From: CAPT. Greg Turner (USS Hoe)
ComSubRon 12A
To: ComSubPac
Date: October 20,1943
Re: Patrol Format (July 01 - Cycle 2)
RMKS/ 1. Left Pearl Harbor early on the 4th of October 1943 and made a refuel stop at Midway Island.
RMKS/ 2. Arrived on station in the Aleutian Islands in the late afternoon (15:44) of October 11,1943. Had aboard 24 Mk-14 steam torpedos.
RMKS/ 3. October 12,1943 18:39 SJ contact bearing 295` at 11,560 yds. Lookouts made visual at 18:41 on 1 - Fubuki class DD bearing 350` at 9,700 yds. Dove to radar depth under Partly Cloudy skies in Moderate seas. Sound reported low speed screws and SJ radar reported a large body of ships at 7,800 yds bearing 325`. I continued to close for attack and spotted a 2nd DD (Kagero) bearing 090` and a 3rd DD (Unidentified) bearing 008`. The DD's were stationed 1 in the lead with one on each bow of the convoy. After getting the convoy's track I went to periscope depth. At 19:04 I secured engines ahead of the convoy and waited for them to come to me. The Fubuki DD passed close aboard and sounded like a freight train. At 19:07 a check showed a large convoy in 4 columns. I was just inboard of the nearest column so I moved ahead to be able to bring stern and bow tubes to bear. The DD's were at 4,800, 3,700, and 5,800 yds. Identified 3 - Armed Merchants, 3 - Tankers, 2 - Supply ships, 1 - Standard Merchant, and 1 - Small Freighter.
RMKS/ 4. At 19:19 I fired 2 torpedo's at the lead Tanker in the 1st column from my stern tubes at 1,500 yds (SUNK) and fired 2 torpedo's at the lead Tanker in the 3rd column from the bow tubes at 700 yds (SUNK). At 19:20 I fired 2 torpedos at the lead Armed merchant in the 2nd column from 560 yds (DAM). Also fired 2 torpedos at an AMC in the 3rd column from 1,600 yds but it evaded both torpedos. All fired torpedos were set for 16 feet. After missing I headed deep with the DD's coming in. At 19:25 I leveled off at 372 feet and evaded to the south. Lost sonar contact at 20:53 and went to radar depth. SJ picked up multiple contacts astern from 9,800 to 14,100 yds. At 21:16 I surfaced and headed north to try and regain contact.
RMKS/ 5. 21:36 SJ picked up convoy and lookouts spotted The Fubuki DD bearing 000` at 5,200 yds closing. Dove to radar depth and as DD closed I went to periscope depth. At 22:55 a DD passed overhead but failed to detect me. At 22:40 a check showed 3 DD's around me with low speed screws being picked up to the north. Went to 250 feet to close on low speed screws and sound reported 9 sets of high-speed screws in the area. At 23:05 low speed screws passed overhead. At 23:10 I arrived periscope depth on the south end of the convoy as it was turning from a southerly course to a northerly course. I immediately fired 2 torpedos at a Troop ship at 690 yds (SUNK), and fired 2 torpedos at an Armed Merchant at 690 yds. The hits slowed the AMC and I fired a 3rd torpedo from 870 yds that (SUNK) it. Shifted to a supply ship and fired 1 torpedo from 670 yds set at 10 feet (SUNK). With the DD's closing I shifted my setup to a Standard Merchant and at 23:15 fired 1 torpedo from 1,400 yds (DAM). Dove deep to avoid the escorts, which were racing in. While turning northwest and passing through 179 feet their active sonar found me. Over the next 4 hours we received 77 depth charges from the escorts. After several high-speed runs and evasive maneuvers we lost contact at 02:45 with the battery down to 180 volts. Arrived radar depth at 06:09 and made no contacts on radar so we surfaced to charge the batteries.
RMKS/ 6. 13th October 1943 06:54 SJ contact bearing 262` at 14,780 yds. The battery was only up to 310 volts but I took the boat in for a possible attack. At 07:03 lookouts spotted a mast on the horizon at a range of 15,700 yds. Unable to identify. I turned south after spotting 6-7 merchants to close the gap. Also spotted 1 - Asashio DD, and 1 - Fubuki DD. By 07:18 the ships were hull down at 10,000 yds but I was able to identify 1 - SM, 1 - AMC, 1 - OT, 2 - LF, and 2 - SF in 3 columns with 2 ships in the first and middle and 3 in the outer. I repositioned to allow ships down the stern and bow and went to periscope depth. At 07:44 fired 2 torpedos at the lead Troop ship in the outer column from 1,280 yds (SUNK) and fired 2 torpedos at the Standard Merchant at 660 yds (SUNK) plus fired 2 torpedos at the Tanker at 921 yds (SUNK). At 07:46 fired my last stern tube at a Large Freighter from 500 yds (SUNK) then dove deep and turned south.
I turned southeast as active sonar found me and then I ran a tight circle under the escorts and slipped easily away to the southwest. I stayed down until going to radar depth at 09:44 at which time no contact was made so I surfaced to complete the battery charge.
RMKS/ 7. At 10:15 SJ contact bearing 329` at 13,650 yds. Four minutes later lookouts spotted a DD bearing 325` at 13,200 yds and I dove to radar depth. After tracking for a while I spotted 1 - SM, and 1 - OT plus the escorting Fubuki DD. Sound reported several low speed screws but I was unable to spot any more. At 11:12 fired my last 2 torpedo's at the Tanker from 880 yds (SUNK) then dove deep. Our confirmation of the sinking came with a tremendous explosion that forced the boat down and rattled things worse than a depth charge. Active sonar found us at once and the pounding began. I evaded until 14:44 when a close string of charges dished in the Aft Engine Room Pressure Hull causing moderate leaking and also damaged the Radio. I went deeper to 366 feet and over the next few hours until 16:51 we received no fewer than 90 depth charges. They were not all close but they sure shook us around. The Hull breach was repaired quickly and flooding was nonexistent. Finally at 16:51 the escorts moved off and we slipped away with the battery down to 125 volts. Arrived radar depth at 17:12 and picked up a contact bearing 178` at 12,000 yds. We lost this contact at 17:20 and I surfaced and set a course for Pearl Harbor.
Patrol Summary:
TDC: Auto
Conditions: Enemy Sunk:
Total: 70,710 tons
Enemy Damaged:
1. Oct 12,1943, 19:20, Armed Merchant, 51-05N x 173-38E Enemy Escaped:
1. 3 x Small Freighter's Damage Sustained:
1. Radio - Minor Torpedo Performance:
Duds - Premature - Misses - Hits Aircraft Encountered: Depth Charges Received: Ordnance Remaining:
Torpedoes: 0 Comments: A cold place to make patrols but a necessary job. The Jap's are as miserable if not worse than we are. I attacked 3 convoys in all and Mistook the second one for the previously attack first convoy. Not until I made visual did I realize this. The 2 convoys must have passed in opposite directions. We received over 160 depth charges from the angry escorts. They are still using shallow settings, which I hope they never figure out, Request refit and reload.
CAPT. Greg Turner
Seas: Moderate
Weather: Partly Cloudy
1. Oct 12,1943, 19:19, Tanker, (6,000 tons), 51-05N x 173-38E
2. Oct 12-1943, 19:19, Tanker, (6,000 tons), 51-05N x 173-38E
3. Oct 12,1943, 23:10, Troop Ship, (6,050 tons), 51-50N x 173-39E
4. Oct 12,1943, 23:10, Armed Merchant, (4,750 tons), 51-05N x 173-39E
5. Oct 12,1943, 23:10, Supply Ship, (2,170 tons), 51-05N x 173-39E
6. Oct 13,1943, 06:44, Troop ship, (6,050 tons), 51-10N x 173-43E
7. Oct 13,1943, 06:44, Standard Merchant, (5,850 tons), 51-10N x 173-43E
8. Oct 13,1943, 06:44, Tanker, (13,510 tons), 51-10N x 173-43E
9. Oct 13,1943, 07:46, Large Freighter, (6,820 tons), 51-09N x 173-45E
10 Oct 13,1943, 11:12, Tanker, (13,510 tons), 51-09N x 173-45E
2. Oct 12,1943, 23:15, Standard Merchant, 51-05N x 173-39E
2. 3 x Unidentified DD's
3. 2 x Fubuki class DD's
4. 2 x Armed Merchants
5. 1 x Large Freighter
6. 1 x Standard Merchant
7. 1 x Supply
8. 1 x Kagero class DD
2. Aft Engine Room Hull - Moderate
-0 -------- 0 ---------- 2 ------- 22
0
160+
Deck Gun: 95
CO USS Hoe
CO SubRon 12A