"USS YORKTOWN AT THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY" BY ANTHONY SAUNDERS. THE YORKTOWN WAS LOST IN THE BATTLE. SHE IS DEPICTED UNDER ATTACK BY JAPANESE TORPEDO BOMBERS. ALSO PICTURED IS ONE OF HER DESTROYERS, THE USS HAMMANN.
- GOONEY BIRDS LIKE THESE INHABITED MIDWAY ISLAND
A RECENT AERIAL VIEW OF MIDWAY ISLAND
By JOHN R. BAKER
CHAPTER NINE: THE COVETED SUBMARINE SET OF DOLPHINS
I was one of the “new guys” who had to qualify as soon as possible. Pressure was put on all of us to become qualified on our first fun. This was #1 priority so that we would become as useful as we could be. We were required to study and memorize all sections of our boat. This meant the tanks, the pipes, the hydraulics, the trim system, the torpedoes and how to fire them, the engine rooms, the battery compartments, the armaments, and of course, the diving procedures. So, until dinner time, unless we were at battle stations or otherwise pre-occupied, all of us new swabbies were kept prowling around the ship. We helped one another by quizzing each other. I don’t think anyone lasted two patrols without earning the coveted dolphins. When they were sewed on your right forearm sleeve you became a submariner!
By this time I could sleep right through the loud OO-GAH of the diving Klaxon no matter how close it was to my bunk. (As a radioman, I had no direct diving responsibility.) But the BONG BONG BONG of the battle stations alarm would have me scurrying by the second BONG!
In hotter parts of the Pacific we all learned to run around in just our skivvy drawers and sandals. There was one fast rule, though. No one could come to chow without a tee shirt.
Thankfully, we rarely had to do what’s called “silent running.” That’s when pursuers are in close proximity and we’d be in danger of being detected by sound emanations. We weren’t supposed to make any noise lest the close-by enemy could hear us. All air conditioning, fans or other unnecessary noisemakers were squelched. In areas with hot climates it was very uncomfortable. We all wore towels around our necks to try to control the sweat. Nevertheless, the linoleum deck would get oily and slippery. All crew not absolutely conning the boat were required to stay very quiet.
During our first patrol we were in Philippines waters the whole time and the enemy had beau-coup planes patrolling during daylight. But also at this time there was a plentiful number of Japanese ships in the area. They thought that they could drive us away! Ha. Night time was our chance to howl. We always dove for the day before sunrise. Of course this meant we couldn’t surface until after dark. We always spent 12 to 14 hours submerged. Eventually the oxygen level in our sewer pipe drops low. Hard to keep a cigarette or a match lit. Always a relief to surface and get those first breaths of fresh air. I recall during that first patrol I didn’t see any daylight for about 60 days. Once in a while we could climb to the bridge at night for fresh air, but it always had to be in darkness.
During our first two patrols we spotted at least two Japanese submarines. In both cases they spotted us at about the same time. We both did what submarines do best. We both dove. Out there another sub is considered a prime target, but we never did get to shoot at one.
On January 16, 1945, during the second patrol, we receive a report from headquarters — ComSubPac — regarding the position of a life-raft with a single survivor. Later, we received a second report, this time 60 miles closer to us at the same latitude. An American pilot reported dropping a raft to “several survivors, one injured” We never found anything, and really, the position of the survivors was never definitely established. We were able to reach both of the first two reported positions, only to be told the positions were in error. Frustrating. This sort of thing happened more than once and never did we rescue Americans, but we sure tried our best.
After refueling at Saipan once more, on February 28, 1945, we headed for Midway Island, where we arrived on March 8, 1945. This was the conclusion of O’Toole’s second patrol.
The famous “Gooney Birds” of Midway Island were there to greet us when we landed on the atoll. The birds nested in the sand all over the place and were considered a danger to planes taking off. A 27-second video of Gooney Birds dancing is added here: http://flickr.com/photos/x0jaderaven0x/2547756258/
THE COVETED SUBMARINE SET OF DOLPHINS
This was to be our second island rest camp, but wasn’t nearly as “South Sea Island” as Majuro. There wasn’t a tree to be seen. After a nice greeting when we tied up to the huge dock section, we moved our gear to a Quonset hut in the submarine rest area.
Midway is a circular atoll six miles in diameter. It consists of two islands with a total area of two square miles. It was named Midway because it lies about half way between California and Japan. The Navy, in 1940, began to build both an air and a submarine base at Midway. The Battle of Midway fought June 3-6, 1942 was considered the turning point of the battle in the Pacific. On exploring our new temporary home we were amazed to see the signs of the major battles that were fought here. At least one PT boat was still pulled up on the beach and just left there all shot up. Bullet holes in a lot of the structures testified to the extensiveness of the fight. Four Japanese carriers were lost in large part because the U.S. was able to compromise the enemy code. This had definitely been an air battle in which the ships on both side did not get really close to one another.
On Midway, we had the usual routine. Ate, slept, explored and drank beer when the beer garden was open. I can remember being impressed with the beautiful movie theater and the well-stocked ship’s service. Supplies and mail were flown in daily from Honolulu and I even got to see Robert Taylor, the movie star, land his DC-4.
Up until then, I had never been up in an airplane. Every day a transport type plane scouted all around the island just in case the enemy had some clever attack in mind. At the airport I found out the plane would be up at least eight hours, so I opted out. Up until then, whenever we made day trips in Atule, fly-fly boys (military aviators) always came along just so they could dive on a submarine. Surprisingly enough, by the time we’d get to our diving zone they’d be sound asleep in our forward torpedo room. Not too thrilling, I’m sure.
One thing I wish I’d done though while I was at Midway was to have gone deep sea fishing. The Navy ran regular trips after some really great fish. I’ve kicked myself more than once because I passed up a great opportunity. But now the time was running out and we’d soon be on our way to our next patrol.
Photo Credits:
Gooney birds (photo by deleware kathy on flickr.com)
Aerial view of Midway Island (photo by precisionartists on flickr.com)
“USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway” (art by Anthony Saunders)
MY STORY: MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE US NAVY 