Bump… Whoops…

 

A “Sub”-Par Afternoon: When the Ferry Klamath Kissed the USS Trepang

The sun was still high over the San Francisco Bay on July 1, 1944, as the ferry Klamath rumbled across familiar waters. She was no stranger to the waves. By then, she had been carrying passengers and vehicles between Richmond and San Quentin for years. On that day, she had 120 souls and 30 cars aboard, lazily making her last run of the afternoon.

But what was normally a routine trip quickly turned into a nautical curiosity, and then a minor catastrophe.

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Triumph Below – Tragedy Above: USS Sturgeon Sinks Montevideo Maru

The sun had barely set on June 30, 1942, as USS Sturgeon continued her patrol northwest of Cape Bojeador, slipping beneath the waves at dawn and surfacing at dusk as she had done for days. The ocean was quiet, routine. But just after 10 PM, the monotony broke. The watch spotted a darkened ship to the south, cutting through the sea under the cover of night.

At first, the angle of the sighting made it seem like the vessel was heading north, but careful observation quickly corrected that. She was moving west at high speed, clearly having just exited Babuyan Channel and making for Hainan. This was no dawdling freighter. She was moving fast, at least 17 knots, and zigzagging to avoid detection. A valuable target.

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Torpedoes in the Dark: USS Jack (SS-259) in Action – June 30, 1944

The men aboard USS Jack (SS-259) knew the sea was watching. The South China Sea, under a blanket of storm clouds and shrouded moonlight, offered the perfect cover for a night attack—and the perfect trap if they were spotted.

In was the early hours of June 30, 1944, the boat had been tracking a large enemy convoy spotted on the previous day. Radar and periscope observations had revealed three groups of ships steaming eastward, each guarded by alert Japanese escorts. The crew had worked out the speed and bearing. Now it was time to strike.

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