Cats Eyes

The story was told later in newsprint (January 10, 1943, Hanford, CA), folded into a Sunday paper in California, trimmed to fit a column and given a confident headline that promised reassurance to families far from the sea. It said there was never a dull moment for a submarine, and that submarine duty was not a job but a way of life. It said the night belonged to sharp eyes, steady nerves, and a skipper who knew when to act. All of that was true. None of it conveyed what the night of February 3, 1942 actually felt like aboard USS Searaven SS-196.

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Navy Football to Submarines

In honor of Navy’s Liberty Bowl Win

The Springfield Daily Republican, January 4, 1944
Cutter, Chapple, Navy Stars Now Starring Underseas

By BOB CONSIDINE
New York, Jan. 3—(INS)—Some of the Naval Academy’s best athletes have gone into the navy’s silent service—submarine work. They couldn’t ask for or receive tougher duty. The submarine boys regard publicity in the same light as they regard enemy depth charges. They want neither.

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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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