Ex communi periculo, fraternitas = From common peril, brotherhood ALL CLEAR is the award winning quarterly publication of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) Third Quarter 2012 Tarheel Base, with input from and shared with all other USSVI bases in North Carolina – the NC Subvets. Newsletter Editor Please feel free to submit inputs Jerry “Patch” Paciorek anytime. A formal request for 1348 Laneridge Court inputs is typically sent out a Raleigh, NC 27603 Phone: 919-622-9906 couple of weeks in advance of [email protected] the deadline for the next issue. 2011 Class 1 Winner !! To take advantage of the information available on the Internet and the NC NEW FORMAT! Subvets website, many links have been included throughout the newsletter. BUTTON Just click on the provided buttons to navigate to the associated web page. USSVI CREED AND PURPOSE To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution. In addition to perpetuating the memory of departed shipmates, we shall provide a way for all Submariners to gather for the mutual benefit and enjoyment. Our common heritage as Submariners shall be strengthened by camaraderie. We support a strong U.S. Submarine Force. The organization will engage in various projects and deeds that will bring about the perpetual remembrance of those shipmates who have given the supreme sacrifice. The organization will also endeavor to educate all third parties it comes in contact with about the services our submarine brothers performed and how their sacrifices made possible the freedom and lifestyle we enjoy today. USSVI Website NC Subvets Website OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NORTH CAROLINA SUBVETS BELOW DECKS LOG Lost Submarines - Third Quarter ............................................................................................................................ 3 Tarheel Base ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Welcome Aboard !! ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Holland Club News ................................................................................................................................................. 8 The Battery Well...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Nathanael Greene Base ......................................................................................................................................... 9 USSVI 2012 National Convention ........................................................................................................................ 10 Unique Language of Submariners ........................................................................................................................ 10 Coastal Carolina Base .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Albemarle Sound Base ......................................................................................................................................... 11 USS Asheville Base .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Carolina-Piedmont Base / NC Subvets State Commander ................................................................................. 12 Chaplain’s Corner ................................................................................................................................................. 13 Parades and Other Activities ................................................................................................................................ 14 From Your Southeast Region District 1 (SED1) Commander.............................................................................. 17 Happy Birthday!..................................................................................................................................................... 18 From the Fleet - Latest on Our North Carolina Boats .......................................................................................... 18 USSVI News ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 The Sub Net .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 World War II Submarine Veterans Fade into History, Intentionally ..................................................................... 24 USS Flasher (SS-249) Pulls into Mooresville, NC ............................................................................................... 25 USSVI Charitable Foundation .............................................................................................................................. 26 USSVI Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) School of the Boat ................................................................................. 26 Do You Plan to Attend the Pearl Harbor Dinner?................................................................................................. 26 NAUTILUS-SFL&M Permanent Paver Walkway .................................................................................................. 26 Notation of Veteran Status on NC Driver’s License ............................................................................................. 27 USSVI / SVWWII 2012 National Convention Registration ................................................................................... 28 The U.S. Submarine Veterans of WWII assigned USS S-28 (SS-133) to the State of North Carolina ALL CLEAR Page 2 3rd QTR 2012 LOST SUBMARINES - THIRD QUARTER JULY USS S-28 (SS-133) Lost on July 4, 1944 with the loss of 50 crew members. She was conducting training exercises off Hawaii with the US Coast Guard Cutter Reliance. After S-28 dove for a practice torpedo approach, Reliance lost contact. No distress signal or explosion was heard. Two days later, an oil slick was found in the area where she had been operating. The exact cause of her loss remains a mystery. U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II assigned USS S-28 (SS-133) to the State of North Carolina The official memorial to the S-28 is located in Riverside Park, adjacent to the Battleship USS North Carolina (BB 55) in Wilmington, NC. It was dedicated by the NC Subvets in May 2007. S-28 WEB LINKS Click on each of the BUTTONS below to navigate to the S-28 information available on the Internet S-28 WWII Tonnage S-28 Wikipedia Article S-28 / WWII Submarines Memorial S- Boat Information On Eternal Patrol ALL CLEAR Page 3 3rd QTR 2012 LOST SUBMARINES – THIRD QUARTER (cont.) JULY (cont.) USS Robalo (SS-273) Lost on July 26, 1944 with the loss of 84 crew members while on her 3rd war patrol. She struck a mine about 2 miles off the coast of Palawan. Three men survived and swam ashore, then imprisoned by the Japanese. Unfortunately, they were put on a Japanese destroyer and lost when that destroyer was sunk. USS Grunion (SS-216) Lost on July 30, 1942 with the loss of 70 crew members while on her first war patrol near Kiska Harbor. She radioed that she sank two sub-chasers and damaged a third, but was never heard from again. Her loss remains a mystery. AUGUST USS Bullhead (SS-332) Lost on August 6, 1945 with the loss of 84 crew members in the Lombok Strait while on her 3 rd war patrol when sunk by a depth charge dropped by a Japanese Army plane. Bullhead was the last submarine lost during WWII. USS Flier (SS-250) Lost on August 13, 1944, with the loss of 80 crew members while on her 2nd war patrol. Flier was transiting on the surface when she was rocked by a massive explosion (probably a mine) and sank within less than a minute. 13 survivors, some injured, made it into the water and swam to shore. 8 survived and 6 days later friendly natives guided them to a Coast Watcher and they were evacuated by the USS Redfin. USS S-39 (SS-144) Lost on August 14, 1942 after grounding on a reef off Rossel Island (Yela), New Guinea while on her 5th war patrol. The entire crew was able to get off and rescued by the HMAS Katoomba. USS Harder (SS-257) Lost on August 24, 1944 with the loss of 84 crew members from a depth charge attack by a minesweeper near Bataan while on her 6th war patrol. Harder had won a Presidential Unit Citation for her first 5 war patrols and CDR Dealey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. Harder is tied for 9th in the number of enemy ships sunk. USS Cochino (SS-345) Lost on August 26, 1949 after being jolted by a violent polar gale off Norway caused an electrical fire and battery explosion that generated hydrogen and chlorine gasses. In extremely bad weather, men of Cochino and Tusk (SS-426) fought to save the submarine for 14 hours. After a 2nd battery explosion, Abandon Ship was ordered and Cochino sank. Tusk's crew rescued all of Cochino's men except for one civilian engineer. Six sailors from Tusk were lost during the rescue.