ww2 submarine - History, tactics, strategy, war patrols, logs, sub simulations, WWII sub games, Wahoo, Tang.

The 40 Greatest
WW2 Submarine War Patrols

Perfect for ww2 submarine simulations, and those interested in submarine tactics and strategy, this guidepulls from the captains’ own logs to get inside their heads as they plot, track, and execute the most successful attacks of the war.

On the afternoon of December 7, 1941 the order was issued by the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations to:

"EXECUTE UNRESTRICTED AIR AND SUBMARINE WARFARE AGAINST JAPAN"

On that order, the subs flooded out of Pearl Harbor and towards the Japanese Empire. Those that returned came back with tales of unbelievable heroism, hard won victory, crushing defeats, faulty equipment, deadly mistakes, unexpected humor, and haunting decisions.

 

50 Years of Inspiring WW2 Submarine War Stories Started with that Order

June 21, 2008

Dear fellow submarine enthusiasts:

My interest in WW2 submarine tactics and strategy started back in the 1980’s with the MicroProse release of their classic computer game, Silent Service and has continued to this day. Over the years I’ve read dozens of books on the subject but never really got the information I was looking for. I wanted to know the details of how the captains planned and executed attacks. What was going through their heads? How did they balance getting a favorable attack position with the best possible route for escape?

 

 

Naval History Museum Treasure Trove!

So I went to the source and spent a week in Washington DC, holed up at a 1950’s vintage desk in the U.S. Naval History museum going through the actual patrol reports filed by captains like Mush Morton and Dick O’Kane. Here was the detail I had been looking for:

  • Approach tactics
  • Escape plans
  • Distance to target
  • Gyro angle
  • Estimated speed
  • Angle on the bow

They logged all this information (and much more) for almost every torpedo they fired. An unexpected bonus was frequent hand-written notes and hand drawn maps and diagrams. Swamped with information, I decided to concentrate on the forty most productive patrols of the war. I gathered not only technical details, but fascinating details of life in the boats at war.

In reading these captain's logs, I was continuously impressed by the captains' descriptions of memorable moments and events; the moments that became war stories that they would tell for the rest of their lives. Even today, the flavor of these stories is still sharp and true.

Here is a taste of some of these great submarine war stories:

The Story of the S-44 - She was an old World War I era boat, pushed into service at the start of the war. Though only designed for shallow water, coastal operation, the S-44 was sent off into the open Pacific to hunt Japanese shipping. It was very questionable as to whether or not she would even survive the crossing to Japanese waters. Even though she was already worn out at the start of the war, and left a continuous oil slick wherever she went, she carried the fight to the enemy and sunk the 8800 ton Kato, the first Japanese warship to be sunk by a lone submarine.

USS Guardfish - Stand with the crew as they "watched in amazement as the target sank vertically, bow-first, with the screws still turning as she went under."

USS Silversides - Find out how the she wound up back in Pearl Harbor "with a torpedo with warhead attached dangling from a bow tube, a fuel leak, an air leak, an explosion in the generator, and Cream of Wheat® in the main induction."

USS Wahoo - Find out how Morton cleverly balanced distance, angle on the bow, and maximum evasive maneuvers and still ensured a hit. As well as what happened to prompt Admiral Hulsey to reply to Mush Morton's radioed Wahoo attack report, “Your picture is on the piano!” Not surprising as Morton had made his intentions clear with regard to the coming patrol: In each compartment, he placed placards that read in beg red letters, SHOOT THE SONS OF BITCHES.

USS Trigger - Experience the confusion in the conning tower as Captain Dornin of the Trigger ordered a quick dive to sort out a complex situation - then promptly fell into the periscope well! He was able to catch himself by the elbows and called to the quartermaster just in time to stop him from lowering the scope.

USS Gunard - Watch as Captain Andrews and the USS Gunard scored a perfect 6 for 6 hits with one torpedo salvo, only then to be shaken to the bone by a rapid series of 98 depth charges.

USS Barb - She encountered the “latest fiendish antisubmarine weapon” of the Japanese—a large bird! Each time the scope was raised, the bird perched upon it and draped its tail feathers over the window. Needless to say, this proved extremely confusing to the approach officer. He banged the scope, shook it, and ducked it under but the bird hung on and hovered over until the scope came back up. Finally, the officer raised both scopes, thereby disorienting the bird long enough to get a good reading. Though frustrated, she went on to have a very good day. Captain Fluckey moved in on the largest pip from a group on the radar and at 2325 exclaimed, “ye Gods! It’s a flat top!” He came in with a good angle and maneuvered so that there were several ships overlapping, which formed about 1000 feet of targets. That’s hard to miss!

USS Harder - Late one night, the sub surfaced to try a second approach on a target, only this time they were foiled by Mother Nature—the “ship” they were approaching turned out to be a small island, which they realized after knocking out a chunk of the island’s shallow reef. LAter, she rescued several British intel officers from Borneo. Later, after a stout depth charging, one was heard to say, “I say, old boy, would you mind taking us back to Borneo?”

USS Bowfin – Learn why the Bowfin sank three schooners with women and children aboard.

USS Tirante - Not always deadly serious, the captains' log are generously sprinkled with humorous remarks. The Tirante captain's note commented on his unease saying that, "showing that much scope in such glassy seas with escorts all about made them feel like “Lady Godiva in the marketplace!”

 

All this plus technical details such as Commander Gordon Underwood’s description of the forth torpedo attack during the Spadefish’s second patrol:

"On 29 November, the watch spotted a single ship on radar. It was zig zagging on a base course of 160 degrees. Approached submerged to a range of 3500 yards. The target was a heavily loaded freighter. Four torpedoes were fired and two struck home. The freighter sunk almost immediately. Having only one torpedo left, the Spadefish headed for home. The trip back was uneventful save for the birth of six pups by the ship’s dog Luau."

 

Over 250 Pages of Captivating Information!

Pulled Straight from the Captain's Logs

If you are a fan of World War two submarine simulation games, the details in this e-book will add realism and dimension to your gaming. Learning the actual tactics and maneuvers, will increase the tension and drama as you “live” the battle on the screen. Learn to do it, just like they did it!

Pulled straight from the declassified captain's logs, this book contains a ton of information you probably won't find anywhere else.

Sincerely,

Richard Sheffield


My 'Love it or Shove it' Guarantee!

 

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All ww2 submarine photos in the book are used with the permission of the U.S Naval History Museum, Washington D.C.