Category: World War II Patrol Reports

Hawkbill vs Momo

The USS Hawkbill (SS-366) prowled the waters of the South China Sea on December 15, 1944, ready to strike another blow in the relentless submarine campaign against Japan. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Francis Worth Scanland Jr., the Hawkbill was a stealthy predator of the Pacific, a Balao-class submarine with cutting-edge technology and a seasoned crew. This day would bring her into contact with one of Japan’s desperate attempts to maintain maritime supply lines: the Matsu-class destroyer IJN Momo. Continue reading “Hawkbill vs Momo” →

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The Pearl Harbor Five

The calm of a Sunday morning in paradise was shattered as Japanese planes descended upon Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Amid the cacophony of explosions, the blazing infernos consuming the battleships of Battleship Row, and the relentless hum of enemy aircraft, a less visible part of the U.S. Navy’s strength lay quietly along the southeastern edge of the harbor. There, the submarines USS Tautog (SS-199), USS Dolphin (SS-169), USS Cuttlefish (SS-171), USS Narwhal (SS-167), and USS Cachalot (SS-170) waited, unprepared for battle but braced for survival. Their actions that day and their escape from destruction would later underscore their importance to a Navy facing a long war in the Pacific. Continue reading “The Pearl Harbor Five” →

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