Save the Date

Wednesday, August 15, 1200 to 1300 hrs, World War II Museum, New Orleans

I will be giving a presentation on U 853, the last U boat sunk off the east coast the day after the surrender. Hope to see you there.

Memorable People

A recent post by Old NFO got me thinking about people I knew when I was growing up. This man was the sponsor of our Explorer post rifle team on the Sub Base at Pearl Harbor. This was in 1966 to 1967. I can't tell you any specific thing that he did but the fact that I remember him after all these years speaks volumes.

David F. Purinton

BRUNSWICK, Maine - David F. Purinton, 85, a retired U.S. Navy captain, died Thursday, March 31, 2005, in Key West, Fla.

He was born in Brunswick on March 5, 1920, a son of Charles I. and Flora M. Silva Purinton. He graduated from Brunswick High School in 1938. He was a member of the National Guard before enlisting in the Navy in 1939.

As an enlisted man, he worked his way through the ranks to chief petty officer. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1944. He retired as a captain in 1975.

During World War II, he served on the submarine Hoe (SS-258), making seven war patrols, entitling him to wear the Submarine Combat Pin with stars. He also took part in missions that were instrumental in holding off Japanese attacks on the Philippines. He was subsequently decorated with four commendations, including the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation with gold frame.

He commanded the submarine Tirante (SS-420), earning him the Command at Sea insignia. In Key West, he was commanding officer of Submarine Division 121.

He was executive officer of the Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, and then returned to Key West as commanding officer of the submarine tender Bushnell (AS-15).

On his initiative, he secured permission to keep the Bushnell in Pilottown, Miss., following the devastation of Hurricane Camille to provide fresh water, medical assistance and emergency services. He and his crew volunteered to rebuild the pier for the pilot boats. The event was recorded in the Congressional Record.

His last two tours were assistant Navy inspector general in Washington, D.C., and administrative officer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Over the course of his Navy career, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College, the University of South Carolina and the University of Hawaii. In 1972, he received his B.S. in business administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In Brunswick, he was best known as the proprietor of the Brunswick Gun Shop. Aside from gun repair, he was active in antique gun collecting, repair and appraisal.

After the gun shop closed in 2003, he was busy writing two books, appraising antique guns and working on the restoration of one of his three antique autos.

He was chaplain of the Submarine Veterans of World War II, Squalus Chapter; a founding member and retired trustee of the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum; a member of the Military Officers Association of America; and an active member of St. Charles Borromeo Church.

Submarine ARA San Juan

Argentina has called off the search and rescue mission for their missing submarine . The submarine went missing on November 15 while on a routine transit. It came to light that the captain reported a leak through the snorkel which shorted out some batteries in the bow section. He reported that the problem batteries had been isolated and he was continuing in a submerged condition. Approximately 10 hours later an underwater explosion was heard on subsea listening networks.

We can now assume that another 44 submariners have been lost and the only thing that remains is to find the location of their final resting place.

FYI.....ARA stands for "Armada de la Republica Argentina"

Le Bourget - Uboat Gyrocopter

Almost hidden in the rotary wing section of the museum was this 1 man gyrocopter. It was carried by German U Boats and used to get a lookout to a higher elevation. I wonder how effective it was and what the captain would do if he had to make a crash dive. I suspect the lookout would go swimming. Only 12 of these exist in museums around the world (2 in the US) and this museum is lucky to have one.

Argonaute

The "Argonaute" is a French diesel electric submarine that was commissioned in 1958. It's relatively small at only 50 meters long. It was designed as an attack sub. It carried only 8 torpedoes with a crew of 40. It is currently at the City of Science and Industry in Paris.

My visit to her was a bit of a fail. The park complex is huge and I had to walk about 1 mile from the Mtero to get to her. I waited in line about 20 minutes before I realized that I could not buy tickets at the entrance. To leave and then get back inline would have taken another hour, so I decided that I didn't need to see the interior of a 60 year old submarine. But here are some outside pictures.

Book Review - So Close to Home

"So Close to Home" is the story of the intersection of the lives of an American family and the first German submarines to enter the Gulf of Mexico. In May, 1942, the Downs family was on the steamer Heredia on their way to New Orleans from South America where Ray, the father, worked for United Fruit Company. What they didn't know was the U 506 and U 507 had entered the Gulf of Mexico looking for easy prey.

This is the story of the Downs family and their survival after the sinking of the Heredia. It is also the story of U boats 506 and 507, their captains and by extension, submarine warfare in WW II. The author, Michael Tougias, has made a niche writing survival at sea stories. (The movie , "The Finest Hours", is based on one of his books) and he does it well. If you enjoy naval history, sea survival stories, or submarines, I think you will enjoy this book.

USS Thresher (SSN 593)

On this day in 1963, the USS Thresher was lost during sea trials off the coast of New Hampshire. Go read my earlier post and take a moment to remember those lost in the submarine service.

U-166

The U 166 was a Type IX submarine built in Bremerhaven, Germany and commissioned in March 1942. She had a short life as she was sunk in July of that same year.

The U 166 was the only submarine sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. For decades its location remained a mystery. She was finally located in 2001 during a pre-lay survey for an offshore pipeline. However, controversy still remained about her sinking. Robert Ballard was able to solve that mystery. How he did that is described in the video below.

The Last U Boat - U 853

U 853 was the last U boat sank off the east coast. It's final resting place is near Point Judith, RI. The video below has some interesting footage and an interview with the captain of U 853's victim.

Dad was a CPO (Machinist Mate) on one of the destroyers (USS Ericsson) that hunted and killed the U 853. Here is more of the story.

On May 4, 1945, Admiral Doenitz sent a radio message to all the submarines at sea to cease hostilities. The U 853 either never got the message or ignored it because on May 5 at about 5:40 PM , she torpedoed and sank the 1918 vintage collier SS Black Point. Naval Armed Guard Lonnie Whitson Lloyd was killed and became the last USN sailor to die in the Atlantic War.

Meanwhile, a convoy escort task force (TF 60.7) consisting of the USS Ericsson (DD-440), USS Amick (DE-168), USS Atherton (DE-169) and the USS Moberly (PF-63) had finished their work and were on their way back to Boston. The task force commander on board the Ericsson had challenged his ships to a race back to port. He was in the lead and had already entered the Cape Cod Canal when he received orders to return and hunt a submarine. (I suspect he was looking forward to seeing his wife in Boston, hence the race challenge, and his anger at being delayed may have played a part in the destruction of U 853). As he was stuck in the canal, he turned over temporary command to the next senior officer, who ironically was a USCG officer on the Moberly, until he could arrive on scene. They were on site within 2 hours of the sinking and began submarine hunting operations. They were joined later by two blimps (K-16 and K-58) from Lakehurst, NJ.

It appears the U 853 never left the area and was trapped in waters only 130 feet deep. It was all over by noon on May 6, 1945 when the submarine was declared sunk with no survivors. The final indicator of success was the recovery of the captains hat from the floating debris.

This story always intrigued me and I wanted to learn more about the people involved.

The captain of the U 853 at the time of her sinking was Helmut Fromsdorf.

He was born on March 26, 1921 and became an office candidate in September of 1939. He was assigned to U 853 when it was commissioned on June, 1943. He was on board the 853 when she left on her first war patrol on April. 1944, probably the XO. Their mission was to monitor the weather in the North Sea but they were discovered by the USS Croatan (CVE 25) and barely survived a 10 day game of cat and mouse. The US sailors nicknamed their quarry "Moby Dick" because of her elusive character while the Germans called their submarine "The Tightrope Walker"because of their narrow escapes.

I suspect that part of the reason for the extended hunt was to prevent any submarines from getting to Normandy.

The hunt ended on June 17, 1944 when the U 853 was strafed with the loss of 2 dead and 12 wounded. (She must have been in dire straights at this point if she was on the surface and this many crew were topside). Fromsdorf took over command and brought the 853 back to Lorient, France. After this action, the captain (Helmut Sommer) and most of the crew were declared unfit for duty. If you ever had any doubts about the stress of submarine service, this fact should convince you.

During this period, the Allies had invaded France and were rapidly moving west through France. The U 853, with the flotilla commander on board, was the last to leave Lorient and she went to Kiel where she was fitted with a snorkel. She remained in Kiel until February, 1945 when she departed on her last patrol with Helmut Fromsdorf in command.

On April 25, 1945, the 853 sank the USS Eagle (PE-56) off the coast of Maine. She was a WW I era patrol boat and it was not until 2001 before it was realized that she was sunk by a torpedo from U 853. She was thought to be a victim of a boiler explosion.

On May 5, the 853 attacked the Black Point and subsequently met her fate.

The following ordnance was expended in sinking the U 853:

264 hedgehog projectiles
195 depth charges
6 rocket bombs

The captain of the Atherton, Lewis Iselin, said of the battle, "There was no doubt that by this time we knew had it but everyone wanted to get into the act. I don't think there is a hull that took a bigger beating during the war."

A diver inspection of the wreckage a few days after sinking indicated that only 2 hits were made on the hull. Such was the accuracy of WW II submarine warfare.

I suspect that the anger at being delayed from seeing loved ones and that they had to keep fighting, and risking their lives after they knew the war had ended contributed to the level of destruction of the U 853.

So, did Fromsdorf miss the message to surrender or was he a Nazi zealot that decided to go out fighting?

There were 64 U boats at sea at the time of the message. 56 surrendered, 3 were scuttled and 5 were sunk. Also, while I have not been able to find out details, I suspect that the surrender message was being sent repeatedly so it would have been difficult for any boat not to get it.

It's difficult to understand the mindset of Helmut Fromsdorf. He had taken a severe beating in June, 1944. He had to be aware of the numbers of submarines lost (243 in 1943 and 249 in 1944) and of the latest war news - the loss at the Battle of the Bulge, that fact that Russians were 50 miles from Berlin and that the Allies were across the Rhine. Yet he still attacked.

I can't help but think that Fromsdorf was a zealot and ignored the surrender message. He had been born and grew up under Nazi influence. Like most men in their 20s, he probably felt invincible and may have decided to strike one last blow, perhaps as pay back for the beating he took during his first patrol. Finally, Germany was not aware of the anti submarine technology possessed by the Allies. SONAR and magnetic detection made finding the U 853 very easy. Fromsdorf may have thought he could attack and then hide on the bottom but he was severely mistaken. He should have steamed out to sea.

Aftermath and Trivia

• The propellers from U 853 were salvaged in 1953 and were on display at the Castle Hill Inn
• The remains of an unknown German sailor were recovered and are now buried in Newport, RI
• U 853 is considered a war grave but it is a popular dive site
• Captain Fromsdorf's hat is on display at the Destroyer Escort Historical Foundation in Albany, NY
• The USS Atherton is still in service as the BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) making her one of the oldest ships in the world.
• Charles Prior, captain of the Black Point, became the president of the Portland Marine Society
• Lewis Iselin, captain of the Atherton, became a well known sculptor
• During the battle, the Atherton had a German POW on board. He was put on board in Gibraltar with a ruptured appendix and was treated by the ships Jewish doctor. In 2006, he attended a reunion of the ships crew.

I asked Dad about this battle once. He told me that he was in the engine room the entire time and had no idea was going on topside.

Submarine History

I was browsing Amazon videos looking for something interesting when I found something titled History Rediscovered - Submarines at War. It turned out that it was a compilation of several post war US Navy films. The first was about submarine action in the Pacific and was titled Now it Can be told. The next one, and the most interesting IMO, was actual footage of the capture of U-505 by Dan Gallery. It was produced as part of a morale boosting program for workers in the shipyards. The next two were about post war submarine training and the beginning of the nuclear program.

The quality was a little rough and the narration was overly patriotic and corny. Actual war footage is edited with movie segments. (If you are a WW II movie buff you will recognize some of the scenes) and the special effects are typical of the era. But if you are interested in submarines, its worth the effort to find this and take a look.

Movie Review - Phantom

This is an obscure movie starring Ed Harris, William Fichtner and David Duchovny. It was released in 2013 and never did well at the box office. I found while I was browsing on Netflix. Ed Harris plays an over the hill Russian submarine captain who is given one last command. His boat is carrying a secret device and a couple of KGB men to operate it. It turns out that the device is a cloaking device that can make his submarine sound like any other vessel on the water and the KGB men have plans that are outside of the captains orders.

The movie was filmed in a real submarine so you get a true feel for the cramped nature of the boat. It must have made filming a real pain in the butt. To their credit, the actors do not try to put on fake Russian accents and the dialog is in US military vernacular which makes things understandable and more realistic.

If you like submarine adventures, it's worth a quick hunt to find this.

Submarine History

This video tells the story of an interesting piece of submarine history.

U-505

Several bloggers have posted that today is the anniversary of the capture of U-505. She is now a museum boat in Chicago. Go pay her a visit.

But what happened to the crew? All but one was captured alive. They had to be kept isolated so that they couldn't alert the Germans that they had been captured and the naval codes compromised. They were sent to a POW camp in Ruston, Louisiana. It so happened that their guards were members of the US Navy baseball team. These guards taught the German submariners how to play baseball and that story can be found in "Playing with the Enemy". Evidently a movie based on the book was in development but it never got into production.

New WW II Museum Exhibits

We had family in town over Easter weekend so we made a trip to the National WW II Museum to see the new exhibits. They have added The Boeing Center building where they now keep their static displays of aircraft and vehicles. The aircraft include a B-17, B-25, SBD Dauntless, TBM Avenger, F4U Corsair, P51 Mustang and a B-24. They are all hanging from the ceiling and can be seen from catwalks. The floor is open for vehicles.

Off to the side, they have the 4D interactive experience "Final Mission", a reenactment of the last hours of the USS Tang. The room is set up to resemble the interior of a submarine, although much more spacious. When you enter, you are given a card with a crew member and his duty position. You will take his position and respond to commands during the 12 minute show. The show compresses the last 5 hour battle of the Tang into 12 minutes and is fairly realistic with vibrations, noises and lights. If you know your history, you know the Tang was sunk by a circular running torpedo. I expected to get a spray of water in the face when the torpedo struck but all they did was theatrical smoke. It will be good fun for the kids and is not as scary as it sounds.

I was told by one of the volunteers that the new GI Joe movie used several vehicles from the museum. Their ME 109 reproduction is supposed to be in the film.

The museum is growing. If you plan to visit, you will now need almost an entire day to see it all.

USS Miami Follow Up

The guy that started the fire aboard the USS Miami was sentenced last week, He received 17 years and a fine of $400 million. Of course, the fine is mostly symbolic because it's doubtful that he will become Bill Gates rich in federal prison.

Also, given sequester, the Navy is currently evaluating repairs to the boat. Estimates are that repairs could cost $500 million and would give the Miami another 10 years of service. It is doubtful if the boat will be repaired.

All it takes is one nut with a match to affect our national security.

USS Miami Follow Up

It has been determined that the fire on board the USS Miami that caused $400 million of damage to a United States Submarine was caused by arson. Casey James Fury, 24, of Portsmouth, NH, a civilian painter/sandblaster at PSNY, has been arrested. He failed lie detector interviews made by the NCIS. His reason for setting the fire - he wanted to get out of work. I have a feeling he won't have to worry about work for a long, long time.

USS Miami

On May 23 of this year, the USS Miami (SSN-755) had an onboard fire while it was in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard undergoing a 2 year refit. It took 10 hours to put the fire out. 7 firefighters were injured trying to fight the fire within the confines of the submarine. The fire was limited to the forward spaces. The reactor, which had been shutdown, was not in any danger. The cause has been determined to be an industrial vacuum cleaner that had picked up a "heat source" (weld slag, cigarette butt?) and then caught fire. The Navy continues to evaluate the damage and cause.

If you are a submarine history buff, you will remember that it was on May 23, 1939 that the USS Squalus (SS 192) , also a Portsmouth boat, was sunk. There must be something about that day that causes problems for submariners and PNSY.

Thresher Base

April 10 will mark the 49th anniversary of the loss of the USS Thresher. A small group of submariners have dedicated themselves to preserving the memory of the Thresher and those lost with her. They call themselves Thresher Base and their website can be found here. They will be holding a memorial ceremony this year on April 14 at Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine.

If you happen to be near Portsmouth, NH on that weekend, you might want to attend.

Sounds Heard In The Sea

There is a very cool web site out there dealing with Sounds Heard In The Sea.

When I was in Grad School, I had to take 2 semesters of underwater acoustics. The first semester was OK but the second semester we learned how to use mathematical algorithms to steer a sound beam. I got so sick of Chebyshev Polynomials I almost gagged. But this web site is a great introduction and has sound samples. Enjoy

USS Thresher

On this day in 1963 the nuclear submarine USS Thresher sank with all hands. It was the first post WW II peacetime submarine casualty. The mystery of her loss, and the efforts to find her location and determine the cause, resulted in the realization that a new engineering discipline, Ocean Engineering, was needed to cope with the problems of designing for ocean forces. It also led to the development of deep ocean search and rescue capability.

The loss of the Thresher is particularly poignant to me. I was born and raised in New Hampshire. Dad worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Fathers of my friends worked there. I attended her launch with my Cub Scout Den. I still have mementos from the launching ceremony. What most people don’t realize is that 17 civilians also went down with her. They were shipyard employees and field engineers who were there to observe the operation of the subs systems. My father, or fathers of my friends, could have been onboard just as easily.

It turned out she was a victim of the Joule-Thompson Effect. Stated simply, the J-T Effect says that when the pressure on a compressible fluid under high pressure is reduced, the fluid will cool. Its simple high school physics. Mr Wizard TV show stuff. It was surmised that the Thresher suffered a piping leak that caused her reactors to shut down, or SCRAM. When they tried to blow the ballast tanks with high pressure air, the moisture in the compressed air froze because of the J-T Effect. The ice blocked the piping and shut off the ballast blow.

Take a minute if you will and go here and read the obituaries of the men lost on the Thresher. The crew included a few WW II veterans, several African Americans and two brothers. These men were the cold warriors of that era.