// IMMEDIATE //
From: LCDR Greg Turner
USS Tarpon SS 175
To: ComSubRon 5
Cc: ComSubPac
Date: Dec 6, 1942
Re: Patrol Report (May 00 Cycle 1)
RMKS/ 1. Left Pearl Harbor on November 4, 11942. Travel time to patrol station was 12.8 days. Arrived on station at 03:46 on Tuesday, November 17, 1942.
RMKS/ 2. SJ contact at 16:01 bearing 320° at 13,720 yds southeast of Senkaku Island. Changed course to intercept. Spotted convoy at 16:19 bearing 034° at 2,570 yds, speed 10 kts. Identified 1 CFS, 2 TT. Went to periscope depth at 16:22. Extremely foggy out. Fired 2 torpedoes at 16:23 at TT at 1,036 yds. 1 prematured and 1 missed. Convoyed turned to starboard and I fired 1 more torpedo at the second TT and it prematured. At 16:26 the convoy turned to port. Fired 1 torpedo at trailing TT at 870 yds. It was a dud. I turned hard to port and ahead flank to get a stern setup. At 16:28 fired 1 torpedo at TT at 1,180 yds. Target destroyed. (Finally)
RMKS/ 3. Surfaced at 16:31 to try for an end around on the other TT. Lost sight of the CFS in the fog. Went to PD at 16:40 1,200 yds ahead of TT. Fired 1 torpedo at 540 yds. Hit set the ship on fire. Crossed behind target for second shot. At 16:52 fired 1 torpedo at 504 yds and sank target. Surfaced at 16:55 and headed north to search for CFS. Broke off search at 17:38 as I crossed the 70-fathom line. I then set course for the waters east of Keelung.
RMKS/ 4. Wednesday November 18, 1942. At 02:50 made SJ contact bearing 038 at 13,870 yds in moderate seas with heavy fog. Proceeded at flank speed to intercept. At 03:30 radar shows ships at 1,400 yds. Could hear propellers but had no visibility. Went to radar depth at 03:31 with contact bearing 329 at 840 yds. Closest radar contact was 570 yds with main convoy passing to starboard. The fog cleared suddenly at 03:36 and I spotted 1 OT, 1 LF, and 3-4 other ships at long range. Only shot was on the OT so I fired 1 torpedo at it at 870 yds then crash-dived. Sound reported target destroyed. I dove to 256 feet to clear the area. At 03:43 sound reported high speed screws bearing 172°. I turned southeast at 1/3 speed two minutes after the report. Heard 2 depth charges at 03:46 at a distance. At 03:52 I stopped engines and went to PD. At 03:59 I sighted a ship bearing 175° nose on at 1,580 yds. Identified 1 Mutsuki class DD. Eased back down to 250 feet. Went to RD at 04:36 and checked area. Surfaced at 04:45 and proceeded to area south of Senkaku Shoto Island.
RMKS/ 5. Thursday, November 18, 1942 I searched the area north Yaeyama Retto Island and made no contacts.
RMKS/ 6. Thursday, November 18, 1942. Searched area north of Keelung for traffic. SJ contact bearing 340° at 22:08 at a range of 12,610 yds in moderate seas. Proceeded at flank speed to intercept. Secured engines at 22:19 with the closest contact at 8,000 yds. Convoy speed in excess of 19 kts. I continued patrol.
RMKS/ 7. Friday, November 20, 1942 made surface contact at 09:20 bearing 094° at 14,150 yds. Thirty minutes later lookouts spotted 1 Shiratsuyu class DD at 3,940 yds. Dove o periscope depth to avoid. At 09:58 sound reported low speed screws bearing 267° and 249°. At 10:13 the escort passed ahead of the sub at 420 yds. Seven minutes later the periscope watch spotted the convoy. Identified 1 CFS, 2 OT, 1 LF, 1 TT and 1 Asashio DD. Convoy was bearing 013° at 3,800 yds at 8.8 kts. At 10:34 I fired 2 torpedoes at OT at 1,620 yds and also fired 1 torpedo at TT at 1,645 yds. Dove to 171 feet with escort bearing 159° at 1,035 yds. At 10:36 sound reported that the OT was sinking and TT was apparently not hit. Escorts moved in for the kill. At 10:40 depth charges started hitting the water. Between 10:40 and 12:19 I counted 63 depth charges. At 12:00 one group of depth charges caused severe damage through out the boat. At 12:02 I jettisoned debris and headed for periscope depth to fight. At flank speed I could only make Ύ kts. At 12:05 I fired 3 torpedoes at a range of 890 yds at a DD then dove back to depth. Sound reported 3 hits but no explosions. At 12:12 I bottomed the boat at 250 feet. By 12:24 the bilge pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding. Boat began to flood. By 12:54 the Engine Room, Aft Battery Room and Storage Room 1 were all heavily flooded. By 13:11 damage controls finished repairs on the aft Battery Hull. The escorts finally moved off at 15:03. They must have thought they sunk me due to debris and the oil slick. The XO reported that the diesel fuel was getting low due to damaged fuel tanks. Had the aft Battery Room pumped dry by 13:40 and the Engine Room Hull repaired by 14:00. I proceeded to pump out all the flooded areas before trying to surface.
RMKS/ 9. Surfaced at 15:14 and continued repairs while heading for Pearl Harbor.
Patrol Summary:
TDC: Auto
Conditions:
Seas: Moderate
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Enemy Sunk:
| 1. 1 x Troop Transport | 8,120 tons | 25-32N x 124-18E | ||
| 2. 1 x Converted Factory Ship | 6,930 tons | 25-38N x 124-22E | ||
| 3. 1 x Oil Tanker | 6,440 tons | 25-26N x 122-53E | ||
| 4. 1 x Oil Tanker | 8,970 tons | 25-52N x 121-48E | ||
| Total tonnage sunk: | 30,460 tons | |||
Enemy Escaped:
Damage Sustained:
Ordnance Remaining:
Torpedoes: 2
Deck Gun: 95
Comments: Only luck saved my crew and me. Had we been in deep water the flooding would have killed us all. ASW doesnt seem to be very experienced. They seem overconfident. Request refit.
LCDR Greg Turner
USS Tarpon
// SENDS //