For a time we wondered who our new skipper was to be, and hoped it would be somebody who had had a lot of experience already as exec of a hot ship. Our hopes were fulfilled to overflowing when, after a short time, we learned that Robert E. Dornin, commonly known as “Dusty,” veteran of many patrols in Gudgeon, had been ordered to take over Trigger. Knowing his reputation, we expected great things of our ship in the next few months, and in this we were not to be disappointed.
6
Seawolf
In the meantime, Seawolf had been long overdue for repairs, and her crew for an extensive rest, so she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard for a complete modernization. While in California she received a new skipper, Lieutenant Commander Royce L. Gross, commonly known as “Googy,” and Fred Warder left the ship he had commanded for more than three years and for seven war patrols.
When Seawolf stood out to sea again, refurbished inwardly and outwardly, she immediately proceeded to demonstrate that she was still the same Wolf as of yore. Her first war patrol under Gross lasted twenty-six days in all, from Midway to Midway. Its high point was an eleven-hour battle with a large escorted freighter, as a result of which the freighter’s bow was blown off — he sank a few hours later — and Gross learned to his dismay that there was still plenty of room for improvement in torpedoes.
A few days later a damaged ship was encountered, in the tow of a tug, and escorted by a single destroyer. Gross decided that the escort was by far the more valuable target, and attacked him first in hopes of getting up on the surface later and sinking the towed vessel by gunfire. This plan was foiled by the approach of yet another destroyer after the submarine had expended all her torpedoes, but Seawolf carried away a series of photographs, later widely publicized, showing the last moments of H.I.J.M.S, Patrol Boat #39. And then Roy Gross brought his veteran submarine back to Midway for a fast refit and some more torpedoes.
Googy’s second patrol produced only one hit for sixteen torpedoes fired, with the majority of blame definitely going to the recalcitrant fish. Nevertheless, that one hit sank a ship, which is illustrative of what might have been done by our submarines had they had dependable armament. The situation was improving, although at this point no one in Seawolf could have been criticized for thinking otherwise.
On her tenth patrol, Gross’s third, came the first indications of a new deal for the old Wolf. In her assigned area for but five days, she spent the entire time working over a single convoy, sinking three ships in all; and she then attacked and sank two reconnaissance sampans with her deck guns. On her first attack, submerged between two columns of freighters, she fired her bow tubes at the largest ship in the left-hand column, and immediately afterward fired her stern tubes at the largest ship in the right-hand column. Both ships sank. Surfacing after a depth charging, she pursued the convoy, overtook it, made another submerged attack, and fired four torpedoes, none of which hit. Nothing daunted, she resumed the pursuit, made a night surface attack, and obtained one hit in the largest remaining ship, leaving him dead in the water. With four torpedoes left, Seawolf bored in on the surface to finish him off, disregarding the salvoes of gunfire with which he sought to dissuade her. She fired each of her precious remaining torpedoes independently and carefully — and got two dud hits and two erratic runs. That left her without any torpedoes; so Gross manned the deck guns, closing the enemy slowly, firing deliberately, feeling him out. With the return fire, originally erratic, to be sure, now entirely silent, Seawolf continued to close the range. After approximately one hour of target practice, the enemy vessel, hit by more than seventy rounds from the submarine’s three-inch gun, rolled over and sank within sight of her gun crews.
The torpedoes were still not perfect, but they were improving, and skill and persistence were still paying off.
Patrol number eleven again saw Gross bringing his ship back to port with no torpedoes remaining, leaving two enemy vessels at the bottom of the China Sea and damaging a third which in all probability also sank, though not seen to do so. Torpedo malfunction had again robbed the Wolf of at least one and possibly two more targets, but it was now obvious from other patrol reports that the problem was finally on its way to a solution. Reports of other submarines were indicating a larger proportion of successful attacks, and Skipper Gross was at a loss to explain the heartbreaking misses on his last few attacks. In his self-criticism he failed to appreciate what every other submariner had long since seen. Only once had Gross brought back torpedoes! Every submarine skipper was highly respectful of the man who could consistently average two ships per patrol, and that was exactly what Googy Gross had done so far.
On December 22, 1943, the Wolf got under way from the submarine base at Pearl Harbor for her twelfth war patrol. Lasting only thirty-six days, it topped all the superlatives earned by that fighting submarine and her amazingly aggressive skipper. Fred Warder had a worthy successor.
On January 7, 1944, Seawolf passed through the Nansei Shoto chain, and on January 10 she began a forty-eight-hour battle with a Japanese convoy. Torpedoes expended — seventeen; hits — nine certain and four possible; ships sunk — three. The wheel had finally come around full for Seawolf.
Two days later, still patrolling her area north of Formosa, but with only three torpedoes remaining on board, Seawolf again sights smoke. This time it is four freighters and two destroyers.
Again Seawolf leaps in pursuit. Again the call for the plotting parties, the tedious tracking, the meticulous positioning of targets.
This time Roy Gross is in a dilemma. He cannot hope to do much damage with only three torpedoes, but the convoy is in his area and he cannot let it go by. The only answer is to get help, and quickly. Hastily a contact message is sent out, addressed to any and all submarines in the vicinity. Another message is sent to ComSubPac, in Pearl Harbor.
And all the while Seawolf continues tracking. Once again Googy decides on a night attack. He figures he will try to get in submerged just at dusk — and if necessary re-attack on the surface a little later.
No luck on the submerged attack. With the convoy well in sight, the situation progressing nicely, a sudden zig away puts Seawolf far out in left field. Gross might have tried a long-range shot, but not with only three precious torpedoes left. Gritting his teeth, he lets them go — but surfaces eight miles astern.
Overtaking on the starboard flank, flying in at full speed in her attempt to complete the surface attack before moon-rise the Wolf is forced to cross astern of the starboard flank destroyer at excessively close range. A precarious situation for a moment, but she is not detected; the ships of the convoy line up for what appears to be a perfect shot — when suddenly they zig away. The combination of circumstances, with Seawolf at close range nearly ready to shoot, puts her virtually in the convoy directly astern of the last ship.
Holding his breath, Gross settles down to act like a Jap, hoping that the herding destroyers are not in the habit of looking their sheep over too closely. He closes in a bit more. Lagging too far astern will only attract attention. Furthermore, if you are a little closer there will be a better chance of picking up a chance shot.
Calmly Roy Gross waits his chance, all the while narrowly watching the destroyers patrolling on either beam. They give no indication of noticing anything untoward, and finally a sharp left zig puts one of the target vessels nearly broadside to Seawolf’s bow tubes.