A classic "cutting out" operation. Something the RN of Nelson's day made into an art form.
15 YO Midshipmen in charge of 3 ships boats and an LT leading from the cutter with a 3 pounder in the prow
shades of Hornblower or Operation Creek:
"In 1978 James Leasor wrote an account of the Ehrenfels mission in the book Boarding Party: The Last Charge of the Calcutta Light Horse. The film The Sea Wolves based on the book was made in 1980, with actors David Niven, Gregory Peck, Trevor Howard, Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee"
Fullbore. Nice to learn of this little known operation - brings to mind such classic films as “The Sea Wolves” and “Murphy’s War”. I appreciate the reference to the great resource Uboat.net - I’ve done a bit of writing for the site - most recently running down one of the little known U-boat vs USN fleet boat encounters.
Wow! CDR Salamander, I’m standing in my socks on the rug in my Hospital Bed Room!
I’m praising the Bravery of those men
during that operation, and down the line to their capture, execution and Everlasting be their memories!
CDR Salamander, thank you for finding this story because, the U-Boats were everywhere. I’m told, even here in my section of the Chesapeake Bay!
We all know the havoc those U-Boats caused.
We all know the frustration of an issue being an entire continent away from Headquarters!
Let’s have a think please, in the Chart-Room.
CDR Salamander, today’s news asked Americans to “Protect” America in our Western Hemisphere. BTW, we are above the Equator.
So let’s imagine the Drug Cartel Boats loaded with illegal “Drugs”.
Let’s plot our strategy to observe their little hidy-holes.
Let’s develop a Plan to take them out!
CDR Salamander, someone will regard you as applying Historical U-Boat facts to present day events! Maybe you will nominated for a medal? Yes? Nurse Jane is always optimistic when challenged. She lights her own way! God Bless you! Sleep well! Amen!
This week I was at Chief’s Initiation. One of the tasks was to write a report and present on a Medal Of Honor recipient. One of the Baby Goats was giving us an unenthusiastic yet informative presentation. Afterwards, I spoke with her on this, and noted that Hero Stories, like Fullbore Friday, exist to tell us a deeper truth.
That truth is we can go farther. We can do more, and there is a legacy to live up to. Hero Stories need passion, drive, and show the teller believes in the story for the listeners. Fullbore Fridays always deliver on that, and I am thankful.
Cheesus Crust - I weep for that Bee. Used to live walking distance from the Seabee Museum at Port Hueneme - they have uh, not forgotten him. Part of her remediation should being made to watch “The Green Berets” and identify the scene not so loosely based on Shields’ sacrifice!
She did understand the need for enthusiasm, it's from her personality, and I mentioned that leadership can require you to wear a different face than you normally do. The prior Marine in the class was full of enthusiasm for Sergeant Major Dan Daly.
Good on you - and her. Not all of us are born as natural public speakers - I certainly wasn’t! Fortunately, with practice & patience we can can improve - courage comes in many forms.
Of note, here at Biblioteca De Scoobs we have a policy of reading at least one book a year on a Medal of Honor recipient - unfortunately despite searching I haven’t been able to find anything dedicated to Shields. However, I did recently come across a great read that might of interest to you and your Shipmates - The Silent Service’s First Hero by Ryan C. A Walker. An enlisted peacetime Medal of Honor story that is fittingly written by a young historian and former submariner.
You read about people like this or Basilone (Yes I know he volunteered) and it makes you wonder how many pulled off some magnificent event that really should have been sufficient to count for rotation home, only to not survive the war.
(And the allies were infinitely better than the axis in regards to rotation.)
My dad spent much of WWII in the Caribbean building airfields for subhunters. I know he was in Surinam and Trinidad among other places. He was drafted in October 1940.
First, a movies quibble. I can't believe you left out THE ENEMY BELOW filmed aboard an actual WW2 Destroyer Escort. Yes, the U-Boat interior scenes were a bit cheesy, but they were about the best you could do in the 1950s. The Germans singing a drinking song so the Americans would know their morale wasn't cracking was silly. But so was the Wolfpack commander taunting Tom Hanks over the radio in GREYHOUND.
As for the raid? Naval special operations at its finest. Plenty of lessons for the modern day. How did those guys even walk with balls that big?
The HiStoric Record of submarine operations being what it is . . . it still baffles the mind that the U.S. Navy no longer has a conventional submarine capability. In regional operations their usefulness is unequalled, cost much less than nuclear submarines, and with the new AIP SSK capabilities are extremely quiet, effective, and dangerous. With submarines like the Hanwha Ocean KSS III there is little/few capabilities not met in modern naval combat.
AIP is just a trickle charger for the batteries. Diesel boats ceased to be a power projection weapon at the end of World War II thanks to radar. Their transit time while snorkeling is way too slow and AIP only provides low speed endurance. ASW training, coastal defense, and blocking chokepoints is about the limit of their usefulness. Nuclear costs more but is far more useful.
Like I have said many times . . . symptoms of the STRATEGIC VIRUS. A conventional submarine is a Regional Weapon System . . . and todays U.S. submariners CAN ONLY THINK in Strategic Terms.
OK, so if we got diesel boats, where would you use 'em? GIUK Gap? We have other NATO navies to cover that, along with skimmers and aircraft. Meanwhile, our SSNs are covering Ivan's boats so they can't nuke us or chew up our trans-Atlantic convoys. Those are jobs diesel boats are NOT suited for. Diesels aren't suited for going under ice, either.
BTW, about strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is what caused the Submarine Force to decimate Japan's merchant fleet in World War II. Worked out pretty well.
I posted an answer to this the day you posted the question a week ago, and see it is gone . . . hum . . . In answer:
The proposal for ‘choke point’ operations, and 'Littoral Submarine Warfare' in an Archipelagic Theater are for the Pacific's First Island Chain. We do not need to send AIP SSKs to the Atlantic, Baltic or anywhere in Europe, or the Med. Training can take place in CONUS waters most likely the Caribbean. Pacific AIP SSK deployment would be from FORWARD BASES built specifically for conventional submarines . . . employed from the Malacca Strait and its approaches to the South China Sea, South Korea’s East Sea and West Sea, and the Sea of Japan. These areas are very relevant as pointed out, or illustrated by yourself via recognition of the WWII Submarine Service record. A modern AIP SSK employed in these waters would be a fearsome thing.
We have allies with diesel boats who can do that. Japan for instance. As for those forward bases, you can kiss them goodbye* once the fun starts, which is what will happen to the bases on Guam. Only SSNs can conduct fast transits to and from bases like Pearl that are farther away from the war zone.
*Which is why we need a bigger and newer tender fleet.
A classic "cutting out" operation. Something the RN of Nelson's day made into an art form.
15 YO Midshipmen in charge of 3 ships boats and an LT leading from the cutter with a 3 pounder in the prow
shades of Hornblower or Operation Creek:
"In 1978 James Leasor wrote an account of the Ehrenfels mission in the book Boarding Party: The Last Charge of the Calcutta Light Horse. The film The Sea Wolves based on the book was made in 1980, with actors David Niven, Gregory Peck, Trevor Howard, Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Creek
C.S. Forester's Hornblower series is, in my humble opinion, the best series of books about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars ever.
March-Phillipps, Hayes, Appleyard, Lassen. You can’t keep a good man down. The most you can do is kill him.
great history, events, lessons, and men. a fine Fullbore Friday; thankyou.
just for funzies.....a somewhat related story, albeit in a southern WESTERN hemisphere estuary...the movie "Murphy's War"
Great story. Things like this are interesting and not typically found in history books.
Fullbore. Nice to learn of this little known operation - brings to mind such classic films as “The Sea Wolves” and “Murphy’s War”. I appreciate the reference to the great resource Uboat.net - I’ve done a bit of writing for the site - most recently running down one of the little known U-boat vs USN fleet boat encounters.
Wow! CDR Salamander, I’m standing in my socks on the rug in my Hospital Bed Room!
I’m praising the Bravery of those men
during that operation, and down the line to their capture, execution and Everlasting be their memories!
CDR Salamander, thank you for finding this story because, the U-Boats were everywhere. I’m told, even here in my section of the Chesapeake Bay!
We all know the havoc those U-Boats caused.
We all know the frustration of an issue being an entire continent away from Headquarters!
Let’s have a think please, in the Chart-Room.
CDR Salamander, today’s news asked Americans to “Protect” America in our Western Hemisphere. BTW, we are above the Equator.
So let’s imagine the Drug Cartel Boats loaded with illegal “Drugs”.
Let’s plot our strategy to observe their little hidy-holes.
Let’s develop a Plan to take them out!
CDR Salamander, someone will regard you as applying Historical U-Boat facts to present day events! Maybe you will nominated for a medal? Yes? Nurse Jane is always optimistic when challenged. She lights her own way! God Bless you! Sleep well! Amen!
This week I was at Chief’s Initiation. One of the tasks was to write a report and present on a Medal Of Honor recipient. One of the Baby Goats was giving us an unenthusiastic yet informative presentation. Afterwards, I spoke with her on this, and noted that Hero Stories, like Fullbore Friday, exist to tell us a deeper truth.
That truth is we can go farther. We can do more, and there is a legacy to live up to. Hero Stories need passion, drive, and show the teller believes in the story for the listeners. Fullbore Fridays always deliver on that, and I am thankful.
Which MoH recipient was the lukewarm presentation about?
CM3 Marvin G. Shields, and she’s a Seabee.
Cheesus Crust - I weep for that Bee. Used to live walking distance from the Seabee Museum at Port Hueneme - they have uh, not forgotten him. Part of her remediation should being made to watch “The Green Berets” and identify the scene not so loosely based on Shields’ sacrifice!
She did understand the need for enthusiasm, it's from her personality, and I mentioned that leadership can require you to wear a different face than you normally do. The prior Marine in the class was full of enthusiasm for Sergeant Major Dan Daly.
Good on you - and her. Not all of us are born as natural public speakers - I certainly wasn’t! Fortunately, with practice & patience we can can improve - courage comes in many forms.
Of note, here at Biblioteca De Scoobs we have a policy of reading at least one book a year on a Medal of Honor recipient - unfortunately despite searching I haven’t been able to find anything dedicated to Shields. However, I did recently come across a great read that might of interest to you and your Shipmates - The Silent Service’s First Hero by Ryan C. A Walker. An enlisted peacetime Medal of Honor story that is fittingly written by a young historian and former submariner.
One of my friends covered TM2(SS) Breault as his. The ordinary man saying "I'll go" into the unknown to save another is a fixture of hero stories.
You read about people like this or Basilone (Yes I know he volunteered) and it makes you wonder how many pulled off some magnificent event that really should have been sufficient to count for rotation home, only to not survive the war.
(And the allies were infinitely better than the axis in regards to rotation.)
My dad spent much of WWII in the Caribbean building airfields for subhunters. I know he was in Surinam and Trinidad among other places. He was drafted in October 1940.
That was a worthy read. Thank you.
That was quite a feat!
First, a movies quibble. I can't believe you left out THE ENEMY BELOW filmed aboard an actual WW2 Destroyer Escort. Yes, the U-Boat interior scenes were a bit cheesy, but they were about the best you could do in the 1950s. The Germans singing a drinking song so the Americans would know their morale wasn't cracking was silly. But so was the Wolfpack commander taunting Tom Hanks over the radio in GREYHOUND.
As for the raid? Naval special operations at its finest. Plenty of lessons for the modern day. How did those guys even walk with balls that big?
Full bore indeed. Survival rate of those special forces types was not high.
The HiStoric Record of submarine operations being what it is . . . it still baffles the mind that the U.S. Navy no longer has a conventional submarine capability. In regional operations their usefulness is unequalled, cost much less than nuclear submarines, and with the new AIP SSK capabilities are extremely quiet, effective, and dangerous. With submarines like the Hanwha Ocean KSS III there is little/few capabilities not met in modern naval combat.
AIP is just a trickle charger for the batteries. Diesel boats ceased to be a power projection weapon at the end of World War II thanks to radar. Their transit time while snorkeling is way too slow and AIP only provides low speed endurance. ASW training, coastal defense, and blocking chokepoints is about the limit of their usefulness. Nuclear costs more but is far more useful.
Like I have said many times . . . symptoms of the STRATEGIC VIRUS. A conventional submarine is a Regional Weapon System . . . and todays U.S. submariners CAN ONLY THINK in Strategic Terms.
OK, so if we got diesel boats, where would you use 'em? GIUK Gap? We have other NATO navies to cover that, along with skimmers and aircraft. Meanwhile, our SSNs are covering Ivan's boats so they can't nuke us or chew up our trans-Atlantic convoys. Those are jobs diesel boats are NOT suited for. Diesels aren't suited for going under ice, either.
BTW, about strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is what caused the Submarine Force to decimate Japan's merchant fleet in World War II. Worked out pretty well.
I posted an answer to this the day you posted the question a week ago, and see it is gone . . . hum . . . In answer:
The proposal for ‘choke point’ operations, and 'Littoral Submarine Warfare' in an Archipelagic Theater are for the Pacific's First Island Chain. We do not need to send AIP SSKs to the Atlantic, Baltic or anywhere in Europe, or the Med. Training can take place in CONUS waters most likely the Caribbean. Pacific AIP SSK deployment would be from FORWARD BASES built specifically for conventional submarines . . . employed from the Malacca Strait and its approaches to the South China Sea, South Korea’s East Sea and West Sea, and the Sea of Japan. These areas are very relevant as pointed out, or illustrated by yourself via recognition of the WWII Submarine Service record. A modern AIP SSK employed in these waters would be a fearsome thing.
We have allies with diesel boats who can do that. Japan for instance. As for those forward bases, you can kiss them goodbye* once the fun starts, which is what will happen to the bases on Guam. Only SSNs can conduct fast transits to and from bases like Pearl that are farther away from the war zone.
*Which is why we need a bigger and newer tender fleet.
I sure like the Tender part of your comment. They can be a mobile base too.
Wow! An amazing and well told history. Do we have such men today?
Great posting. Reminds me of "Murphy's War" as well. Thank you.