"US Subs Down Under" Synopsis

By Powell Black

June, 2005

Recently, Powell read the book, "US Subs Down Under (Brisbane 1942-1945)" and sent along a wonder encapsulation of the salient points of the book, highlighting Euryale's significant role in the success of the defeat of the Japanese.

USS EURYALE (AS22), a submarine tender, (home for submarines) arrived Brisbane 14 March 1944. Part of Task Force 72. Admirals Charles A. Lockwood (Brisbane) and Thomas C. Kinkaid (Fremantle).

Admiralty Islands ...Seedler Harbor...Marines took two weeks to capture it and Manus, etc. only 600 miles from front line and from which BLUEGILL made two war patrols.

Euryale arrived Manus 28 May'44....picture showed the ship with its subs. (I always thought Euryale built the rest camp on Manus; the book said the Coucal did.)

Dace (Cdr. Cloggett), Darter (Cdr. McClintock) and Bream participated in Battle Of Leyte Gulf when Gen. MacArthur "returned" to the Philippines 20 -23 October'04. Darter was first sub to attack the Japs trying to reinforce, relieve and supply men/materials to Japs under attack at Leyte. Darter sunk heavy Jap cruiser (Atago) and damaged Takao (later sunk in Hong Kong harbor by British XE craft). Dace sunk heavy cruiser Maya...in only eight minutes, during the battle.

Battle of Leyte Gulf (said to be the most decisive naval battle in WWII) forced Japs to withdraw. Gen. MacArthur later praised both Dace and Darter for striking the first damaging blows against Admiral Kurita's ships. They alerted all United States forces to the approach of the main Japanese striking force two full days in advance of the final battle.

Later, Darter unfortunately grounded on a reef and after many attempts to withdraw, and many attempts to sink her, (Submarine) Rock fired nine torpedoes all hit the reef. Several other attempts failed. Nautilus finally did the job, firing its two 6" guns, on 29 October.

Euryale subsequently went to Fremantle as part of Task Force 72 and took aboard Submarine Squadron 18 and its two subdivisions, 161 and 162. (I think I have the correct numbers. The book didn't say.)

All of Darter's crew was transferred to a new boat, the Menhaden. Admiral Nimitz said he considered Darter's fourth war patrol (Leyte) the outstanding patrol of any submarine because of the intelligence (alerting the navy to the Japs). He later hauled down his flag on the Menhaden, the submarine manned by the old Darter crew. He said he believed the Menhaden was the only submarine to ever fly a five-star flag.

At 0800 6 November 1944, Dace tied up to Euryale at Freemantle with 8 flags, representing ships sunk or damaged...a band welcomed her. (I was a band member. I departed later that month. )

Of particular note, and in honor of the crew, the following is an excerpt from the book relating to the loss of the USS GROWLER, Cdr. Howard Gilmore, commanding.

Growler (Comdr. Howard W. Gilmore), a modern submarine sent from Pearl Harbor late in 1942, sailed from Brisbane on New Year's Day 1943 to patrol the Bismarck Archipelago. Gilmore was experienced and fearless. In three war patrols he had sunk five ships, including sinking one destroyer and damaging two others in Kiska Harbor on 4 July 1942. Over the next four weeks...she fought six battles involving depth-charge, gunfire, or bomb counterattacks. Growler was on the surface in the early hours of 7 February 1943 a ship's shadow was sighted through the darkness. Gilmore drew away to give room for a surface torpedo attack. At two thousand yards the Japanese vessel turned to ram Growler. In poor visibility' this was not immediately recognized. By the time evasive action commenced, the range was too close to fire. What happened next is described in the patrol report: Bridge gave order 'Left full rudder' and sounded the collision alarm. Growler hit enemy vessel head on, swinging with left rudder, at 17 knots...The impact was terrific, knocking everyone down. Growler heeled over about 50 degrees. Motor Machinist's Mate Ed Packwood, who married a Brisbane girl and later retired there, was in the after engine room and recalled, "Five or six minutes after coming on our new course we felt a sharp port turn and a minute later we hit! Diving and collision alarms went off together. I heard machine gun fire and smelled gun smoke. By then I was hanging in the ladder with my right arm, standing on the #4 engine. The boat had violently rolled over and when righted, I looked forward and could see no one standing in either engine room." Following the impact, the enemy vessel opened fire, sweeping Growler's bridge at point-blank range with .50-callber machine guns. Ens. W. W. Williams and lookout Fireman W. f. Kelley fell dead while another two lookouts were wounded. Gilmore, wounded on the bridge, called, "Take her down." The two uninjured crewmen helped the lookouts below. Gilmore did not follow. Executive Officer Lt. Comdr. Arnold F. Schade hesitated in following his captain's order. Years Jater Schade recalled these terrible moments. I was in the conning tower...for torpedo firing...About this time they opened fire on us and all hell broke loose...That's when Gilmore said, 'Take her down. Arnie' and I said OK, Clear the bridge." So we cleared the bridge and got them all down there. The lieutenant of the afterpart was killed and so was Gilmore and they were up on deck and were just blown over the side. Both of them. I went up myself. I stuck my head through the hatch and yelled. There was nobody there but the two sailors who were wounded and we were dragging them down. So, by this time we had already had the word to "take her down" I turned and said, "Sound the diving alarm." And that's when we went down. Diving brought Growler only momentary relief. Submerged, the damage became apparent. Water poured in through a bullet hole in the conning tower hatch and other smaller holes. Flooded electrical circuits grounded out. Flooding increased. Little regard was given to two depth charges as the crew struggled to save the boat. After half an hour Schade surfaced to fight it out. There was no sign of Commander Gilmore, the two other crewmen, or the enemy. Their adversary, the naval store-ship Hayasaki, had not been sunk, as believed, but had disappeared into the gloom. She became one of the few Japanese warships to survive the war. The crew now saw the full extent of the damage. Growler's bow was bent eighteen feet at right angles to port. Gunfire had wrecked the bridge, punched a number of holes in the conning tower, and disabled both periscopes. Speed was reduced to eight knots, and holes needed plugging before she could dive. In addition, two armed torpedoes protruding from the damaged bow tubes could explode at any moment. By dawn, repairs enabled Growler to submerge, and further repairs made one periscope serviceable. The leaks were controlled, but underwater handling proved difficult. That night Schade advised (Admiral Fife, Task Force Commander) of Growler's predicament while his crew set about bringing the crippled submarine two thousand miles home from hostile waters. Air cover was provided throughout dangerous narrows, and after ten slow days, pushing her battered bow through sea, Growler entered Moreton Bay, her crew exhausted. Before entering the harbor, the crew disarmed the dangling torpedoes and on 17 February Schade brought Growler in under her own power. USS FULTON, another sub tender, lowered her colors in honor of the dead as Growler berthed alongside. It was a solemn occasion, and the sight of Growler was one Fulton's men would never forget. Gilmore's ordering Growler to dive at the cost of his own life was a story to stir the heart. His final words, "Take her down," became a symbol of courage and self-sacrifice inspiring the nation at a time of gloom. Howard Gilmore's heroism was recognized by the posthumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States' highest decoration for courage -- the first ever awarded to a submariner in battle. In the three weeks before Growler returned, four submarines sailed from Brisbane on war patrol. Only one returned. (It was not identifled in the book.) The remaining three (Amberjack (Lt. Comdr. J. A. Bole), Grampus (Lt. Comdr. J. R. Craig), and Triton (Lt. Comdr. G. K. Mackenzie), all manned by veteran crews, went missing and were presumed lost with all hands. During the next fortnight the families of the 219 missing crewmen each received a grim telegram telling of their loved one's sacrifice. Twelve months later, with no indication of survivors, each crewman was officially presumed killed in action a Purple Heart awarded.

U. 5. submarine activity ended in January 1945.

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