// Immediate //
From: LCDR Duke Cummings, CO USS Drum (SS-298)
To: Capt. W.T. Morgan, ComSubRon4M
Cc: ComSubPac
Date: Feb. 1943
Subject: Patrol Report Summary
Rmks / 1. 2 Feb. Left Freemantle to assigned patrol area in Indochina.
Rmks / 2. 11 Feb. 07:10hrs Reached the South China Sea and began patrol.
Rmks / 3. 13 Feb. 09:13hrs Weather : Mostly Cloudy Seas : Moderate Course : 153 Sighted Kuma class Light Cruiser on course 251 at 26.6kts. Increased speed and plotted intercept course. Targets range was 10,000 yards and too great of a distance to calculate a true firing. 09:22hrs Lost sight of vessel.
Rmks / 4. 14 Feb. 04:23hrs Weather : Overcast Seas : Moderate Course : 340 Speed : 5.2kts SJ Radar contact possibly 2 or 3 ships. Closed for a closer look. 04:49hrs 3 ships spotted and submerged to periscope depth. Oil Tanker, Small Freighter, and a Standard Merchant vessel. Course of targets : 215 Speed : 8.7kts. 05:11hrs 1100yds from Tanker fired 2 Bow torpedoes set at 4 ft. 10 seconds out first torpedo prematurely exploded. Second struck target, but did not ignite. 05:12hrs Fired 2 more bow torpedoes at 870yds. 1 dud, 1 hit. 05:13hrs. Surfaced for Deck Gun action and sank Tanker at 10-16N, 110-01E. 05:14hrs Fired 2 bow torpedoes at standard Merchant ship 1200 yds out. Both hits. Finished her off with Deck Gun. (10-16N, 110-02E) 05:25hrs Finished Small Merchant vessel with Deck Gun. (10-15N, 110-01E)
Rmks / 5. 14 Feb. 10:08hrs Periscope depth. Spotted by single aircraft. Crashed dived. Dropped 3 bombs on our way down. Sonar has picked up 4 or 5 Destroyers echo ranging our position. Too far out from land for aircraft. Decided to escape. 11:38hrs. Lost all contacts. Still unsure where aircraft came from. Believe a scout plane from a convoy the DD's were escorting.
Rmks / 6. 14 Feb. 15:14hrs Sighted small convoy in Moderate seas. Due to the heavy overcast ships were only visible for a short time. No Id's on type and number.
Rmks / 7. 17 Feb. 17:16hrs Radar depth Contact of 4 ships and 2 planes. 17:22hrs 3 Ships spotted. 1 identified as Mogami Class Cruiser while others are too far to get positive Id. 17:28hrs Planes closed in for attack and crashed dived before identifying other ships. 17:33hrs 1 Destroyer began echo Ranging. All ships were on course 222. Speed Unknown. 19:27hrs Lost all contacts.
Rmks / 8. 18 Feb. 04:01hrs SJ Radar contact at 13,000 yards. Seas Moderate Weather Heavy overcast. 04:09hrs 4 Ships spotted 1 Ship Identified as a Oil Tanker, But turned out to be a Standard Merchant. 3 Small Freighters. There course 232 at 6.1kts. My course 275 Speed 5.1kts. 04:18hrs. Now submerged, At 1939yds. fired 2 bow torpedoes at Standard Merchant vessel. Second torpedo prematurely exploded and first one missed due to the course change of the target after being alerted by the explosion. Fired 2 more bow torpedoes and both missed target due to a incorrect course setting. Target changed course to 045 and fired 2 more bow torpedoes with targets range 870yds. Both hit target. 04:26hrs Surfaced for Deck Gun action. Fired 6 shells and one aft torpedo. Hit and sunk. (9-53N, 109-27E). Submerged and set course to leave area, however at 04:50hrs one of the Small Freighters emerged just aft of our position. Fired one aft torpedo and sank her at 9-51N,109-25E.
Rmks / 9. 18 Feb. 10:52hrs. SJ Radar contact shows 3 ships. 10:56hrs Seas Moderate Weather Moderate. Sighted 1 Kuma Class Light Cruiser and 1 Nagara Class Light Cruiser on course 135 at a speed of 25.6kts. My course at the time was 075 and speed of 5.1kts. Was unable to intercept ships and lost contact at 11:19hrs.
Rmks / 10. 18 Feb. 15:15hrs. Submerged at periscope depth spotted 3 ships and 2 planes. 1 CL and 2 Myoko Heavy Cruiser. No escort visible, probably do to weather conditions being overcast. Seas Moderate. 15:24hrs Sonar has picked up 6 Destroyers but none of them are visible yet. Decided to fire 4 bow torpedoes at 1900 yards on last Myoko CA in group. Turned to port and for a setup of an aft shot. 2 hits and 2 duds on CA from the bow shot. 15:26hrs Fired 4 aft torpedoes slightly spread. 2 hits, 1 premature explosion and 1 miss. Target sank at 10-21N, 109-52E. 15:28hrs. Attacked by planes on the way down to 250 ft. Damaged as follows:
01:48hrs After careful maneuvering, lost all contacts. All damage now repaired. Returning to base.
Patrol Summary
Ordinance remaining: 2 Torpedoes, 46 Deck Gun Shells
Damage report: Stated above
Ships Sunk:
1 Oil Tanker 13,690 tons 1 Small Freighter 2,230 tons 1 Small Freighter 2,230 tons 1 Standard Merchant 4,230 tons 1 Standard Merchant 4,230 tons 1 Myoko Heavy Cruiser 14,980 tons ——————————————————————————————————— TOTAL 41,590 tons
Comments: Crew and Ship preformed in the highest tradition of Navy standards. Recommendation of citation for the crew of USS Drum 298.
LCDR Duke Cummings
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