Russians find wreckage of U.S. submarine (USS Wahoo)

Yahoo News ^ | August 17, 2006

[knighthawk]

MOSCOW - Russian divers have spotted the wreckage of a legendary U.S. submarine that was lost in the Pacific in 1943, a Russian news agency reported Thursday.

The ITAR-Tass news agency said that a diving team from the Far Eastern State Technological University in Vladivostok found the USS Wahoo in the La Perouse Strait and took pictures of it during a recent expedition. It didn't give further details.

Under the command of Dudley "Mush" Morton, the Wahoo became one of the most famous U.S. submarines of World War II. With 19 Japanese ships sunk, Morton was ranked as one of the war's top three sub skippers.

The Wahoo was sunk by the Japanese navy as it returned from its seventh patrol on Oct. 11, 1943. All 79 crewmen died.

[SmithL]

FYI

Wahoo Website: http://www.emackinnon.com/wahoo-home-frame.html

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[Gator101]

Correct. O'Kane was the skipper of the USS Tang. He was the most succesful US Sub skipper of the war. The only thing that finally stopped him was a malfunctioning torpedo that had a circular run and sank the Tang. O'Kane survived though and saw the end of the war as a POW.

Great story if you ever get a chance to read it. The Bio I recommend is The Bravest Man by William Tuohy

O'Kane himself wrote a great book called Wahoo: The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine

[Kenny Bunk]

La Perouse was one hell of a famous explorer and a very accurate chartist.

Freeperfrancophobes ought to remember that the French of Yesterday were not always the Cheese Eating Existentialist Surrender Monkeys of Today. Napoleon I, and Napoleon III, and WWI dinged the cojones segment of their gene pool. Take a while for it to come back, is all.

[GretchenM]

From knighthawk's link:

The Submarine USS Wahoo

Cool links, k-hawk.

[BigCinBigD]

I have had the honor of visiting aboard the U.S.S. Batfish at War Memorial park in Muskogee OK.

[Tallguy]

I remember a loooong time ago reading about the submarine offensive in the Pacific. I can't even remember the title of the book it's been that long. IIRC, Capt. Morton of the Wahoo used to allow his exec to conn the sub during the attack while he sat (probably visualizing the attack or estimating the attack numbers). Whatever the reason, he had more than one exec who went on to be an excellent commander in his own right.

[GretchenM]

Ah, but this being WW2, the Left now can claim it was Poppy (GHW) Bush's fault.

[Non-Sequitur]

bump

[GretchenM]

Heyyyy Newbie!

Had to say it.

I missed the Turn Papers deal.

[GretchenM]

Everything on her still worked except the screws were removed in accordance with our treaty with Canada. No war ship can be stationed on the great lakes.

I learn something new here all the time.

[RinaseaofDs]

Song always makes me cry. It was sung beautifully in Hunt for Red October.

[GretchenM]

They were all just looking for someplace else to live.

You got a chuckle out of me.

Reminded me of a Garrison Keilor moment there ... the émigrés traveling halfway around the world to find a new country, and finally settling in the hardscrabble life of the upper Midwest because it reminded them so much of (the rotten conditions at) home.

[Gator101]

You have a good memory. Yes, Morton's method differed from the normal procedure in that he had his XO man the periscope while he sat and plotted the bigger picture down below. Not only did it make for a better overall attack but it allowed his XO to get some good experience.

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

"Bush's fault."

This is not funny! There are too many such references to "Bush's Fault" that it is getting to be burned in the minds!

So knock it off already!

[El Gran Salseron]

I think you're talking about a book named "Silent Victory" by Clay Blair, Jr. which is almost a complete history of every WWII patrol of any signifigance.

It later became a reference book for the DoD and was, at one time, required reading in Submarine School.

I lent it to my BIL and never saw it again. Rat fink BIL! It's still available on Amazon, etc.

[antisocial]

Eternal Patrol BTTT

[Tallguy]

I'll look it up. Thanks!

[snippy_about_it]

I hope they have found her. Here's our old thread on her and her skipper

The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Commander "Mush" Morton and the USS Wahoo - Nov. 8th, 2004

[shield]

Amazing Americans in WWII...today, we have more amazing Americans in the WOT...we are a very blessed nation...