Our submarine sank five enemy ships and damaged two others in 33 days during World War II.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
We were on war patrol on the USS Bang (SS385) submarine in 1944. Six days out of Midway in the Pacific Ocean, we passed through a heavy storm while on the surface. About 3 p.m. a large rogue wave broke over the bridge.
A great deal of saltwater went down the conning tower hatch and main induction piping. The lookouts were up to their waists in water. That resulted in extensive, but repairable, damage to most of the machinery powered by electric motors.
Our first contact with the enemy was Sept. 9. Firing at a tanker and a freighter, four hits were heard and seen. Our captain in his report said: "After seeing the hit in the tanker, I swung around and saw a destroyer headed toward us. I ordered 400 feet (our test depth was 412 feet).
"We received the first depth charges while passing 350 feet. Two destroyers were alternating runs. In two hours we received about 80 depth charges, many very close.
"Then, after 20 minutes of dead quiet, sonar reported light propeller noise dead ahead, getting louder. Soon, the destroyer passed right over us. All hell broke loose.
"Sixteen depth charges went off about a second apart, slightly above and to port. We were at 450 feet when they started, but the bow was knocked down sharply. At 580 feet we caught the boat. Then, we heard a definite thump on the hull, followed by a tremendous explosion. A depth charge had bounced off our side."
This was very, very close, but their last attack.
After surfacing we found that all of the navigation and fire control instruments on the bridge were shattered. But most of the major damage we were able to repair.
To some it seemed like quitting time, but not to our captain.
On Sept. 19 at 6:15 a.m., we made another contact with the enemy. At 9:15 a.m. we fired at two cargo ships. We heard two hits on each target. Very deliberate depth charging by three escorts began four minutes after the firing.
Boxing us in, they dropped about 90 charges, in patterns of three or six, during the next eight hours. Most of the charges were directly above us. At nightfall they left. At 8:50 p.m. we surfaced, all clear. Another long day at the office.
On Sept. 21 we made another attack, firing at three targets. Two were sunk and the third damaged. No counterattack followed. Out of torpedoes, we sailed for home.
For this short 33-day patrol, we were credited with five ships sunk and two damaged. The captain received a Navy Cross. I believe this medal was for continuing the patrol after the first two incidents.
James E. Heg is a 1938 Everett High School graduate and varsity quarterback. He attended the Naval Academy and spent 30 years in the service. He was in five war patrols during World War II. After the Navy, he served with the National Science Foundation in the Arctic and Antarctic before returning to the Puget Sound area in 1975.
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