Abstract Corsairs in Drain Pipes An Examination of the Submariner Folk Group in The United States Navy During the Second World War By Zachary T. Mason October, 2014 Director: David Stewart Department of History During the Second World War, United States submariners were isolated from the rest of the Navy. Submariners faced a higher level and different type of danger than the rest of the Navy. They developed their own way of speaking, a unique worldview, and their own traditions. Although it is widely recognized, especially among contemporary sources, that submariners shared a unique bond, nothing has been published that examines submariners as a cultural group. This project will examine submariners as a distinct sub- culture within maritime culture. In doing so, the author hopes to identify and examine the reasons for its formation. This project will focus on the United States Navy during World War Two. This project utilizes firsthand accounts of submariners and an examination of actual submarines, submarine memorials, and submariner material culture to identify, explain, and define submariner culture. Corsairs in Drain Pipes: An Examination of the Submariner Folk Group in the United States Navy During the Second World War A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Maritime Studies By Zachary T. Mason October 2014 © Zachary Mason, 2014 Corsairs in Drain Pipes: An Examination of the Submariner Folk Group in the United States Navy During the Second World War By Zachary T. Mason APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: David J. Stewart David J. Stewart, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: Michael Palmer Michael Palmer, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: Wade Dudley Wade Dudley, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: James Kirkland James Kirkland, PhD CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: Gerald Prokopowicz Gerald Prokopowicz, PhD DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: Paul Gemperline, PhD DEDICATION For my grandfather, my family, for any and all submariners. For those who made it back, and for those still out on eternal patrol. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION..............................................................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................1 Importance of Project........................................................................................................1 Research Questions...........................................................................................................2 Historiography...................................................................................................................3 Methodology......................................................................................................................6 Historical Background.......................................................................................................7 Evolution of Submarine Technology, Pre-WWII...................................................7 Peacetime Designs................................................................................................11 Chapter Summarization....................................................................................................13 CHAPTER TWO: SUBMARINERS AS A FOLK GROUP.........................................................16 Esoteric Folklore...............................................................................................................19 Exoteric Folklore...............................................................................................................21 The Development of the Submariner Folk Group.............................................................22 Submarine School..................................................................................................23 The Submarine.......................................................................................................27 Wartime Designs........................................................................................27 Similarities in Submarine Design..............................................................29 Living Conditions on a World War Two Submarine..................................31 Size of the Submarine Force and Isolation From the Fleet....................................31 The Unique Dangers of Submarine Service...........................................................34 Conclusions........................................................................................................................44 CHAPTER THREE: THE EXPERIENCE OF COMBAT.............................................................45 Introduction........................................................................................................................45 Type and Prevalence of Graffiti.........................................................................................46 Battle Flags........................................................................................................................48 Development..........................................................................................................48 Significance of Graffiti and Battle Flags...........................................................................51 Interpretation..........................................................................................................53 Kill Counts.................................................................................................60 Torpedoes...........................................................................................................................66 Submarine Combat Insignia...............................................................................................67 Conclusions........................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER FOUR: EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO SUBMARINES...................................70 Introduction........................................................................................................................70 Anthropomorphizing the Submarine..................................................................................70 How Attachment Develops................................................................................................73 Interpretation: Reasons for the Development of Attachment................................76 Casualty Statistics......................................................................................77 Further Evidence of Attachment........................................................................................80 Conclusions........................................................................................................................86 CHAPTER FIVE: A REJECTION OF THE SURFACE WORLD...............................................87 Introduction.......................................................................................................................87 The Ocean.........................................................................................................................88 Mermaids...............................................................................................................91 The Dolphins.........................................................................................................96 The Submariner as a Liminal Being..................................................................................98 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................102 CHAPTER SIX: DEATH AND MEMORIALIZATION............................................................103 Introduction.....................................................................................................................103 Motifs in Submarine Memorials.....................................................................................103 Death Aboard the Submarine..........................................................................................110 CHAPTER SEVEN: KEY SUBMARINER CULTURAL IDEAS.............................................115 Introduction.....................................................................................................................115 Social Structure...............................................................................................................115 Submariner Humor..........................................................................................................119 CHAPTER EIGHT: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS.....................................................125 Discussion.......................................................................................................................125 Future Research...............................................................................................................127 Conclusions.....................................................................................................................128 LIST OF TABLES 1: Friendly Fire Deaths In The U.S.