July 2020 Volume 21, Issue 7 Lest We Forget — Inside This Issue: Meeting minutes 2 “The USSVI Submariner’s Creed” Lost Boats 2 To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who Undersea Warfare Hist 2 gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while VADM Caudle interview 3 serving their country. That their dedication, deeds, Subpar steel update 6 and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of Containing China’s subs 8 motivation toward greater accomplishments. Contact information 9 Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution. Application form 10 News Brief 1. Next Meeting: Restrictions on group gatherings related to Coronavirus have caused a temporary suspension of our monthly meetings. Watch e-mail for an announcement regarding when we are allowed to meet again. 2. Duty Cook Roster: a. GET READY TO VOLUNTEER WHEN OUR MEETINGS RESUME. 3. July Birthdays: Cris Pascual 24th; Herman Mueller 31st. Happy Birthday Shipmates! 4. Do you shop on Amazon? Remember to use Amazon Smile for the benefit of our Charitable Foundation. 5. When the new USSVI Website is released, the national office will be able to send its broadcast messages to all hands. It will use the e-mail address in your profile. All hands are asked to review their profile and confirm that it is up-to- date. 6. Chris Gaines requests that you kindly share articles or links to submarine stories that you feel our shipmates would like to see in the newsletter. Member contributions are always welcome. Crash Dive Meeting Minutes July 6, 1944 | USS Paddle (SS 263) June 20, 2020 attacks a Japanese convoy northwest of Halmahera and sinks the destroyer Hokaze off Sangi The June meeting and all future Island. Also on this date, USS meetings currently are cancelled Sealion (SS 315) attacks a Japanese due to COVID-19. convoy in the East China Sea and sinks merchant passenger cargo Lost Boats ship Setsuzan Maru off Ningpo, China while USS Tang (SS 306) sinks USS S-28 (SS-133) 07/04/44 Japanese freighter Dori Maru in Chosen Bay. USS Robalo (SS-274) 07/26/44 July 7, 1944 | USS Skate (SS 305) USS Grunion (SS-216) 07/30/42 intercepted a convoy of ships and escorting destroyers. Skate fired three torpedoes, sinking the trailing Undersea Warfare History destroyer. Skate was then forced deep by the other escorts and depth July 1, 1944 | USS Tang (SS 306) charged for over two hours before sighted a tanker and a freighter. escaping. While she sank freighter Taiun Maru July 8, 1778 | The Allied French fleet No.2, tanker Takatori Maru No. 1 fled. under Adm. Comte d’Estaing arrives Tang trailed until dark, then fired 2 in America with reinforcements for torpedoes which sank the tanker. the American Revolution and July 2, 1945 | In the first successful participates in the Battle of Rhode use of rockets against shore Island and at the Siege of Savannah. positions, USS Barb (SS 220) July 9, 1960 | USS Thresher (SSN bombards Japanese installations on 593) is launched at Portsmouth, N.H. Kaihyo Island, Japan. July 3, 1943 | July 10, 1945 | USS Runner (SS 476) Submarine chaser USS (SC 1048) sinks the Japanese minesweeper rescues survivors of a U-boat attack (No.27) off Tado Saki, Honshu. who had been sighted by a Navy July 13, 1942 | USS Seadragon (SS blimp in the North Atlantic Ocean. 194) torpedoed and sank Shinyo The survivors are from the tanker Maru while on patrol. Seadragon Bloody Marsh, which was previously moved out of the area and hunted torpedoed July 2 and sunk by along the Haina Varella routes for a German submarine (U 66), which few days. during its career sinks 37 Allied July 14, 1945 | In the first naval vessels until sunk by aircraft from gunfire bombardment of the USS Block Island (CVE 21) and USS Japanese home islands, Task Unit Buckley (DE 51) nearly a year later. 34.8.1 warships bombard ironworks July 4, 1776 | The Second Continental plant at Kamaishi, Japan. Congress unanimously adopts the July 15, 1942 | USS Grunion (SS 216) Declaration of Independence, which sinks the Japanese submarine announces the colonies' separation chasers (25 and 26) off Kiska, from Great Britain. Aleutian Islands. Page 2 Crash Dive Base Rondout - Lake Bluff, IL July 16, 1862 | Congress establishes July 29, 1944 | USS Balao (SS 285) the rank of Rear Admiral, with David shells and sinks Japanese sampan G. Farragut named as the first Rear (No.7) Nissho Maru about 100 miles Admiral. July 17, 1944 | USS Gabilan off Palau. USS Drum (SS 228) sinks (SS 252) sinks Japanese Asahi Maru with gunfire in the same minesweeper (W 25) northwest of general area, and takes survivors Zenizu, Japan. prisoner. Also on this date, USS July 20, 1960 | In the first launch of Perch (SS 313) sinks Japanese the Polaris missile, USS George guardboat Kannon Maru I-Go in the Washington (SSBN 598) successfully Philippine Sea, east of Dinagat fires two operational Polaris Island. missiles while submerged off July 30, 1945 | A Japanese Florida. submarine sinks USS Indianapolis July 21, 1918 | During World War I, (CA 35), northeast of Leyte. Only 316 German submarine (U 156) surfaces of her 1,199 crew survive. Due to and fires on U.S. tugboat, Perth communications and other errors, Amboy, and four barges, three miles her loss goes unnoticed until off Nauset Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. survivors are seen from a passing July 22, 1946 | USS Caiman (SS 323) aircraft on Aug. 2. Four days earlier, began her 4th war patrol, performed she had delivered atomic bomb 3 dangerous special missions and components used on Japan in sank a Japanese schooner. August. July 31, 1943 | PBM (VP 74) July 23, 1943 | USS George E. Badger and Brazilian A-28 and Catalina sink (DD 196) sinks German submarine (U German submarine U-199 off Rio de 613), en route to mine waters off Janeiro, Brazil. Small seaplane Jacksonville, Fla., south of the tender USS Barnegat (AVP 10) Azores. July 24, 1942 | USS Narwhal rescues the survivors. (SS 167) sinks Japanese guardboat No.83 Shinsei Maru, at Utsutsu Bay, Inside the 'silent service': Hokkaido. USS Narwhal also sinks freighters Nissho Maru off Etorofu An interview with the Navy's Maru, Kuril Island, and Kofuji Maru top submarine admiral off Oito. Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner, June 23 July 27, 1943 | USS Sawfish (SS 276) attacked a convoy escorted by a The Navy's submarine force remains 720-ton minelayer. A spread of four the world's most technically and torpedoes was fired. Sawfish was professionally capable undersea jolted by a violent explosion. The combat force. With an impressive convoy escaped, but the escort penchant for aggressive but coastal minelayer Hirashima sank. calculated risk-taking, U.S. submarine crews deter threats, July 28, 1944 | USS Tambor (SS 198) collect vital intelligence, and stand fired three torpedoes at a freighter ready to defeat adversaries. and heard 3 explosions. The dense fog, however, prevented visual The top line officer responsible for confirmation of results. this "silent service" is Vice Adm. Page 3 Crash Dive Base Rondout - Lake Bluff, IL Daryl Caudle, commander of with undersea concealment to submarine forces. He was kind permit operational, deterrent, and enough to answer a few questions combat effects that the Navy and the for the Washington Examiner. Nation could not otherwise achieve. These effects may be delivered Washington Examiner: Considering within the undersea domain or rising Russian undersea across domain boundaries; they competency and capability, how may be delivered from submarines confident are you of confidently far-forward or in broad ocean areas; being able to track the Northern they may be the result of carefully Fleet's nuclear ballistic missile coordinated operations with other submarines from their departure to forces or achieved by independent return? operations; and they may be accomplished in peacetime, a time Caudle: I am extremely confident of tension, or during conflict. that our anti-submarine warfare forces are able to respond to any Washington Examiner: To what submarine threat we face. No degree do you anticipate a greater undersea force, past or present, can evolution towards unmanned match today’s U.S. submarine force. undersea combat and sensor That said, it is imperative that we platforms? recognize and decisively counter the operational threats posed by our Caudle: Unmanned systems will potential adversaries as they play an integral role in the future of improve their capabilities. We undersea warfare. We are working continue to prioritize those threats closely with the defense industrial to make the right investments to base, academia, and our warfare ensure we maintain our competitive development centers to study, advantage. develop, and field the right mix of unmanned platforms and sensors, Washington Examiner: How are as well as how to best employ them. you grappling with the challenge of In planning for the future of operational needs regarding China, undersea innovation and Russia, and other contingencies? dominance, we are also looking for where artificial intelligence, machine Caudle: Our undersea forces are learning, and big-data analytics can deployed globally and stand ready to be used to work more efficiently at answer the nation’s call with fleet scale to improve the speed and persistent lethality. The mission of quality of our decision-making our undersea forces is to execute process. the mission of the U.S. Navy in and from the undersea domain. In Washington Examiner: How and addition to integrating and why has the Navy's submarine force multiplying added capacity to Naval retained such a continued comfort forces, the submarine force, in with high-risk operations? As an particular, is expected to leverage example, the latitude given to the special advantages that come commanders to take significant Page 4 Crash Dive Base Rondout - Lake Bluff, IL risks in where they travel (such as will continue to provide a reliable into the White Sea)? and credible deterrent until Columbia comes online.