// IMMEDIATE //
To: Commander, SUBRON 4
From: Commanding Officer USS PINTADO (SS-387)
OPERATIONAL ORDER: October 00 / CycleII
Subject: NARRATIVE Patrol Report Sep 1944
Rmks. Sept 04/ 0700 Departed Saipan. Conducted trim/deep dive and received indoctrination depth charges. Set course and speed for the Formosa-East China Sea patrol zone.
Rmks. Sept 04-08/ Transit time 4.79 days 15,780 gal fuel used, 101,137gal (86%) remains. Routine air patrols encountered. Conducted Fire, Flooding, Crash dive, and tracking party drills in route to PZ. Crew’s performance and attitude seem exceptionally high. Non-Quals, and Non–rates work in their studies with the aid and motivation of the Chief of the Boat. The SD radar has been OOC since we left port.
Rmks. Day 1, 08 Sept/ 1310-Arrived in PZ, pos; 25-35N, 128-36E. Moderate seas, Overcast skies, poor visibility. Course 256dT, AAHSTD to position PINTADO in the East-West shipping lanes in the center of the patrol zone. No Contacts this day.
Rmks. Day 2, 09 Sept/ 0000- Skies clear giving us partly cloudy skies. Seas remain moderate. No Contacts this day. Crew begins to get restless, but the SD is returned to service.
Rmks. Day 3, 10 Sept/ 0000-Seas turn heavy and gale winds kick up from the south. 0007- SJ Contact 26kyds looks to be a single column convoy with a single large escort in the lead, and 2 smaller escorts, PC’s, flanking forward, port and starboard respectively. Convoy is coming out of the Okinawa Island area, no doubt to reinforce Tojo’s war efforts on Formosa! Station the tracking party and the plot begins. 0107-After an hour of tracking, we determine the convoy to be on course 259dT, speed 3.8 kts. Radar now shows two additional escorts flanking astern, Man Battle Stations! 0124-Lead escort comes into view, YOUGOMU class DD, submerge to RD. 0135-as we lose the lead escort visually, the port escort comes into view, a type “D” PC. 0149-as we surface our new height of eye reveals two lead Maru’s in the convoy. Visibility is greater than 2kyds, so we head back to RD and change course to 171dT for a 90d track intercept. 0201-change course to 079dT giving us use of Fwd and Stern tubes in the attack. 0207-launch 3 fish from Tubes 1, 3, and 4 depth 9ft, range 1100 yds, torpedo track stbd 50d, target: AMC. A split second later, we switch to the stern tubes, input new range and bearing into the TDC and fire 3 fish from tubes 7, 9, 10 at a Large STD merchant range 600yds, depth 9ft, stbd 110d track. 0209-both Maru’s are destroyed in a fury of explosions! 0210-Surface and turn hard to stbd to new course 190dT matching convoys new course, and pick another Maru. 0214-Setup complete for tubes 2, 5, & 6; STD merchant 1200 yds, depth 9ft torpedo track stbd 125d. 0215-all fish find their mark, but this maru is a tough one! 0218-we setup with tube 8 to finish him off. 0221-the merchant heads to Davey Jones Locker! 0223-The forward torpedo room has given me another fish so we slow to AAH2/3 and setup on a Large merchant. 0229-A single 14 is sent at the maru from tube 1 range 1200yds, depth 8ft, torpedo track stbd 160d. 0230-The maru is hit hard and sinks rapidly by the bow! 0232-the SJ shows the escorts are unaware of their convoys demise, so we setup on a small freighter with a single fish, tube 3, range 600yds, depth 9ft, torpedo track port 130d. 0233-by now, it is obvious that we missed, so we adjust depth to 5ft. 0237-ALL BACK EMERGENCY! The freighter turns hard to port across our bow, and comes within yards of the bull nose! 0240-We finally fire, and the fish finds it’s mark, but the maru is still steaming! 0243-we send another fish from tube 4 his way but it misses, due to an incorrect speed estimate. 0248-I send the last fish I am willing to send at this maru, tube 2 range 458yds track port 170d depth 5ft. 0249-The maru finally slides to his death! 0250-SJ shows the escorts are closing in, so we go to Flank speed course 332dT to clear the area. Once clear, we plan to reload deep, since two torpedomen were injured in the rough seas weapons handling evolutions.
Rmks. Day 4, 11 Sept/ 0000-Heavy seas and overcast skies continue as we make our way west towards the North coast of Formosa. 1535-SJ contact 32kyds! The SJ is running hot showing the convoy picture very clear. Three, maybe a four-row convoy with four flanking escorts. I call a war meeting in the wardroom and the decision is to keep the convoy off our stern well into the dark, @2000 slow, and allow the convoy to close. Once visual contact is made, attack surfaced or from RD depending on visibility at that time. 1800-Plot shows our intercept window open any time after 2000. 2026-Slow to AAH1/3, Man Battle stations! 2050-Convoy comes into view and we submerge to RD to position PINTADO for a bow tube attack on two tankers. 2104-setup on #1 and #2 Tankers range 900yds, torpedo track #1 stbd 85d, and #2 port 110d depth 6ft. 2105-the fish do their job and send both tankers to the bottom in a beautiful plume of orange flame! I do not plan to stick around for a reload or re attack from this present position, so PINTADO heads deep and fast in the direction the convoy scrambled. 2115-We pass a significant thermal layer, and head to test depth fast! 2125-Speed up to flank speed to build up momentum on the way up to RD. 2132-At RD we spot a straggler, a converted factory ship. We setup for the last attack of this patrol. 2135-The fish leaves tube 8, and seconds later finds the mark. 2138-A DD comes charging out of the darkness towards our attack site, so I order flank speed and left full rudder to bring the fwd tubes to bear. 2141-tubes and gyro’s are within parameters and away the fish go from tubes 1 & 2 550yds, depth 6ft, torpedo track 90d stbd. Seconds later, one detonates, and the other is a dud! Probably the MK-14 we sent at him! 2142 We battle surface to finish him off with the deck gun. 10 rounds later and severe damage to PINTADO the Maru goes under. Our wounds are serious: #2 DC motor is shot, #3 under repair, aft battery hull leaking severely, the fwd battery off line and damaged, heavy leaking in the control room, sound heads OOC, and the SJ is down as well. 2149-At 343ft, below the layer we are speeding away with the aft well taking water badly! 2157-The odor of chlorine gas begins to permeate the boat, I order the oxygen percentage monitored, not sure how long we have, but it is time to go to RD and look around! 2200-We head to RD just as the OOD tells me that the pumps cannot keep up with the flooding! 2203-Passing 127ft. 2204-DD bears 128dR and we turn to point our stern at him. The air thickens with chlorine. 2209-another DD comes into view! 2230-Lady Luck is here to save us again as both DD’s start to move off! 2238-the last DD is out of view, about 40 minutes of oxygen remain, so I order a course change to the NNW and speed up to 2/3. 2305-Surface and ventilate the boat.
Rmks. Day 5, 12 Sept/ 0000-Heavy seas continue as we make our way south transiting the patrol zone. 0308 All possible repairs complete. No Contacts this day.
Rmks. Day 6, 13 Sept/ 0000-Heavy seas persist! 0204-Exit patrol Zone and make best speed for Saipan.
RETURN TO PORT: 18 Sept 1944
TDC: MANUAL
DAMAGE
#2 DC Motor
22% Hull damage
3% system damage
ORDNANCE REMAINING
10 Torpedoes
27 4” Shells
Summary of Torpedo Performance
20 hits w/detonation
1 Hit-Dud
0 Premature Detonations
3 Misses
SHIPPING SUNK
1 Armed Merchant Cruiser 10,090 tons 1 Converted Factory Ship 5181 tons 1 Oil tanker 3130 tons 1 Oil tanker 3130 tons 1 Small Freighter 2020 tons 1 large Freighter 3670 tons 1 Standard merchant 13,800 tons 1 Standard merchant 13,800 tons ———————————————————————————————————————— Total tonnage sunk: 55,631 tons
Fuel used: 46%
Length of Patrol: 11.9 days
CREW PERFORMANCE: VETERAN : great, award package submitted to squadron commander
MATERIAL CONDITION: Very good, my personal commendation to the builders!
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS: Visibility was poor, Heavy seas, overcast skies.
HEALTH AND HABITABILITY: Crew health good, boat habitability good considering seas. Torpedoman Juelsgaard and Lee were both injured during the battle surface reload in the fwd torpedo room. Juelsgaard received a broken forearm, and Lee a fractured rib.
Respectfully submitted:
LCDR Frank Kulick
Commanding Officer, USS Pintado (SS-387)
// SENDS //