- 7 weeks ago
The Wahoo Story. Fri, Jun 28, 1957. The final mission of the USS Wahoo
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykus, retired.
00:29The USS Wahoo wrote one of the most inspiring pages in the Annals of Submarine Warfare in the Pacific.
00:36Her achievement in carrying the war to Japan's front door is almost legendary.
00:41In her first six combat patrols, she sank 16 enemy ships and damaged two more.
00:48The Wahoo came to fight.
00:50A skipper, Commander D.W. Morton, stated it in one sentence, sink them all.
01:02Dudley Morton loved combat.
01:04At Annapolis, he'd gone out for boxing, wrestling and football.
01:09It was during his flea days that his slow southern drawl had earned him the nickname Mushmouth.
01:15In time, this had been shortened to Mush.
01:18At 35, Mush was a full commander.
01:21His executive officer was Lieutenant Commander Vern L. Skijansby from Hickson, North Dakota.
01:28Unorthodox but deadly, the men of the Wahoo terrorized the Japanese shipping lanes.
01:34In the Palau area, during their third patrol, they wiped out an entire Japanese convoy.
01:48Sinking a transport, a tanker, and two large freighters.
01:54On the way back to Pearl Harbor with all torpedo racks empty, the Wahoo attacked another freighter with her deck guns.
02:05She was driven off by an escort vessel.
02:07It was during this action that Mush radioed his famous report.
02:12The Wahoo's dispatch has just been unscrambled.
02:15Read it.
02:16Another running gun battle.
02:19Destroyer gunning, Wahoo running.
02:24Following his fifth patrol, Mush rode back into Pearl Harbor flying a broom from his periscope,
02:33like the old Dutch Admiral Tromp had done 300 years ago.
02:46What's that thing flying from his periscope?
02:48Looks like a broom, sir.
02:50A clean sweep, eh?
02:52Maybe that's something you can write about, Mr. Leaf.
02:55Ah, it's colorful.
02:57Isn't that what your correspondents look for?
02:59I guess so, Admiral.
03:01You'll get plenty of that from Commander Morton.
03:04You may not be able to print it all.
03:06Mush is a little short on formality.
03:08I can see that, Admiral.
03:10You may not be able to see that, Admiral.
03:20Silent service.
03:24The men of the Wahoo started their weeks of rest.
03:27Joining them in their relaxation was Lieutenant Commander Dick O'Kane,
03:31the former executive officer of the Wahoo,
03:34who was waiting to return to the States to take command of the newly commissioned submarine Tang.
03:39A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
03:42Give me some time to blow the man down.
03:45She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow.
03:48Yo-ho, blow the man down.
03:57Unseen visitor requests permission to enter, sir.
04:00Permission granted.
04:01Unseen visitor has permission of the Captain to enter.
04:04Aye, aye, sir.
04:05Lieutenant.
04:06Tell them to come in.
04:09So I took in all sail and cried weighing up now.
04:13Give me some time to blow the man down.
04:17Good evening, Commander.
04:21My name is Leif.
04:23The Admiral has given me clearance for a piece on the submarine service.
04:27Ah, war correspondent.
04:30Anything you tell me will just be background if it won't be used for publication.
04:34Gentlemen, the Wahoo's about to be immortalized in print for 20 million readers.
04:40How many readers have you got, Mr. Warcourts, Martin?
04:43Well, I never counted them.
04:45Well, let's say 20 million, then.
04:48Is that all right with you?
04:50Anything you say, Commander?
04:51No, no, I'm more interested in what you've got to say.
04:55Are you going to tell your 20 million readers that the Wahoo's the finest boat in the fleet?
05:00No.
05:02The man says no.
05:03The Wahoo sinks them all and he won't say she's the best.
05:07How do you explain that, Mr. Warcourts, Martin?
05:11I'm just a reporter, Commander, not a press agent.
05:14Well, I've heard that you've got a reputation for being a very good reporter.
05:18Do you go along with that, Mr. Leaf?
05:23I never gave it much thought.
05:25When can we get together?
05:27Well, I don't think you and I can ever get together.
05:31If you want to talk, I'll be in my room tomorrow at noon.
05:34Thanks.
05:36I'll see, Mr. Leaf out, Captain.
05:41Come on, let's see.
05:43As I went walking down Paradise Street...
05:47The old man has a little trouble in whining after a patrol.
05:51Don't take him too seriously.
05:52I won't.
05:54Maybe you wouldn't want him as best man at your wedding right now.
05:57Well, in the counting tower, he's as good as they come.
06:00I met a lot of good ones in this war, Commander.
06:02Last month I was up in the jungle. They walk in off a patrol up there.
06:06Covered with blood and slime.
06:08It wouldn't occur to those guys to put a broom on a bayonet.
06:12And they'd be too tired to do it, even if they did think about it.
06:15How old are you, Mr. Leaf?
06:16Forty-five, fifty?
06:19I'm fifty-two.
06:20That's what's eating you, isn't it?
06:28Sure you won't have a cup?
06:29No, thanks.
06:35What do you want to know about the Wahoo?
06:37Let's start with the record.
06:41We just completed our fifth combat patrol, the curio chain.
06:44We got two freighters, a tanker, damaged another freighter, and fifteen thousand ton aircraft transport.
06:52Now, what's the total to date?
06:55About sixty thousand ton.
06:57That includes a Japanese sub and a destroyer.
07:01Where did you get the destroyer?
07:03Wewag Harbor.
07:05It's shallow there.
07:07We couldn't go deep enough to be safe from depth charging, so I had to get him first.
07:10How did you do it?
07:12Exposed my periscope.
07:14He came charging down on us trying to ram.
07:17I had a down-the-throat shot and blew a bow off.
07:20Now, that's a difficult shot, isn't it?
07:23So they say.
07:25We're awarded the presidential unit citation for that patrol.
07:29I understand your next patrol is to the Sea of Japan.
07:33Where'd you hear that?
07:34It's just a rumor.
07:38Forget it.
07:40If it's true, it's top secret.
07:41Don't breathe a word of it.
07:43Well, I've been around long enough to know that, Commander.
07:46How would you like it if it is true?
07:48Hmm.
07:49I'd like that real fine.
07:52The Emperor's bathtub.
07:54That area must be full of targets.
07:57Virgin territory.
07:58Yeah.
07:59I'll tell you one thing, Mr. Leaf.
08:01If they send me out there, it won't be very long.
08:04That's very colorful.
08:06You mind if I use that sometime?
08:08Look me up when I get back.
08:10Don't forget a new ribbon for your typewriter.
08:13I won't.
08:15Don't you forget your broom.
08:19Anything else, Mr. Leaf?
08:21I have a feeling the big story is your next patrol.
08:24I'll wait till you get back.
08:25The rumor about the Wahoo's next patrol proved to be correct.
08:36Mush was ordered to carry on operations in the Sea of Japan,
08:40a well-guarded waterway between Korea and the home islands of the Japanese Empire.
08:45Because the enemy considered it inaccessible to American penetration,
08:50it was often referred to as the enemy's private lake.
08:52In August of 1943, the Wahoo entered these sacred waters
08:57and immediately made contact with an enemy convoy.
09:02Bearing?
09:043-2-6.
09:063-2-6.
09:08Angle on the ball?
09:094-10.
09:11Estimated range?
09:12Range?
09:142,500 yards.
09:16Ready to shoot, Captain.
09:18Waitin'.
09:22Down scope.
09:23Down scope.
09:28Up scope.
09:29Shooting observation.
09:36Bearing?
09:373-3-8.
09:383-3-8.
09:39Range?
09:401,900 yards.
09:42Shoot.
09:46One's away.
09:48Torpedo run.
09:50One minute.
09:59Five.
10:00Four.
10:01Three.
10:02Two.
10:04One.
10:05Two.
10:06Two.
10:07Three.
10:12Three.
10:13Two.
10:14Nothing.
10:15What do you mean nothing?
10:16We had his course range of speed right on.
10:18It's got the hits.
10:19Well, it must have been a sour pickle, Captain.
10:21Never came close.
10:28All right.
10:29As soon as he clears, we'll service run up ahead for another try.
10:32All right.
10:34Down scope.
10:42Par one.
10:43One away.
10:46Par two.
10:47Two away.
10:49Torpedo run.
10:5045 seconds.
10:5130 seconds.
10:5730 seconds.
11:0125 seconds.
11:06What's that?
11:07First torpedo broke and exploded prematurely.
11:09What happened to the other one?
11:14Running hot, straight and normal.
11:21One.
11:26Middle of the target.
11:27Low order explosion.
11:28Probably the air flask.
11:32Down scope.
11:35I hear a new set of propellers.
11:37Coming directly at us.
11:39Sounds like an escort.
11:41What do they want with us?
11:42We're not hurting anybody.
11:45Take her down to 300 feet.
11:46All right.
11:50Let's see what we got.
11:52Well, we calculated the target's course and speed right on the nose.
11:56The trouble's got to be with the torpedoes themselves.
11:59We checked every fish, right?
12:00Nothing wrong with any of them.
12:02That's only half the problem.
12:03The last fish ran true.
12:05Yeah, but all it did was bang up against the hull and sink.
12:08We might as well be shooting with practice torpedoes.
12:11You know, it might be the firing pin.
12:13The impact might bend it before it could set off the charge.
12:17There's nothing we can do about the firing pins now, Captain.
12:20Well, we can reduce the impact by setting the torpedoes to run slower.
12:25That might help.
12:26Might give them better depth control, too.
12:28Well, these torpedoes are set for high speed.
12:30Let's reduce them to low speed and we'll try it again.
12:33Same area, Captain?
12:34No, no.
12:36No, they're looking for us here.
12:37We'll move down to the Hokkaido-Korea route.
12:40Aye, aye, sir.
12:41Aye, sir.
12:43Aye, sir.
12:44Aye.
12:45Aye, aye, sir.
12:46Aye, aye, sir.
12:48Aye, aye, sir.
12:58Arm, mark.
12:59Three, four, six.
13:00Three, four, six.
13:01Range.
13:02March.
13:04One eight, five, oh.
13:05No change.
13:06Caloscope.
13:07We are fired by three torpedoes.
13:09Close speed.
13:11Six feet. Set depth at six feet.
13:24Final bearing.
13:25Up scope.
13:34Bearing. Mark.
13:36Three, two, five.
13:38Set. Shoot.
13:42Shoot.
14:00Exploded a half mile short of target.
14:04That does it.
14:11If they can't give us torpedoes at work, we'll surface and throw hand grenades at them.
14:16Down scope.
14:18Another dispatch from the Wahoo, sir.
14:28Read it.
14:29Urgent for come sub pack.
14:31Wahoo sends urgent requests.
14:33Permission to return to Pearl Harbor immediately.
14:36Damn the torpedoes, sir.
14:39Order him back immediately.
14:41Aye, aye, sir.
14:42On the Wahoo's sixth patrol, she had sighted a dozen Japanese vessels and fired ten torpedoes.
15:00Not a single one had performed properly.
15:03Mush's outraged message to the Admiral was understandable.
15:07So an arrayed skipper steams into Pearl Harbor.
15:11The
15:16Ah, they kill you, sir. That's what they do.
15:18Why, the Sea of Japan is just loaded with targets.
15:21It's a shooting gallery.
15:23What happened?
15:25Not one sinking.
15:26Not a single thing to show for our run.
15:28Why, it kills you.
15:30All right, not much.
15:31Just give me the highlights.
15:32I'll get the details later.
15:34Well, we planned our speed to get to La Perouse straight at twilight.
15:38We made the run at night on the surface.
15:41Is the straight mine?
15:43Probably.
15:44But they got a neutral shipping lane.
15:46We went in with our navigation lights burning just like we belong there.
15:50They looked us over, that's all.
15:51Why, those guys don't even know there's a war going on.
15:54We bounced one dud off of Fraser's hull.
15:56She didn't even notice it.
15:58Didn't any of them explode?
16:00Either too soon or too late.
16:02One shot was 700 yards.
16:05You don't miss at that range.
16:08The target only had a speed of seven knots.
16:11She's still making knots.
16:13Ten fish, Admiral.
16:15And every one of them either failed to explode, went off too soon,
16:19or headed for the wide open spaces.
16:21You didn't fire the rest?
16:23No, I wanted to bring some home.
16:26She was wrong with them.
16:28Marshal, I understand you have your executive office a man the periscope.
16:33Yes, sir.
16:34Why is that?
16:36Well, I find it works better for me.
16:39I watch the plot and the data computer.
16:42That way I don't get trigger happy or scared and fire too soon.
16:46But no matter how nervous or how scared Burn gets,
16:50I don't fire until the time's right.
16:53It's a little unorthodox.
16:55Maybe.
16:56It's a good system, if I've got good torpedoes.
17:00Tell me what you want, Marsh, and I'll get it for you.
17:03Sir, you give me a load of good torpedoes and turn me around tomorrow.
17:08Now, slow down a bit.
17:10Get your men up to the Royal Hawaiian for some rest.
17:13In a week or so, we'll have the first batch of torpedoes with a different firing pin.
17:18Does it work, sir?
17:19I think so.
17:20They're made out of very light aluminum.
17:22Besides that, we've got a new batch of torpedoes.
17:24The Mark 18 electric.
17:26They leave no air bubble trails.
17:28That sounds good to me.
17:30I like the idea of no air bubbles on the surface.
17:33All right, Marsh.
17:34As soon as the Wahoo is loaded and fueled,
17:36we'll send you back to the Sea of Japan.
17:39In the meantime, if you're cool off,
17:41you'll live long enough to send some more reports.
17:46They make lively reading anyhow, Marsh.
17:49I was pretty mad at the time.
17:51How'd the old man take it?
17:53I think he got a kick out of it.
17:55But don't tell anybody I told you.
17:58There's a correspondent wants to talk to you.
18:00Oh, yeah.
18:13Good evening, Commander.
18:15Hello.
18:16Sit down.
18:20I, um...
18:22I hear that you ran into a streak of bad luck.
18:24Mr. Leaf,
18:27on this patrol, we couldn't fly a whisk broom.
18:31You can write about that if you like.
18:32That's all I got to report.
18:34They told me you had ten torpedoes go sour on you.
18:37Yeah, ten.
18:39That isn't even a record.
18:41The Tenosa had eleven dud hits in a row.
18:45Well, Commander, you really can't sink them all, you know.
18:49Why not?
18:51We're sure gonna try.
18:52You got an answer for that one?
18:54We're going back out there, Mr. Leaf.
18:57Maybe we'll do it right this time.
19:00You can wait that long.
19:02I can wait.
19:04Good hunting.
19:05Good hunting.
19:10On September the 9th, the Wahoo departed from Pearl Harbor to return to the Sea of Japan.
19:16The Wahoo's orders called for entry into the Sea of Japan through La Perouse Strait on September the 20th.
19:22She was to patrol the area south of the 43rd parallel, while the sawfish was to operate above it.
19:29After sunset of October 21st, the Wahoo was to leave her area and report as she transited the Curio chain while en route home.
19:38The Wahoo was not heard from again.
19:43Any report on the Wahoo?
19:45No, Dick. Not a word since she entered La Perouse Strait last month.
19:50Will you let me know the minute she reports?
19:52Sure.
19:53Day or night?
19:54Right.
19:55Of course.
19:56We'll get a message any time now.
19:57It'll be a hot one.
19:58I'm betting on it.
20:00The sawfish got back this morning.
20:02Maybe she knows something.
20:03Sawfish?
20:04I'll get right over there.
20:12Have you talked to anyone?
20:13No, I just got here.
20:14There's nothing at headquarters.
20:16Let's go below.
20:18I saw Mush in Midway in September just before he pulled out.
20:21He was a wild man.
20:23Having all those pickles go sour on his last patrol did something to him.
20:26Yeah, I thought we were going to have to tie him down.
20:29He topped off with fuel and got underway on the 13th.
20:31I followed two days later.
20:33Did anyone get on your tail?
20:34A few times.
20:36Coming through the Strait, a patrol boat laid five death charges around us.
20:40Any contact with Mush after he left Midway?
20:42No, I didn't sign him leave.
20:43Didn't pick up any radio messages.
20:45We cleared the area on the 21st and reached Midway ten days later.
20:48They hadn't received any transmission either.
20:51Then the last message he sent was the night he entered La Perouse Strait.
20:55The last one so far.
20:57Dick, there's already been an aircraft search along his route.
20:59Nothing.
21:01Boats have been overdue before.
21:03We'll hear from him.
21:04I know Mush.
21:05He's sitting out there someplace right now dreaming up a report.
21:08Yeah.
21:09It was anybody but Mush.
21:11Well, I want to read his report.
21:17You wanted me, sir?
21:18Yes, Dick.
21:19Bad news on the Wahoo.
21:21Well, I don't believe...
21:22Sorry, sir. I just can't make myself believe it.
21:25We just picked up a broadcast from Tokyo.
21:27Maude.
21:29Yes, sir.
21:30Read it.
21:31Dated October 11th.
21:33Our planes found a floating sub in La Perouse Strait
21:36and attacked it with three depth charges.
21:39That could have been the sawfish.
21:40She was attacked in the strait.
21:42The sawfish was attacked two days earlier by patrol boats.
21:45Five depth charges.
21:47We have to assume it was the Wahoo.
21:51Does Tokyo claim to have sunk her?
21:53No.
21:54Admiral, I...
21:55I don't want to believe it either, Dick.
21:56But the Wahoo is 30 days overdue.
21:59And no word has been received from her since she transited La Perouse Strait.
22:03That was over two months ago.
22:05I'd still say we'll get a message from her, sir.
22:17This is Howard Lee from Pearl Harbor.
22:19A news broadcast picked up from Domi in Tokyo tonight.
22:22Reported a Japanese steamer was torpedoed and sunk
22:26in Shashima Strait with a loss of 544 persons.
22:30Shashima Strait is the historic gateway to the Asiatic mainland.
22:34A few centuries ago, Regent Hikyoshi sailed across it to battle the Koreans.
22:41He sent home 38,000 enemy ears pickled in wine.
22:46In 1905, Admiral Togo smashed the Russian fleet here.
22:51The sinking of the Japanese freighter brings the war to the Emperor's front porch.
22:55The only American submarine operating in that area was the USS Wahoo.
23:00She is now 30 days overdue and must be presumed lost with all hands.
23:06The Wahoo's captain, Commander D.W. Morton, was noted for his terse and colorful reports.
23:12This was the Wahoo's final report and her obituary.
23:19But in the minds of the submariners who knew her, she will prowl the sea of Japan forever.
23:25This is Howard Leap in Pearl Harbor returning you to New York.
23:30The Grand Prix
23:32The Grand Prix
23:33The Grand Prix
23:34The Grand Prix
23:35The Grand Prix
23:37The Grand Prix
23:40The Grand Prix
23:41The End
24:11I'll be back in a moment.
24:18All submariners had a great respect for the Wahoo, and I want to add a few words about her.
24:24She was without doubt our most colorful submarine.
24:28In addition to the Brougham, she used to fly a long pennant with the words,
24:32Sink the sons of guns on it.
24:34If you went below decks, you'd find this same slogan on the locker fronts in every compartment.
24:38But she was more than colorful. She was effective.
24:43Up to the time of her loss, she was leading the way in destruction of the enemy.
24:48Every officer and man was proud of that ship.
24:51She had more than her share of that intangible something called a spree de corps.
24:56One military unit with it is worth a dozen without it.
24:59It was a product of leadership, the leadership of Commander Dudley W. Morton.
25:05The End
Recommended
5:28
|
Up next
26:06
26:04
26:00
26:03
25:39
26:03
26:02
37:58
26:02
25:53
26:08
26:02
26:05
26:05
26:00
26:05
26:04
26:06
10:07
28:28
26:06
Be the first to comment