THE GROWLER'S CAPTAIN

[Music] I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M Dyck is retired the Congressional Medal of Honor as you know is our country's highest military award during World War two 57 Navy men achieved this great honor of the seven submarino's who won congressional medals three did so at the cost of their lives the story we're about to bring you involves one of these three men it tells what he did to achieve a sailor's immortality Brisbane Australia on December 31st 1942 the USS growler had completed refit after a third patrol and reported readiness for sea but as far as the crew was concerned she was only half ready come on open up look gap I'm just chief of the boat I don't know everything you on the level if the skipper's being relieved they're keeping it awful quiet now where'd you hear some guys well when you hear any facts let me know yeah this might be it he's too young to be a skipper I don't chance mr. Davis maybe he knows something hi mr. Davis any news for tomorrow's paper oh yeah Gaffney this is ensign William our new communications officer Gaffney's the editor by a new sheet can I have your full name mr. William I got a welcome column for all the newcomers William W William William W William thank you sir mr. Davis how about the captain well I don't know yet Gabby he still turned in at the base dispensary well we still shoving off tomorrow aren't we so I hear well if the skipper wasn't going with us we'd have got a new one by now wouldn't we well not necessarily I've heard of him coming aboard two hours before sailing looks bad huh why don't you see mr. shade the exec always don't want the other officers well I don't want to look too anxious but you're the only one aboard the ship they can get away with it anyhow newspaper sports ask questions oh you just want to find out for yourself that's all we're going to commander Howard W Gilmour of New Orleans Louisiana had been skipper the growler since our commissioning in his first six months growler had completed three successful patrols and her score stood at one enemy destroyer a gunboat and three cargo vessels sunk one destroyer and several cargo vessels damaged lieutenant commander on left shade of Calistoga California as executive officer he had been assigned to the growler with Gilmour from the beginning and shared the commanding officers affection for the boat and crew hello captain how you feeling little rocky but I'll live got a wipe down just about for the doctor say things I just saying for it he didn't insist well I convinced him I had the best exec and true in the fleet I could go to bed for five days without hurting your efficiency good Kaffee thanks mr. shade Gaffney's working on tomorrow's edition having a little headline trouble Headley yeah it says Happy New Year you've been replaced he was gone changing on January 1st 1943 the growler departed Brisbane to commence a fourth war patrol she had been assigned a station off the coast of New Ireland [Music] but patrol would cover enemy shipping lanes in there a bow the heart of the Japanese built up against New Guinea and Australia but it would be nine days before the growler reached a patrol area and except for daily drills and training the crew had little to do but relax down the middle like this kids got a right to be anxious hey Cathy that's the other bet sir thanks William feeling a little bit more like myself Oh my favorite hasn't improved any why sure help yourself thank you you play cribbage William known as shade just a little bridge pretty awful for us to sit down together with him I suggest you learn a two-man game yes sir I'll do that captain I don't know if Jeff Davis is pulling my leg but he said to tell you that I'm not a Shellback said the information was necessary you know the show back is Vil yes sir the old sailor who's been around I'm not that yet how'd you get those billion by plane flew over from Pearl well Davis meant that a man isn't a shell back into his cross the equator has been properly initiated oh you ever crossed the equator on a ship wait no sir you haven't huh well judge of Neptune's Court should hear this cap think you're right I'm sure the Royal Court will be very interested in making a shell back at him at the William a I'm sure [Music] the royal judge of the court of King Neptune will now make his pronouncement in the case of a lowly Polliwog William W William having been accused of one making many unnecessary speed changes while officer of the deck and to diving frequently to escape aircraft which turned out to be nothing more than his Majesty's bosun birds thereby disturbing the rest and relaxation of many of his shipmates said shipmates being trusty shellbacks and loyal subjects of King Neptune this lowly Polliwog William W William is hereby sentenced to be rubbed down with graphite grease the main truck to keel and to have his hair anointed with you decompressor oil if he defers to all shellbacks and agrees to mend his lovely ways he will be duly admitted to membership in the realm of King Neptune signed Davy Jones [Applause] [Music] from the moment growl enters a patrol area on January 9th she was in daily contact with enemy shipping [Music] but time and again she was frustrated by last minute course changes and intruding patrol vessels anti-submarine vessels were out in force the growlers presence was known and the enemy was taking every precaution [Music] at night Japanese floatplanes dropped flares fetching for the growler causing her to submerge and lose sight of anticipated targets [Music] the frustration continued until the morning of January 16th my County boroughs two patrol boats in a destroyer [Music] uh-huh Chucky's on the table battle stations vocation it looked like a beef for the ground convoy gave no sign of having discovered her presence once inside the enemy screen she was in good firing position at a 2,000 yard range bearing mark zero five five range box one a double Oh bullets there's Iggy chip targets stand by stern suit hang on the bow 60 degrees sounds go sonar range 1,100 yards let's go check Berrien ship [Applause] dang one two so very wary right full rudder maybe we can have another one Gero angle unfavorable in all previous targets captain we got it oh wait yeah you go wait to this how do you make a super structure similar to the piston in the roof type I speed screws closing it's not like a destroyer sir check irani we're gonna duck donar face [Music] one out of eight now is usually make a radical things those patrol boats long as they're around it's hard to get into a shot screws passing overhead maybe we ought to try knocking off a few [Music] one propeller that's all sir no pings [Music] Broly eluded the pursuing control boats and 35 minutes later came up for a look enemy planes and join the search asko 550 feet higher than 50 feet [Music] hey Bill oh hi Jeff writing a letter no uh Daphne asked me to write out an eyewitness report on singing this morning so well I just came off watch they got planes out again tonight dropping flares all over a lot together huh oh yeah he should have heard the sonar pinging from three directions busier than flies in the village dump you know every time we run into a hard-luck I can't help thinking about the skipper's prophecy skipper's what oh that's right no well it was just something he said when the boat was launched who are you there no Barney was and he told me all about it he said the woman who was sponsoring the boat missed with a champagne bottle she did and it fell right down to where this this workman was standing and he just picked it up and threw it broke it on the hull just in time skipper said that meant bad luck for the boat but that she'd always fire bull's-eyes that doesn't stand up think that good luck on three patrols already I've missed plenty of torpedoes yeah that's right boy I always think about it every time we have a hard time ain't gonna read it sure like it swift and true the grim Messenger of Death sped to its mark to burst with a shattering roar deep in the bowels of the enemy vessel when last seen the stricken ship was a holocaust of flame English is my best subject Hey look bill do yourself a favor yeah and this is fine I mean it's great for an English composition but not for the guys on this boat oh limit to purple to green it'd be more like it well I can think again the growlers luck continued bad contact after contact was lost because of gun fire and depth charge attack [Music] the new she preferred to the submarine has the target ship trout but she was an elusive target and commander Gilmore was determined to make a torpedos count despite the opposition what do you get honey very true I can't see a thing up here we're gonna have to make the radar attack you're going to have to be careful sound and radar haven't been consistent very well come to course 0 8 5 all the head standard coming of course 0 8 5 all ahead standard you're heading at him to reduce that silhouette sir that's right bill [Music] give it a 30 game [Music] I got up in the crossfire where the bridge [Music] periscopes useless in this misspelling approach to target by sound maybe we can use those gunboats I speed screws closing both bowels captain you get on to deep another catch [Music] [Music] tell attorney tower second or it can be deleted for deck and a number one college at Rutgers take charge they'll be in the topito graphic place their jack on the double [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] that's the best we can do captain nice work as soon as we surface I can put a new packing in their patrol boats are still looking we won't be able to go up the lad to die we keep the drain pump working steam the noise they can hear it you better secure that pump nobody gets to I put back on the line hi sir secure the drain pump how's it going okay I think you plan on keeping this dying sir April why why cookie wants an even keel says those cakes he's baking four inches high forward a pitch the abstract tell him I'll have a piece of the after right after dark the growler serviced and replaced the damaged gasket test dive showed the boat shipshape midnight January 7 the search for enemy targets continued it's like last night visibility's no more than 2,000 yards they can't see us we can't see them looks like every gunboat in the Japanese Navy's covering these parts now the word is they're trying to evacuate the troops in the Guadalcanal that's why the pressure I've gotten this at the right time you know you're getting the equivalent experience of to ordinary patrols one thing I'm glad about pulling the skipper like Gilmour talk about being nervous in the service those first few days that's right you made a shell back out of you didn't he bridge radar contact off starboard bow 3,500 yards passing opposite course very well captain to the bridge contact go starboard bow pick anything [Music] nothing mr. Davis battle stations torpedo battle stations torpedo head again one propeller see there's one that's all mill paint must be a gunboat whose freighters are moving under scarlet she's closing faster about 20 knots will make it on the surface matches the low clouds cut in visibility to a hundred-yard for some places cap I think I see her a little off port bow just a blob up there but she's moving on opposite course right full rudder [Music] we have firing solution captain rains now 500-yard shoot as soon as you're ready [Music] she's turning mister shape closing fast captain we're too close to use torpedoes if you see him bill duffin target clothing on collision course left full rudder [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] okay Arnie I'm holder now securely air battle stations gun action okay thinking she's gonna do so you might have to shoot it out when we get back up there boats making some funny stuff sink it bigger up jump all the way [Music] I was hoping yeah attention all hands this is commander shape captain Gilmore and some William fireman Kelly we're lost in the action just completed I can't presume to say what's in all our hearts [Music] all right we've got a lot of damage to repair let's get to it terribly damage growl a limped slowly towards home with the help of their protection a bow had been bent at right angles to port and it took the combined effort of every man on board to bring her in commander Howard W Gilmore with the 1st Congressional Medal of Honor awarded a submariner for distinguished gallantry in valor above and beyond the call of duty I'll be back in a moment with our special guests we have with us captain our Left shade the executive officer who succeeded to commander the growler during her fourth patrol Arne when I look at the pictures of the growlers condition after a collision with that Japanese gunboat I'm amazed that you and your crew were able to bring it a port we not only look bad Tommy it was as you can see the bow was bent almost 90 degrees to port we had to carry lots of rudder all the way to prevent her from running in circles it took three months to put a new bow on and to make that boat ready for service again didn't it that's right but no matter what our achievement in bringing the growler home details to insignificance compared with commander Gilmore's in saving all of us you're referring to the ramming of the gunboat yes the captain's quick action and calling for a sudden turn put the enemy in front of us and saved us from being rammed by him it is a tradition that the captain leaves the bridge last no matter what the danger in the posthumous citation accompanying commanded Gilmore's Medal of Honor are these words in the terrific fire of the gunboats heavy machineguns commander Gilmore refusing safety for himself remained on deck while his men preceded him below our knee our deep thanks for your assistance in helping us to tell this story it's been my pleasure Tommy this picture is another memorial to those who gave their lives that day on the growler ironically enough Gilmore's prophecy spoken at the launching of the growler proved true on November the 8th 1944 while on patrol in the South China Sea the growler was lost with all hands we hope you will be with us again when we will bring you another true story from the history of the silent service [Music] ha [Music] the world [Music] okay [Music] in [Music]