Posted on 11/01/2006 4:29:41 PM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet declared Oct. 31 that the sunken submarine recently discovered by divers in the Western Pacific is, indeed, the World War II submarine USS Wahoo (SS 238).
"After reviewing the records and information, we are certain USS Wahoo has been located," said Adm. Gary Roughead, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander. “We are grateful for the support of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and appreciate greatly the underwater video footage of the submarine provided by our Russian navy colleagues, which allowed us to make this determination. This brings closure to the families of the men of Wahoo - one of the greatest fighting submarines in the history of the U.S. Navy."
In July, the Russian dive team “Iskra” photographed wreckage lying in about 213 feet (65 meters) of water in the La Perouse (Soya) Strait between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin. The divers were working with The Wahoo Project Group, an international team of experts coordinated by Bryan MacKinnon, a relative of Wahoo’s famed skipper, Cmdr. Dudley W. “Mush” Morton.
“I am very pleased to be part of an effort where old adversaries have joined together as friends to find the Wahoo,” said MacKinnon.
Wahoo was last heard from Sept. 13, 1943, as the Gato-class submarine departed the island of Midway en route to the “dangerous, yet important,” Sea of Japan. Under strict radio silence, Morton and his crew proceeded as ordered. Radio contact was expected to be regained with Midway in late October upon Wahoo’s departure from the Sea of Japan through the Kurile Island chain. No such contact was made. Following an aerial search of the area, Wahoo was officially reported missing Nov. 9, 1943.
At the time, the loss of Wahoo was believed due to mines or a faulty torpedo. But Japanese reports later stated that one of its planes had spotted an American submarine in the La Perouse Strait Oct. 11, 1943. These reports indicate a multi-hour combined sea and air attack involving depth charges and aerial bombs finally sunk Wahoo.
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force retired Vice Adm. Kazuo Ueda assisted the group with providing historical records from the Imperial Japanese Navy that identified the location where Wahoo was sunk.
“We, the families of Wahoo, recognize the historical scholarship and support provided by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. We would also like to send our thanks to the U.S. Navy for their diligence in finding and identifying the USS Wahoo,” said Doug Morton, son of Dudley Walker Morton.
“The Morton family is thrilled that there will be closure to the loss of our father,” added Morton, who also spoke on behalf of his sister, Edwina Thirsher and her family. “The loss of a famous submariner who was loved by his family and crew has been very difficult.”
During Wahoo’s rare foray in the Sea of Japan, Morton reportedly sunk at least four Japanese ships. For the patrol, Morton was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross – his fourth.
Morton is credited with sinking 19 ships totaling nearly 55,000 tons during his four patrols in command of Wahoo; his total was second only to his own executive officer, Richard H. O’Kane. Retired Rear Adm. O’Kane went on to command USS Tang (SS 306) and to receive the Medal of Honor.
Noted naval historian Theodore Roscoe described Morton as “an undersea ace” in his book “Submarine Operations in World War II.”
“Few skippers equaled Morton’s initiative, and none had a larger reserve of nerve,” Roscoe wrote. “Combining capability with dynamic aggressiveness, Morton feared nothing on or under the sea.”
The discovery of Wahoo is the culmination of more than a decade of work by an international team dedicated to finding the ill-fated submarine. In 2004, electronic surveys sponsored by a major international energy company (The Sakhalin Energy Investment Corporation) identified the likely site.
The Bowfin Museum in Hawaii worked with the team as an independent “scrutineer” to ensure the project was done correctly and will serve as a central repository for all the Wahoo Project’s findings, according to museum executive director, submariner, and retired Navy Capt. Jerry Hofwolt.
“This is the right thing to do for the families,” Hofwolt said. “We want to be able to tell people that this is where your loved ones are and to be a clearinghouse for all of the information about this and other lost submarines.”
Hofwolt said the museum is making plans to host a memorial ceremony to honor the crew members, most likely in October 2007.
Officials with the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force reviewed analysis and photos provided by the Bowfin Museum and agreed the wreck is Wahoo. The wreck had several characteristics consistent with Wahoo, and the submarine was found very near those reported in Imperial Japanese Navy records. Photographs are available at warfish.com and oneternalpatrol.com. General information about the USS Wahoo Project is available at usswahoo.org.
Wahoo is believed to be near the site of the Russian submarine L-19, possibly sunk by mines in late August 1945 after Japan had surrendered. Based on the information made available to them by The Wahoo Project Group, the Russian team wished to confirm the site was Wahoo and not the L-19. According to The Wahoo Project Group Web site, the group has offered continued assistance to the Russian government in finding that submarine as well.
In addition to the ceremony to be held in Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy officials are planning an at-sea, wreath-laying service sometime next year to pay tribute to Wahoo. If it can be arranged, a combined service with the Russians and Japanese to honor Wahoo and the Russian submarine L-19, as well as the respective Japanese losses, is also a possibility.
The Navy has no plans to salvage or enter the Wahoo wreck. Naval tradition has long held that the sea is a fitting final resting place for Sailors lost at sea. The Sunken Military Craft Act protects military wrecks, such as Wahoo, from unauthorized disturbance.
Wahoo’s discovery comes on the heels of a similar discovery of USS Lagarto (SS 371), which the Navy confirmed was found in the Gulf of Thailand in June.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to the brave men on Wahoo and to all of our WWII submariners who performed so magnificently during the war. Much of our submarine force heritage, and many of our traditions, can be traced back to their legacy.” said Rear Adm. Jay Donnelly, deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “One of my favorite quotes is from Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz who, after the war, said: ‘We salute those gallant officers and men of our submarines who lost their lives in that long struggle. We shall never forget our submariners that held the lines against the enemy while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds.’”
According to Pacific Fleet submarine history, the submarine force remained intact following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It became clear at that time the submarine fleet would take the fight to the enemy. By war’s end, submarines had supported all major fleet operations and made more than 1,600 war patrols. Pacific Fleet submarines, like Wahoo, accounted for 54 percent of all enemy shipping sunk during the war. Success was costly. Fifty-two submarines were lost, and nearly 3,600 submariners remain on “Eternal Patrol.”
For related news, visit the Pacific Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cpf/.
The Bairoko was an escort carrier.
Check out:
groups.msn.com/USSBAIROKOCVE115
Look for reunions, and the contacts for those reunions.
Correction, not "Torpedo Alley" but "Torpedo Junction" by Homer Hickam, Jr.
or....
Search Ask.com using the keywords:
USS Bairoko reunion
You'll get a whole page of ideas.
thanks for the info. I need to do that. I already feel a bit bad for taking the thread to something personal...it was in poor taste.
You might want to check this out.
http://groups.msn.com/USSBAIROKOCVE115
used AltaVista search.
Roger that.
Its also a confirmation of a time when we had more honorable enemies. I won't deny that the Japanese committed horrific acts and certifiable war crimes. But as a culture they understood honor. Quite unlike our current enemy, that has no honor.
More to the point: The Soviet Navy was an undeniably honorable adversary. We had our differences, and the "cold" war was certainly hotter than it got press about. But even when the CIA recovered remains from the Glomar visit(s) to lost Soviet subs, we gave the lost Soviet sailors a full "Soviet" funeral service at sea.
It wasn't about politics, it was about the bond between sailors, and the honor of respecting that history.
I have no doubt that had the situation been reversed (and it may well have been) that the Soviet sailors would have done the same for us.
I think one moment that encapsulated the 20th century, maybe more than any other moment, was that moment when Gorbachev put his hand on President Reagan's casket in Washington DC. He paid his respects to Ronald Reagan, in a way that showed more class than I've ever seen between any such bitter adversaries before in the history of mankind.
Would that we had such honorable adversaries now.
I know that it is "warming" to think that Russia is no longer an adversary. They are still our adversaries.
Don't EVER refer to a submarine as a "ship" in the presence of a boat sailor. He won't like you and will probably correct you. :-)
Indeed! I caught one off La Paz when I was 14, and the resort (Rancho Las Cruces) kitchen cooked it for the guests' dinner that evening. I've spent 46 years searching for something as good...
Bumping along this great thread for the morning viewers..
Bump!
If I'm not mistaken submarines are or were called "Pig Boats".
My mother's first husband (not my father) was on the USS TROUT. They had been married only four months when he left in January 1944 for the South China Sea. The TROUT re-fueled in Midway, but was never heard from again. It was presumed lost on April 17th.
It was later learned that the SAKITO MARU had been sunk on February 29, 1944. Since the USS TROUT was the only submarine in the area who could have done this, but did not report it, it was assumed that she was lost at that time. It was later learned from Japanese records that at the same time, the destroyer ASASHIMO (presumably an escort in the convoy) had detected a submarine and dropped 19 depth charges. When oil and debris came to the surface, it dropped a final depth charge. 81 lives were lost on the TROUT.
Ping to underwater heroes of WWII
Tommy Cox ping to post 76.
" Was the Wahoo sunk by a Hokie? "
can you tell us non Virginians please ?
awesome fish. Very, very tasty...
You've piqued my interest....How can I get some here in SoCal?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.