Stories From the US Submarine Force
The first months of 1942 were a time of chaos and desperation in the Pacific. The United States Navy, still reeling from the shock of Pearl Harbor, scrambled to stem the Japanese advance that seemed to roll forward with unstoppable force. The Asiatic Fleet, a relic of peacetime deployments that had suddenly found itself on the frontlines, was left to face the onslaught of the Japanese offensive, alone. Continue reading “USS Shark SS-174”
Howard Gilmore had always been a man of the sea. Born in Selma, Alabama, in 1902, he was drawn to the Navy early, enlisting in 1920 and earning an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy two years later. He wasn’t just another midshipman—he stood out, graduating in 1926 and beginning a career that would lead him to command in the silent service, where men fought unseen beneath the waves. His early service saw him posted to the battleship USS Mississippi, but it was under the surface, in the cold steel belly of a submarine, that he found his calling. Continue reading “Howard Gilmore – Medal of Honor”
The USS Barbel (SS-316) was one of the many steel sharks that prowled the depths of the Pacific during World War II, silently hunting Japanese shipping in the vast, contested waters. She was a Balao-class submarine, designed for endurance, stealth, and lethality. At 311 feet long, armed with ten 21-inch torpedo tubes and a 5-inch deck gun, she was built to strike hard and slip away unnoticed. Commissioned in April 1944, Barbel quickly proved her worth, sinking multiple enemy vessels in her first three war patrols. But the Pacific was a dangerous hunting ground, and by early 1945, the tide of war was shifting, bringing new dangers to the Silent Service. Continue reading “USS Barbel SS-316”
Patrol Reports 