Squadron & Division:  SubRon 2/ Division 4A

USS Permit  SS-178

Patrol Zone & Sector(s):  Northern Japan 3 & 4

TDC:  Auto

Realism (%):  95

Crew experience:  Veteran

Number of Warships sunk: 1 

Number of Merchants sunk:  4

Warship tonnage: 0

Merchant tonnage: 17,940

Total JANAC tonnage: 8,970

Percent Damage: 100%

Days to Repair:  N/A

Types of Warship sunk:

***Please see  the events  below for circumstances around the sinking of this ship.  Tonnage was not included in the JANAC total above.

Types of Merchant sunk:

Conducted Lifeguard duty: (If yes how many aviators rescued):

Conducted Photo Recon: (If Yes than where was it performed )

Patrol Narrative:  

We were a week late arriving on station because the boys at Midway didn’t have our improved SJ radar as planned.  We were just happy to be going on patrol with a PPI.

Nov. 13, 1943

14:20  Entered patrol area and began search for targets.

Nov 14, 1943

07:58  Visual sighting of three ships on the horizon.  We plot an intercept course.

08:04  Lookouts clearly identify the three ships are sampans.  I decided to give my gun crews a little practice.  Battle stations surface is called and the crew responds in adequate time.

8:12  We commence firing at 5000 yards.  My gun crews could use some practice.  It wasn’t until we got within 500 yards that they were able get any solid hits on the Japanese fishing boats.

After 34 rounds, we sink all three Sampans and resumed patrol.

09:35  The XO and I were reviewing the charts for this area when the order to crash dive was issued.  Ensign Ford had the watch and claimed that he saw a periscope.  He correctly dove the boat and ordered a course change.  Sonar doesn’t report any sounds.

09:48  A quick periscope look  shows us that our enemy sub was just a sampan coming over the horizon.  After a few minutes of joking, we surface and continue our patrol.

16:09  Ultra report of a convoy near our position.  XO plots us a rendezvous.

17:40  Assuming the Ultra was correct, we should have made contact by now.   Nothing on SJ radar.  We resume our plotted patrolling.

22:41  Another report of a convoy just outside of the Tsugaru Straight. 

22:44.  SJ contact at 22,000 yards.  Ultra got it right this time.  Flank speed is ordered.

23:13  Targets are now at 13,000 yards by SJ radar.

23:18  A destroyer escort comes into view, 6800 yards.  It is preceeding the main body of the convoy.  We steer a course around this warship and head towards the main body.

23:26  Destroyer appears to be circling back.  She may  have seen us.  We dive to radar depth to continue our attack.

23:38  Destroyer turns away again.  She heading back out so we surface and press towards the merchants.

23:55  The PPI indicates that the convoy took a sudden zig away.  The destroyer must have warned them.  We’re too far out of position.  XO plots a course for an end around maneuver.

Nov. 15, 1943

01:32 A star reading confirms it, we’re out of our patrol area.  As per the ROE, we break off our pursuit and head back.

17:26  SJ contact at 16,700.  Battle stations are manned.  We’re going in.

17:49  As with the previous contact, we first see a destroyer before the main body of the convoy.  We dived to periscope depth.

17:53  Tin can is moving off, echo ranging.  We surface with the hope that the SJ radar will guide us in.  I figure if I can’t see them, they won’t be able to see usr.

18:06  Very dark.  No stars, no moon.  Ships should be close, but we can’t see them.

18:10  Visual sighting.  Three ships, two transports and one tanker.  Escorts are close, we can hear the pinging but we can’t see them.

We set up on the first transport and fire one fish at 1000  yards.  Solid hit in her midsection.  She’s goes down.

We set up on the second ship in the convoy.  This one is a tanker.  Fired one fish at 1200 yards.  After her sister ship exploded, this tanker knows that we’re here.   She pulls hard to port.  Just a she does, the unseen destroyer appears.  She’s coming right at us.

As luck would have it, she cuts right across the path of our tanker bound fish.  The Mark 14 does its job and blows off the bow of the escort.  The destroyer goes down.

18:14  The last merchant is armed and has opened fire on us.  Their gun crew is extremely good.  The second shell slams into our deck gun and destroys it.   Another destroyer appears out of the darkness and opens up.   Another round  hits the near the forward torpedo room.  Tubes 1, 3 and 4 are damaged.  The Permit crash dives to avoid the very accurate fire.  Before we’re completely under, a shell its nearby and causes leaking in the forward battery compartment.

18:18  We slide past 200 feet and find a temperature gradient.  This is our first bit of good luck.  We evade to the south.

18:32  Chlorine gas is reported coming from the damaged batteries.  The pinging from the destroyers is pretty far off.  We come to periscope depth to have a look around.

18:44  Air is think with chlorine now.  We have no choice.  We have to surface and make a run for it.   

Flank speed from the diesels is ordered once the main induction  valves are out of the water.

18:55  No destroyers are trailing us.  We’ve made it.  Repairs start on all damaged systems.

Nov. 16, 1943

03:36  With the exception of the deck gun, all repairs are complete, we’re a fighting ship again.  Resuming patrol.

 10:24  SJ contact at 32,000 yards.  Intercept course plotted.

11:00  Visual sighting on lead ship.  Appears to be an escort.

11:09  6 ships are now visible on the horizon.  Escorts are patrolling the convoy’s perimeter.

The radar shows their base track is away from us.  We just caught them on a zig.  We plot an end around and ring up flank speed.

11:20  The XO reports that we won’t be able to catch up until we enter sector NJ5.  This convoy is going to get away too.

11:52  The mood of the crew is brightened somewhat by a new Ultra contact.    We have to sink something soon.

12:37  As promised, a contact at 17,500 yards.  They appear to be coming right at us.  We dive to radar depth and wait on their plotted base track.

12:51  SD contact, aircraft is coming in.  We drop down to periscope depth to hide until the plane has passed by.

13:16  We pop up to get a radar picture.  Ships spotted.  A heavy and light cruiser surrounded by destroyer escorts.  This one would be quite a catch.  They are moving away at 27 knots.  We accelerate to try and get into some sort of firing position.

13:29  Unable to gain on them.  Breaking off attack.

Nov. 17, 1943

14:42  SJ contact at 32,000 yards.  Intercept course plotted.

15:40  Visual ID of 4 merchants and one destroyer at 6000 yards.    The destroyer is patrolling our way.  We dived to periscope depth.

He passes us by while the convoy zigs away. 

We’ll wait until they pass then surface for an end around.

17:11  We surface and plow through the sea at flank speed.

17:28  The PPI clearly shows the destroyer moving to the opposite side of the convoy.  I alter course to come directly at the three merchants.  It’s dark and we’ll take our shots on the surface.

17:34  Fired first fish at the last ship in the convoy, 1100 yards.  It misses.

Fired second fish at the next to last ship, 1400 yards.  Hits the freighter in the aft.  The ship quickly starts to go do down by the stern.

Fired one fish at the first ship in the convoy.  Due to an unlucky zig on the Jap’s part, he’s now only 900 yards away.  Even so, we miss.

The destroyer is now coming in fast.  Shells land all around.  Crash dive is ordered.  On the way down, I took a shot with out final bow tube at a target 2200 yards way.  This also misses.

17:40  We found our lucky 200 feet temperature gradient again.  (Temp gradients are about the only luck we’re getting on this patrol)  Destroyer’s pinging is heard moving off.

Sonar reports that two low speed screws appear to be circling.  I suspect that the other two merchants are trying to pick up survivors.  They must have a lot of faith in their escort captain to keep us down.

17:55  Pinging is very distant.  We pop up to periscope depth.  I can see two merchants now fleeing the scene.  The destroyer is very far off now.

We’ll surface for the chase and reload all forward tubes.

18:10  All tubes are reloaded.  The merchants are now 10,000 yards ahead.  We’re chasing them so this will be along run.  We use the SJ radar to keep an eye on the destroyer.  He seems to be circling the sight of our first attack.  Good for us.  Bad for the ships he’s suppose to be escorting.

18:32  We can now see one of the fleeing merchants.

18:43  Fired one fish at the stern to slow them down.  Range 1000 yards.  The set up is perfect but the damn torpedo is a premature.

18:44 Fire a second fish at 700 yards.  Target zigs and the fish misses.

18:45  Now at 550 yards.  Fired third fish at him.  This one goes erratic on us and veers hard to port after leaving the tube.

The merchant opens up on us with a small gun.  I order right full rudder to get some distance from the target.  Also to take a shot with our  stern tubes.  Our aft torpedo room has been feeling left out so far.

We fire one fish from the stern tube.  It’s a dud.

18:46  Fire last stern fish at the merchant.  It hits and finally sinks him.

18:52   We have a bearing on the final merchant 6200 yards.  Reloading all tubes and ordered up flank speed to pursue.

19:04  The merchant is at 1000 yards.  Fired single fish from the bow.  It sinks the transport.

The crew is happy again.  We can sink ships.

Nov. 18, 1943

13:44 SJ contact 32,600 yards.  Convoy appears to be coming right at us.

14:06  Aircraft spotted on the horizon.  I suspect this is a military convoy.  We dive on the convoy’s base track.

14:23  Periscope observation shows two light cruisers surrounded by escorts.  They are zigging radically and they turn off of the plotted base course.  We won’t be able to take a shot at these guy either. 

Considering our luck so far on this patrol, I don’t know if I want to take on multiple escorts

Nov. 19, 1943

00:38  Watch reports a SJ contact at 30,000 yards.  PPI shows a large convoy being circled by three ships.

1:28  We try to maneuver between two of the escorts to get at the main body.  We stay on the surface for the speed and maneuverability.

1:41 First escort is visible off port bow.  He doesn’t see  us.

1:45  Convoy body comes into view.  8 ships visible.  If only we had more than four fish!

I plan to take on the first ship with the last two fish in the bow tubes.  I’ll then swing hard to starboard to let the next ship  have the last two fish from the stern.

1:52  Fired two  fish at 1200 yards at the first tanker in line.  Both miss.

The convoy sees the wakes and starts to scatter.  The destroyers come in fast.  Shells land all around.  Order crash dive.   We only have 180 feet to play with  here.  Not nearly enough.  We dive to 170 feet.

The Permit rigs for silent running.

2:05  There’s no temperature gradient.  The tin cans have found us.  The DC’s start raining down.  Forward battery is knocked out a again.   The repairs from the previous engagement are blown all to hell.  SD radar is also destroyed.

2:10  Another depth charge run comes overhead.  Leaking is reported in the crews quarters and motor room.

2:23  Chlorine gas is reported coming from the forward battery compartment.  The pinging is drawing away.  We have no choice but to try and make a break for it on the surface. 

2:39  A quick sweep of the periscope.  Destroyers are 2000 yards astern.  We surface and I order up flank speed.  Seconds later, we’re spotted.  Shells come in fast and furious.

I order evasive maneuvers.

With the damage we’ve sustained, we’re unable to pull away.  I looked back just in time to see a shell slam into our stern.   Water poured into the gapping hole.  I ordered the crew to abandon ship just as the stern sinks fast and flips up the bow.   The bridge crew is thrown to the water.  A few men are able to escape from the conning tower before the mighty Permit is pulled under from her wounds.

Only 10 of us made it out alive.  The Japanese picked us up and after weeks of interrogation, deposited us in Ofuna.

Lt. Cmdr.  Robert Farley II      

CO: USS  Permit  SS-178