USS Growler June 29 1942

USS Growler, commanded by Lt. Cdr Howard W. Gilmore will leave Pearl Harbor on June 29 1942 on her first war patrol. Growler is a brand new sub, built in Groton CT and only commissioned in March of that year. She did her working up and training on the east coast of the US, then transited to the Pacific through the Panama Canal working her way to Pearl.
Growler's first war patrol will take her to Kiska Harbor, AK. Kiska as we all know was invaded at the same time as the Battle of Midway earlier that month. Though the Japanese lost heavily at Midway they did prevail in AK and Growler has been sent to harass the Japanese shipping in the area.
Five days later at night she will slip unnoticed into Kiska at periscope depth and in a fast and furious strike, sink two Japanese destroyers and badly damage a third before slipping back out to sea.
But Growler's ordeal is only beginning as the Japanese are furious and go to great lengths to hunt her down and sink her. After 3 long days of cat and mouse, her batteries and crew nearly exhausted, Growler finally makes good it's escape, and heads back home to Pearl.

After refitting at Pearl, Growler will make two more war patrols, one in August of 42 during which it will sink 3 cargo vessels for a total of 18,000 tons sunk, plus a small gunboat sunk.
And in December of 42 in the hotly contested Solomon Islands on her 3rd war patrol, Growler will not sink anything, primarily due to constant Japanese air patrols in the area.
It is on her 4th war patrol, beginning in Jan 43 that Growler's luck turns.
Operating in the Rabaul, New Brighton area, while on the surface she will engage a small gunboat.
But the gunboat suddenly turns to ram the sub.
Lt Cdr Gilmore, realizing he can not avoid a collision, orders the sub hard a port and increase to flank speed and rams the gunboat amidships. Meanwhile the gunboat rakes the sub at close range with machine gun fire. Gilmore orders all hands below but is himself fatally stricken in the hail of bullets. When members of the crew attempt to rescue him he waves them off and orders
"Take her Down!"
They comply, he is lost at sea and the sub makes for Australia in a badly damaged condition.
For his heroism and self sacrifice Lt Cdr Gilmore is the first of only 5 sub sailors to be given the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Growler is repaired and lives on to fight another day.
In May of 1944 in his honor, the US Navy commissions a brand new submarine tender the USS Howard W Gilmore.
With the board's permission, I will post an update on the Growler later in the war.
In the meantime, for the next day or two give a thought to the crew of the Growler as they prepare for war.

FWIW, in Jan of 72, I checked in aboard the USS Howard W Gilmore to begin my first 2 years of sea duty. She was a great ship, one worthy of her namesake.

Fascinating story, UD.

Thanks for posting.

Dean

Ah so got the see the big black never come back from the outside Me I saw one for a while from the inside. Do not know that tender since I know it was not the one in Holylock Scotland

I have enjoyed all of your war posts, especially this one. I have read everything I could find on WWII submarine operations over the years. Thank You.
Garry

UD excellent post as always. That generation had INTEGRITY we could use more of it today especially in our politicians al

I was not a sub-sailor myself, but I spent enough time haze gray and underway to appreciate their work.
Thanks for the post UD!

But could it go supersonic? LOL Gordo

Good post UD. One point it's the Medal of Honor. Congress approves it but it's not part of the name. Besides there ain't nothing honorable about :shock: congress........ :shock: :shock:

Thank you for posting this story. Almost all of the WWII veterans I knew are no longer with us, but they didn't talk about it much except for good times they had outside of the horrors of war. I'm only 30 and of course have never been through anything that can come close to holding a candle to what that generation did, but I do strongly believe that if more Americans better understood what this country was able to do and withstand during WWII we would live in a better and stronger country. There are many on this board who know what it was like first-hand or at least much better than I, but what was sacrificed and accomplished by the whole country in varying degrees from fighting men to factory workers to farm hands was a feat that should astonish and inspire us all, while at the same time instilling respect for those involved and for our country. The lessons are innumerable and we should respectfully learn from every one we can.

The John Wayne-Ward Bond movie :Operation Pacific" must have been based on this as the movie's story line follows it closely.

Usta watch "The Silent Service" on the tellyvision......way back when. The story I've always remembered is Mush Morton and the Wahoo.

The Japanese Merchant Marine lost 8.1 million tons of vessels during the war, with submarines accounting for 4.9 million tons (60%) of the losses. Additionally, U.S. submarines sank 700,000 tons of naval ships (about 30% of the total lost) including 8 aircraft carriers, 1 battleship and 11 cruisers. Of the total 288 U.S. submarines deployed throughout the war (including those stationed in the Atlantic), 52 submarines were lost with 48 destroyed in the war zones of the Pacific. American submariners, who comprised only 1.6% of the Navy, suffered the highest loss rate in the U.S. Armed Forces, with 22% killed.

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/pac-campaign.html

UltraDog:
I had now idea there were any old BUBBLEHEADS on this forum. I road the 403 boat (USS Atule SS403) in early '60s.
Most of our Chiefs at that time wore combat dolphins. Hard duty on those old smoke boats, but I would not trade it for any other life's experiences.
John Fulton TM2 SS

I knew the story of Gilmore's name but not the details, thanks. Been onboard the Gilmore for numrious visits. Spent many years in Holy Loch, Scotland on 3 different tenders, and had a tour in Rota, Spain on an other tender.