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VENTING SANITARY INBOARD Issue 270, January 2017 OUR CREED: FORWARD BATTERY “To perpetuate the BASE COMMANDER memory of our shipmates Bill Long who gave their lives in pursuit of their duties 503.939.4134 while serving their [email protected] country. That their dedication, deeds, and VICE COMMANDER supreme sacrifice be a Jay Agler constant source of 503.771.1774 motivation toward greater accomplishments. SECRETARY Pledge loyalty and Alan Brodie patriotism to the United 360.369.6400 States of America and its Constitution.” TREASURER Mike Worden 503.708.8714 CHAPLAIN/NOMINATION CCOOMMMMAANNDDEERR’’SS LLOOGG COMMITTEE CHAIR Scott Duncan It is with a sense of great anticipation and excitement that I 503.667.0728 assume the duties as your newly elected Commander of the CHIEF OF THE BOAT USSVI Blueback Base from George Hudson. George has done a Arlo Gatchel remarkable job during his time as Base Commander and it goes 503.771.0540 without saying that he has certainly set the bar high; on behalf of the general membership, I offer my heartfelt thanks and WAYS & MEANS OFFICER appreciation for all he has done to make the Blueback Base “the Vacant best in the West,” and I will undoubtedly rely heavily on George’s MEMBERSHIP CHAIR/SMALL advice and guidance in his new capacity as Past Base STORES BOSS Commander. The same holds true for Ray Lough, whose Dave Vrooman contributions as Past Base Commander during George’s term 503.466.0379 were especially noteworthy. BRAVO ZULU, Shipmates! PAST BASE COMMANDER As we enter the new year, I am looking forward to working with the Executive Board to build George Hudson on the momentum already established by our past leadership team in making the Blueback 503.843.2082 Base a model for excellence within USSVI. My goals are simple: to maintain a strong, fiscally BYLAWS CHAIR sound Base; to serve as a positive force in the local community; to promote comradery and Ray Lough fellowship among our members; and, above all, to uphold, through our deeds and our daily 360.573.4274 actions, the USSVI Creed: “To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds, and TRUSTEE supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Gary Webb 503.632.6259 Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution.” NEWSLETTER EDITOR These are simple goals, to be sure – but achieving them will require a commitment from each Alan Brodie of you. As you’re all well aware, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link; to that end, I’ll 360.369.6400 rely heavily on you to share your thoughts and ideas on how to make a great Base even HISTORIAN/POC/ALL-AROUND greater, a strong Base even stronger. I’m confident that together, we’ll accomplish great GOOD GUY Bob Walters (See “Commander’s Log,” Page 8) 503.284.8693 OONN EETTEERRNNAALL PPAATTRROOLL:: BBOOAATTSS LLOOSSTT IINN TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH OOFF JJAANNUUAARRYY USS Scorpion (SS-278) Maru in the Bismarck Sea. On 10 January, Argonaut spotted a Class: Gato Class convoy of five freighters and their escorting destroyers – Maikaze, Launched: 20 Jul 1942 Isokaze, and Hamakaze – returning to Rabaul from Lae. By Commissioned: 1 Oct 1942 chance, an army aircraft was flying overhead and witnessed Builder: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Argonaut′s attack. A crewman on board the plane saw one Kittery, Maine destroyer hit by a torpedo; the other destroyers promptly began Length: 311’ 9” counterattacking. Beam: 27’ 3” Lost on 5 January 1944 Argonaut′s bow suddenly broke the water at an unusual angle. It 78 Men Lost was apparent that a depth charge had severely damaged the submarine. The destroyers continued circling Argonaut, pumping Departing Pearl Harbor on 29 December 1943, Scorpion stopped shells into her; she slipped below the waves and was never heard at Midway to top off with fuel, and left Midway on 3 January 1944 from again. One hundred and two officers and men went down to conduct her fourth war patrol. Her assigned area was in the with her, the worst loss of life for an American submarine in northern East China Sea and Yellow Sea. wartime. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 February 1943. On the morning of 5 January, Scorpion reported that one of her crew members sustained a fractured foot after dropping a crate Japanese reports made available at the end of the war recorded of oranges on it during the restocking of inventories in high seas. a depth charge attack followed by gunfire, at which time they Scorpion requested a rendezvous with Herring which was returning "destroyed the top of the sub.” from patrol and was nearby. The rendezvous was accomplished that afternoon. "Scorpion reports case under control." Scorpion On the basis of the report given by the Army flier who witnessed was never seen or heard from again after her departure from that the attack in which Argonaut perished, she was credited with rendezvous and reported "sunk and lost at sea." On 16 February, damaging a Japanese destroyer on her last patrol. For her World Steelhead and Scorpion were warned that they were close War II service Argonaut received the World War II Victory Medal together, and that an enemy submarine was in the vicinity. and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two battle stars. No Japanese information indicates that the loss of Scorpion was USS Swordfish (SS-193) the result of enemy anti-submarine tactics. There were, however, Class: Sargo Class several mine lines across the entrance to the Yellow Sea. The Launched: 1 April 1939 presence of these mine lines and the "restricted area" bounding Commissioned: 22 July 1939 them was discovered from captured Japanese Notices to Mariners Builder: Mare Island Naval Shipyard, at a much later date. In the meantime, several submarines had Vallejo, California made patrols in this area, crossing and re-crossing the mine lines Length: 310’ 6” without incident and coming safely home. It is probable that these Beam: 26’ 10” mine lines were very thin, offering only about a 10% threat to Lost on 12 January 1945 submarines at maximum and steadily decreasing in effectiveness 90 Men Lost with the passage of time. Scorpion was lost soon after these mines were laid at a time when they were the greatest threat. She could have been an operational casualty, but her area consisted of On 22 December 1944, Swordfish departed Pearl Harbor to water shallow enough so that it might be expected that some conduct her thirteenth war patrol in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. men would have survived. Since there were no known survivors, She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26 December and left that the most reasonable assumption is that she hit a mine. day for her area. In addition to her regular patrol, Swordfish was to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa in preparation Scorpion received three battle stars for her World War II service. for the Okinawa Campaign. USS Argonaut (SS-166) On 2 January 1945 Swordfish was ordered to delay carrying out her Class: V Class assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the Nansei Shoto area Launched: 10 November 1927 until completion of scheduled carrier-based air strikes. She was Commissioned: 2 April 1928 directed to patrol the general vicinity of 30°N, 132°E until further Builder: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, orders were received. Her acknowledgement of those orders on 3 Kittery, Maine January was the last communication received from Swordfish. Length: 358’ 0” Beam: 33’ 10” On 9 January 1945, Swordfish was directed to proceed to the Lost on 10 January 1943 vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It was 102 Men Lost estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. In December 1942, Argonaut departed Brisbane under Lieutenant Upon completion of her mission, Swordfish was to proceed to Commander John R. Pierce to patrol the hazardous area between Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since New Britain and Bougainville Island, south of Bismarck Archipelago. On 2 January 1943, Argonaut sank the Japanese gunboat Ebon (See “Boats Lost in the Month of January,” Page 3) Venting Sanitary Inboard – Page 2 BBOOAATTSS LLOOSSTT IINN TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH OOFF JJAANNUUAARRYY (Continued From Page 2) neither place had seen her by 15 February and repeated attempts The crew was transferred to SS Siberote, then taken to Makassar to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost City and ultimately on to Surabaya for reassignment. on that date. S-36 was awarded one battle star for her World War II service. In the report of her loss, mention was made that Kete (SS-369), which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa, reported USS S-26 (SS-131) that on the morning of 12 January she contacted a submarine by Class: S Class radar. It was believed that contact was with Swordfish. Four hours Launched: 22 August 1922 later Kete heard heavy depth charging from this area, and it is Commissioned: 15 October 1923 believed that this attack might have been the cause of Swordfish’s Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding loss. Corp., Quincy, Massachusetts Length: 219’ 3” Japanese information on antisubmarine attacks does not mention Beam: 20’ 8” the attack heard by Kete on 12 January and records no attacks in Lost on 24 January 1942 which Swordfish is likely to have been the victim.