The Divine Devilfish

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser ran the story on June 10, 1955. There it was in black and white, plain as day: Commander Stephen S. Mann, U.S. Navy, was taking over Submarine Squadron 72. It might have just been another quiet military personnel notice to most folks reading their morning coffee over the paper, but for the men who served with Mann, it carried the weight of experience and the quiet authority of a man who had faced death and kept his boat afloat.

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TMC(SS) Edward Kalinoski

 

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Torpedoman Edward Kalinoski, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession during the tests of the escape device known as the “Lung,” in 1931. Chief Torpedoman Kalinoski was among the first to make escapes from the U.S.S. S-4 when that vessel was submerged to depths as great as 206 feet for the purpose of these tests. During the tests Chief Torpedoman Kalinoski courageously and voluntarily made many escapes from the vessel at a time when the “Lung” was not yet a fully developed or proven device and when any defect in its design, construction or in the manner of its use could have been accompanied by disastrous results. Chief Torpedoman Kalinoski has shown a very great devotion to duty in this work and his distinguished services have been of material assistance in the perfection of the “Lung” and in the determination of the best procedure to be followed in its use.

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There’ll Be a Commotion Down Under The Ocean

With the war over and things finally settled down, US Submarine Veterans began to return to their homes and family. They were still keenly aware of the deep sacrifice the Sub Force had made, and the reasons why so many had died there was still a reluctance to talk about how they had carried out the destruction of the Japanese Empire.

But in newspapers around the country, stories began to appear that gave the public a taste of what the Sub force had been through and what it had accomplished. In Bogalusa, LA, a multi-part series was run, telling the stories of submarine veterans from the area who had served on the USS Ray SS-271.

On June 6, 1946, almost a year after the war had ended, one of these articles appeared. In it were the lyrics to “The Submarine Song,” without attribution or any author listed.

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