THE SEALION STORY

[Music] I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M dicus retired you've just heard part of a tape recording on a submarine during an actual battle it is the only one I know of a during world war ii how this recording was made and the historic evented documents for us is to be recreated in this true and authentic story in september 1944 when sea lion ii return to Pearl Harbor she received a well-deserved welcome led by Commander Eli T rich of New York City sea lion had sunk six cargo ships in a mine there the first two patrols rich was justifiably proud of his reputation at the skipper of a hot ship with a hot cream [Music] nice work Eli welcome home thank you sir they even seem to be picking up Jim McNamara says he got a battleship radio just came in that's great that's wonderful but Jim - three weeks later sea lion treatment was complete captain rich in his executive officer lieutenant Jay s fried of Pasadena California found that shipshape and ready for her third Patrol any idea where they're gonna send us sir no captain bogey wants to see me this morning put in a pitch for a decent area with you someplace where they get some of that heavy stuff you mean like McNamara yes sir how do you like that guys luck first battleship of the war that's pretty unhappy there's no confirmation yet yeah imagine he's really sweating it out I was their captain I know what I saw Mack believe me I'm on your side I'd like to tell the world that you sank a battle wagon but intelligence insists it was a heavy cruiser well intelligence is wrong yes commander rich is here sir send him in intelligence has been wrong yes but in this case they've come up with an accounting of every battleship in the Japanese Navy I want you to listen this Eli and pass it on to your officers hello it's too big to be a heavy cruiser intelligence will reverse itself Mack for your sake and mine I hope so the next time you think you sunk a battleship you come back here with a ship's log or the captain's pants it would help if the captain were in them proof is what we need I don't care what kind what's so distressing about sinking a heavy cruiser nothing you know I can only wish you better luck next time thank you sir I know just how I feel we're the big ship like that Fleet headquarters is real tough remember that I haven't seen anything heavier than a destroyer escort where are those big wagons operating why hardship like sea lion deserves a hut area how many times a day do I hear that everybody wants a hot area yes sir and you didn't call me in to give me a patrol briefing not ready for that yet Eli but I did call you in for something lasted all this business with my commands ruined the whole morning oh yes here it is called you in about taking a war correspondent on your next Patrol it's been after me for weeks his neck glad to have him fine he's waiting outside Oh send mr. Howard in he wants to tape record what goes on during a battle all right with you I think so the bunny captain bogey mr. Horne this is commander rich he's agreed to take you along on the sea lions next Patrol he leaves within a week Thank You commander did you save sea lion captain yes sea lion the second Oh then it was the first sea lion that was something to no avail that's right the first of our submarine sunk in this war they got us with two direct hits we were all below decks when it happened lucky to get out was your ship sir commander rich was one of my officers is that right I hate to use the word that there's a sentimental idol here make a good story you'll be in excellent hands mr. Howard I'll let you know when I'm ready for your briefing any light hi Isaac Thank You captain [Music] you read commander No thank you captain bogey seemed a little annoyed does the word sentimental bother him that much no he's got something else on his mind huh he's disturbed about a battleship that hasn't been sunk any other of the old sea lions crew on your roster oh yes quite a few several junior officers the chief of the boat well kid you're not wavin to a girl or something you know when you when you put up your hand raise it high because I can't see it next to your shoulder there like this hey wait a minute there goes my skipper over there see you later dude hiya captain I was standing here waiting for Gorsky when I saw that in a little trouble you know me when it comes to directing traffic mr. Howard there's a sea lion chief of the boat J Lewis Utz mr. Howard's going with us and our next Patrol well that's great sir I understand you were chief of the boat of the first Steve I sure was we got back here from Manila I was sent to the base for duty captain rich saw me directing traffic one day and I didn't even know there was another sea lion till he came out the middle of the street and pulled me off shore Patrol that's just how it happened mind if I use that in one of my dispatches oh you sure can it sucks you TZ thank you thank you what are you looking at them for they're wearing pants hey Kooskia you see that walk correspond he's going with us on patrol so so so we get publicity scoop oh who cares oh well I hope he spells my name right only three letters but nobody gets it right hutch goes unhide three days later seal and was made part of a wolf pack joining the u.s. s key they would have Patrol the most dangerous area in the Pacific a heavily traveled route with three important assets the water for the most part with shallow from Kyushu to the northern typical Mosul a a solid string of Mines the wolf pack was to get inside to patrol between the China coast and the minefields it was an area in which the Japanese had suffered a heavy toll of shipping and from which more than one submarine had failed the return see line left pearl harbor' November 1st 1944 and company with the key it wasn't long before a problems began correspondent Howard toughness severe attack of recurrent malaria and debarked at Midway for hospitalization I can work to find mr. Howard sure is nice of you to let us borrow when we get into action mr. Schouler will handle the tape I'll be waiting it perfectly [Music] how do you like them potatoes he was gonna write a whole story about me a story for my hometown paper hey dick what are you gonna do pull that nice publicity gone I know how you can get your name in the papers yeah huh drop dead [Music] listen to come on the bridge permission granted radio from the Keith is having engine trouble have to turn back to Midway looks like we're gonna have the patrol area all to ourselves ditto with what tube number six they testing firing circuits yeah foot problem let's the gun right through the other door Vijender romano to the ridge [Music] can't tell much out of doors bent like a busted nose captain any way to fix it nothing we can do we get back to the face sir I'm sorry sir I'll take all the blame is an accident Romano sure I hate to lose a torpedo but the worst part of it is if we have to dive over 300 feet the pressure on the inner door that tube is liable to buckle it yes sir I think we'll be able to take much of a Dutch charg'd either let's just hope we don't have to test yes sealion continued the patrol alone one of them 11 she made a gun attack on the small armed vessel a shells landed close but never hit and the ship managed to escape [Music] but seven days no worthwhile target was sighted [Music] anything interesting Bates just the usual fishing junction Sam Vance captain let's have a look that bull runner order anything wrong sir no not now we just used past the floating mind [Music] all compartments before damage how did you exploit the number one torpedo - I'll be the four torpedo room take your number one tube ready to fire tiny car this is the captain all back full ready captain make sure you got the outer door open this time yes sir all right get rid of it fire the dangerous torpedo is ejected and morale was commencing to sag around the edges one inch down you look kind of down the mouth of dinner tonight what's wrong you know Jim I've heard other skippers gripe about the one patrol and everything went bad I'm afraid we're having Horrors now it hasn't been that bad might get worse well lucky that correspondent got sick what a story he'd have this tour was the USS snafu self-inflicted damage hydrogen explosion the fight for that trawler we couldn't even sink nothing unusual no it's just that we had such great expectations I keep visualizing I return to Pearl and playing at lon captain bogey waiting to greet us what kind of rule is you have commander who that's the moment I'm dreading well we still got 10 days left I'm gonna find lots of target then close to Formosa here yeah we just heard like we'll run aground I'll get a good night's sleep captain you feel better in the morning [Music] but shortly after midnight November 21st the tricks of faith and advantage the sea lion began to multiply kid Jim take a look for yourself stream range mr. Brian my nation must be off large dips look like land no it's over plus Jim check your position excuse me sir but that's not land must be land I've never seen a pip as large as that oh if it's lamb we're tracking to that zero six zero at 16 knots I figured two battleships two cruisers and four destroyers what's the normal approach course three five zero are you right the three five zero all ahead full right captain got a wet up on the bridge you think you had a change into uniform try to make this run entirely on the surface that kind of dangers with all those escorts I'll have to take a chance if we died they'd liable to go around us besides I want to see what we're shooting at McNamara yes at least one of them or bust should we send out a report on enemy contact yeah hello excited to be bees to CAS and 40 bees shouldn't the word apparent be used in the sightings only on the radar why bogey doesn't want an affidavit on second thought Jim maybe you'd better hold up that report don't send out anything until we make sure what we got all right just remembered something bogey told me no use taking chance captain do I have permission to record the battle wait till within ten thousand yards before you turn it on i oxr any changing course on course zero six zero sir sixteen nuts brains twenty thousand yards burning 273 good I'll take the car now great ten thousand yards closing past justise we're not tracking battlewagons you better start swimming it's gotta be mr. Romano or at least two aircraft cars you see anything no sir 5,000 yards to miss Lord keep a sharp lookout aye aye sir range 4000 bearing two six one for targeting attacking first battleship what's the range to destroyer escort three thousand bearing three five nine captain that destroyers dead ahead can you see him visibility under a thousand yards can't see a thing straight off the port bow they do a contact on first destroyer Kate target to destroyer she may have seen it make where the old torpedo tube set depth at eight feet Frank 18 hundred yards no change in bearings she's overlapping battleship wait a minute Jim she's passing ahead doesn't see it that means that battleship wide open and inspiring as soon as you ready standby range 3,000 bearing 3 for 8 range 2,000 bearing three for eight [Music] [Music] and they go oh six up left rudder bionis third test at the second battleship but go to superstructure on the starboard beam sir the Japanese bandwagon Noah's fish I don't Jenny thank you sir do it now gotta pee there three it's on first target sir let's get out of here Jeff all ahead full [Music] have a chart I think we're submerged they think we've attack from the east sir we got three hits in the first target what's your speed Oh James rule task force is still doing 16 knots did we change the depth settings on those torpedoes no macros are still set for the destroyer three they haven't even changed speed oh we did was dead the armor belt this one's on me things were going too easy what's the range eight thousand opening sir run parallel Luis babies we're going in there get right [Music] then an hour and a half we can't catch them they must be in pretty good shape and we'd better get off on a contact reports oh go ahead these Pearson said he saw up ago the superstructure did you see it sir right now I'm almost ready to say I did I don't understand Jim we hit something with that Stern salvo well maybe it was one of the Destroyers captain here captain we've got a break they're splitting up the first battleship is mowed to 12 knots Pearson yes sir you saw that promoted superstructure couldn't have been your imagination cut it no sir I'm pretty sure not positive I'm sure that could be under the circumstances sir Canton - what was that are we hit get full speed ahead let's go after that other battleship one down and one to go [Music] after chasing the enemy for 22 hours heavy seas forced to sea line to give up [Music] she returned to the area of the explosion to search for survivors or some other evidence of the destroyed better [Music] lots of oil but not a shred of wreckage mr. Bates please come to the bridge to send a radio message the concept pack question is what did we sink a battleship so yeah where's the proof I told you what captain bogey said let's keep looking the line was to find a such ruthless resumed uh patrol and a week later headed back to quell ha [Music] it won't be locked out maybe we'll find out what we sang been fighting his nails never saw such a bunch of nervous Nellie's before the battleship will be the first wasn't will be the second Jim McNamara [Music] is going a light welcome home thank you sir good to see I imagine you're all anxious to know that you think a destroyer and Confirmation is in on the battleship it was the Congo I'll be back in a moment with our special guest I'd like you to meet the real-life skip of our story now commander submarine squadron eight captain Eli rich Eli the incidents leading up to the sinking of the Congo must have given you a few gray hairs a few I think the rough weather probably prevented our being seen by the escorts well how does it feel to plug a battleship and have it go selling off like nothing that happened it was a pretty dark moment I had a submarine his dream come true and I thought I'd blown it attacking capital ships on the surface like a torpedo boat while dodging escorts in a raging scene is reason enough to miss some of the things that happened I'll have to admit there was quite a few things going on at that time the main thing is that you've got the Congo and in one of the most courageous attacks of the war congratulations to you and the fine ships company of the sea lion thank you very much be with us again when the silent service brings you another true and exciting submarine story [Music] [Music] do [Music]