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From : Commander Duke Cummings, CO. USS Skate, SS-305
To : ComSubRon4
Date : November 1943
Subject : Patrol Report Summary (Aug. Cycle I)

Rmks/1. 4, November 1943. Left base at Freemantle to assigned patrol are in the Java Sea.

Rmks/2. 9, November 1943. Arrived at destination 8-25S, 112-48E. Began patrol at 16:52 hours. No contacts of any kind.

Rmks/3. 10 November 1943. 07:25 hours. Weather and visibility are both very poor. Seas are moderate and very dense fog will make it difficult to spot targets until they are very close. 09:39 hours. Radar contact bearing 009 at about 32,000 yards. Altered our course to intercept. Maintained surface status due to weather conditions not improving. 14:05 hours. Speed 5.4 kts. And still on course of 009. Convoy spotted with no escorts visible. Convoy is in a single line formation with a Armed Merchant Cruiser and the lead followed by 2 Supply Ships and then 4 Oil Tankers and finally 1 Small Freighter taking up the rear. Locked on to 2nd Tanker in line. 14:09 hours. Fired 2 Bow torpedoes at target in range of 1000 yards. Both hit and sank target. 14:10 hours. Fired 2 sets of 2 fish at AMC 3 Bow and 1 Aft. 3 hits and 1 miss. AMC on fire. Changed course to intercept third and fourth Tanker in the formation. 14:16 hours. Fired 1 Bow fish at third Tanker in the formation. Hit and she is on fire. Changed course and fired 1 aft at point blank range. Hit and sunk. 14:18 hours. Decided to finish last Tanker with Deck Gun. Surfaced and Sank Fourth Tanker in the formation with Gun action at 14:24 Hours. Burning AMC is 2190 yards out. Fired Deck Gun and at 14:27 hours finished of AMC. Remaining Ships escaped on various courses and speeds. Last Tanker believed which was the first Tanker in the formation last seen on heading 275. Continuing patrol.

Rmks/4. 10, November 1943. 17:49 hours. SJ Radar contact at 32,000 yards. Will investigate. 00:10 hours on the 11th of November course 161 Large Patrol spotted. Visual of Fubuki Class destroyer. Submerged and altered course 180 degrees. 00:21 hours. 3 Sonar contacts and one has acquired. Preparing for DC attack. 00:49 hours. Received damage from DC. Control room reports moderate damage on steering gear and Pressure hull damage in the crews mess has moderate leaking. DC parties are dispatched to trouble areas. 01:06 hours. More damage is reported from Aft torpedo room has Pressure hull damage with moderate leaking. Motor room reports DC motor 3 has moderate damage. Control room reports SD radar has moderate damage. Forward Torpedo room has moderate leaking due to pressure hull damage. All damage is being repaired. Decided to surface to periscope depth and try damaging one DD and make our escape in the confusion. 01:53 hours. 1 Destroyer visible. Fired 1 Aft Torpedo @1200 yards. Hit and DD is on fire. Damage control party informs that pumps are unable to keep up with leaking. Blew main ballast tanks. Fired 2 more aft fish at burning DD. Both missed. Forced to engage target with Deck Gun. Fired 2 shells and sunk Mutsuki Class Destroyer. Increased to maximum speed. Radar has destroyer following. 02:10 hours. Radar now has single contact within 2000 yards. Believed to de Destroyer. Dove to periscope depth and waited for good firing angle. 02:14 hours. Asashio Class Destroyer became visible from the fog. Fired 1 aft torpedo at target. Hit and on fire. 02:16 hours. Target has acquired. Fired 1 aft fish and sank DD. Surfaced and repaired all damage before continuing on.

Rmks/5. 11 November 1943. Weather and visibility getting worse. 07:01 hours. Radar contact. 30,000 yards on bearing 083. Radar reports something big. 08:46 hours. Fuso Class Battleship spotted with CA to far to identify. 2 DD's spotted and 3 more on sonar. 08:51 hours. 1675 yards fired 6 bow and 2 aft torpedoes at BB. Changed course 60 degrees and began escape. Sonar reports 5 hits on target. BB on fire and on course 321. DD's have begun attack. 08:59 hours. Damage reports coming in as follows: Motor room has heavy damage on DC motor 2, Forward engine reports heavy damage on engine 1, Radio room has heavy damage on radio, Forward torpedo room has severe leaking from pressure hull damage. 09:27 hours. More damage from depth charge attacks. Radio knocked out of action. Conning tower Pressure damage with heavy leaking. Pumped in 20 psi of air. Officers Quarters sever leaking from Pressure hull damage. Forward torpedo room moderate flooding. Bow planes need surface repair. Tubes 2 & 3 outer doors damaged beyond repair. Forward Battery room has minor flooding. 10:20 hours. Fire broke out in Officers Quarters. 10:36 hours. More damage incurred. Pump room pressure hull damage heavy leaking. Fire control was able to put out the fire in the Officers Quarters. Aft engine room reports engine 3 damaged beyond repair. Will use some of the parts from engine 3 to repair engine 1. Engine 1 has been destroyed. 12:48 hours. Destroyers have left area. Surfaced and found that sometime during the attack USS Skate Deck Gun was destroyed. With most of the repairs complete and ordinance low, will return to Freemantle for repairs and supplies.

Patrol Summary

Ships Sunk :

3 Oil Tankers (15,210 ea)     45,630 tons
1 Armed Merchant Cruiser      12,220 tons
1 Asashio Class Destroyer      2,370 tons
1 Mutsuki Class destroyer      1,772 tons
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Total                         61,992 tons

Ships Damaged :

1 Fuso Class Battleship

Ships escaped :

2 Supply Ships
1 Oil Tanker
1 Small Freighter
1 CA class unknown
7 Destroyers classes unknown

Damage : as stated above.

Ordinance remaining :

 1 Aft Torpedo
 2 Bow Torpedoes
48 Deck Gun Shells

Crew Performance :

Due to the conditions the crew was subjected to, they preformed with as well as could be expected. Recommend citations for Yeoman First Class A. Wilson and Yeoman W. Bass for gallantry above the call of duty. These two gentlemen extinguished the fire in the Officers Quarters before it could spread further.

Health and Habitability :

It saddens me deeply to report the loss of 4 seaman (J. Kirby, E. Stuart, T. Thomas, S. Sampson) and the ships chief H. O'Brennan during a DC attack. Several cases of burns and other minor wounds were treated by the ships pharmacists mate.

CDR Duke Cummings

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