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To:  Commander, SUBRON 4
From:  Commanding Officer USS PINTADO (SS-387)
OPERATIONAL ORDER: November 00 - Cycle II
Subject:  NARRATIVE Patrol Report Jan 1945

Rmks.  Jan 03/ 1900 Departed Guam. Conducted trim/deep dive and received indoctrination depth charges. Set course and speed for the Formosa East China Sea patrol zone.

Rmks.  Jan 03-16/ Transit time 12.8 days 42,366 gal fuel used, 77,634gal remains (65%). Very little air or sea patrols encountered. Conducted Fire, Flooding, Crash dive, and tracking party drills in route to PZ. The SD and SJ radar has been operating properly since we left port.

Rmks.  Day 1, 16 Jan 0715-Arrived in PZ, pos; 24-33N, 128-22E. Calm seas, clear skies, and good visibility. Course 351dT, AAHSTD to position PINTADO in the east west shipping lanes between Okinawa and Formosa. No Contacts this day.

Rmks.  Day 2, 17 Jan/ 0000-Clear skies, moderate seas. 1811-SJ contact 32kyds! Speed up to AAHFlank to close. Man Battle Stations! 2051-An escort comes into view, seconds later another. With these two positioned off the port and stbd bow, combined with the radar picture, it is clear we have come up the stern of the convoy. The difference between our speed and the convoys is marginal, so I press on to conduct the attack from abaft the Maru's beam. 2111-1100 yds. away and the escorts do not see us! This paint scheme is truly effective! 2116-Thought we had it but we got too close to the port escort and he begins firing at nearly point blank range, CRASH DIVE! 2117-We are hit and hit again as we go under while the DD comes for us with a bone in his teeth! We swing hard to starboard reversing course to find deep water. The Damage is severe, Both Battery wells damaged and flooding, the scope is gone, and the aft Battery off line until repairs can be accomplished. 2119-We bottom out at 208ft, struggle to get the bow pointed up, and head for 180ft, as water begins to enter the wells. There are leaks in the pump room as well. 2124-we rig for silent running and ease up to 150ft to minimize the flooding rate. The Escorts are pinging hard, but no return yet! 2125-The flooding is bad and I order PD. Chlorine gas will begin to fill the air if I don't keep the water away from the cells. 2128-Our luck is dwindling as the DD's get returns on their active. 2129- we are goners if I don't try something besides speed, depth is not an option as the chief tells me it will be at least an hour before watertight integrity is regained. I order the launching of a spread of four fish from the stern tubes, aimed towards land, course 035dT, which was our last known course. 2132-AAH Flank as the DD's screws are pounding and swishing through the hull, the crew looks scared. 2133-the boat is rocked port to stbd, and the OOD calls out what I already knew, we've been rammed! 2136-Sound reports the screws are quickly fading to the north! No chlorine yet! 2138-at RD and the escorts are opening fast! They bit the bait, time to surface and clear the area! 2204 with at leas 4 � hours of repairs ahead of us, we continue to the south.

Rmks.  Day 3, 18 Jan/ 0000-clear skies and calm seas as we slow to on engine to conserve fuel and assess our situation. The war meeting decides to stay on patrol and conduct night surface attacks. Based on this decision, we slowly work our way to the east to finish repairs, conduct a badly needed charge, and get the crew some rest. 0245-receive an "ULTRA" Class message, and inform the wardroom of the changes. I speak to the crew, and despite their obvious fatigue, they are all up for a fight. I give the coordinates to the XO to place PINTADO there as rapidly as possible. 0345-SJ contact 33kyds, speed to STD to intercept before light. 0400-The SJ is showing only one escort making a clockwise circle around the entire convoy, Man Battle Stations! 0418-MUTSUKI class DD comes into view, swing the ship to give us a reciprocal course and submerge to RD. 0428 setup by radar bearings on the largest Maru we sighted before going under, an AMC. Target course and speed 155dT 10 kts, Range 1900yds torpedo track port 35d, depth 9ft. Fire all fwd tubes with a 1d left spread. 0430-Target destroyed! Suspecting the rest of the convoy to be unarmed, and the DD 2000yds astern, we blow to the surface only to be greeted by two columns of armed supply ships! They open up at point blank range, and land critical damage. By the time our speed is up and we are clear of their fire, #3 & #4 Main engine age permanently OOC till Guam, Sonar and radio are down, all control surface hydraulics are OOC, and we are taking on water stem to stern. Then a gunfight between The DD and my Gunners mates begins. 28 rounds later and a little more damage, the escort is going down by the bow. We commence a FWD tube reload, purely for self defense, and plot a course for GUAM. 1622-Engage Sampans. 1629 all sampans disposed of. 2335-exit patrol zone.

RETURN TO PORT:  30 Jan 1945

TDC:  MANUAL

DAMAGE:

65% hull
23% system

ORDNANCE REMAINING:

10 Torpedoes
72 - 5" Shells

Summary of Torpedo Performance:

4 hits w/detonation
0 Hit-Dud
0 Premature Detonations
6 Misses

SHIPPING SUNK:

1 Armed Merchant Cruiser    8710 tons
1 Mutsuki class DD          1772 tons
3 sampans                     70 tons each

Total tonnage sunk:  10,692 tons

Fuel used:  82%

Length of Patrol:  27.2 days

CREW PERFORMANCE:  VETERAN: Exceptional

MATERIAL CONDITION:  Excellent

EVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

Visibility was good
Moderate seas
Partly cloudy skies

HEALTH AND HABITABILITY:

Crew health good
Boat habitability good

Respectfully submitted:

LCDR Frank Kulick
Commanding Officer
USS PINTADO (SS-387)

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