To All,
Good Wednesday Morning October 16, 2024. Well one side of the house is just about done with two coats of paint. But there is still about four times that much to do.. The leak in the bath room looks like I am going to have to call a plumber today. Just what I needed. Up early this morning I am going to try to get the yard trash guy to let me refill the four tubs that he empties with cans and bags of more and run them across the street so when he comes back down the hill I can get rid of it. Like we used to say louder and funnier and the beat goes on.
Regards,
skip
Make it a good Day
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 83 H-Grams
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
October 16
1821 The schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lawrence Kearny, engages four pirate schooners and one pirate sloop off Cape Antonio, Cuba who are in the act of robbing two American vessels and one British ship. The pirate leader, Capt. Charles Gibbs, escapes to shore but his ship and two others were burned. The remaining ships are sent to Charleston, S.C. as prizes.
1861 The Union screw steamer South Carolina captures the schooner Edward Barnard, with a cargo of turpentine on board, at Southwest Pass, Mississippi River.
1885 Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan becomes the superintendent of the Naval War College at Newport, R.I.
1891 Two sailors from the cruiser Baltimore are killed and 17 are injured by a mob in Valparaiso, Chile. The incident shifts relations between the United States and Chile. In 1892 Chile pays $75,000 in gold for restitution and apologizes for the incident.
1942 USS Thresher (SS 200) mines the approaches to Bangkok, Thailand, the first US Navy submarine mine plant during World War II.
1943 The Navy accepts its first helicopter, a Sikorsky YR-4B (HNS-1) at Bridgeport, Ct., following a 60-minute test flight by U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Frank A. Erickson.
1957 USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39) reaches Valencia, Spain to assist in flood rescue work at the request of the American ambassador to Spain, John Davis Lodge. The ship's Chickasaw helicopters undertake numerous rescue missions, and the ship's crew fight in the "mud battle" that follows the disaster.
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Today in World History October 16
1555 The Protestant martyrs Bishop Hugh Latimer and Bishop Nicholas Ridley are burned at the stake for heresy in England.
1701 Yale University is founded as The Collegiate School of Kilingworth, Connecticut by Congregationalists who consider Harvard too liberal.
1793 Queen Marie Antoinette is beheaded by guillotine during the French Revolution.
1846 Ether was first administered in public at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston by Dr. William Thomas Green Morton during an operation performed by Dr. John Collins Warren.
1859 Abolitionist John Brown, with 21 men, seizes the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Va. U.S. Marines capture the raiders, killing several. John Brown is later hanged in Virginia for treason.
1901 President Theodore Roosevelt incites controversy by inviting black leader Booker T. Washington to the White House.
1908 The first airplane flight in England is made at Farnsborough, by Samuel Cody, a U.S. citizen.
1934 Mao Tse-tung decides to abandon his base in Kiangsi due to attacks from Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists. With his pregnant wife and about 30,000 Red Army troops, he sets out on the "Long March."
1938 Billy the Kid, a ballet by Aaron Copland, opens in Chicago.
1940 Benjamin O. Davis becomes the U.S. Army's first African American Brigadier General.
1946 Ten Nazi war criminals are hanged in Nuremberg, Germany.
1969 The New York Mets win the World Series four games to one over the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles.
1973 Israeli General Ariel Sharon crosses the Suez Canal and begins to encircle two Egyptian armies.
1978 The college of cardinals elects 58-year-old Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, a Pole, the first non-Italian Pope since 1523.
1984 A baboon heart is transplanted into 15-day-old Baby Fae--the first transplant of the kind--at Loma Linda University Medical Center, California. Baby Fae lives until November 15.
1995 The Million Man March for 'A Day of Atonement' takes place in Washington, D.C.
1995 Skye Bridge opens over Loch Alsh, Scotland
1998 General Augusto Pinochet, former dictator of Chile, arrested in London for extradition on murder charges
2002 Inaugural opening of Bibliotheca Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt., a modern library and cultural center commemorating the famed Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity
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. ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
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From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com .
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..October 16
16-Oct: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1403
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.
https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
By: Kipp Hanley
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Thanks to Dr. Rich, Gailard via Dutch ...
*I Was a Sailor Once*
I liked standing on the bridge wing at sunrise with salt spray in my face and clean ocean winds whipping in from the four quarters of the globe -- the ship beneath me feeling like a living thing as her engines drove her swiftly through the sea.
I liked the sounds of the Navy - the piercing trill of the boatswains' pipe, the syncopated clangor of the ship's bell on the quarterdeck, the harsh squawk of the 1MC, and the strong language and laughter of sailors at work.
I liked Navy vessels -- nervous darting destroyers, plodding fleet auxiliaries and amphibs, sleek submarines and steady solid aircraft carriers.
I liked the proud names of Navy ships: Midway, Lexington, Saratoga, Coral Sea, Antietam, Valley Forge - - memorials of great battles won and tribulations overcome.
I liked the lean angular names of Navy "tin-cans" and escorts - Barney, Purdy, Dahlgren , Mullinix, McCloy, Damato, Leftwich, Mills, Leary, Mahan, Wainwright -mementos of heroes who went before us. And the others - San Jose, San Diego, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Chicago - named for our cities.
I liked the tempo of a Navy band blaring through the topside speakers as we pulled away from the oiler after refueling at sea.
I liked Liberty Call and the spicy scent of a foreign port.
*** I even liked the never-ending paperwork and all-hands working parties as
my ship filled herself with the multitude of supplies, both critical and
mundane in order to cut ties to the land and carry out her mission anywhere
on the globe where there was water to float her.
*** I liked sailors, officers and enlisted men from all parts of the land,
farms of the Midwest, small towns of New England, from the cities, the
mountains and the prairies, from all walks of life. I trusted and depended
on them as they trusted and depended on me - for professional competence,
for comradeship, for strength and courage. In a word, they were
"shipmates"; then and forever.
*** I liked the surge of adventure in my heart, when the word was passed:
"Now set the special sea and anchor detail - all hands to quarters for
leaving port," and I liked the infectious thrill of sighting home again,
with the waving hands of welcome from family and friends waiting pier side.
*** The work was hard and dangerous; the going rough at times; the parting
from loved ones painful, but the companionship of robust Navy laughter, the
"all for one and one for all" philosophy of the sea was ever present.
*** I liked the serenity of the sea after a day of hard ship's work, as
flying fish flitted across the wave tops and sunset gave way to night.
*** I liked the feel of the Navy in darkness -- the masthead and range
lights, the red and green navigation lights and stern light, the pulsating
phosphorescence of radar repeaters - they cut through the dusk and joined
with the mirror of stars overhead. And I liked drifting off to sleep lulled
by the myriad noises large and small that told me that my ship was alive and
well, and that my shipmates on watch would keep me safe.
*** I liked quiet midwatches with the aroma of strong coffee - the lifeblood
of the Navy permeating everywhere.
*** And I liked hectic watches when the exacting minuet of haze-gray shapes
racing at flank speed kept all hands on a razor edge of alertness.
*** I liked the sudden electricity of "General quarters, general quarters,
all hands man your battle stations," followed by the hurried clamor of
running feet on ladders and the resounding thump of watertight doors as the
ship transformed herself in a few brief seconds from a peaceful workplace to
a weapon of war - ready for anything.
*** And I liked the sight of space-age equipment manned by youngsters clad
in dungarees and sound-powered phones that their grandfathers would still
recognize.
*** I liked the traditions of the Navy and the men who made them.
I liked the proud names of Navy heroes: Halsey, Nimitz, Perry, Farragut,
John Paul Jones and Burke. A sailor could find much in the Navy:
comrades-in-arms, pride in self and country, mastery of the seaman's trade.
An adolescent could find adulthood.
*** In years to come, when sailors are home from the sea, they will still
remember with fondness and respect the ocean in all its moods - the
impossible shimmering mirror calm and the storm-tossed green water surging
over the bow. And then there will come again a faint whiff of stack gas, a
faint echo of engine and rudder orders, a vision of the bright bunting of
signal flags snapping at the yardarm, a refrain of hearty laughter in the
wardroom and chief's quarters and mess decks.
*** Gone ashore for good they will grow wistful about their Navy days, when
the seas belonged to them and a new port of call was ever over the horizon.
*** Remembering this, they will stand taller and say,
*"I WAS A SAILOR ONCE AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN."*
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
A Michigan town once held a funeral for 30,000 pizzas.
On March 5, 1973, several hundred people gathered at a farm in tiny Ossineke, Michigan, to witness a burial they would remember for the rest of their lives. One local grocery store closed its doors so employees could attend; even Michigan Governor William G. Milliken dropped by to pay his respects. Was this a funeral for a native son who made good, or perhaps a beloved civic leader? No, it was a ceremony to bid arrivederci to some 30,000 frozen pizzas that may have been harboring dangerous toxins.
This bizarre scene stemmed from the discovery of swollen mushroom tins at Ohio's United Canning Company two months earlier. After FDA tests revealed the presence of bacteria that causes botulism, calls to United Canning's extended branch of customers eventually reached frozen-pizza maker Mario Fabbrini. When two test mice croaked after eating his mushroom pizza, Fabbrini believed he had no choice but to recall his wares from store shelves and swallow the estimated $60,000 in losses. Attempting the pizza equivalent of turning lemons into lemonade, he announced intentions for a grand "funeral," and arranged for a series of pickup trucks to dump his 30,000 unwanted mushroom pies into an 18-foot hole. After placing a flower garland on the grave — red gladioli to symbolize sauce, white carnations for cheese — Fabbrini served fresh (mushroom-free) pizza to anyone brave enough to partake.
Further tests later showed that the mice had died not from botulism, but from peritonitis, and it was unclear whether their deaths were pizza-related casualties. Sadly, the $250,000 Fabbrini later won in a lawsuit against United Canning and two other defendants wasn't enough to fully revive his business, and Fabbrini sold the company in the early 1980s. Nevertheless, much like that sauce stain that never entirely disappears from your shirt, the story of the Great Michigan Pizza Funeral endures for those who know where to look.
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Thanks to Micro
Feeling Old In 2024? This might be the reason why...
- The Beatles split 50 years ago.
- The movie, 'Wizard of Oz' is 85 years old. The only one I was not there for…skip
- Elvis died 46 years ago. He'd be 89 today.
- Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video is 42 years old.
- Mickey Mantle retired 55 years ago.
- The movie, 'Saturday Night Fever' is 49 years old.
- The Ed Sullivan show ended 53 years ago.
- The Corvette turned 71 years old this year. My uncle had one of the first and it was white and cool.
- The Mustang is 60.
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. Thanks to Bill
Heaven and Hell
While walking down the street one day a corrupt Senator was hit by an automobile and tragically died.
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.
The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.
They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven...
So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."
The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell...
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"
The devil smiles at him and says,
"Yesterday we were campaigning, Today, you voted.."
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. Thanks to Glenn…
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On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."
The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
And God saw it was good.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God, again saw it was good.
On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed it was good.
On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."
But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves.
For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.
For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.
And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information.
I'm doing it as a public service.
If you are looking for me I will be on the front porch...
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A reminder of the value of the H-Grams available from Admiral Cox through the NHHC. There are now 83 for your reading pleasure
Go to this site and select the Director's corner to find all the H-Grams , https://www.history.navy.mil/
Thanks to the Naval History and Heritage Command
In November 2016, Director Cox initiated a series of "H-grams." Inspired by the late Admiral Zumwalt's series of Z-grams used to communicate with Sailors throughout the Navy, H-grams are an avenue by which NHHC provides significant historical context to aid today's decision-makers. H-grams and associated attachments reflect Director Cox's personal assessment, aided by NHHC historians, of significant events in U.S. Navy history. Each H-gram draws on archival material, historic imagery, and written and oral history. In addition to the H-grams reproduced here, you'll find links to Director Cox's regular contributions to The Sextant, NHHC's blog. The linked content explores a variety of topics, but consistently emphasizes the importance of honoring the service of Sailors throughout history and understanding the relevance of the past to today's Navy.
Click on the colored items to get the full story In his latest H-Gram Special Edition, Director Cox discusses the World War II Battle off Samar, the event underlying the theme to this year's Navy Birthday: "No Higher Honor." Samar was a key engagement in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in modern naval history and a decisive U.S. Navy victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy. The phrase is from the after-action report of Lieutenant Commander Robert Copeland, skipper of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), lost in a valiant sacrificial action off Samar. In lauding the calm courage of his crew in the face of near-certain death, Copeland wrote that there was "no higher honor" than the privilege to lead such a gallant crew.
As a postscript: On 14 April 1988, the third USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) struck an Iranian-laid mine in the Arabian Gulf. Upon FFG-58's commissioning in 1986, her skipper, Paul X. Rinn, had a bronze plaque installed that listed the names of all those who served aboard the first Samuel B. Roberts when she fought so valiantly off Samar. As FFG-58 was burning and in grave danger of sinking, Sailors were seen to place their hand on the plaque, gaining inspiration and strength from the legacy of those who endured and persevered before. Post-event computer-simulation showed that FFG-58 should have gone down, yet those Sailors saved their ship in one of the most awesome displays of damage control in U.S. Navy history. At a time when the survival of the ship was very much in doubt, Rear Admiral Anthony Less, Commander Middle East Force, queried Rinn as to whether he was considering abandoning ship. Rinn responded he had absolutely no intention of doing so, finishing his defiant statement with the ship's motto, "No Higher Honor."
Close-Quarters Antisubmarine Warfare
29 July 2021
4 June 1944 Crew members of USS Pillsbury (DE-133), who made up the first party to board U-505 after she had been abandoned by her German crew. They are (from left to right): GM1/c Chester Mocarski; EM2/c William Riendeau; CMM George Jacobson; MOMM1/c Zenon Lukosivs; SM2/c Gordon Hohne; BM2/c Wayne Pickles, Jr.; RM2/c Stanley E. Wdowiak; and TM2/c Arthur W. Knispel. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. (80-G-49179)
Download a pdf of H-Gram 064. (6 MB)
This H-Gram covers several epic battles between U.S. surface ships and U-boats involving ramming and hand-to-hand combat, including the use of Coca Cola bottles, coffee mugs and pots, sheath knives, spent shell casings, flare pistols, hand grenades, shotguns, and tommy guns as antisubmarine warfare (ASW) weapons. If you only have time to read one, USS Borie (DD-215) vs. U-405 is the Cox choice for most epic ASW fight of all time.
Overview
I'm taking a break from "Battles You've Never Heard of" series because frankly they are really time-consuming to research. I meant to write about these Battle of the Atlantic submarine actions during the 75th anniversary of WWII series and again when the Tom Hanks' movie, Greyhound, came out (which, by the way, is really good, albeit historical fiction,) but my day job kept interfering.
U.S. Navy PBY Catalina and HMCS Oakville vs. U-94─27 August 1942 A Guantanamo-based VP-92 PBY Catalina flown by Lieutenant Gordon Fiss caught U-94 in the moonlight just as the U-boat was about to torpedo the destroyer USS Lea (DD-118,) with the convoy escort commander embarked, as the 15-tanker convoy TAW-15 transited the Windward Passage. Depth charges from the Catalina blew off U-94's bow hydroplanes, rendering U-94 unable to submerge. The Canadian corvette HMCS Oakville was the first convoy escort to respond. U-94 avoided Oakville's first attempt to ram. The second ram attempt was a glancing blow. With most guns unable to depress far enough, Oakville crewmen showered U-94's conning tower with empty Coca Cola bottles. Oakville's third attempt to ram was a solid hit, with German resistance suppressed by machine gun fire.
Oakville's skipper called away the boarding team in an attempt to capture the U-boat, however an untimely blast from one of Oakville's 4-inch guns incapacitated most of the team, just as Oakville lost power due to engine room flooding. Only Sub-Lieutenant Harold Lawrence and Petty Officer Art Powell managed to make the leap on to U-94 before Oakville drifted away. Pushing two Germans over the side, the pair then shot and killed two more Germans who rushed them from the conning tower hatch. With the sub rapidly sinking, the pair was able to get the rest of the German crew to come topside at gunpoint, while Lawrence went below in a vain attempt to gather codebooks or other documents (the Germans had already deep-sixed them.) Lawrence had to swim through the control room, barely making it out the conning tower before U-94 went down. Lawrence, Powell, and 26 Germans were rescued by Lea and Oakville before the rescue was cut short as U-511 attacked the convoy from a different direction; 19 Germans were lost. Oakville's only casualty was Lawrence, cut by a Coca Cola bottle. For this action, Oakville's skipper, Lieutenant Commander Clarence King, was the first Canadian awarded a U.S. Legion of Merit during the war. (Please see H-064-1 for more detail.)
USCGC Campbell (WPG-32). Crewmen signal with a blinker lamp, 1943. (NH 100093-KN)
USS Campbell (WPG-32) vs. U-606─22 February 1943 The battle for westbound North Atlantic convoy ON-166 was one of the most vicious of the war; 14 Allied ships and 263 men would be lost. Battered and scattered by days of gales, the 63-ship convoy was set upon by as many as 14 German U-boats from two wolfpacks as it transited the four-day gap in air cover in the mid-Atlantic. Based on Intelligence, the convoy escort commander knew what they were in for.
One of the convoy escorts was USS Campbell (WPG-32,) a Coast Guard cutter under U.S. Navy wartime control, commanded by Commander James A. Hirshfield, USCG. Campbell was nearly hit by a torpedo from U-753 as she rescued 40 Norwegian crewmen from a torpedoed ship. While trying to catch up to the convoy, Campbell engaged multiple U-boats that were trailing the convoy. In the meantime, U-606 penetrated through the convoy escorts and sank two freighters and crippled a third, before a sustained depth charge counter-attack by Polish destroyer Burza forced U-606 down to 780 feet (30 feet below test depth) in order to escape. Determining that the damage to U-606 was fatal, the skipper chose to emergency surface to give his crew a chance.
In the poor visibility, Campbell first sighted U-606 at a range of 40 yards. In the short─but vicious─gun battle that followed, the German skipper was killed on the bridge while Hirshfield was wounded on his. Much of the German crew had already assembled to abandon ship, but jumped into the frigid Atlantic before rafts could be launched and perished. Simultaneously with the gun battle, the two vessels collided and U-606's bow planes ripped open Campbell's hull, causing flooding and loss of power and propulsion.
With both vessels drifting, Hirshfield called away the boarding team in an attempt to capture the sinking submarine, but a line tending mishap dumped the boat and the entire boarding team into the water. As the sub sank, Burza arrived on scene and rescued the boarding team and twelve of U-606's 48-man crew. Refusing recommendations to scuttle his ship, Hirshfield had most of Campbell's crew and the 40 Norwegians transferred to Burza. Campbell's famous mascot dog, K9C Sinbad, remained aboard due to the captain and crews' belief that nothing bad would happen to Campbell as long as Sinbad was aboard. Campbell drifted for three days before a tug towed her to Newfoundland. The all-Black crew of one of the 20mm guns performed with great effectiveness, and Chief Steward Louis C. Etheridge, Jr., became the first Black Sailor in the Coast Guard awarded a Bronze Star. For this action, Commander Hirshfield was one of six Coastguardsmen awarded a Navy Cross during the war. (Please see H-064-1 for more detail.) USS Borie (DD-215) vs. U-405─1 Nov 1943 In the early morning darkness of 1 November 1943, one of the oldest destroyers in the U.S. Navy, commanded by the youngest destroyer skipper in the Navy, was locked in seventy minutes of close-quarters mortal combat in heavy seas with a tenacious U-boat and her savvy commander. Detached from USS Card (CVE-11) Hunter-Killer group to pursue a submarine that escaped an earlier attack by Card aircraft, USS Borie instead engaged and damaged a different U-boat, the U-flak 2 (ex-U-262). While returning to the group, Borie encountered U-405. As Borie was in her first depth charge run, a malfunction caused every depth charge on the stern to roll in the water at once resulting in a massive explosion that lifted Borie's stern out of the water and brought a damaged U-405 to the surface.
Unable to submerge, U-405 crewmen manned their guns and hit Borie with several 20mm rounds before a fusillade of fire from Borie killed most of the Germans on deck. Lieutenant Charles Hutchins of Borie had a speed and firepower advantage, but Lieutenant Commander Rolf-Heinrich Hopman of U-405 had a maneuverability advantage and dangerous torpedoes. Both commanding officers used their relative advantages to maximum effect during the battle.
After ten minutes of trying to match U-405's evasive maneuvers, which kept going despite repeated gunfire hits, Hutchins gave the order to ram. Instead of a killing perpendicular blow, a last moment avoidance turn-away by Hopman and a big wave resulted in Borie sitting atop the U-boat's foredeck at a 20-30 degree angle. Locked together for the next 10 minutes in mounting 20-foot seas, hull plating and seams in Borie began to part. With Borie's guns unable to depress far enough, the Germans saw their chance to man their machine guns and fill Borie's underhull full of holes. But Borie's crew was drilled and ready for this scenario. Lining the lifelines, Borie's crew was armed with tommy guns, rifles, shotguns, pistols, flare guns, and anything that could be thrown. Displaying extraordinary courage, Germans continued to pour from the conning tower in an attempt to reach their guns, only to be cut down one after the other, including one by a thrown knife to the stomach and another hit in the head by a thrown spent 4-inch shell casing. Borie's XO fired a submachine gun from the bridge. Around 35 of U-405's crew of 49 were killed in the initial exchange of fire and in the close-quarters battle.
Still, U-405 wouldn't quit, and finally the U-boat managed to back out from under Borie, still trying to escape. Borie's forward engine room flooded due to damage from the ram, but the engineer and "black gang" stayed at their posts in frigid neck-deep water to keep both engines operating during the battle. The next minutes were a battle of turn radius that Borie was losing. Just as U-405 was lined up for a stern tube shot, Hutchins doused the searchlight, and in the darkness U-405 opened the range to escape. Borie maneuvered for a second ram attempt, only this time U-405 turned to ram Borie. With extraordinary shiphandling, Hutchins was able to twist his ship away and fire depth charges from his K-guns that straddled U-405's conning tower, bringing the sub to a halt six-feet short of Borie.
Again U-405 backed away and made another attempt to escape until finally gunfire from Borie blew Hopman off the bridge and brought the U-boat to a halt. As about 15 German survivors abandoned the sinking U-405, they fired flares. As Borie moved to rescue the Germans, the flares were answered by another U-boat. In avoiding an incoming torpedo, Borie plowed through the German rafts and none of U-405's crew survived.
For the next 14 hours, with her hull severely battered, Borie's crew fought to keep her afloat in mounting seas reaching 40-feet, jettisoning torpedoes, ammunition, 20mm guns, and as much topside weight as possible. Attempts by other Card escorts to assist were thwarted by the seas and pouring rain. Hutchins finally had to make the difficult decision to abandon ship before darkness set in. Borie lost no crewmen in the battle with U-405, but 27 were lost to the raging sea. Lieutenant Hutchins and Petty Officer Saum were awarded the Navy Cross. Engineer Lieutenant Morrison Brown was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross. (Please see H-064-2 for more detail.) USS Buckley (DE-51) vs. U-66─6 May 1944 Harried for four days by ships and aircraft of the USS Block Island (CVE-21) Hunter-Killer group, U-66 was low on fuel and batteries. Taking a chance in the predawn hours, U-66 remained on the surface even as a Block Island Avenger torpedo bomber tracked U-66 at a respectful distance. For 45 minutes, guided by the Avenger, destroyer escort USS Buckley (DE-51) steamed at flank speed to catch U-66, in the end holding fire hoping the U-boat would mistake Buckley in the darkness for the "Milchkuh" refueling submarine U-66 desperately needed. It worked for a while until U-66 fired a recognition flare signal. Not getting the desired response, U-66 fired a torpedo at Buckley that narrowly missed. What followed was 16 minutes of life-or-death action between Lieutenant Commander Brent Abel's crew on Buckley and Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant (junior grade)) Gerhard Seehausen's U-66.
U-66 opened fire first, putting a 4.1-inch round through Buckley's funnel as most of the U-boat's fire went high and long. Buckley returned fire, blasting the sub's 4.1-deck gun over the side with the first directed salvo from Buckley's 3-inch guns. U-66 fired another torpedo that missed by ten feet. In moments the two vessels were side-by-side at 20-feet apart. Although the sub's conning tower was riddled by 40mm and 20mm gunfire, U-66 kept going. Abel gave the order to ram, and Buckley crunched up on U-66's foredeck and stuck. Germans poured out of hatches, some seemingly intent on surrendering, most intent on fighting. With Buckley's main guns unable to depress enough, Germans attempted to reach their machine guns. About ten armed Germans clambered up on Buckley's forecastle to create a diversion so U-66 could back out from under Buckley; one made it as far as the wardroom where he was beaten down by a Black steward's mate with a coffee pot. Other Germans tried to board elsewhere and were fought off with fists, coffee mugs, empty shell casings, pistols, rifles, and a tommy gun from the bridge wing.
The hand-to-hand and close quarters combat lasted only about two minutes before U-66 was able to extricate herself from under Buckley and tried to get away. Just as enough distance had opened for Buckley to fire her K-gun depth charges, U-66 turned into Buckley and rammed. As the U-boat scraped down Buckley's hull, a Buckley crewman dropped a grenade down the conning tower hatch into the control room where fires could be seen raging. As U-66 passed aft of Buckley, the U-boat was still underway but out of control. Germans abandoned the sub as she drove herself under and then exploded from scuttling charges. Ten Germans were captured aboard Buckley and 26 more were pulled out of the water by Buckley the next day; 24 Germans perished. Astonishingly given the volume of fire, Buckley's only casualty was a bruised fist from knocking a German over the side. Lieutenant Commander Abel was awarded the Navy Cross.
The Germans got a measure of revenge on 29 May when U-549 torpedoed and sank escort carrier Block Island and blew the stern off destroyer escort Barr (DE-567) only to be sunk herself by Block Island's escorts. Block Island was the only U.S. carrier lost in the Atlantic. (Please see H-064-2 for more detail.)
USS Chatelain (DE-149) with survivors of the captured German submarine U-505 on her forecastle, 4 June 1944. Photographed from USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. (80-G-324344)
USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60,) Hunter-Killer Group vs. U-505─4 June 1944 The Submarine Tracking Room (F-21) of U.S. TENTH Fleet was aware of the general movements of U-505 throughout her patrol due to Ultra Intelligence derived from intercepted and decrypted German communications and high-frequency direction finding (HF/DF.) U-505's fruitless patrol off West Africa was plagued by equipment breakdowns and poor morale. Based on Intelligence from F-21, TENTH Fleet knew when U-505 started home and vectored the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) Hunter-Killer group to intercept. After several days of fruitless searching, Guadalcanal broke off the search to head to Casablanca for refueling. Ten minutes later, destroyer escort Chatelain (DE-149,) commanded by Lieutenant Commander Dudley S. Knox, gained sonar contact on U-505, between Guadalcanal and the escorts.
Chatelain conducted an immediate Hedgehog attack with no result. U-505's skipper, Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant (junior grade)) Harald Lange, put up his periscope and was dismayed to see the array of ships and aircraft around him. U-505 got off an acoustic homing torpedo that missed, just as Chatelain rolled in for a devastating depth charge attack.
When the crippled U-505 came to the surface, Chatelain, Pillsbury (DE-133,) Jenks (DE-665) and two Wildcat fighters hit the U-boat with a deluge of gunfire. Lange was badly wounded on the conning tower, two others were wounded and one killed. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Lange ordered the sub abandoned and scuttled. However, in the haste to abandon, the crew neglected to set the charges. Two Avengers airborne were under orders not to drop depth charges if the submarine surfaced, as the Task Group Commander Captain Daniel V. Gallery, had a plan to try to capture a U-boat.
In accordance with Gallery's plan, the screen commander ordered boarding teams away. The team from Pillsbury was underway first and those from Chatelain and Jenks were diverted to rescue the 58 German survivors. Although abandoned and settling by the stern, U-505 was still churning in circles at 6-7 knots. The leader of the boarding team, "Mustang" Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert David made the first leap from the whaleboat, followed by two pretty officers. Knowing that the scuttling charges could go off at any moment and that the sub could sink at any minute, and not knowing if any armed Germans were still below and willing to fight, David plunged down the conning tower ladder without hesitation into the dark U-boat, followed by Petty Officers Knispel and Wdowiak. The petty officers set about rounding up codebooks and valuable papers, while David worked valves to keep the U-boat from sinking. As more of the team came down the hatch, another petty officer found and closed a bilge strainer that was flooding the boat.
Another boat arrived with Guadalcanal's engineer, Commander Earl Trosino, and a salvage party. Another petty officer found and disarmed 13 of the 14 scuttling charges known to be in the U-boat (based on Intelligence). An attempt to tow U-505 by Pillsbury resulted in two flooded compartments when U-505's bow planes sliced into Pillsbury's hull. Finally, Guadalcanal was able to take U-505 in tow. The transit to Bermuda would feature the unique event of a carrier conducting alongside underway refueling and flight operations and towing a submarine, all at the same time.
After the capture of U-505, great lengths had to be taken to ensure the Germans didn't find out, otherwise they would have to assumed the Enigma coding machine was compromised, which would result in the loss of probably the most valuable source of Intelligence in the war. Among other measures, U-505's crew was sequestered from other POWs and denied any contact with the outside world; it wasn't until 1946 that their families learned they were alive, and the crew was not returned to Germany until December 1947. Lieutenant (junior grade) David was awarded the Medal of Honor (the only one awarded in the Atlantic Fleet during the war,) but died of a heart attack before receiving it. Knispel and Wdowiak were each awarded the Navy Cross. Numerous awards went to others in the Guadalcanal Hunter-Killer group. U-505 is now an exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. (Please see H-064-3 for more detail.) As a final note, Intelligence played a critical factor in each of these incidents. The Convoy Escort Commander of TAW-15 was warned that U-boats were waiting in the Windward Passage, and the convoy escort commander of ON-166 was warned of the large number of U-boats in his path, both due to intercepted German communications. Each took action as result and did the best they could with the resources available. Card and Block Island Hunter-Killer groups were where they were because Allied Intelligence knew the location and timing of the Milchkuh refueling rendezvous points. The boarding teams were armed with information on the workings of U-boats, derived from the capture of U-570 by the British in 1941 and from interrogations of captured U-boat crews by Naval Intelligence Special Activities Branch, which treated the Germans humanely and were rewarded with a bonanza of useful Intelligence.
For more detail on these Close-Quarters ASW events please see H-064-1 (for Oakville /U-94 and Campbell/U-606,) H-064-2 (for Borie/U-405 and Buckley/U-66), and H-064-3 (for Guadalcanal/U-505.) As always, you are welcome to share these stories of U.S. Navy valor widely. Back issues of H-Grams can be found in Director's Corner along with a wealth of other great U.S. Navy history on the Naval History and Heritage Command's website.
, https://www.history.navy.mil/
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This Day in U S Military History
1781 – General Cornwallis finding no way out from Yorktown seige. At about 4:00 A.M. Lt. Colonel Robert Abercromby led 350 British troops on a sortie to spike allied guns now in position on the second parallel. Abercromby was able to spike four guns after pretending to be an American detachment. Moving to another position along the parallel, the British were this time driven back to their lines by a French covering party. However, they had managed to spike two more guns, but the allies were able to get all the spiked guns back into action within six hours. That evening, General Cornwallis attempted to ferry across the York River to see about fighting his way out by way of Gloucester, but a storm frustrated these efforts.
1946 – Ten Nazi war criminals condemned during the Nuremberg trials were hanged. The defendants included: Luftwaffe commander Hermann Göring, who was sentenced to death but committed suicide the morning of the execution; former deputy Führer Rudolph Hess, sentenced to life imprisonment; Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, hanged; head of the armed forces high command Wilhelm Keitel, hanged; writer and "philosopher" of National Socialism Alfred Rosenberg; U-boat Admiral Karl Dönitz, 10-year imprisonment; Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, life imprisonment; Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Shirach, 20-year imprisonment; procurer of slave labor Fritz Sauckel, hanged; and Alfred Jodl, chief of staff of the German high command, hanged. The hanging was badly botched as most Nazis slowly strangle to death. Also hanged were: Hans Frank, Governor-General of occupied Poland; Wilhelm Frick, Hitler's Minister of the Interior; Julius Streicher, rabid anti-Semite editor of Der Sturmer; Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi philosopher and war criminal; Arthur Seyss-Inquart (54), Nazi leader of occupied Holland; Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian Nazi and SS leader.
1962 – The Cuban missile crisis began as President Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba. Kennedy organized the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. These 19 men will help him through the coming crisis
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
LONSWAY, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 20th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Murfrees Station, Va., 16 October 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Clayton, N.Y. Date of issue: Unknown. Citation: Volunteered to swim Blackwater River to get a large flat used as a ferry on other side; succeeded in getting the boat safely across, making it possible for a detachment to cross the river and take possession of the enemy's breastworks.
NEIBAUR, THOMAS C.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company M, 107th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: Near Landres-et-St. Georges, France, 16 October 1918. Entered service at: Sugar City, Idaho. Born: 17 May 1898, Sharon, Idaho. G.O. No.: 1 18, W .D., 1918. Citation: On the afternoon of 16 October 1918, when the Cote-de-Chatillion had just been gained after bitter fighting and the summit of that strong bulwark in the Kriemhilde Stellung was being organized, Pvt. Neibaur was sent out on patrol with his automatic rifle squad to enfilade enemy machinegun nests. As he gained the ridge he set up his automatic rifle and was directly thereafter wounded in both legs by fire from a hostile machinegun on his flank. The advance wave of the enemy troops, counterattacking, had about gained the ridge, and although practically cut off and surrounded, the remainder of his detachment being killed or wounded, this gallant soldier kept his automatic rifle in operation to such effect that by his own efforts and by fire from the skirmish line of his company, at least 100 yards in his rear, the attack was checked. The enemy wave being halted and Iying prone, 4 of the enemy attacked Pvt. Neibaur at close quarters. These he killed. He then moved alone among the enemy Iying on the ground about him, in the midst of the fire from his own lines, and by coolness and gallantry captured 11 prisoners at the point of his pistol and, although painfully wounded, brought them back to our lines. The counterattack in full force was arrested to a large extent by the single efforts of this soldier, whose heroic exploits took place against the skyline in full view of his entire battalion.
*BAUER, HAROLD WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 20 November 1908. Woodruff, Kans. Appointed from: Nebraska. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage as Squadron Commander of Marine Fighting Squadron 212 in the South Pacific Area during the period 10 May to 14 November 1942. Volunteering to pilot a fighter plane in defense of our positions on Guadalcanal, Lt. Col. Bauer participated in 2 air battles against enemy bombers and fighters outnumbering our force more than 2 to 1, boldly engaged the enemy and destroyed 1 Japanese bomber in the engagement of 28 September and shot down 4 enemy fighter planes in flames on 3 October, leaving a fifth smoking badly. After successfully leading 26 planes on an over-water ferry flight of more than 600 miles on 16 October, Lt. Col. Bauer, while circling to land, sighted a squadron of enemy planes attacking the U.S.S. McFarland. Undaunted by the formidable opposition and with valor above and beyond the call of duty, he engaged the entire squadron and, although alone and his fuel supply nearly exhausted, fought his plane so brilliantly that 4 of the Japanese planes were destroyed before he was forced down by lack of fuel. His intrepid fighting spirit and distinctive ability as a leader and an airman, exemplified in his splendid record of combat achievement, were vital factors in the successful operations in the South Pacific Area.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 16, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 October
1917: Final tests of the Army's airplane radiotelephone at Langley Field achieved a 25-mile record for plane-to-plane communications and a 45-mile for plane-to-ground.
1943: Lockheed received a contract to produce the XP-80 Shooting Star, the first true American jetpropelled fighter. (12) The Remington Arms Company announced a new type of incendiary ammunition that could pierce self-sealing fuel tanks and cause explosions. (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots destroyed nine MiG-15s in aerial combat, a record daily high. Additionally, through 17 October B-29s flew 31 day and night sorties, the high for the month, to attack rail bridges, marshaling yards, and the Samchang airfield. The bombers also dropped leaflets and reconnaissance sorties. (28)
1953: Test pilot Robert O. Rahn flew the XF4D-1 Skyray at Edwards AFB to a world speed record of 728.11 MPH over a 100-kilometer (62 miles) closed course. (24)
1955: Boeing's prototype 707 set unofficial cross country records for transports by crossing the US twice in a day at 592 MPH from Seattle to Washington DC and 567 MPH back to Seattle. (24)
1957: The USAF launched artificial meteors that exceeded 33,000 MPH, some 8,000 MPH faster than the velocity needed to escape earth. Carried by an Aerobee rocket to a height of 35 miles, the nose cone then rose to 54 miles where shaped charges blasted the pellets into space. (21)
1958: North American Aviation Inc. at Downey, Calif., received a contract to build the Hound Dog air-to-surface missile. (12) The 1st Missile Division at Vandenberg AFB accepted the first Atlas ICBM launcher. (6)
1963: PROJECT VELA HOTEL/PROJECT 823. The USAF set up a nuclear detection system by launching twin satellites from Cape Canaveral into circular 57,000-mile-high orbits on opposing sides of the earth. The 47-pound, 20-sided satellites, known as Project Vela Hotel or Project 823, could detect nuclear explosions from 186,000,000 miles away. (5)(16) Operation GREASED LIGHTNING. Maj Sidney J. Kubesch flew a Convair B-58 Hustler (normally assigned to the 305 BMW at Bunker Hill AFB, Ind.) on the longest supersonic flight to date. He flew 8,028 miles from Tokyo to London in 8 hours 35 minutes. The B-58 used five inflight refuelings and flew at an average speed of 938 MPH. Kubesch set two other records: speed from Tokyo to Anchorage, 3 hours 9 minutes 42 seconds at 1,093.4 MPH; and speed from Anchorage to London, 5 hours 24 minutes 54 seconds at 826.9 MPH. (1) (9)
1967: The F-111A supersonic tactical fighter became operational with TAC, when it flew from Fort Worth, Texas, using its terrain following radar guidance to Nellis AFB. (12) (16)
1972: The USAF flew its A-7D Corsair II in combat for the first time. A-7s assigned to the 354 TFW deployed from Myrtle Beach AFB to Korat AB, Thailand, six days earlier. (They redeployed to Myrtle Beach in May 1974) (26)
1975: The Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards AFB fired the Super Hippo reusable solid propellant rocket motor for the first time. (3)
1978: The first production F-15C for testing arrived at Edwards AFB from the St. Louis factory. (3)
1985: Two H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters, with support from two refueling capable HC-130 Hercules, rescued 33 survivors from the shipwrecked Philippine ship, Marcos Faberes. (16)
1995: Through 17 October, the 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron monitored the strength and movement of Hurricane Roxanne in the Gulf of Mexico. The unit also searched for survivors of a pipe-laying barge sunk by the hurricane. One crew found a survivor in a raft and radioed his position to the Coast Guard, which then rescued 23 of the 236 survivors. (26)
2001: An AFFTC pilot flew two Global Hawks concurrently for the accelerated Replace-On-Station program at Edwards AFB. The test showed that one pilot could control two UAVs with a little additional effort. Sensor functions were marginal in the test. (3)
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