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#4568833 - 05/17/21 09:35 PM Good WW2 submarine article  
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oldgrognard Offline
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#4568836 - 05/17/21 09:55 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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It's a great article OG. I never knew about this incident.


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#4568840 - 05/17/21 10:26 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Wow, that was a great read. thumbsup

Thanks for that!

#4568846 - 05/17/21 11:22 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Yeah, it certainly was more than the usual dry account. Showed more of the actual conditions and decisions that happened. Unique info on the crew workings.


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#4568894 - 05/18/21 01:27 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Excellent article indeed. Thanks for posting OG.

WWII has a few cases of BB's being sunk by subs. HMS Royal Oak and HMS Barham are two examples.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4568916 - 05/18/21 03:32 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Thanks from me too, excellent read.

Seems a bit hard to belief that a whole main gun magazine would blow up simply from the ship listing to side... but obviously something must have triggered there...

#4568931 - 05/18/21 04:25 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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The article said that shells fell over and then hit something with their fuzed noses. I’m suprprised that the shells were stored fuzed. As much as I’ve been around shells, the fuzes were not on until prepared to fire. But maybe those huge naval guns are different.

“ At 5:22 am, Captain Shimazaki ordered all hands to abandon ship. Two minutes later, the forward 14-inch shells in Kongo’s magazine compartment were knocked over and fell, detonator forward, toward the deck. There was an enormous blast.”


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

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#4568970 - 05/18/21 08:29 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted by oldgrognard
The article said that shells fell over and then hit something with their fuzed noses. I’m suprprised that the shells were stored fuzed. As much as I’ve been around shells, the fuzes were not on until prepared to fire. But maybe those huge naval guns are different.

“ At 5:22 am, Captain Shimazaki ordered all hands to abandon ship. Two minutes later, the forward 14-inch shells in Kongo’s magazine compartment were knocked over and fell, detonator forward, toward the deck. There was an enormous blast.”


Does seem strange, maybe a few rounds kept fused for emergencies?

Certainly a great read, thanks.

Last edited by Nixer; 05/18/21 08:29 PM. Reason: They don't teach spelling in college

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#4569077 - 05/19/21 02:13 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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This patrol by Sealion was something else. Not only did she sink the only battleship sunk by American boats, she made contact with two more task forces containing battleships during the patrol, but was unable to reach attack position. She also had two casualties prior to the attack on Kongo. A torpedo was accidentally fired with the outer door closed, which pushed through the door and prevented it from being closed, putting it out of commission. It must have been a stern tube as the initial salvo is said to have been six torpedoes. Another torpedo had a battery explosion in a tube (she had a full load of Mark 18s).

For many years the ships sailing with Kongo that night were a mystery. Some sources I have claim the other battleship was Haruna, including the otherwise excellent Silent Victory by Blair. This was a natural conclusion, as the two ships were division mates for most of the war (they shelled Henderson field together for example). However, prior to this event, Haruna was detached (and at Lingga on Nov 21, 1944) and it was Yamato sailing with her that night.

It's long been assumed that the cruisers were Aoba and Tone, and the destroyers were almost certainly DesDiv 17, which included the unlucky Urakaze.

This was very similar to Barham's fate, but Kongo stayed afloat much longer. What happened in that magazine is speculation, a fire perhaps, or the 'falling shell' theory.

This attack by Sealion was a classic. It was pitch black, no moon. Seas were heavy. Range was 3,000 yards, which is a long shot of course. 16 knots is fast, but not that fast for capital ships. Evidently the decision was made to steam at this speed for fuel conservation reasons, and that the horrid weather offered some protection from submarine attack. A faster cruising speed would have probably prevented Kongo's loss, but such are the fates of war.


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#4569078 - 05/19/21 02:21 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Yes, I enjoyed that, thanks! When I was in jr. high school I checked a book out from the library about U.S. submarine missions in WWII and loved it. I read it over and over again, but it's so long ago that I can't recall if this was in there. I'd love to find that book again, but again, it's been so long ago that I don't remember enough about it.


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#4569091 - 05/19/21 04:21 PM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Great read , thanks for posting. I had never heard of this before.


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#4569144 - 05/20/21 01:03 AM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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I'll echo No105_Archie's comment - tremendous read, I thoroughly enjoyed it!!


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#4588593 - 01/05/22 02:05 AM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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bump
Enjoyed the article. thumbsup


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#4588655 - 01/06/22 03:32 AM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Great read.

Practicing medicine in the New London, Connecticut area I've had the privilege of taking care of a number of old submariners over the years.
I asked one of them if it was true that if a depth charge was close enough you could hear the click of the detonator before the explosion and he confirmed that yes it was true.
What was being depth charged like? It was like being in one car crash after another per his recounting.

I asked one old gentleman why he was missing a thumb and he replied "Jap merchantman shot it off." Then he smiled and said "But we got him pretty quickly!".

Fascinating talking to those old guys. Almost all of them are gone now.


"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" -- Mark 8:36
#4588667 - 01/06/22 10:35 AM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Great article!

Imagine that, facing off against two battleships and a destroyer division in a single sub, on the surface. Takes some courage, that!


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#4588669 - 01/06/22 11:32 AM Re: Good WW2 submarine article [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Thanks for that post Docjonel. It was both very funny and quite sobering at the same time.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

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