patrol area. Enemy minefields are known to have been placed along the Celebes coastline, and it is suspected that Capelin was lost to a mine explosion.

76 sailors went down with Capelin.

National Archives photograph 80-G-468104

New Photographs Added to the Website

"Gene" J. Haley, Sr., served aboard USS Razorback from 1945 until 1948. He generously donated a personal collection of photographs to the museum. Many of these photographs have been on display in the museum or have been used in our videos, but we recently realized that the entire collection had never been put on the AIMM website.


There are over 40 photographs in the collection.

The entire collection can been seen at:

http://www.aimm.museum/photos-SS394-6-1945-48-Gene_Haley.asp

The entire photograph section has been re-organized, and many new photographs have been added.

Due to space limitations, only medium-quality images have been uploaded to the website. However, in most cases, a high-quality image is available upon request.

In Memoriam - USS Sculpin (SS-191) - Sunk 19 November 1943

USS Sculpin, sister ship to Squalus (SS-192), made radar contact with a fast convoy on 18 November 1943, and followed, submerged, for a dawn attack. She was detected, however, and forced deep. When she surfaced to begin another pursuit, she was seen by a destroyer that was lagging behind the convoy, and a round of depth charging ensued. Though Sculpin survived this attack with relatively minor damage, she accidentally broached when her diving officer tried to bring her to periscope depth with a depth gauge that had stuck at 125 feet.

Another round of depth charging followed Sculpin's accidental surfacing. Finally, a string of close explosions threw the deeply submerged Sculpin badly out of control, and her CO, CDR Fred Connaway, made the decision to surface and fight using the deck guns. A shell through main induction and another through the conning tower killed most of Sculpin's officers, leaving LT G. E. Brown in command. He gave the order to scuttle the boat.

12 men, including Captain John P. Cromwell, rode the boat down. CAPT Cromwell had extensive knowledge of US plans for future submarine operations. To deny the Japanese that information, he went down with Sculpin, reportedly sitting in the wardroom with coffee cup in hand. CAPT Cromwell would posthumously receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for "his great moral courage in the face of certain death."

The 42 men who escaped Sculpin were captured by the Japanese, one of whom, suffering from severe injuries was immediately thrown overboard to drown. The remaining prisoners were taken to Truk and questioned for ten days before being separated into two groups and loaded onto two Japanese aircraft carriers bound for the Japanese home islands. One of those two Japanese warships, Chuyo, was attacked and sunk by USS Sailfish (SS-192), resulting in the deaths of 19 of the 20 Sculpin survivors aboard.

In a strange twist of fate, Sailfish — at the time named Squalus — had herself been rescued by Sculpin in 1939.

The remaining Sculpin suvivors were forced to work as slave labor in the Ashio copper mines for the rest of the war and were liberated by the Allies after VJ Day.

In Memoriam - USS Corvina (SS-226) - Sunk 16 November 1943

USS Corvina (SS-226) was lost on her very first war patrol.

She had been commissioned 06 August, 1943. After her initial shakedown, she transited the Panama Canal and crossed the Pacific to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, HI. Corvina left Pearl Harbor on 04 November. Her mission was to patrol the Japanese stronghold of Truk, the empire's main base in the South Pacific.

A large part of the Japanese surface fleet was stationed at Truk and Corvina's mission was to intercept any Japanese warships that might leave the base in response to the American attack on the Gilbert Islands.

Corvina was never heard from again.

After the war, an examination of Japanese records revealed that on 16 November, 1943, the Japanese submarine I-176 spotted an American submarine on the surface and fired three torpedoes. Two of the torpedoes hit, causing "a great explosion sound."

I-176 would later be sunk by American forces in May 1944.

In Memoriam - USS Albacore (SS-281) Sunk 07 November 1944

During her 11th war patrol, USS Albacore (SS-281) struck a Japanese mine while submerged and sank with the loss of all aboard.

The explosion was witnessed by a Japanese patrol craft which reported seeing a great amount of air bubles and heavy oil on the surface, as well as finding cork, bedding and various provisions afterward.




During her first 10 war patrols, Albacore rang up an impressive score:

• Aircraft Carrier Taiho
  
• Light Cruiser Tenryu
  
• Destroyer Oshio
  
• Destroyer Sazanami
  
• An escort vessel
• A large patrol boat
  
• Six Freighters
• Two Tankers
• Two Transports

She was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation four times.

New Navy History in the AIMM Archives

A recruiting brochure from World War II has been donated to the museum.

"What Kind of Job Can I Get in the Navy?" is from 1942, just a few months after the United States entered the war. In addition to describing general Navy pay and benefits, this brochure describes 49 different specific career fields, describing pay and duties for each rating as well as related civilian jobs and general knowledge that would help an enlistee qualify for that rating.

Many of these ratings no longer exist at all, and many others only exist in greatly changed form, so this booklet provides a look back into our past.

Digital copies of this booklet are available upon request.

USS O-5 (SS-66) Sunk October 28, 1923

One of the U.S. Navy's earliest submarines, USS O-5 (SS-66) sank on October 23rd, 1923, less than a minute after being involved in a collision with the steamship SS Abangarez.

Most of the crew was able to escape the sinking submarine. One man, TM2 Henry Breault, reached the deck and realized the submarine was doomed. He also knew that a friend was still trapped in the torpedo room below. Instead of saving his own life, TM2 Breault returned below and secured the torpedo room hatches. Both men remained trapped aboard the submarine for 31 hours, until nearby cranes could be used to lift the stricken submarine enough for the men to be rescued.

TM2 Breault was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, the first Submariner to receive this award. He is also the only enlisted submariner to receive the Medal of Honor.

O-5 was salvaged shortly after her loss, but the damage was was too severe for her to be ec0nomically repaired, and she was sold for scrapping in December 1924.

Following a lengthy court case, the fault was placed on the submarine, not the merchant ship for the collision.

For more information about the loss of USS O-5, please visit "Submarine Hero: TM2 Henry Breault"

Winter / Holiday Hours Announced

The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum will be open on the following schedule:

Starting Sunday, November 1st, with the return to Standard Time, we will begin closing at dusk, with the last tour starting 30 minutes prior to closing. (On the 1st, sunset is at 5:15 p.m.) We make this change each year for safety reasons.

Winter Hours

Friday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Dusk

We will return to Spring Hours in March, when Daylight Savings Time returns.

Thanksgiving Holiday
We will be open regular hours over the Thanksgiving Weekend:

Friday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Dusk

Christmast Holiday
Since Christmas falls on a Friday this year, we will be closed Christmas Day, in order to allow our employees to spend the holiday with their families. However, we will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday:

Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Dusk

New Years Weekend
We will be closed on New Years Day, but open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday:

Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Dusk

If you have any questions, or would like to book a group tour, birthday party, or overnight event, please contact the musuem at 501-371-8320.

In Memoriam - USS Darter / USS Shark / USS Tang - Lost 24 October 1944

24 October 1944 was the single worst day for the U.S. Submarine Service in World War II. Three submarines were lost.

Their stories are told in the three blog postings below, but a brief summary is:

USS Darter (SS-227) ran aground and was scuttled. Fortunately, the entire crew was saved.

USS Tang (SS-306) was sunk by a "circular run" of her own torpedo.

USS Shark (SS-314) was sunk by Japanese forces.

Graphic courtesy of the National War College Military Image Collection

In Memoriam - USS Darter (SS-227) - Grounded October 24, 1944

USS Darter (SS-227) grounded on Bombay Shoal at high speed while attempting a surface attack on the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao.

Darter had already made a significant contribution to the Battle for Leyte Gulf, sinking Admiral Kurita's flagship, the heavy cruiser Atago and damaging Takao. The damage to the latter was so severe that she turned back and did not participate in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In fact, Takao would never sail again as a warship. The loss of the two cruisers and the two destroyers tasked to escort Takao diminished the Japanese defenses and made the remaining ships more vulnerable, probably resulting in additional Japanese losses during the battle.

USS Dace, with whom she had been coordinating her attacks, responded immediately to the Darter's request for assistance, retrieving every member of her stranded crew. Darter and Dace's crews destroyed confidential equipment and papers before an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the boat herself. USS Nautilus (SS-168) arrived on October 31 and scored a number of hits with her deck guns on her grounded sister before her C.O. decided nothing of value could have survived the barrage intact.

Darter's fourth and final war patrol, served alongside Dace, won the two submarines the Navy Unit Commendation for their efforts during the Battle of Surigao Strait.

Darter's entire crew was ordered to take over the USS Menhaden (SS-377), in order to preserve their high esprit d'corps.

In Memoriam - USS Shark (SS-314) - Sunk 24 October, 1944

USS Shark (SS-314) and all of her crew were lost during their third war patrol, October 24, 1944, after a successful attack on a freighter. Her last message, received by the crew of the USS Seadragon (SS-194), indicated her C.O.'s decision to attack; a dispatch from Commander Naval Unit, Fourteenth Air Force, stated that a Japanese ship carrying nearly 2000 American prisoners of war had been sunk on October 24 by an American submarine.

Japanese records on anti-submarine warfare, obtained after the war, also mention the attack on the Japanese ship. The reports add that a Japanese destroyer, Harukaze, made contact with a submerged submarine in the same vicinity and pummeled it with seventeen depth charges. The same report mentions the surfacing of "oil, clothes, and other debris". This seems to be the most likely explanation for Shark's disappearance.

Shark had served her first patrol near the Mariana Islands as part of a coordinated attack group, working alongside Pintado (SS-387) and Pilotfish (SS-3860). This patrol proved productive; she sank two cargo ships, a passenger-cargo ship, and a freighter. Her second war patrol, served off the Volcano and Bonin Islands. Much of this patrol she served lifeguard station; she rescued two airmen from a downed topedo bomber, Lexington (CV-16). She was awarded one battle star for her efforts during World War II.

Shark was the second submarine of the same name to be lost during World War II. USS Shark (SS-174) was reported overdue and presumed lost on March 7th, 1942

In Memoriam - USS Tang (SS-306) - Sunk 24 October 1944

USS Tang (SS-306) was sunk while on her fifth war patrol, during an intense attack on a Japanese convoy. After sinking a destroyer and a tanker and damaging a transport, Tang closed on the transport, intending to sink her with the last two torpedoes remaining on board (the 23rd and 24th to be fired by Tang on this war patrol). The 23rd torpedo ran "hot, straight, and normal", however when the 24th torpedo was fired, it was observed to broach the ocean's surface and begin turning to the left in a "circular run".

Despite all attempts to escape the torpedo, Tang was struck at the aft torpedo room.

The explosion violently shook Tang, causing severe injuries as far forward as the Control Room.

Tang san by the stern, with the after three compartments flooded. The nine men from the bridge were thrown into the water and only three survived the night, swimming for approximately eight hours until they were picked up by the Japanese. A fourth man was able to escape from the flooded conning tower and was rescued as well.

Tang came to rest on the bottom, in 180 feet of water. The survivors inside the sunken submarine worked their way into the forward torpedo room, surviving a depth charge attack which started a fire in the forward battery compartment. Thirteen men were able to escape the sunken submarine, but only eight reached the surface. Of these eight, only five were able to swim until rescued.

Tang's nine survivors became Japanese Prisoners of War and despite harsh treatment and poor conditions, all survived to be rescued by American forces.

CDR Richard O'Kane received the Congressional Medal of Honor for Tang's fifth war patrol, which saw 22 of 24 torpedoes hit Japanese ships, sinking 13 vessels for a total of 107,324 tons, the most successful single war patrol of any American submarine.

In only five war patrols, Tang sank 31 ships for 227,800 tons and damaged two more. She also rescued 22 Navy arimen off the island of Truk during her second war patrol. She was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation twice.

New Issue of Naval History Magazine Available

The December 2009 issue of Naval History Magazine is now available in the museum store.

The contents include:

• Cornered at the Bottom of the East China Sea - The story of USS Tambor's 17-hour depth-charging ordeal during her 10th war patrol.


• The Battle of Mobile Bay


• The West Gulf Blockading Squadron During the Civil War
  


• Growing Up With the Pearl Harbor Story


• How the Japanese Did it - What the Japanese Did Right Before the Pearl Harbor Attack
  

In Memoriam - USS Escolar (SS-294) - October 17, 1944

The career of USS Escolar (SS-294) was tragically short. She set out on her first patrol on September 23, 1944 under the command of Cmdr. W. J. Millican, leaving Midway to conduct operations in the Yellow Sea alongside Croaker (SS-246) and Perch (SS-313) as part of a wolf pack known as "Millican's Marauders".

On September 30, a message was received from Escolar, stating that she had engaged a gunboat; however, the message was abruptly cut off, and no further communications were received by U.S. shore bases from Escolar. However, Perch and Croaker maintained short-range radio contact with Escolar until October 17, after which they were unable to raise her by radio. She was not heard from again and was reported as presumed lost November 27.

It is believed that Escolar was the victim of Japanese mines laid in the Yellow Sea, as post-war investigations into Japanese anti-submarine warfare records found no mention of her.

In Memoriam - USS S-44 (SS-155) - Sunk 07 October 1943

Commissioned in 1925, USS SS-44 (SS-155) completed four war patrols during World War II. She sank three ships and damaged a fourth.

IJN Kako

One of the ships sunk was the heavy cruiser Kako, sunk on 10 August 1942. The previous night, Kako and three other cruisers had participated in the first Battle of Savo Island, sinking four Allied heavy cruisers, damaging a fifth cruiser and damaging two destroyers with only moderate damage to themselves.

Kako was the first major Japanese warship sunk by the single-handed action of an American submarine, and S-44's successful attack pointed the way for the successful prosecution of the war against the Japanese Navy.

S-44 departed on her fifth war patrol on 26 September, 1943 out of Attu, Alaska. During the night of 07 October, S-44 made radar contact with a vessel that the crew believed was a small merchant ship. The decision was made to attack on the surface and sink the small vessel with the submarines 4"/50-caliber deck gun.

S-44's 4"/50 Deck Gun

Unfortunately, the "merchant ship" turned out to be the Ishigaki, a Shimushu-class escort armed with three large guns and four machine guns. Outgunned, S-44 attempted to submerge, but was unable to do so before being hit in the control room, the forward battery compartment, and elsewhere throughout the submarine.

The order to abandon ship was given, and a pillow case was put up as a makeshift flag of surrender. The shelling continued and only eight men made it into the frigid Arctic waters before S-44 sank. Two men were picked up by Ishigaki and remained prisoners of the Japanese until the war ended.

Ishigaki was sunk by USS Herring (SS-233) on 31 May 1944.

All photographs courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center

Former USS Razorback CO Passes Away

It is with deep regret that we report the passing of Captain Leonce Arnold LaJaunie, Jr., USN (ret).

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, class of 1937, Captain LaJaunie, Jr. was Commanding Officer of USS Razorback from July 1946 to August 1948.

The above picture is from Captain LaJaunie's time aboard Razorback, and was donated to the museum by Gene Haley.

In Memoriam - USS Cisco (SS-290) - Sunk 28 September 1943

USS Cisco (SS-290) was lost on her first war patrol. Operating out of Port Darwin, Australia, she left on her patrol on 18 September, but returned that evening due to a malfunction in her main hydraulic system. After repairs, she sailed on the 19th. She was never heard from again.

After the war, an examination of Japanese records revealed that on 28 September, an attack was made on "a sub tailing oil" by both aircraft and Japanese naval vessels, including the Gunboat Karatsu, the former US river gunboat USS Luzon (PR-7) which had been salvaged by the Japanese after being scuttled in Manila Bay in May, 1942.

IJNS Karatsu was sunk a few months later by USS Narwhal (SS-167).

In Memoriam - USS Grayling (SS-209) - Sunk 09 September 1943

USS Grayling (SS-209) was lost on her eight war patrol after having damaged a 6,000 ton freighter and sinking a small 250-ton tanker. She completed a special operation in the Philippines, delivering cargo to a group of guerrillas who were fighting the Japanese.

After the war it was learned that on 09 September, 1943, the Japanese transport Hokuan Maru, a passenger-cargo vessel of around 9,000 tons, reported a submarine in shallow water west of Luzon. She made a run over the area and, "noted an impact with a submerged object." This was in Grayling's patrol area. If any other Japanese attacks were made, the records did not survive the end of the war. Therefore, this most likely the cause of Grayling's loss.

Grayling received six battle stars for her World War II service.

AIMM Returns to Fall Hours Soon

With the start of school, and as the days get shorter, AIMM is preparing to return to fall hours.

We will be open our regular schedule this week, through the holiday weekend, but starting Monday, September 8, we will return to our fall schedule:

• Monday - Thursday - Closed
  
• Friday - Open - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday - Open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Sunday - Open 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Schools, churches and other groups wishing to schedule a group tour during the week are welcome to do so. The minimum group size is only 8 adults.

A special school rate is available to public, private, charter and even home-school groups.

Group tours can be scheduled by calling the museum office at 501-371-8320.

The Unusual Sinking of Submarine U-28

During the First World War, it was typical for German submarines to use their deck guns to sink merchant vessels, rather than using torpedoes.

On 02 September, 1917, the small German submarine U-28, 971 tons displacement and only 212 feet long, attacked the British merchant ship Olive Branch, 4,649 tons.

The submarine fired torpedoes which only damaged the merchant ship, but did not sink her. So, the German submarine surfaced in order to use her deck guns to finish off her victim.

What the Captain and crew of U-28 did not know was that Olive Branch was carrying a full load of ammunition and the initial torpedo hit had started a fire in the cargo hold.

While the submarine was firing her deck guns, the ship's cargo exploded, sinking the submarine.

Some reports have said that the explosion was so severe that a truck was thrown into the air and came crashing down on the submarine. While this may not be true, there is no doubt that U-28 was sunk by the explosion of her victim.

There were no survivors from the submarine.

Source: Great Britain's National Maritime Museum:
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.17867

Webcam is Down

We have been advised that the problem with the webcam is a mechanical problem, not a computer problem and it will have to be replaced. Unfortunately, the replacement cost is prohibitive and, given the current fiscal realities, will not happen in the near future.

In Memoriam - USS Pompano (SS-181) - Sunk 29 August 1943

After leaving Midway on 20 August 1943 to start her seventh war patrol, USS Pompano (SS-181) was never heard from again.

Her orders were to patrol off the east coast of Honshu, the Japanese home island, from 29 August to 27 September and then to return to Midway.

Examination of Japanese records after the war revealed no recorded attack that could have caused Pompano's loss, nor any attacks by Pomano on Japanese shipping.

It is probable that Pompano was sunk in an unrecorded attack, since the Japanese records are understandable incomplete. Other possibilities include loss to a mine, as the waters in Pompano's operational areas were heavily mined. A circular run of one of her own torpedoes cannot be ruled out, as at least two other American submarines are known to have suffered the same fate. Finally, some kind of operational accident, such as a fire, or some other peril of the sea could have claimed Pompano. It is likely that we will never know her true fate or final resting place.

For more information, including a list of the officers and men lost aboard USS Pompano,

In Memoriam - USS Harder (SS-257) - Sunk 24 August, 1944

Official U.S. Navy Photograph
USS Harder

Official U.S. Navy Photograph
CDR Sam Dealey

USS Harder (SS-257) under the command of CDR Sam Dealey, was sunk by Japanese ships off the Philippines in the pre-dawn hours of 24 August, 1944 while on her sixth war patrol.

Harder had been operating with USS Haddo (SS-255) and USS Hake (SS-256) as a "wolf-pack," or a group of submarines operating together and conducting coordinated attacks together. On 21 August, the wolf-pack was joined by three other submarines and made an attack on a convoy, sinking four Japanese merchant ships. Over the next two days, the wolf-pack attacked two different groups of Japanese ships, sinking several frigates and a destroyer. Haddo, having expended all of her torpedoes, left the wolf-pack on the 23rd.

Early the next morning, while cruising only 600 or so yards apart, Harder and Hake sighted a minesweeper and a destroyer operating together. As they approached, they were detected and the Japanese ships attacked. Hake was able to avoid the attack, but heard a series of 15 depth charges explode.

The Japanese records note that after the attack, "much oil, wood chips and cork floated in the vicinity."

Harder was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her first five patrols, and CDR Dealey was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his fifth war patrol, which included sinking five Japanese destroyers in five days.

In Memoriam - USS S-39 (SS-144) - 16 August 1942

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph

USS S-39, a 211-foot long submarine commissioned in 1923 and armed with only four torpedo tubes, conducted peacetime operations as part of the Asiatic Fleet during the 1920s and '30s, remaining in the Far East as WWII approached. During the war, she attempted to curtail Japanese minelaying efforts and waylay their logistics ships, but experienced little success. During her third war patrol, she managed to sink the Japanese oiler Erimo.

During the summer of 1942, S-39 operated out of Australia, patrolling near the Lusiade and Soloman Islands. On her fifth war patrol, she accidentally ran aground near Rossel Island on 08 December 1942. Due to the heavy surf pounding on her hull, the decision was made to abandon ship. Two sailors, Lieutenant C. N. G. Hendrix and W. L. Shoenrock, CCStd, volunteered to swim to a nearby reef and rig mooring lines to it. Using these lines, most of the crew reached the safety of the reef before the Australian minesweeper Katoomba arrived to collect the entire crew.

The submarine was left to be destroyed by the sea. The crew were all rescued without loss of life.

New Kid's Bridge to Play With at the Museum

Here at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum (AIMM), while we would like to think that a submarine would be pretty fun by itself, we know that there is always room for improvement.

In order to add to the educational experience while also improving the "fun" side of the museum, especially for the younger kids, we have added a replica ship's bridge.

The bridge has a combination of controls from an ocean going ship and a river tugboat.

The helmsman's wheel spins, the four rudder controls move, as do the valve controls and both throttles.

This project was made entirely from donated items, including the helmsman's wheel. AIMM would like to thank everyone who donated time or materials to make this project possible.

The kid's bridge has been dedicated in the memory of Captain Glen R. "Pappy" Sears, USN (ret), Razorback's former Commanding Officer.

Brief Career of CSS Arkansas Ended 147 Years Ago Today

Originally laid down near Memphis, TN in October 1861, CSS Arkansas was supposed to be delivered to the Confederate Navy three months later. By the time she actually entered service on 12 July 1862, the Union Navy controlled much of the Mississippi.

Arkansas saw combat almost immediately, engaging Union ships three times on 14 July as she made the dash from the Yazoo River to the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, then under seige by Union naval forces. Her presence at Vicksburg forced the Union ships to keep up steam constantly (rather than remaining at anchor and being vulnerable to attack) and this drain on their resources eventually forced them to withdraw, breaking the siege. Arkansas' career ended when she set forth from Vicksburg to support a Confederate attack on Baton Rouge. On 06 August, 1862, her engines failed during an engagement with the Union ironclad Essex. She ran aground and was intentionally burned to prevent her capture.

In 21 days, CSS Arkansas was in five battles with Union ships. She badly damaged many of her opponents and established a fearsome reputation during her short career.

More information about CSS Arkansas can be found on the US Naval Historical Center website, or by visiting the new exhibit "We Fought Them" at the museum, which will run through September.