Posted by Ultradog MN on June 27, 2012 at 18:30:32 from (70.56.164.167):
USS Growler, commanded by Lt. Cdr Howard W. Gilmore will leave Pearl Harbor on June 29 1942 on her first war patrol. Growler is a brand new sub, built in Groton CT and only commissioned in March of that year. She did her working up and training on the east coast of the US, then transited to the Pacific through the Panama Canal working her way to Pearl. Growler's first war patrol will take her to Kiska Harbor, AK. Kiska as we all know was invaded at the same time as the Battle of Midway earlier that month. Though the Japanese lost heavily at Midway they did prevail in AK and Growler has been sent to harass the Japanese shipping in the area. Five days later at night she will slip unnoticed into Kiska at periscope depth and in a fast and furious strike, sink two Japanese destroyers and badly damage a third before slipping back out to sea. But Growler's ordeal is only beginning as the Japanese are furious and go to great lengths to hunt her down and sink her. After 3 long days of cat and mouse, her batteries and crew nearly exhausted, Growler finally makes good it's escape, and heads back home to Pearl.
After refitting at Pearl, Growler will make two more war patrols, one in August of 42 during which it will sink 3 cargo vessels for a total of 18,000 tons sunk, plus a small gunboat sunk. And in December of 42 in the hotly contested Solomon Islands on her 3rd war patrol, Growler will not sink anything, primarily due to constant Japanese air patrols in the area. It is on her 4th war patrol, beginning in Jan 43 that Growler's luck turns. Operating in the Rabaul, New Brighton area, while on the surface she will engage a small gunboat. But the gunboat suddenly turns to ram the sub. Lt Cdr Gilmore, realizing he can not avoid a collision, orders the sub hard a port and increase to flank speed and rams the gunboat amidships. Meanwhile the gunboat rakes the sub at close range with machine gun fire. Gilmore orders all hands below but is himself fatally stricken in the hail of bullets. When members of the crew attempt to rescue him he waves them off and orders "Take her Down!" They comply, he is lost at sea and the sub makes for Australia in a badly damaged condition. For his heroism and self sacrifice Lt Cdr Gilmore is the first of only 5 sub sailors to be given the Congressional Medal of Honor. Growler is repaired and lives on to fight another day. In May of 1944 in his honor, the US Navy commissions a brand new submarine tender the USS Howard W Gilmore. With the board's permission, I will post an update on the Growler later in the war. In the meantime, for the next day or two give a thought to the crew of the Growler as they prepare for war.
FWIW, in Jan of 72, I checked in aboard the USS Howard W Gilmore to begin my first 2 years of sea duty. She was a great ship, one worthy of her namesake.
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