Author: FTB1(SS)

A Friendly Fire Near Miss

The morning began with overcast skies and a gray sea that rolled beneath USS Gabilan as she resumed her lifeguard station near the mouth of Tokyo Bay. It was 0542. Her role was to watch the skies and be ready to pull Allied airmen from the ocean if their luck ran out over Japan. These assignments could be long, sometimes dull, and always dangerous.

By 1135, weather conditions had started to clear. Enemy coastlines were still visible in the haze, but the skies were opening. Strike aircraft would soon follow. Word filtered through at 1430 that the carriers were sending in another wave. Gabilan surfaced at 1600 and established contact with her fighter cover. From the bridge, the sky seemed alive. Planes moved in every direction. Tokyo’s defenses were under heavy pressure, and the horizon felt full of noise.

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#2 Main Generator

Out in the western Pacific on July 14, 1945, the crew of USS Gabilan SS-252, wasn’t dodging torpedoes or depth charges. They weren’t firing off salvos or hunting enemy shipping lanes. They were quietly holding their station as part of a mission every bit as important—plane guarding. Their job was to watch the skies for B-29s, those massive bombers roaring toward Japan, and be ready to rescue any airman forced to ditch at sea. It wasn’t as dramatic as sinking a convoy, but if you were the one floating in a life raft, you’d be glad someone like Gabilan was out there.

And then, out of nowhere, fire broke out inside the sub.

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In the Dark, We Hunt

The clock had barely ticked past midnight when USS Hammerhead (SS-364) slipped beneath the waves, 10,000 yards ahead of a Japanese convoy steaming through the Gulf of Thailand. The crew knew what was coming. Their orders were clear: close in, identify the targets, and attack. Every man aboard had drilled for this moment. Now it was time to put steel and nerves to the test.

By 2:29 AM, they surfaced again, cautiously threading their way back into position. The ocean was eerily quiet, too quiet for comfort. Contacts in this sector were scarce, and the decision was made to try something risky. Hammerhead would launch a surface attack. Bold? Absolutely. Dangerous? Without question. But the captain wasn’t about to let the enemy slip away under cover of darkness.

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