Closure, World War II sub found under the sea (Final Resting Place for 85)

The Charlotte Observer ^ | Thu, Aug. 11, 2005 | KELLY KENNEDY

[depenzz]

Thanks

[Capt. Tom]

Photo available.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h79000/h79774.jpg

I didn't want to post it because I couldn't figure out how many bytes were in the jpeg. - Tom

[You Dirty Rats]

There was a thread recently about Marines and the Army, who took casualties, who was the bravest, etc. I recall though that the highest percentage of KIA in WWII was among the submariners -- something like 21%. Many of those lost will not be found in our lifetimes -- heroes who served so bravely and vanished without a trace. At least the families of these brave men have some closure.

[stockpirate]

Hard to read this with my eyes all blurry.

[jim_trent]

My father (who passed away in 1993) was in submarines in WWII. He was an Iowa farmboy living near a town of about 250-300 people and who had never been more than about 50 miles from home. He ended up in Australia and later, the Philippines, both a long, long way from home. He was in more than one submarine, but spent the most time in the Guavina.

He often said that he purposely chose submarines because he would either come back whole or would not come back at all. He lived his life that way. And, it could have happened to him. He told of a story of swapping duties with another sailor on a different sub who got in trouble on shore. That submarine never came back and neither did the guy who he swapped with. Of course, if that had happened to my father, I would not be here to type this.

He was very parsimonious with his stories about his service in WWII, but every one had a meaning and a moral. I believe I remember every one of them still.

[txzman]

"Cdr. Latta had previously made seven patrols as Commanding Officer of USS NARWHAL II (SS-167). Every patol made by this officer was designated successful for the award of combat insignia, a record surpassed by no commanding officer in the Submarine Force. "

Interesting - damn qualified officer. God bless his soul, and that of his men.

[Stonewall Jackson]

I just saw on FoxNews that the US Navy has confirmed that this submarine is the Lagarto.

I don't know why it took so long to officially confirm that this was the Lagarto, seeing as how it was the only member of its class to be lost in that region, but I hope this might bring some measure of comfort for the families of these eighty-six men still out on eternal patrol.

[Steelerfan]

Just saw your post. Thanks for sharing the information. Thoughts and prayers for the families.

[Raven6]

I've been away for a while and was doing some research in regard to the submarine on which my father served during WW2. He served on board the Baya, SS-318, which is mentioned in this article. When I saw mention of the Baya on Free Republic, I had to jump in and see what was the story. It is good to know that the Lagarto has been located and that appropriate honors can be bestowed upon the lost crew. The surviving families can now put to rest the question of "what happened?"

This particular attack that sank the Lagarto and (I get a kick out of the phrase "chased away" that I have seen in accounts of this battle) left the Baya sitting on the bottom at silent running is one that my father related to me on more than one occasion. The truth of the matter is that the Japanese ship did achieve depth charge hits on the Lagarto, and nearly did the same with the Baya. If I recall correctly, my father told me that they had 55 depth charges within "damage range" of the Baya, and that in order to (hopefully) survive the attack, the skipper sat the old girl right down in the mud. Dad said the attack went on for hours, with everyone other than those that absolutely had to be at their duty stations lying in their bunks. Any movement within the boat was made on stocking feet only. The cook served peanut butter sandwiches because he couldn't risk making any noise in the galley. They stayed on the bottom until the attacking Japanese ship incorrectly assumed that the Baya had managed to slip out of the area. The Baya didn't leave until the "high speed screw" sounds had faded, meaning the attackers had left. Yes, the Baya left the area, but only after the attackers had moved on. She wasn't chased out of the area.

My father lost more than one friend on the Lagarto, and I think that to some extent, he carried a lot of "survivor's guilt" having been part of the altercation and then coming home after the war.

One thing I believe to be certain: (As told to me by a WW2 destroyer sailor) Being a submariner in WW2 "was the hardest way to make a living in the Navy in those days."

My dad told me that when he heard about how well the submarine sailors ate on board their boats, he jumped at the chance... He said he later realized the quality chow was probably to make up for all of the other things they had to contend with on a regular basis.

Dad left for eternal patrol 14 Oct 1993. But I know in my heart that he is in heaven and met up with a lot of old Navy buddies when he got there. We are losing our WW2 vets at a rate of 1000 per day - if you know one, or met one on the street, make sure to thank him. We owe more to that generation than we could ever repay.

Regards,
Raven6

[SunkenCiv]

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Note: this topic is from 8/12/2005. Thanks nickcarraway. Blast from the Past. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.