Scantlings

One of my Beer Can crew went into DC and was in awe of this spectacle.... pilfered this link from SA:

http://www.c-span.org/video/?325808-1/w ... ry-flyover

My father-in-law, 96, on VE Day. He was the communications division officer on a DE. Looks like an admiral's inspection. Yippee!

My uncle on m my dad's side was a mine sweeper skipper in the Pacific. One evening they wete anchored in a quiet place when the lookout spotted two high speed streaks in the water coming at them. With no time to react my uncle could only watch and pray. Just beford they got to his boat the streaks split and went around it. Turned out to be dolphins.

My uncle on my Mom's side of the family was in the Marines in the first wave to hit the beach at Iwo Jima. He had a life or death struggle with the enemy in a bomb crater. He prevailed. After that day his hair grew in snow white.

My grandfather and the rest of his sons including my dad built boats for the war effort. The yard earned severzl Navy Es for that.

My hat is off to all of The Greatest Generation.

Amazing stories, Irie.

My father-in-law's DE, USS Thomas, rammed and sunk a U-Boat in July, 1944, east of Boston and south of Nova Scotia. Here is an extract of the action report submitted by the skipper. The course and bearing formats and the latitude and longitude formats are a little odd, but can be understood. (I suspect a copy of it was scanned and converted to a text file.The degree symbol became a 0) USS Card was a small escort carrier.

TACTICAL SITUATION

At 1910 5 July 1944, Task Group on base course 0660T. speed 12 knots, zigzagging in accordance with plan 12, Zigzag Diagrams 1940. THOMAS, BOSTWICK and BREEMAN stationed as inner screen about CARD. BRONSTEIN and BAKER were stationed 090 and 270 relative, respectively, from CARD, distance 20,000 yards. Sound conditions were Sonar medium 40/11C.

NARRATIVE

1910
Intercepted TBS transmission from BAKER to C.T.G. 2210. Baker had sound contact dead ahead, range 1500 yards.

1913
C.T.G. 22.10 requested ComCortDiv 48 to designate vessel to assist BAKER, and suggested THOMAS. ComCortDiv 48 directed THOMAS to assist BAKER.

Set course 3300 T., speed 18 knots.

Set all depth charges on Medium

1916
Increased speed to 20.5 knots.

Baker bearing 3280 ., distance 24,000 yards.

Lat. 42040’ N., Long. 58050’W.

BAKER reported on TBS that she had received strong hydrophone effects and had fired full pattern of depth charges on initial contact.

1918
Prepared Mark 10 projector for firing.

Streamed FOXAR gear.

BAKER reported she had regained contact and fired second full pattern of depth
charges.

1927
Submarine bow broke water at a sharp angle, bearing 3220T., range 12,000 yards. BAKER immediately opened fire on the sub.

Submarine fully surfaced and steadied on course 2000T. Speed 6 knots. THOMAS changed course to 3100T. to intercept.

Observed several hits by BAKER, resulting in smoke and flame in vicinity of conning tower.

1935
Opened fire with forward 3”/50 gun number two. Initial range 8,000 yards.

1936
Ceased firing at request of BAKER who was closing sub. Sub obscured by smoke.

THOMAS and BAKER both thought it sinking.

1936:30
Smoke cleared and sub observed to have changed course to left, to approximately 1300T., making high speed and using her diesels.

BAKER closed target and straddled sub with depth charges on shallow setting, thrown from side throwers.

1940
Changed course to 0100T. and decided to ram. Set all depth charges on safe and housed sonar gear.

Observed automatic weapon flashes from after part of sub’s conning tower and splashes well clear on our port bow.

1943
Changed course to 0250T.

1944
Opened fire with forward 3”/50 guns one and two, using SL radar ranges and visual bearings. Initial range, 4,500 yards. All our forward 20mm’s. Opened fire at 1800 yards range.

Using rapid fire, total ammunition expended until guns had to cease firing when they would no longer bear, was 29 rounds of 3”/50 cal., A.P., and 640 rounds 20 mm, mixed HET and HEI, at ratio of two to one.

Estimated percentage hits 20% 3”/50, and 65% 20mm.

1945
Slowed to 15 knots.

1946
Backed emergency full.

1946:30
Rammed sub’s starboard side approximately 20 to 30 feet abaft the conning tower.

Sub rolled approximately 700 to port.

Some men observed to scramble out of hatches and jump overboard.

1947
Stopped all engines. The sub’s observed to rise high out of the water, then sinking stern first beneath the THOMAS at an angle of about 600.

Sub’s speed at time of ramming estimated to be 12 knots.

THOMAS and BAKER assisted by BREEMAN who had arrived on scene, lay to picking up survivors from the water.

BREEMAN recovered three survivors and transferred them to THOMAS. Total prisoners onboard THOMAS including BREEMAN’S – 20 men, (three commissioned officers including the Captain, four Petty or Warrant Officers, and thirteen enlisted men).

Report on survivor prisoners and captured war equipment covered by Annex A under separate cover, (not to all).


III. ANALYSIS AND COMMENT

1. Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. BAKER, Lt. Comdr. Norman C. Hoffman, U.S.N.R. deserves great credit for the accurate manner in which he delivered the two depth charge attacks which forces the submarine to surface, and for the effective manner in which he took the sub under fire after she surfaced.

2. The able assistance and advice of Commander George A. Parkinson, U.S.N.R., ComCortDiv 48, contributed in no small way to the final kill of the U-boat.

3. From all appearances, the submarine was of the 740 ton class. She was all black with no identifying numerals or insignia. Their armament appeared to consist of one 3 or 4 inch gun on the main deck abaft the conning tower and three mounts of automatic weapons, located on the step or bandstand at the after end of conning tower. Of these three mounts, the one on the centerline appeared to be of a heavier caliber. These guns appeared to be twin mounts. If the motion pictures which were taken of the action and ramming by THOMAS turn out well, these details will no doubt stand out clearly.

4. As THOMAS approached close aboard to ram, it was observed that the conning tower was smashed, twisted and holed by many shells. The grating forward of the conning tower was smashed in such a way as to indicate that one 3” shell had hit there also.

5. Other than a large Diesel Oil slick and the survivors in the water, no other evidence remained on the surface, after the submarine sank.

6. Just prior to the ramming a man was observed to train one of the guns on the THOMAS’ bridge. The impact of collision threw this man over the port side or down the conning tower hatch.

7. It was considered not practical for the THOMAS during her approach to alter course sufficiently to bring her entire battery to bear on target, and still continue to approach in a manner which would permit expeditious ramming.

8. Gun one was able to get off but four shells due to the flare in the ship’s bow blanking off the range.

9. The only material failure during the action, other than that incurred by the ramming, was that #2 gun momentarily jammed in train during firing. This vessel has had similar trouble with this gun before, and during the last availability at Navy Yard, New York, the Yard was requested to lift it and correct the trouble, which they refused to do, claiming that it was not necessary.