- 4 months ago
Tarpon (SS-175) Early in World War II, many U.S. Navy ships were stymied on station for overhauling, among them the submarine Tarpon. It left Darwin, Australia, in January 1942, for duty in the vital Manipa Straits area, like a tiger without claws, limping northward toward the enemy. Shortly after arriving on station, the Tarpon's No.2 engine went out in enemy patrolled waters. Later, ordered to a new area, she ran aground on an uncharted reef. With low tide and daylight near, efforts were made to lighten the sub. Torpedoes were fired at the beach, reserve fuel and supplies jettisoned and preparations made to destroy the submarine. Then, hardworking machinist mates revived the ailing engine. As Japanese planes started a bombing run, the Tarpon pulled free and slipped into deep water to fight another day.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Ah-ha! Ah-ha! Ah-ha!
00:30I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykes, retired. This chapter of the Silence Service tells of a struggle of a captain and a crew against enormous odds. It is the story of men who never lost faith in themselves or their ship. The tougher the going, the tougher they became in a situation where lesser men would have tossed in the sponge.
00:53In the early months of 1942, the Japanese Navy steamed into the Dutch East Indies. Like a steamroller going down an incline, their gun crews at first encountered little opposition as they blasted everything in their path.
01:23To stem this advance, every operable American ship in the area was put into action. Many of our ships had been at sea for months with little opportunity to replace worn-out parts or to effect much-needed repairs.
01:37Such was the condition of the USS Tarpon as she left the port of Darwin in January 1942 for duty in the vital Manifa Strait area. Like a tiger without claws, the Tarpon lived northern in search of the enemy.
01:52On the fifth day, the captain, Lieutenant Commander Lewis Wallace of Quero, Texas, received additional bad news from his engineering officer, Lieutenant Jack Morrow.
02:01The number two main engine's acting up again, sir. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take it out the line.
02:06All right, let me know as soon as you find out what the trouble is. All right, sir.
02:09Well, Jack, is that exhaust valve leakage taking care of yet? Not yet, sir. Besides that, the drain pump just broke down.
02:17We've been bailing out the engine room bilges by hand. What else can happen? This old ship's like a fighter who's taken one punch too many.
02:25She's going on guts alone. Well, let's hope she can hang on until the round's over.
02:31I hear the only thing that's holding our engines together is a few sticks of chewing gum.
02:42Do you think they'll hold out until the patrol's over, Chief?
02:45Well, Cudeman, if the Tarpon can stay afloat with fats here aboard her, we got nothing to worry about.
02:51Yeah, too bad you guys don't pay for my services by the pound, and maybe you'd appreciate me.
02:57Eh.
02:59Son, if you think this is bad, you should have been with my old man in 18.
03:04They were 200 feet down below their maximum depth.
03:07The mortars and the batteries were out, and four enemy destroyers were dropping ash cans on the suck.
03:12The air was very bad, and the temperature in the engine room was 140 degrees.
03:19Now, how do you suppose they got out?
03:22Gee, fats, I don't know. How did they get out?
03:25The cook whipped up a batch of wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut and shot it to the surface through to the pitot tubes.
03:33And when the Germans saw it, they thought they were dropping ash cans on one of their subs.
03:37By the 11th of February, the Tarpon had reached the heavily patrolled on by area.
03:50At 2212 that night, a visual contact was made off the starboard bow.
03:55Looks like a patrol boat. Might be screened for a convoy.
03:58All stops. Secure main engines. All ahead one third on the battery.
04:05All engines answer stop.
04:15All answer ahead one third. Answering bells on the battery.
04:20We can't take any chances on that baby picking up our exhaust sparks.
04:24Target range. 8600 yards, sir.
04:27Closing fast.
04:29Left 10 degrees rudder. Steady on 170.
04:32Left 10 degrees rudder. Steady on 170.
04:38We'll keep our stern toward him. Make it tougher for him to pick us up.
04:49Range!
04:503600 yards, sir.
04:54We can't wait much longer. If we don't spot a convoy soon, we'll...
04:56He's changed course, Captain. Looks like he said it right towards us.
05:03He spotted us.
05:04Turn the bridge. Dive! Dive!
05:06Dive!
05:07Dive! Dive! Dive! Dive!
05:09Dive! Dive!
05:10Level off at 200 feet.
05:23Level off at 200 feet.
05:40Come right to 230.
05:52Come right to 230.
06:01Screw sounds receding, Captain.
06:03Sounds like we're losing him.
06:10Captain, lost power in the barrow and stern planes.
06:14Shifting to hand operation.
06:16Well, at least it left us a rudder.
06:18We'll be able to steer a straight course.
06:20Captain, the rudder angle indicator has been knocked out.
06:25During the 17th day of February,
06:27the tarpon made less than a mile,
06:29submerged due to strong currents and machinery casualties.
06:33The next day, she was running on the surface.
06:37Contact bearing three, two, four.
06:46Time for the conning tower.
06:48Surface contact bearing three, two, four.
06:52Surface contact bearing three, two, four.
06:56Three, two, four.
06:58What is it, Jack?
07:04Looks like a freighter, sir.
07:05Range about 18,000 yards.
07:07Doesn't seem to be any escort around.
07:26Station tracking party.
07:28All ahead, full.
07:29Answer bells and three main engines.
07:30Bearing three, one, zero.
07:45Changing to the left.
07:46He's seen us and he's turning away.
07:49We'll have to increase speed.
07:51The normal two engines still off the line, sir.
07:53Engine room's giving us everything they've got right now.
07:55For the better part of three hours,
07:57the tarpon struggled to get into position
07:58to start her attacking dive.
08:01But as the day wore on,
08:02it became evident that she was faced with a hopeless task.
08:06Range!
08:0716,000 yards, sir.
08:08No use, Captain.
08:09As long as she maintains that course,
08:10we haven't got a chance of getting ahead of her.
08:12And the engines can't take this beating much longer.
08:15Well, you're right, Rich.
08:16If they hadn't seen us,
08:17we might have had a chance.
08:18Secure the tracking party.
08:19Secure the tracking party.
08:20Secure the tracking party.
08:21This is a hard luck ship, I tell you.
08:22First, our engines can't break down.
08:24Then we get outrun by a fat freighter
08:25that should have been a sitting duck.
08:27And it isn't over yet.
08:28If you'll see a cat,
08:43and you'll see a pair of trains,
08:45but you can't leave that back.
08:47We can't be on a safe experience,
08:48and we can't even leave that.
08:50And it isn't over yet.
08:51That is nothing to worry about.
08:53If worse comes to worse, we can always use the sound crowd gag.
08:57It won't work here, Fats.
08:58We'll have to make it sukiyaki.
09:00Look, you guys can kid about it if you want.
09:02But hard luck never comes in twos.
09:05You'll see.
09:15Bologna seats. Looks like we finally got a break.
09:17The Tarpons just received orders to proceed to a new area
09:19north of Adenara.
09:21Good, that's in the heavy shipping lanes.
09:23Plenty of targets there.
09:25This time we won't have to chase them.
09:26They'll be going right over us.
09:27We've got a full load of torpedoes waiting us down.
09:30Gentlemen, looks like we're finally going to get a chance
09:32to lighten ship.
09:34At 0200 on February 24th,
09:37the Tarpon was nearing the narrow Bowling Straits
09:39en route to her station north of Adenara Island.
09:42Lieutenant Mara had come off the 8-12 watch
09:45and was asleep in his bunk.
09:47In the galley, a few of the crew were sampling
09:48some of Chief Davenport's special coffee.
09:51And on the bridge,
09:52the navigator had just come up from the conning tower
09:55to keep a lookout for his landfall,
09:57the southern tip of Point Talk.
09:59We should be sighting the point any minute now, Captain.
10:02All ahead, two-thirds.
10:03All ahead, two-thirds, sir.
10:09Lookouts, keep a sharp eye out for breaking surf.
10:11Aye, aye, sir.
10:12How much longer before we change course, Rich?
10:15Ten, fifteen minutes.
10:16I'll know better as soon as I can see the point.
10:34They're proud.
10:35All back, emergency.
10:37All back, emergency.
10:38Blow all main ballast tanks dry.
10:57All main ballast tanks are being blown dry, sir.
10:59Very well.
11:00Left full rudder.
11:01Left full rudder, sir.
11:02If we don't get off by daybreak,
11:04we'll be target practice
11:04for the first enemy plane that comes along.
11:06Right full rudder.
11:14Right full rudder, sir.
11:23The engines can't take this overload much longer, Captain.
11:27All stopped.
11:28All stopped, sir.
11:29All stopped, sir.
11:29All stopped, sir.
11:39It's no use.
11:41Until the tide comes up,
11:42we haven't got a chance of getting off.
11:44The keel must be buried six feet deep in that coral.
11:47What's our approximate position, Rich?
11:49Let's point talk off the port there.
11:52Our charts don't show a reef here.
11:57Last report from comms sub said that the Japanese task force was in this area.
12:01It'll be daylight in a couple of hours,
12:03and the tide should be rising.
12:05If it comes up before the enemy spots us,
12:07we'll have a chance.
12:08If it doesn't...
12:08Now, when all ships' records and classified correspondents assembled and ready for destruction...
12:16All right, sir.
12:34This is the captain speaking.
12:36We are subtly aground.
12:38There's little chance of our getting off until high tide.
12:41That won't come until this afternoon.
12:43In the meantime, every effort must be made to lighten ship.
12:47Anything that will move, I want thrown over the side.
12:50I don't need to tell you that the enemy can be expected at any time.
13:00Message, sir.
13:06We've got till high tide this afternoon.
13:08If we don't get off by then, our orders ought to destroy the tarpon.
13:13In accordance with instructions received from the Commander Submarine Southwest Pacific,
13:18preparations were made to destroy ship.
13:20The deck gun was to press towards the engine room to blow a hole in the hull plating.
13:24Demolition charges were placed in strategic points throughout the ship.
13:28Torpedo warheads were armed and rigged for detonation.
13:32Concurrent with this activity, every effort was made to lighten ship
13:35in an attempt to set her free.
13:38Fire forward!
13:39Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire,
14:09That'll lighten her up a little.
14:21I only wish there was an enemy ship on the other end of those babies.
14:25The screws and water are undamaged, Captain.
14:27We have three feet of water at the bow and nine amidships.
14:29The tide's still going down.
14:31It'll be late afternoon before it comes up again.
14:33If we can get number two on the line by then, we might make it.
14:36We don't have a welcoming committee on our hands before then.
14:39Keep the gun crew stationed by the 50s.
14:45Might not be much good against a dive bomber, but it'll help morale.
14:48All right, sir.
14:56Lumbler, the mansion isn't just a piece of machinery.
15:00Each one's got a personality all its own.
15:03This is about the meanest thing that ever came off an assembly line.
15:06I know what you mean, sir.
15:07You work with these babies long enough, you begin to think they're running you instead of the other way around.
15:12Well, I guess you can hardly blame them.
15:14This one's due for an overhaul over three months ago.
15:16There's not a spare bearing within a thousand miles of here.
15:20Remember those bronze main bearing saddles we were making in Darwin?
15:23Yeah, the ones we never got a chance to finish.
15:25Well, I've been working on a couple in my spare time.
15:27I'd, um, I'd like to try them, sir.
15:32We'll see what we got to lose.
15:34Mission granted.
15:40Captain, off the port bow.
15:41They must have learned the torpedoes go off.
15:50Yeah, they were probably the first Americans they've seen.
15:53Might even think they were Japanese.
15:55If the enemy's been in this area, these fellows will know about it.
15:59Let's see if we can get them to come alongside.
16:01Right off the flag.
16:03Aye, aye, sir.
16:03They're coming over, Captain.
16:07That man in the bow, he doesn't look like one of the natives.
16:11Looks like...
16:13Looks like a priest.
16:16Madre, this is Lieutenant Gregory, my executive officer.
16:19And Lieutenant Marr, engineering officer.
16:21I'm very glad to meet you, gentlemen.
16:24It has been a long time since I have seen an American.
16:27A very long time.
16:29Cigarettes, sir?
16:30You can be of great help to us.
16:32There are two things we need to know.
16:34The exact time of the next high tide here.
16:37And the whereabouts of the Japanese.
16:40The first answer is easy, my friends.
16:43The water is high on the beach in the late afternoon.
16:46We have no clocks here.
16:48But when the shadows of the trees reach the shoreline,
16:51you'll have your best chance of getting free.
16:54We can figure another four hours.
16:55If we can get number two working by then.
16:57Oh, Mello and the boys are working on it now, Captain.
17:00Well, what about the Japanese, Padre?
17:02We heard they have a task force in this area.
17:05I must tell you, you and your ship are in grave danger.
17:09Yesterday, the enemy fleet passed through the streets to the north of this island.
17:14There were many ships and planes.
17:17But a few weeks, Padre, this island may be swarming with enemy troops.
17:20If we're successful in getting off this afternoon, you're welcome to come with us.
17:26I am in my ninth year of the ten I was ordered to spend working with the people of this island.
17:32They have come to depend on me.
17:33My thanks, Captain.
17:36But I cannot leave.
17:40It's been a great hour to meet you, Padre.
17:44Oh, there is something you can do for me.
17:47My supplies have long since run out.
17:50If you could spare one tube of toothpaste, Padre, you can have a whole case.
17:55I can't.
18:01Plane, off the starter belt!
18:15Company's all right.
18:18Looks like an observation plane.
18:21Smart little monkey, staying out of range.
18:23He's going away.
18:28About an hour and a half to hide, hide.
18:31If we can get off before that fellow comes back with his big brothers,
18:34they'll have nothing to shoot at except a lot of water.
18:39Hey, Fats!
18:40Uh, Chief, I know how we can make sure the tarpon sinks when we scuttle her.
18:44We'll borrow a dugout from the native sea,
18:46then we'll hoist a torpedo out,
18:48lower it down into the canoe,
18:50Fats and me will row it out a ways,
18:51point it back at the sub, trigger it off, and bam!
18:54What do you think of that?
18:57No, kid, it won't work.
18:59Oh, well, gee, it was just an idea.
19:02Don't feel bad, kid.
19:03The tarpon isn't through yet.
19:05If Whitey Miller and the boys don't get us off this rock,
19:07well, we'll just tow it back to Australia with us.
19:18Bearings in place, sir.
19:20No, the skipper's given us permission to test it as soon as it's ready.
19:23Roll it.
19:23Don't ever tell me my boys aren't geniuses.
19:30Number two's ready to go on the line.
19:33Tell them they get free tickets to the next World Series
19:35when we get back to the States.
19:36It's on me.
19:38Shadows have reached the shoreline, Captain.
19:40Start warming up the engines, Jack.
19:42All four of them.
19:43Yes, sir.
19:43Anchor's in position of CERN, Captain.
20:10The tide's not going to get any higher.
20:13It's now or never.
20:15If you've got a rabbit's foot lying around, Rich,
20:17now's the time to use it.
20:19Take us straight on the stern anchors.
20:26Left full runner.
20:27Left full runner, sir.
20:30All back, emergency.
20:40Right full runner.
20:55Right full runner, sir.
21:03Come on, baby.
21:06You can do it.
21:07You can do it.
21:09We're breaking free, Captain.
21:21Plane's off the starboard quarter.
21:29Cut the anchor, hawkers.
21:31Clear the bridge.
21:39Dive!
21:58Dive!
21:59Dive!
22:00Oh-ho! Oh-ho!
22:30Put a bubble in the after group.
22:41I can hold her now, Captain. Level off at 200 feet. Level off at 200 feet?
22:58You know, Captain, right about now I'll bet those pilots up there are wishing they brought spear guns with them instead of machine guns.
23:19I'll be back in a moment with our special guest.
23:28The men of the tarpon never lost faith in their ship, and she rewarded them by coming through when the ships were down.
23:35But a ship is an inanimate thing. It was a great training and never-say-die spirit of a ship's company that willed her through.
23:42Now I want you to meet her executive officer, Captain Richard V. Gregory, United States Navy.
23:47Rich, knowing you had only one chance to get off that reef must have made things pretty difficult. Did you think you'd make it?
23:53It looked pretty hopeless, but we were all so busy we didn't take time out to really dwell on our fate.
23:59I think each of us had come to the conclusion that he was going to end up as a prisoner.
24:03But as long as there were things to be done that might save our ship, no one would admit to feeling that way.
24:09The tarpon was a fine ship. It would have been a shame to destroy her.
24:13Well, we certainly felt the same way. She was home to us. And besides, no ship's company worth its salt is going to lose a ship without the best try they know how to give.
24:21As I remember, she went on later in the war to sting the enemy pretty badly.
24:25Well, yes, she did. She was credited with two of the largest ships in the Japanese Merchant Marine.
24:30I'm sure everyone looking in will join me in congratulating you and the tarpon ship's company on the courageous and skillful way the tarpon was handled during the grounding.
24:39We're all very proud of you. Thank you, Tommy.
24:44I hope you will be with us again when we bring you another true story of the silent service.
25:09Thank you, Tommy.
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