[US Navy 1948 WWII Submarine Warfare]

[music] During the summer of 45, the Tranti was in the same picks as all the other subs. No targets really worth wasting the taxpayers torpedoes on. Or we managed to amuse ourselves. Shot up a few picket boats and other small craft. Knocked off a sea truck or two. Raised some mild hell in a general way. We played pirate and boarded some junks. Scared the crews half out of their yellow skins and gave the deep six to a lot of dried peas bound for Japan. We took a few prisoners. [bell] >> [music] >> exploded some mines that there was nothing to write home about, even if we could have written home. Then one morning, we cighted a ship in the distance. It looked like it was tied to a dock alongside a calorie. We kept it under observation for about an hour. >> [music] >> looked like a 2 or 3,000 ton freighter taking on coal by conveyor. [music] We held a war council. [music] It' be risky entering a harbor full of rocks and sholes. Should we try it? Well, we didn't come out here to sit on our duffs. We changed course. Then the skipper, as he always did, spoke to the crew. Fellas, I think you might like to know what we're up to. There's a two or 3,000 ton freighter in the harbor tied to a colery dock taking on coal. That's the biggest ship we've seen so far, and targets are too scarce these days to let any pass. On the good side of the ledger, I can mention these two items. One, there seems to be a lack of patrol craft in this spot. And two, I don't think there are any mines because there's an awful lot of small craft around. Now, on the bad side of the ledger, the harbor is full of rocks and shores and navigation is going to be tough. We'll make a submerged attack, but then we'll have to service and holot it out. If we're caught in here submerged, it'll be just too bad. However, we have the best navigator in the business. So, what are we waiting for? Let's go. Battle stage to submerge. We got into position. Went through the preliminaries. Let me tell you, right here and now, when the real thing comes up, it's like nothing you ever went through in your life. When that scope goes up in this harbor, you're playing for keeps. Your blood pressure tells you that. [music] The sweat on your hands and the butterfly in your chest keep reminding you that when you get within a thousand yards of your target, you're going to let go with everything you've got. Then get if you can. [music] The exact look confirms it. We're dead on and coming closer. Closer. [music] Dozens of small craft crisscrossing overhead. If one of them sites our scope while the skipper's taking cuts to keep us off the rocks, you can make like the song and kiss the boys goodbye. Now coming on a th00and yards, 20 to go. 10 5 one. [music] [music] [bell] Look at them scramble nuts. She's listening to port and down by the bow, but still afloat. Hey, wait a minute. They man their deck gun there on the right. Looks like they think a plane got him. But we can't surface while that gun's still in business. All right, then. Let her have another fish just ahead of the stack. Polish off ship and gun crew both with one blow. [music] Fire two. Swing left again. >> [music] >> Sonar reports. Fish ran true but suddenly stopped. No explosion. Must have buried itself in a mud bank or a torpedo net. But there's [music] not time to speculate. The NIP gun crew spotted our periscope. They're taking pot shots at us. Better slip another fish and quick. Steady on 280. Torpedo run 750. Depth set 2 ft. Gyro angle 038. Fire three [music] bullseye. [music] And now, as Shakespeare said, let's not stand upon the order of our going, but let's go. >> [music] [music] >> They've got a nerve shooting at us. What kind of hospitality do they call that? All right, now let's show some speed. Wait a minute. We must have surfaced too fast. The bow plane should have folded up like a fighter plane's wings. Stuck out like that. They'll drag our speed down till the Japs can catch us with a rowboat. That's not all that can catch us. Come up. Come up there. Steady as you go, sweethearts. Now we can highball for deep water. But the Japire is getting closer. I'm beginning to sweat again. In 1943 with 284 Japanese ships totaling 1,341,968 tons flush about 100,000 tons of warships were sunk by American submarines. >> Naturally, they got some of our subs, too. But our losses weren't excessive when [music] you consider what was accomplished. In fact, they were quite small compared to the losses of the and German [music] submarine services. But we felt deeply each individual loss. For instance, take the case of the Sculpin. [music] On 19th November 1943, we sighted a fast convoy and made an attack. [music] Their [music] [music] screen detected us and immediately subjected us to depth charging. Things were getting tough when we heard a range fall. We headed forward and shook the japs. At least we thought we did. But the moment we regained periscope depth, we found that [music] destroyer sitting right in our lap. [music] We tried to duck, but he had heard it as well as seen it. Yeah. [music] Heat. After 5 hours, the batteries were almost flat and the men [music] completely exhausted. We had a tough decision to make. The first concern of our skipper, Commander Conaway, was for the life of his men. We had on board the Wolfpack commander, Captain Cromwell, who had heard that the Japs used a special brand of torture to extract information from their captives. Suddenly, a decision was reached. We battle service and [music] used our deck gun to fight it out with the destroyer. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Commander Connoway and the next two in command, Lieutenant Allen and Lieutenant Freed were killed almost instantly. I succeeded to command. [music] The situation was hopeless. I gave the order to scuttle ship. [music] Captain Cromwell chose to go down with the boat because he knew too much. Enson Max Feedler also went down with the sculpin. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music]