To: CO SubRon 7a & ComSubPac
From: CDR A Brown
CO USS Pampanito (SS-383)
Subject: Patrol report cycle: 11
SubRon 7a
PZ: Palau Islands P.Sector: All
TDC: Automatic
Realism: Realism 95%
Crew experience: Veteran
Number of Warships sunk: 0
Number of Merchants sunk: 8
Warships tonnage: 0
Merchant tonnage: 66040
Total tonnage: 66040
Total Janac tonnage: 46228
Date/Time Location Description Tonnage
Types of Warships sunk:
Types of Merchants sunk:
131427 JUL 1944 Pos: 9-02N 134-34E Oil Tanker 9204
131427 JUL 1944 Pos: 9-02N 134-34E Oil Tanker 9204
131428 JUL 1944 Pos: 9-02N 134-34E Oil Tanker 9204
131428 JUL 1944 Pos: 9-02N 134-34E Troop Transport 3217
131428 JUL 1944 Pos: 9-02N 134-34E Oil Tanker 9204
141529 JUL 1944 Pos: 7-54N 134-01E Troop Transport 8506
142136 JUL 1944 Pos: 7-56N 134-02E Troop Transport 9547
142136 JUL 1944 Pos: 7-56N 134-02E Armed Merchant 7954
Patrol Narrative:
SHIPS LOG
Mission Orders: July 4th 1944
SS-383 USS Pampanito is with all haste, ordered to make preparations for her Second war patrol, and on completion, is to depart USN submarine base Majuro, and proceed to the Palau Islands area, and commence patrolling all sectors.
July 11th Position: 5-27N 137-03E
Clear skies with calm seas moon Quarter
1442hrs: Arrived assigned area, 120nm ESE of Koror, set course to 270t intend picking up routes from the SE of Koror, then circumnavigating the Island chain crossing each merchant route in succession.
1855hrs: Rig for red, C=270t S=2/3s.
July 12th Position: 6-39N 135-35E
Clear skies calm seas moon Gibbous
0243hrs: After completing our NW run we are now some 20nm from Koror, and about to turn on to 035t, we have what appears to be a large patrol, off to port, the contacts are to spread out to be a convoy.
0530hrs: after skirting around the patrol, we have secured from red, and are at present at 200ft conducting a sonar search, around the easterly approaches to Koror.
1845hrs: At PSD no visual or HE contacts, no SJ or SD contacts, surfaced venting and recharging batteries.
1850hrs: Received request from COMSUBPAC, for a photo recon of harbor installations at Koror, on or before 2000hrs on the 13 th and we are at present complying with that request.
2242hrs: At PSD and some 3000yds from target, we have two HE contacts off to port, both active, with visual on one a D type patrol craft, also visual on several ships at anchor, possible convoy, depth under keel is 80ft, moving any closer I feel, will reduce it still further, at this point in time I am inclined to abort the mission, getting in doesn't present any problem, getting out, are where my main concerns lie, will try south of the harbor, before making my decision.
2342hrs: After repositioning south of the harbor, and finding two more active sonar contacts, making four in total, have decided to abort the mission, as the risks outweighed the gains, returning to open water and continuing with patrol.
July 13th Position: 7-32N 135-17E
Partly cloudy with calm seas moon Quarter
0421hrs: Continuing with patrol, C=300t S=2/3s 55nm NE of Koror.
1317hrs: SJ contact, B=024r R=16.5nm, altered course to intercept.
1403hrs: Visual on contacts, 11 maru's 2 escorts, mixed bag, but have spotted 4 OT and 1 TT.
1426hrs: commenced our attack.
1st OT B=015 R=1700 C=131 S=10kts, 1 MK-14 set MOT
2nd OT B=339 R=1700 C=131 S=10kts, 1 MK-14 set MOT
3rd OT B=018 R=1000 C=131 S=10kts, 1 MK=14 set MOT
4th OT B=326 R=1100 C=131 S=10kts, 2 MK-14 set MOT
5th TT B=271 R=700 C=131 S=10kts, 1 MK-14 set MOT,
All torpedoes save one, which was reported as a DUD, struck and sank their targets, dived leveled off at 500ft rigged for depth charge.
1536hrs: after the first furry of activity, we settled into the old cat and mouse routine, all HE contacts fading aft, at PSD have single visual contact, B=183 R=7000 S=5kts circling, returning to 200ft will surface after dark.
1845hrs: Rig for red, surfaced running single engine C=190 S=2/3s.
2225hrs: Arrived new billet, 50nm WNW of Koror.
July 14th Position: 7-59N 134-13E
Partly cloudy with calm seas moon crescent
0437hrs: SJ contact B=284r R=13.5nm possible medium convoy.
0553hrs: Visual lead escorts, ID Fubuki class DD B=054r R=3400 C=279t S=19kts, others possible PC class, hull down B=336r R=4000 C=279 S=17kts.
0608hrs: Visual on convoy, well south of our position, over 8000yds away, can make out a few, but most are hull down, really cocked up the predicted course for this lot, all we can do is watch them pass unmolested.
1355hrs: SJ contact, B=092r R=16.5nm possible second medium convoy, lets try to get this one right.
1522hrs: Visual on convoy, mixed bag, with 5 escorts, mostly PC again, spied a TT.
1527hrs: Target TT B=016r R=1000 C=096 S=10kts, fired 1 MK-14 set contact MOT, torpedo struck and sank TT, dived leveled off at 500ft rigged for depth charge, turned to 219 S=1/3.
1839hrs: At PSD no HE, visual or SD contacts, but have 4 possibly 5 blips on the old SJ, about 16000yds moving away, those are the escorts that have just kept us at 500ft for the past 3hrs.
1847hrs: Rigged for red, surfaced returning back to billet.
2020hrs: SJ contact B=047r R=17nm, possible small convoy.
2120hrs: At PSD have 2 low speed HE contacts, B=005 passing to starboard, new course 210t.
2129hrs: Visual on convoy, two maru's 1 AMC 1 TT, no escorts,
Set up on TT B=300r R=980 C=281t S=11kts 1 MK-14 set contact MOT torpedo struck and sank target,
Set up on AMC B=350r R=480 C=281t S=11kts 3 MK-14s set contact MOT torpedoes struck and sank target.
2157hrs: Running surfaced on single engine, C=270 S=2/3s, returning home.
CDR A Brown
CO USS Pampanito
