Rank & Name: Lt. Bill Ketzeback

Cycle: Cycle 6 (December 2003)

SubRon 2/ Division 4A

U.S.S. FINBACK (SS-230)

Patrol Zone & Sector(s): Indochina

TDC: Auto

Realism (%): 109%

Crew experience: Veteran

Number of Warships sunk: 3

Number of Merchants sunk: 7

Warship tonnage: 38,351

Merchant tonnage: 57,410

Total JANAC tonnage: 95,761

Types of Warship sunk: 1-CV, 2-CL

Types of Merchant sunk:

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

Date	Time	Lat & Long

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

Date	Time	Location	Lat & Long

Patrol Narrative:

Hull Damage: Light (25%)
System Damage: None (8%)
Repair Time: 7 day

Patrol Narrative:
Underway from Fremantle, Mar 4, 1943. Arrived on station (PZ IC 9-14N, 108-58E) Mar 13,1943 20:16.
Mar 13, 04:00, Targets detected on SJ Radar approaching from stern.
Mar 13, 04:05, Ships spotted. One escort leading a merchant vessel.
Mar 13, 04:10, Fired 2 stern tubes. First hit target but was a dud. Second sank target, a standard merchant. Received a serious depth charging from escort. Damage was repairable but hull was weakened from this engagement.
Mar 13, remained submerged all day and at dusk surfaced and recharged batteries.
Mar 13-14, night. No targets spotted close enough to place FINBACK in attack position.
Mar 14, dawn. Submerged to radar depth.
Mar 14, 13:45, Contact reported on SJ radar at 13000 yds.
Mar 14, 13:57, Ships spotted. Heavy Cruiser (CA), 2 Light Cruisers (CL), and Destroyer (DD) traveling in zig zag pattern.
Mar 14, 14:00, FINBACK was in position parallel to cruisers course. Waited until CA and one CL passed from stern and fired 4 stern tubes and 4 forward tubes at each of the CL. 4 stern tubes hit and sank CL astern, 2 of the forward fish were duds. Fired 2 remaining fwd tubes at damaged CL, which sank it. Dove to 300 ft to avoid DD. Vacated area keeping stern to DD at 2/3 speed. DD still pursued.
Mar 14, 15:30, DD broke contact and gave up search for FINBACK.
Mar 14, 20:00, Contact reported on SJ radar.
Mar 14, 20:30, Ships spotted. An Aircraft Carrier (CV), Heavy Cruiser (CA), and 7 Destroyers (DD) traveling at high speed in a zig zag course. Increased speed and changed course to approximate where the zig zag would take them. With luck, we were able to fire 5 forward tubes at the CV from 1200 yds, sinking it. Dove quickly and evaded. The escorts evidently did not detect FINBACK because although we could detect distant pinging, we escaped depth charging.
Mar 14, 21:40, Surfaced for a much needed battery charge and fresh air. No contacts were spotted the remainder of this night.
Mar 15, 22:30, Surfaced and just finished with a battery charge when we received a report of a convoy on course with our current position from a nearby coast watcher.
Mar 15, 22:45, SJ Radar confirms multiple contacts
Mar 15, 22:47, Ships spotted. 4 merchants and 1 escort. Escort was traveling fast on our exact positon, dove to 100 ft to avoid being rammed. Escort passed overhead and kept going not aware of our position. Came to periscope depth, and paralleled the merchants course within 800 yards.
Mar 15, 22:49, Fired last remaining aft torpedo at trailing merchant, a troop transport. Fired one forward tube at each of the other 3 merchants. The second ship in the convoy was also a troop carrier. It required a second torpedo to sink it. Dove to 300 feet and evacuated the area keeping the escort pinging to our stern. After about an hours time before we lost contact with it.
Mar 15, 23:55, surfaced and recharged batteries. Plotted a new course to a previous profitable area.
Mar 16, 06:00, submerged at daylight.
Mar 16, 07:30, SJ radar reports a contact.
Mar 16, 07:45, Large convoy of ships spotted. FINBACK has one torpedo left which we want to use to best effect. We patiently wait as the convoy approaches and close inspection shows it is comprised of 2 armed merchants, 1 oil tanker, 1 converted factory ship, 1 large freighter and 1 standard merchant. A surface battle in daylight with the deck gun would be a poor choice. We pick the largest ship that we believe will sink with one torpedo, the Large Freighter. We fire the last forward tube from 1200 yds and wait. It hits and sinks the target, all the remaining ships scatter.
Interestingly, the Oil tanker decides to return to port and breaks away from the other ships. We follow at high pursuit. At first submerged until the last of the armed merchants has vacated the area and then FINBACK surfaces and chases the Tanker for a few hours to get inside gun range. The tanker is lightly armed but is indeed firing back at us.
Mar 16, 10:20, FINBACK is slightly damaged by a direct hit from the Tankers gun(s).
Mar 16, 10:22, FINBACK sinks the tanker. I order the galley to fix a special meal for the gun crew.

Mar 16, 10:33, With all torpedoes on board expended
FINBACK returns to base.

LT Bill Ketzeback
CO USS FINBACK