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USS Tambor (SS-198)
Encyclopedia
USS Tambor (SS-198), the lead ship
of her class
of submarine
, was the only ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the tambor.
Her keel was laid down on 16 January 1939 by the Electric Boat
Company in Groton, Connecticut
. She was launched
on 20 December 1939 sponsored by Miss Lucia Ellis, and commissioned
on 3 June 1940 with Lieutenant Commander John M. Murphy, Jr. (Class of 1925), in command.
After fitting out at New London, Tambor got underway on 6 August 1940 for her shakedown cruise which took her to New York City, Washington, D.C., Morehead City, North Carolina
, and Houston, Texas
. Following further training off Colón, Panama
, the submarine returned to New London, Connecticut
, before holding her acceptance trials and undergoing a post-shakedown overhaul at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine
. After conducting live-fire trials on the effectiveness of depth charge
s, the first of their kind in the U.S. Navy, Tambor reported in May 1941 to the Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, and the command of Rear Admiral Thomas W. Withers, Jr. (COMSUBPAC).
Tambor began a routine peacetime patrol of Wake Island
in late November 1941 and, when World War II broke out, she began her first war patrol. However, she was forced to return to Pearl Harbor
with one engine out of commission. Routed back to Mare Island
, where the damage was repaired, the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor in March 1942.
, New Britain
, and Rabaul
. In all, she made nine attacks; on 16 April, she fired two torpedoes at a tanker. One hit, and she was credited with a sinking; this was not verified by postwar examination of Japanese records.{It was the "Kitami Maru"} Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 May, where her skipper criticized the torpedoes.
, informed his submarines, waiting until after 11:00 to order them to close. Running surfaced, Tambor was strafed by aircraft
At 02:15 on 5 June, Tambor radioed sighting "four large ships" 90 nmi (103.6 mi; 166.7 km) north of Midway, at a range of 3 nmi (3.5 mi; 5.6 km). This vague and unhelpful observation was mostly due to Lt.Cdr. John W. Murphy Jr.'s unwillingness to approach close enough to even verify the ships were Japanese (or even warships at all). Lt.Cdr. Murphy's half-hearted effort frustrated Admiral Spruance
because without confirmation of the vessels' size, nationality and heading, he could not safely discount the idea that Yamamoto
still intended to shell Midway. Thus he was forced to move to block them, thereby denying the Japanese the chance to engage that night (when Spruance's carriers would have been virtually defenseless). Three other ships soon appeared; about forty minutes after Tambor signalled, she was sighted.
Amazingly, the panic this induced in the cruiser force proved to be Tambors best (and among her only) contribution to the battle. Frantically maneuvering to escape what they believed was an imminent torpedo attack, and collided in the fog, while the other two cruisers ( and ) fled northwest; Mikuma and Mogami, with the destroyers, limped west at 12 kn (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph). Tambor herself was totally unaware of the chaos she had caused, since she had once again failed to maintain visual contact with the cruiser force and thus did not see the collision or realize she'd been spotted. Not until 04:12 did Tambor finally creep close enough to tentatively identify the ships as Japanese cruisers. Despite having fired no torpedoes thus far in the battle, fearing exposure by daylight, Tambor made no attacks and dove to safety, ignoring even the slow and wounded Mogami, quite literally one of the best targets a submarine could hope for. She played no further role in the battle.
Two days later, Tambor sighted a scout plane 7 mi (6.1 nmi; 11.3 km) away; she went to 140 feet (42.7 m). Two depth bombs, which exploded close aboard, damaged both her periscopes and cracked all four battery blower motors, so Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 June for repairs; Lt.Cdr. Murphy was promptly relieved of duty
for timidity in the face of the enemy in light of Tambor's failure to close with and attack the enemy, or at least identify and properly shadow the Japanese cruiser force so aircraft could be vectored to the location (a regular task for both Japanese and American submarines and the primary purpose Tambor was there at all). Lt.Cdr. Murphy's lack of aggressiveness had hampered Spruance's intelligence of the battle and had played the lion's share of the role in allowing , and to escape almost certain destruction from air attack. Murphy was sent to a shore post
, being replaced in command of Tambor by Lt.Cdr. Steven H. Armbruster.
, Australia. Tambor searched for enemy shipping in the Marshall Islands
. On 7 August near Wotje Atoll
, she sank the converted net tender Shofaka with one torpedo which broke her in half. Tambor remained in the Marshalls until 19 August when she was ordered to patrol the southern passages to Truk. As there was time to spare before she was to take station there, she prowled through the Caroline Islands
. On 21 August near Ponape
, the submarine fired a spread of three torpedoes at a freighter and her escort. The first hit the target amidships and the other two aft, blowing off the stern. Shinsei Maru No. Six quickly sank. On 1 September, she fired four torpedoes at a tanker off Truk and damaged it with one hit. She was credited with two ships for 12,000 tons; this was reduced to 5,800 tons postwar.
s. On 3 November, she fired three torpedoes at a freighter, but all missed. The submarine eluded detection and, 30 minutes later, fired two more. One hit amidships, and Chikugo Maru went under by the stern. On 6 November, she fired two torpedoes at a cargo-passenger ship flying the French flag, but both missed. On 10 November, she closed on an unarmed sampan
, took its crew on board and sank it by gunfire. Credited with one ship for 10,000 tons (reduced to 2,500 tons postwar), Tambor returned to Fremantle on 21 November for refit, during which her deck gun was replaced by a five-inch (127 mm)/25cal gun.
between Krakatau and Thartway Island. The only target sighted was an enemy destroyer which she attacked (a rare act of aggressiveness for submarines) on 1 January 1943. The submarine's spread of four torpedoes missed, and she went deep to avoid the 18 depth charges that followed. On December 29, 1942 the "Fukken Maru" sank from a mine laid by the Tambor
's Guerrillas". On 5 March, she landed a small party headed by Lt.Cdr. Charles Parsons
with 50,000 rounds of .30 (7.62 mm) ammunition, 20,000 rounds of .45 (11.4 mm) pistol ammunition, and $10,000 in currency on southern Mindanao
. On 22 March, she fired three torpedoes at a tanker southwest of Apo Island
. {This was the Bugen Maru-damaged} Seven days later, she scored one hit on a freighter out of three torpedoes fired and believed it sank; it was not confirmed. The submarine returned to Fremantle on 14 April for refit in which a 20-millimeter gun was installed forward of the bridge.
but all missed. Her score for the patrol postwar was one ship of 2,500 tons.
.{On July 27 the "Teiken Maru" was sunk by a mine laid by the Tambor} On 3 August, she sighted five cargomen and a destroyer in Palawan Passage. Three shots at a freighter produced two hits, and one fired at another target missed; Japanese records do not indicate any sinking. On 21 August, she sighted an unescorted convoy of three tankers and five freighters. She fired five torpedoes at a pair of freighters, but scored no hits. Two more sped toward a tanker and produced one explosion but no apparent damage. The next day, she sighted another convoy heading in the opposite direction. Making a submerged attack, Tambor fired five torpedoes at a large freighter. Three made perfect hits amidships but all failed to explode, and she sank no ships. The submarine set sail for Midway, arriving 7 September. She transited through Pearl Harbor on her way to San Francisco, California
, on 20 November for major overhaul.
. She sighted a Natori-class cruiser on 22 January, but lost contact in a rain squall. Six days later, she contacted a convoy of nine ships heading north and tracked it until 01:56 the next day. She then fired two torpedoes at a cargo ship in a surface attack. Both hit and sent Shuntai Maru down by the bow. An escort headed straight for the submarine and ramming seemed inevitable. Tambor opened fire with her aft 20-millimeter gun and turned hard to port causing the escort to pass 20 yards (18.3 m) astern. After evading the escort, the submarine tried to regain contact with the convoy but failed.
On 2 February, she began tracking two ships. The following morning, she fired two torpedoes at a cargo ship, and both hit amidships. She directed two more at a tanker, and one hit forward of the target's stack. Both Ariake Maru and Goyo Maru sank. Tambor went deep and remained on the bottom under depth charge attack from 04:18 to 13:15. Ten days later, she encountered another three-ship convoy. In a night surface attack, the submarine fired a spread of three torpedoes at a cargo ship. As Tambor submerged, her crew heard one hit and sank the passenger-cargo ship Ronsan Maru. Her patrol was a rousing success, with four ships confirmed sunk, a total of 18,400 tons.
. On 18 April, she attacked a 250-ton trawler loaded with food and fresh vegetables. A boarding party from the submarine killed seven members of the Japanese vessel's crew and captured the second officer. The Americans removed the ship's papers and left her afire and sinking. {This was the gunboat "Shinku Maru No. 3"} On 10 May, she contacted an eight-ship convoy, escorted by five destroyers and two destroyer escorts. In a submerged attack, Tambor fired four torpedoes at a cargo ship and heard two explosions, then went deep, taking 50 depth charges from the escorts. Tambor surfaced later and attempted to close the convoy once more. However, a destroyer picked her up and subjected her to another depth charge attack.{The sunk ship was the "Keiyo Maru"} On 26 May she scored two hits which sank Chigo Maru (650 tons). Tambors tenth patrol ended at Midway on 2 June.
and the Kuril Islands
from 16 July to 23 August. She fired three torpedoes at a freighter on 28 July and heard three explosions. However, a dense fog prohibited her seeing the results. {Possibly the IJN Destroyer "Kunashiri" reported to have been damaged by "unknown cause"} On 13 August, Tambor made a surface attack against a cargo ship and then photographed Toei Maru (2,300 tons) as she lowered two lifeboats and sank in 20 minutes. After returning to Midway, Tambor continued to Pearl Harbor for refit.
, commanding SubDiv 101).
Shortly before midnight on 15 November, Tambor fired three torpedoes at a patrol boat, but scored no hits. Forty-five minutes later, three more missed. At 06:10, the submarine's commander decided to battle on the surface with his deck guns; the escort fired back, and a Tambor crewmen was severely wounded. Thirty minutes later, as the target began to sink, Tambors crew took two prisoners from the water. She transferred them and the wounded crewman to on 18 November. {The sunken vessel was the guardship "Takashiro Maru"}Tambor ended her last war patrol at Pearl Harbor on 30 November, to be retired from combat.
Routed onward to the United States, Tambor arrived at San Francisco on 10 December 1944. After an extended overhaul, the submarine sailed for Puget Sound
on 9 March 1945. Upon her arrival, Tambor began training operations with Navy patrol aircraft under Fleet Air Wing 6. On 17 September, she departed the West Coast for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
. Tambor was decommissioned there on 10 December 1945 and placed in reserve. In April 1947, the submarine was assigned to the Ninth Naval District to train naval reservists, and reported to the Naval Reserve Training Center, Detroit, Michigan
, on 8 December. Tambor remained on this station until 1959 when a Board of Inspection and Survey found her unfit for further naval service. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 September and subsequently sold for scrap.
Tambor received 11 battle stars for World War II service.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class
Tambor class submarine
The Tambor class submarine was a United States Navy submarine design, used primarily during World War II. It was the USN's first practical fleet submarine and formed the core of the United States Pacific submarine fleet at the time of the US entry into World War II.-Design history:Early U.S...
of submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was the only ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for the tambor.
Her keel was laid down on 16 January 1939 by the Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Company in Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 20 December 1939 sponsored by Miss Lucia Ellis, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 3 June 1940 with Lieutenant Commander John M. Murphy, Jr. (Class of 1925), in command.
After fitting out at New London, Tambor got underway on 6 August 1940 for her shakedown cruise which took her to New York City, Washington, D.C., Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007...
, and Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Following further training off Colón, Panama
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
, the submarine returned to New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, before holding her acceptance trials and undergoing a post-shakedown overhaul at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
. After conducting live-fire trials on the effectiveness of depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, the first of their kind in the U.S. Navy, Tambor reported in May 1941 to the Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, and the command of Rear Admiral Thomas W. Withers, Jr. (COMSUBPAC).
Tambor began a routine peacetime patrol of Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
in late November 1941 and, when World War II broke out, she began her first war patrol. However, she was forced to return to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
with one engine out of commission. Routed back to Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
, where the damage was repaired, the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor in March 1942.
First war patrol
Tambor began her first war patrol on 15 March when she stood out of Pearl Harbor to reconnoiter the areas around Wake Island, Truk, New IrelandNew Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, and Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
. In all, she made nine attacks; on 16 April, she fired two torpedoes at a tanker. One hit, and she was credited with a sinking; this was not verified by postwar examination of Japanese records.{It was the "Kitami Maru"} Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 May, where her skipper criticized the torpedoes.
Second patrol
After refitting, she was then assigned to Task Group 7.1. The group of six submarines sailed for Midway Island on 21 May to begin patrolling a 150 miles (241.4 km) circle in anticipation of the invasion fleet intelligence had reported was en route there. At 07:15 on 4 June, 90 minutes after first reported contact, COMSUBPAC, Admiral Robert H. EnglishRobert Henry English
Robert Henry English was a United States Navy Commissioned officer who commanded the U.S. Navy's submarine force in the Pacific Ocean early in World War II....
, informed his submarines, waiting until after 11:00 to order them to close. Running surfaced, Tambor was strafed by aircraft
At 02:15 on 5 June, Tambor radioed sighting "four large ships" 90 nmi (103.6 mi; 166.7 km) north of Midway, at a range of 3 nmi (3.5 mi; 5.6 km). This vague and unhelpful observation was mostly due to Lt.Cdr. John W. Murphy Jr.'s unwillingness to approach close enough to even verify the ships were Japanese (or even warships at all). Lt.Cdr. Murphy's half-hearted effort frustrated Admiral Spruance
Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...
because without confirmation of the vessels' size, nationality and heading, he could not safely discount the idea that Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
still intended to shell Midway. Thus he was forced to move to block them, thereby denying the Japanese the chance to engage that night (when Spruance's carriers would have been virtually defenseless). Three other ships soon appeared; about forty minutes after Tambor signalled, she was sighted.
Amazingly, the panic this induced in the cruiser force proved to be Tambors best (and among her only) contribution to the battle. Frantically maneuvering to escape what they believed was an imminent torpedo attack, and collided in the fog, while the other two cruisers ( and ) fled northwest; Mikuma and Mogami, with the destroyers, limped west at 12 kn (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph). Tambor herself was totally unaware of the chaos she had caused, since she had once again failed to maintain visual contact with the cruiser force and thus did not see the collision or realize she'd been spotted. Not until 04:12 did Tambor finally creep close enough to tentatively identify the ships as Japanese cruisers. Despite having fired no torpedoes thus far in the battle, fearing exposure by daylight, Tambor made no attacks and dove to safety, ignoring even the slow and wounded Mogami, quite literally one of the best targets a submarine could hope for. She played no further role in the battle.
Two days later, Tambor sighted a scout plane 7 mi (6.1 nmi; 11.3 km) away; she went to 140 feet (42.7 m). Two depth bombs, which exploded close aboard, damaged both her periscopes and cracked all four battery blower motors, so Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 June for repairs; Lt.Cdr. Murphy was promptly relieved of duty
Reduction in rank
Reduction in rank may refer to two separate concepts:*In military law, a reduction in rank is a demotion in military rank as punishment for a crime or wrongdoing, imposed by a court-martial or other authority...
for timidity in the face of the enemy in light of Tambor
Beached (naval)
A naval officer who is beached is one who, through illness or other incapacitation, is restricted to shore duty....
, being replaced in command of Tambor by Lt.Cdr. Steven H. Armbruster.
Third patrol
Her next patrol (now in the hands of Stephen H. Ambruster) began on 24 July at Pearl Harbor, ending on 19 September at FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Australia. Tambor searched for enemy shipping in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. On 7 August near Wotje Atoll
Wotje Atoll
Wotje Atoll is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Wotje's land area of , is one the largest in the Marshall Islands, and encloses a lagoon of . The atoll is oriented east and west and is at its longest...
, she sank the converted net tender Shofaka with one torpedo which broke her in half. Tambor remained in the Marshalls until 19 August when she was ordered to patrol the southern passages to Truk. As there was time to spare before she was to take station there, she prowled through the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. On 21 August near Ponape
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
, the submarine fired a spread of three torpedoes at a freighter and her escort. The first hit the target amidships and the other two aft, blowing off the stern. Shinsei Maru No. Six quickly sank. On 1 September, she fired four torpedoes at a tanker off Truk and damaged it with one hit. She was credited with two ships for 12,000 tons; this was reduced to 5,800 tons postwar.
Fourth patrol
Tambor sailed for Hainan Strait on 12 October and (in part due to torpedo shortages) laid mineNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s. On 3 November, she fired three torpedoes at a freighter, but all missed. The submarine eluded detection and, 30 minutes later, fired two more. One hit amidships, and Chikugo Maru went under by the stern. On 6 November, she fired two torpedoes at a cargo-passenger ship flying the French flag, but both missed. On 10 November, she closed on an unarmed sampan
Sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers, and are often used as traditional fishing boats...
, took its crew on board and sank it by gunfire. Credited with one ship for 10,000 tons (reduced to 2,500 tons postwar), Tambor returned to Fremantle on 21 November for refit, during which her deck gun was replaced by a five-inch (127 mm)/25cal gun.
Fifth patrol
From 18 December 1942 to 28 January 1943, Tambor patrolled Sunda StraitSunda Strait
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean...
between Krakatau and Thartway Island. The only target sighted was an enemy destroyer which she attacked (a rare act of aggressiveness for submarines) on 1 January 1943. The submarine's spread of four torpedoes missed, and she went deep to avoid the 18 depth charges that followed. On December 29, 1942 the "Fukken Maru" sank from a mine laid by the Tambor
Sixth patrol
Tambor sailed from Fremantle on 18 February to carry out a special mission in the Philippine Islands, in support of "MacArthurDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's Guerrillas". On 5 March, she landed a small party headed by Lt.Cdr. Charles Parsons
Chick Parsons
Charles Thomas Parsons, Jr. was a businessman, diplomat, and decorated World War II veteran. He was born April 22, 1902, in Shelbyville, Tennessee...
with 50,000 rounds of .30 (7.62 mm) ammunition, 20,000 rounds of .45 (11.4 mm) pistol ammunition, and $10,000 in currency on southern Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. On 22 March, she fired three torpedoes at a tanker southwest of Apo Island
Apo Island
Apo Island is a volcanic island covering 12 hectares in land area, 7 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island and 30 kilometers south of the Negros Oriental capital of Dumaguete City in the Philippines....
. {This was the Bugen Maru-damaged} Seven days later, she scored one hit on a freighter out of three torpedoes fired and believed it sank; it was not confirmed. The submarine returned to Fremantle on 14 April for refit in which a 20-millimeter gun was installed forward of the bridge.
Seventh patrol
Tambors seventh patrol (now under Russell Kefauver) took her north of the Malay Barrier from 7 May to 27 June 1943. On 26 May, she fired a spread of three torpedoes at a tanker that all missed. Three days later, three more missed a cargo ship. She tried again several hours later, saw two of the three torpedoes fired score hits, and heard three explosions. As the target was sinking, she fired another spread of three at an accompanying freighter. Some of the crew of Eiski Maru escaped in two lifeboats. On 2 June and on 6 June, she fired spreads of three torpedoes at cargo ships. The first appeared to break in half, and the second seemed to sink; but there is no record of the sinkings in Japanese official records.{The "Eika Maru" was sunk June 2} On 16 June, Tambor fired her last three torpedoes at a tanker off Cam Ranh BayCam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
but all missed. Her score for the patrol postwar was one ship of 2,500 tons.
Eighth patrol
Tambor stood out of Fremantle for the last time on 20 July en route to Lombok StraitLombok Strait
The Lombok Strait is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side....
.{On July 27 the "Teiken Maru" was sunk by a mine laid by the Tambor} On 3 August, she sighted five cargomen and a destroyer in Palawan Passage. Three shots at a freighter produced two hits, and one fired at another target missed; Japanese records do not indicate any sinking. On 21 August, she sighted an unescorted convoy of three tankers and five freighters. She fired five torpedoes at a pair of freighters, but scored no hits. Two more sped toward a tanker and produced one explosion but no apparent damage. The next day, she sighted another convoy heading in the opposite direction. Making a submerged attack, Tambor fired five torpedoes at a large freighter. Three made perfect hits amidships but all failed to explode, and she sank no ships. The submarine set sail for Midway, arriving 7 September. She transited through Pearl Harbor on her way to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, on 20 November for major overhaul.
Ninth patrol
Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 15 December 1943 and held refresher training during the remainder of the month. She began her ninth war patrol on 5 January 1944. Her assigned area was in the East China SeaEast China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
. She sighted a Natori-class cruiser on 22 January, but lost contact in a rain squall. Six days later, she contacted a convoy of nine ships heading north and tracked it until 01:56 the next day. She then fired two torpedoes at a cargo ship in a surface attack. Both hit and sent Shuntai Maru down by the bow. An escort headed straight for the submarine and ramming seemed inevitable. Tambor opened fire with her aft 20-millimeter gun and turned hard to port causing the escort to pass 20 yards (18.3 m) astern. After evading the escort, the submarine tried to regain contact with the convoy but failed.
On 2 February, she began tracking two ships. The following morning, she fired two torpedoes at a cargo ship, and both hit amidships. She directed two more at a tanker, and one hit forward of the target's stack. Both Ariake Maru and Goyo Maru sank. Tambor went deep and remained on the bottom under depth charge attack from 04:18 to 13:15. Ten days later, she encountered another three-ship convoy. In a night surface attack, the submarine fired a spread of three torpedoes at a cargo ship. As Tambor submerged, her crew heard one hit and sank the passenger-cargo ship Ronsan Maru. Her patrol was a rousing success, with four ships confirmed sunk, a total of 18,400 tons.
Tenth patrol
After refit at Pearl Harbor, Tambor put to sea on 9 April en route to the Mariana IslandsMariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. On 18 April, she attacked a 250-ton trawler loaded with food and fresh vegetables. A boarding party from the submarine killed seven members of the Japanese vessel's crew and captured the second officer. The Americans removed the ship's papers and left her afire and sinking. {This was the gunboat "Shinku Maru No. 3"} On 10 May, she contacted an eight-ship convoy, escorted by five destroyers and two destroyer escorts. In a submerged attack, Tambor fired four torpedoes at a cargo ship and heard two explosions, then went deep, taking 50 depth charges from the escorts. Tambor surfaced later and attempted to close the convoy once more. However, a destroyer picked her up and subjected her to another depth charge attack.{The sunk ship was the "Keiyo Maru"} On 26 May she scored two hits which sank Chigo Maru (650 tons). Tambors tenth patrol ended at Midway on 2 June.
Eleventh patrol
The submarine (now in the hands of William J. Germershausen) conducted her next patrol in the waters off southern HokkaidōHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
from 16 July to 23 August. She fired three torpedoes at a freighter on 28 July and heard three explosions. However, a dense fog prohibited her seeing the results. {Possibly the IJN Destroyer "Kunashiri" reported to have been damaged by "unknown cause"} On 13 August, Tambor made a surface attack against a cargo ship and then photographed Toei Maru (2,300 tons) as she lowered two lifeboats and sank in 20 minutes. After returning to Midway, Tambor continued to Pearl Harbor for refit.
Twelfth patrol
Tambor returned to Midway on 6 October and sailed the next day for the Tokyo Bay area. On 15 October, she fired four torpedoes at three radar pips and heard one explosion. She was forced to go deep to evade 26 depth charges. She emerged with no damage. Four days later, she attacked an escort with four torpedoes and heard four explosions, but no sinking was verified. The submarine returned to Saipan from 8 November to 10 November, then resumed her patrol, now one of six members of the wolfpack "Burt's Brooms" (named for Thomas B. KlakringThomas B. Klakring
Thomas Burton Klakring was a United States Navy submarine commander during World War II.T. B. Klakring, the only child of Colonel and Mrs...
, commanding SubDiv 101).
Shortly before midnight on 15 November, Tambor fired three torpedoes at a patrol boat, but scored no hits. Forty-five minutes later, three more missed. At 06:10, the submarine's commander decided to battle on the surface with his deck guns; the escort fired back, and a Tambor crewmen was severely wounded. Thirty minutes later, as the target began to sink, Tambors crew took two prisoners from the water. She transferred them and the wounded crewman to on 18 November. {The sunken vessel was the guardship "Takashiro Maru"}Tambor ended her last war patrol at Pearl Harbor on 30 November, to be retired from combat.
Routed onward to the United States, Tambor arrived at San Francisco on 10 December 1944. After an extended overhaul, the submarine sailed for Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
on 9 March 1945. Upon her arrival, Tambor began training operations with Navy patrol aircraft under Fleet Air Wing 6. On 17 September, she departed the West Coast for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...
. Tambor was decommissioned there on 10 December 1945 and placed in reserve. In April 1947, the submarine was assigned to the Ninth Naval District to train naval reservists, and reported to the Naval Reserve Training Center, Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, on 8 December. Tambor remained on this station until 1959 when a Board of Inspection and Survey found her unfit for further naval service. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 September and subsequently sold for scrap.
Tambor received 11 battle stars for World War II service.