CONFIDENTIAL                       
     
Incident Nos. 6239 and 6276
ANALYSIS OF COORDINATED ANTISUBMARINE ACTION BY
 
USS GEORGE, USS RABY AND USS ENGLAND
  
     
 
Employment Submarine Hunt
Time 1422 GCT 23 May 1944
Position 00-53N/149-14E
Depth of water 1100 fathoms
Weather conditions Clear; Visibility good; Sea calm, slight swell; Wind NE, Force 1
Sonar conditions Good
Contact first made by Radar
Range 17,000 yards
Number of attacks Three hedgehog attacks.  Two depth charge attacks
 
     
  1.  BRIEF OF NARRATIVE.  
          (a)  At 0122 (Zone minus 11) 24 May 1944 while formed on a scouting line, order of ships port to starboard ENGALND, GEORGE, and RABY, distance 8 miles, GEORGE made radar contact at 17,000 yards.  Ships were ordered to cease echo ranging and all ships closed at flank speed.  The submarine which had been tracked lying to on initial contact then turned away and submerged when range decreased to 9000 yards.  
          (b)  At 0150 ENGLAND obtained sonar contact at 1750 yards.  Due to wake interference and apparently considerable evasive action on the part of the submarine, sufficient data was not obtained to conduct accurate attacks and no charges were fired on the first two runs.  A fathometer reading of 20 fathoms was obtained on the second run.  The submarine was reported echo ranging in the final phase of the runs.  On the first hedgehog attack, made at 0214, two or three hits were obtained at 7.2 seconds after projectile struck the water.  A rumbling noise followed.  
          (c)  A doubtful contact was made at 0224 which was attacked with a hedgehog pattern without result.  After this attack, ENGLAND was left to conduct a search in the area.  
          (d)  At 0702 ENGLAND put a boat in the water and recovered several pieces of deck planking and observed several small patches of oil in the water.  At 0815 the Group Commander ordered a three ship retiring search as he was not satisfied the submarine had been destroyed.  
     
 
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                                                                                                   Enclosure (A) to  
                                                                                                   CominCh conf ser __02636__  
                                                                                                   dated __3 August 1944.__  
     
     

 

     
     

CONFIDENTIAL  
 
        (e)  At 0945 ENGLAND made sonar contact in a position some 18 miles south of the last attack made in the morning.  After one dummy run, a hedgehog pattern was fired without results.  Contact was not lost and after making several runs on which insufficient information was obtained to conduct accurate attacks, another pattern was fired at 1108.  While making these dummy runs, ENGLAND obtained a fathometer reading of 35 fathoms at 1040.
          (f)  At 1120, it was decided to make a creeping depth charge attack with ENGLAND conning GEORGE.  On the first attempt, the target turned and apparently proceeded directly toward the ENGLAND and no charges were dropped.  The "set-up" was reformed and the attack approach resumed.  When the GEORGE closed to about 400 yards, the sound of venting was heard and ENGLAND, believing the target might attempt to counter with torpedoes, went to full speed and turned to clear of the area.  GEORGE, who was in a position to attack, increased speed to 15 knots and dropped a 32 charge pattern.  ENGLAND then circled and dropped a 13 charge pattern in the area of GEORGE's attack.  Search was continued by three ships until dark without regaining contact.  
          (g)  On the afternoon of 25 May at 1300, oil and debris were noted in the water covering an area of several square miles.  The position was some 32 miles northwest of the scene of the attack on the first submarine at 0214, 24 May, (some 35 hours before).  It was considered that this debris and oil slick were associated with that attack.  On the attack, a wooden box had been dropped which was identified by the gunnery officer as being the same box sighted in the debris.  During the 35 hours, a current setting toward northwest and toward west northwest with a drift of .8 to 1.2 knots had been observed.  Debris recovered included a small piece of varnished wood with Japanese characters, a chop stick, a piece of blank paper, a bottle cork, several small pieces of insulating cork, numerous pieces of deck planking, and a small piece of mahogany.  RABY reported seeing a pair of gloves in the water, but these were not recovered.  
     
  2.  EVALUATION OF TARGET.  
         (a)  It is considered the first target attacked at 0224 was a submarine.  However, from the extremely doubtful character of the recorder trace for attacks on the following day, it is considered the target was probably non-submarine.  
     
  3.  EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE.  
          (a)  Hedgehog attack detonations followed by a rumbling noise were observed on the attack at 0224.  At daylight pieces of deck  
     
 
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                                                                                                   Enclosure (A) to  
                                                                                                   CominCh conf ser __02636__  
                                                                                                   dated __3 August 1944.__  
     
     

 

     
     

CONFIDENTIAL  
 
  planking were recovered and oil slicks were found in the area of the attack.  The report states the debris found on the 25th, 32 miles from the scene of the attack, was identified by the box marker.  The box marker was distinctive in that it was a fuse box for hedgehog charges.  Evidence recovered was a small piece of varnished wood with Japanese characters, a chop stick, a piece of blank paper, a bottle cork, several small pieces of insulating cork, numerous pieces of deck planking, and a small piece of mahogany.  
     
  4.  ANALYSIS OF ATTACKS.  
          (a)  ENGLAND's first attack:  
 
  Time 0206 LZT 24 May
  Range at which contact was made 1750 yards
  Range at which contact was lost 240 yards
  H.E. None
  Doppler None
  Target movement Initially right and then no bearing reading
  Number of charges Hedgehog
 
     
          Prior to making this attack ENGLAND made two non-firing runs without obtaining sufficient data to conduct a good attack.  Report states there was so much wake disturbance from the target it was impossible to obtain good echo.  A fathometer reading of 28 fathoms was obtained on the second non-firing run.  It appears from the data submitted that at about 600 yards the submarine stopped.  The attack was accurately placed and resulted in hedgehog detonations followed by a rumbling noise.  
     
          (b)  ENGLAND's second attack:  
 
  Time 0224 LZT 24 May 1944
  Range at which contact was made 500 yards
  Range at which contact was lost 240 yards
  H.E. None
  Doppler None
  Target movement Slight or none
  Number of charges Hedgehog
 
     
          While the recorder traces of this attack are suggestive of a submarine target, the report states that the echo was very doubtful, and it is considered this attack was made on the water disturbance of the previous detonations.  
     
 
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                                                                                                   Enclosure (A) to  
                                                                                                   CominCh conf ser __02636__  
                                                                                                   dated __3 August 1944.__  
     
     

 

     
     

CONFIDENTIAL  
 
          (c)  Attacks made by ENGLAND and GEORGE from 1005 to 1203, 24 May 1944:  
           
          There is no evidence of the presence of a submarine echo on the recorder traces submitted of these attacks and it is considered all these attacks were made on a non-submarine target.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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                                                                                                   Enclosure (A) to  
                                                                                                   CominCh conf ser __02636__  
                                                                                                   dated __3 August 1944.__