While sweeping the cobwebs out of my memory, I remembered another unusual WWII story. Close to me, in Muskogee Oklahoma, is a Museum of the USS Batfish( yes I play there every chance I get). She has the distinction of being the only submarine to sink three enemy submarines, in three days. This is a Great museum, and has the only surviving piece of the USS Oklahoma (BB-2) there too!
The Japanese required their subs to surface, and radio in their sit reps (situation Reports), in broad daylight. They were told when to report, and that way their commanders knew where they were, and what they had sunk, all the time. Our code breakers decoded where they would be, and when, and told the USS Batfish commander. They were right, and the Japanese were on time! They hoped he might get one of them, but he got all three (using their own RADAR); and they were a little worried the Japanese would put the three sinkings together, and change their codes.
She is a beautiful boat, and if you walk down the West side of the Boat, there are some round patches welded on the starboard ballast tank. These cover holes put there by a US Army Bomber, on anti-submarine patrol, NOT TO Friendly fire, LOL! :)
Now for the part you will NOT find easily:
There was a mutiny on this ship, bad enough that they ordered her back to Pearl, with torpedoes still on board! :O
well that's dog gone amazing, I didn't know there were mutinies on our ships, this had to be very rare, do you know why they did?
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Skipper and the XO were butting heads. I only found it in a set of books I have listing every war patrol of every submarine in WWII. It is dry reading, but the patrol is in there, and they just listed it as a command failure; and ordered them back to base.
The XO was supposed to take command, but BOTH were removed, and the crew split up. Might be able to find more, but they did NOT put this in the NY Times! That publication from Lippencott publishers is the only place I ever saw any reference to it.
They recently got the ships bell back at the Museum. Another musuem had the bell donated, from the family of a former clerk from the USS Batfish. He was told, by the XO, to "get rid of that damn bell, or throw it over the side"; because he kept hitting his head on it. So he sent it home. The museum they donated it to, realizing that the USS Batfish was a fellow ship Museum; Polished it up, and made a nice display case, and delivered it to the USS Batfish!
So, after over half a Century, the ship bell is back home now!
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cool story. so you're saying that in OK they have a museum for the USS Batfish with the actual ship there or just a museum building for it?
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She is there, I have been on board her a number of times! They recently got a "Cutie" torpedo (in the stern torpedo room), copied from one off of the captured U-Boat (U-505) in Chicago. I have been on that submarine too. The Cutie was the first acoustic homing electric torpedo in the US Inventory.
There is also the fire director tower from the USS Oklahoma (BB-2) on site. It is the only part of the USS Oklahoma that still exists!
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