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From : LCDR Duke Cummings, CO. USS Drum (SS-298)
To : Capt. W. T. Morgan, Subron4m
Date : 1943, September
Subject : Patrol Report Summary

Rmks. / 1. 2 Sept, 1943. Left base at Freemantle to assigned patrol area in the Phillippine Sea.

Rmks. / 2. 11 Sept. 03:29 hrs. Arrived at destination and began patrol.

Rmks. / 3. 11 Sept. 14:16 hrs. SJ Radar contact of multiple vessels on course 248. Altered course to intercept but at 15:23 hrs. Lost all contacts. No Id. On targets.

Rmks. / 4. 13 Sept. 01:12 hrs. SJ Radar contact of 5 to 6 vessels. Seas Heavy and weather is overcast. Visibility is at a minimum. 01:15 hrs. 1 Fubuki Destroyer appeared and spotted us on the way down. Began active pinging. Plotted escape course 045 degrees. 03:08 hrs. Now have 6 or 7 Destroyers actively pinging. Ran into Large Patrol. Can�t seem to lose destroyers even under thermal layer. Depth is 350 ft. and still they�re finding me. Received damage from depth charge attack as follows:

Forward Engine Room : Engine damaged but repairable.
Storage Room 1 : Pressure Hull damage with moderate leaking.
Conning Tower : Damage with moderate leaking.

Surfaced and fired 2 aft torpedoes at closest DD. 1 hit and 1 miss. Ship on fire. 03:11 hrs. Fired 1 bow at point blank range hit and sunk at 17-45N, 119-51E. Fubuki Class destroyer. Fired 2 more aft torps. At next closest DD (Yugumo Class). 1 miss and 1 hit and sunk at same coordinates. All torpedoes set at 10 feet due to severe weather conditions. 03:27 hrs. Received more damage due to depth charge attack as follows :

Forward Engine Room : Pressure Hull damage with severe leaking.

03:36 hrs. Surfaced and fired last 2 aft torpedoes at Yugumo class DD. 1 miss and one hit and sunk at 17-45N, 119-51E. Maintaining depth is very difficult due to heavy leaking. Maintained course and speed to escape area.. 04:20 hrs. Three remaining Destroyers have reacquired and have begun depth charge attack. More damage as follows :

Motor room : pressure Hull damage with moderate leaking. Deck is out of action.

Altered course again to escape. 05:10 hrs. DD�s have reacquired. Cannot take another depth charge attack due to extensive hull damage. Surfaced and fired 2 bow torpedoes at Mutsuki Class Destroyer. Missed with both believe they went under ship or missed astern. Destroyers are following torpedoes. 06:55 hrs. Lost all contacts. Must return to base for repairs on hull damage. Hull damage is showing red light.

Patrol Summary :

Ships Destroyed :

2 Yugumo Class destroyers
1 Fubuki Class destroyer
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Total Tonnage  �  7130 tons

Ships Escaped :

1 Mutsuki Class destroyer. All other ships were not visually spotted for identification.

Ordinance remaining :

12 Torpedoes
95 Deck gun shells

LCDR Duke Cummings

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