Early in World War II, Japanese forces sank the USS Wahoo submarine with 79 men on board.
Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force commander, demanded retaliation.
However, the Wahoo had been sunk in the Sea of Japan, and the US Navy was
not quite ready to venture back into the heavily-mined Pacific waters controlled
by the Japanese. The Navy’s submarines needed better equipment and tools for coordination.
It would take two-years of research and development before a plan was hatched.
A fleet of US submarines using an experimental and highly effective sonar system would penetrate the
minefield and venture into the Sea of Japan to wreak havoc among their merchant vessels.
If successful, the submarines could accelerate Japan's surrender before
more American lives were lost. Operation Barney was launched in May of 1945,
when a wolfpack of nine submarines was set loose on a hunt for revenge behind enemy lines...
Hirohito's bathtub
When World War II broke out, the Japanese Empire quickly took over most of the Pacific,
conquering small islands scattered throughout
the ocean and even conducting ground operations from China to Australia.
Japan had a mighty fleet of merchant ships to preserve and supply this vast yet tenuous
territorial expansion. The fleet kept Japanese garrisons well-stocked with food, equipment,
weapons and, more importantly, oil.
As the war against the US raged on, the Japanese merchant fleet began to lose
vessels by the dozens. It was eventually reduced to such small numbers that its
operation became limited to an area that the Americans liked to call Hirohito's bathtub.
This territory was heavily protected by a deadly minefield in the Tsushima Strait,
a Japanese island close to the Korean peninsula.
Submarine Warfare
Between 1941 and 1943, American submarines suffered constant operational and mechanical
problems that had to be continuously addressed to render them fit for combat.
One of the most common issues was defective torpedoes. These proved to
be extremely dangerous for American submarine crews. They were also not properly trained.
As the war progressed in the Pacific, the US Navy addressed these problems. It developed
a successful doctrine and began effectively sinking Japanese military and merchant vessels.
But it was not enough. According to data gathered by the Navy at the end of 1942,
the American Pacific Fleet had only managed to sink 180 ships worth 725,000 tons of cargo over
the year. In contrast, the German Kriegsmarine U-boats sank that amount in two months.
In his book, "Wolf Pack: The American Submarine Strategy That Helped Defeat Japan,"
Steven Trent Smith mentions a letter proposing a new approach.
It was written by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest King,
to Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor in April of 1943, and it said (QUOTE):
"Effectiveness of operations and availability of submarines indicate desirability,
even necessity, to form a tactical group of 4 to 6 submarines trained
and indoctrinated in coordinated action for operations such as now set up in Solomons,
to be stationed singly or in groups in enemy ship approaches to critical areas."
This new strategy was the beginning of small coordinated submarine fleets sent
behind enemy lines to conduct unrestricted warfare against Japan’s shipping lines.
An Hour of Revenge
On October 11, 1943, the USS Wahoo,
under the command of Lieutenant Commander Dudley Walker "Mush" Morton,
was patrolling the Sea of Japan when it was detected by Japanese forces and attacked.
The badly-damaged submarine tried to escape through the La Perouse Strait,
north of the Sea of Japan, but it was simultaneously attacked by air and sea forces.
The USS Wahoo, a Gato-class submarine, was the most efficient submarine of the Pacific
Fleet at the time. It was credited with sinking 20 Japanese ships in the course of five war patrols.
After the attack, no US submarine dared to venture into the Sea of Japan.
The loss of the submarine crew and Lt. Commander Morton devastated Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood,
the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force commander.
He would go on to write in his diary (QUOTE):
"This is the worst blow we've had. I'm heartbroken. God punish the Japanese!"
For Lockwood, Morton and his crew embodied the true submarine warrior spirit.
They were cold, meticulous fighters,
just like the German Kriegsmarine sailors that roamed the waters of the Atlantic.
After the terrible loss of the Pacific Fleet’s most effective crew, Lockwood swore to avenge
Morton and his brave team. Filled with rage, he added to his diary (QUOTE):
"I resolved there would come a day of visitation. An hour of revenge."
This thirst for vengeance helped Lockwood realize that the US submarines needed
an upgrade to deal maximum damage to the Imperial Japanese Navy and its supply line.
Days after the USS Wahoo incident, a board determined that Morton and his crew
were probably detected by the Japanese because their submarine stumbled upon
one of the hundreds of mines placed in the Sea of Japan.
As a result, Lockwood's revenge would have to wait
until the Navy came up with better upgrades for the submarine fleet.
Eager to retaliate as soon as possible,
Lockwood himself visited the University of California Division of War Research
to develop devices that could help his subs fight off the Japanese anti-submarine attacks.
Hell's Bells
One of the prototypes shown to Lockwood at the University of
California was a small detector based on a frequency-modulated FM sonar.
On paper, this FM sonar worked almost identically to the standard active one.
After striking a solid object, the signal returned to the emitting unit as an echo.
It could also locate items below the surface, like rocky formations, buoys, mines, and animals.
Vice Admiral Lockwood was immediately enticed by the technology.
If the submarine crews could effectively distinguish between enemy vessels and mines,
they could better maneuver through enemy territory.
The objects detected were displayed with pear-shaped
images and unique ringing tones called Hell's Bells.
According to Steven Trent Smith, author of Wolf Pack: The American Submarine Strategy, the
ringtone sounds helped sonar operators distinguish between coral reefs,
shoals of fish, and actual enemy mines. This new sonar could detect them from up to 700 yards.
Lockwood asked the Navy to speed up the testing process for the FM sonar.
He wished to try it on his submarine fleet as soon as possible.
After various tests conducted in 1944, the Navy finally approved the use of the FM sonar.
Aside from some minor issues, it could detect every object under the sea.
The sonar was a valuable war asset for fighting the Japanese in the Pacific.
Lockwood's chance for vengeance was quickly approaching.
Lockwood Strikes Back
Knowing that the FM sonar was the key to open the Sea of Japan’s gates, Lockwood contacted Admiral
Ernest J. King, Commander in Chief of the Navy, to discuss the launch of a new submarine operation.He
told King that wolfpacks of stealthy submarines could finally break into the 40-mile long
Tsushima Strait to hunt down Japanese merchant ships with the new sonar upgrade.
Lockwood's planned operation and his quest for revenge were denied twice.
Navy officers argued that the FM sonar was still in an experimental phase
and did not want to risk men and assets in such a dangerous mission.
Relentless, Lockwood pressed on. By April 1945, more submarines were equipped with this
technology. Some even ventured into the perilous Tsushima Strait to do a recon of the zone.
At the end of the month, Lockwood chose Commodore
William "Barney" Sieglaff to begin planning his long-desired mission.
Sieglaff was a veteran submariner. During the war, he had sunk more than 12 ships
in seven war patrols. And he was ready for more. Operation Barney was now ready to go.
An elite group of nine FM sonar-equipped submarines was created for the mission.
The wolfpack was called the Hellcats. Sieglaff divided it into three sections
called the Hepcats, the Polecats, and the Bobcats.
Captain Earl Hydeman would command the small group aboard the submarine Sea Dog. The rest
of the subs were Flying Fish, Tunny, Spadefish, Bonefish, Tinosa, Crevalle, Skate, and Bowfin.
The Hellcats departed from Guam in the Mariana islands on May 27, 1945,
and ventured forth into the Tsushima Strait.
On the way to the Emperor's Backyard, the USS Tinosa rescued a downed B-29 bomber crew. When
the 10 airmen were retrieved, they were shocked to hear that they were headed for Tsushima.
The rescued crew immediately asked to be returned to their lifeboat. The men preferred
taking a chance in the open ocean than to venture into Japanese-controlled waters.
On June 4, the first Hellcats reached the Tsushima Strait. The USS Sea Dog took the lead and began to
cross the first of four lines of mines. Seconds of tension that felt like hours followed.
As Sea Dog moved through the minefield,
the FM sonar began to pick up the hellish sounds of dozens of mines that lay around them.
The rest of the Hellcats followed the lead. In some of the lines, the mines were spaced only
50 yards apart. This made maneuvers difficult, as they were half the length of a submarine.
When the crew of the Spade was coming through, they heard the rasping of metal on metal.
The crew tightened. The submarine was scraping a mine cable.
The sonar began to emit a ringing noise belonging to a dozen mines
located centimeters apart from the submarine.
The hydrophone operator turned up the volume so the crew could hear what was happening.
One sailor reportedly said [QUOTE]: "This is it. This is it. We are goners."
After agonizing minutes of hearing those hellish sounds,
the USS Spade finally went through unharmed. The Hellcats were ready to inflict mayhem.
For the next 20 days, the Hellcats avenged the loss of the USS Wahoo.
Steadily, the nine-submarine crew picked off isolated merchant vessels.
They managed to sink 28 Japanese ships, including a submarine and an Imperial Navy destroyer.
On June 13, the Spadefish misidentified a ship and sank a Russian freighter called the Transbalt.
The Soviet Union, which was at peace with Japan, condemned the sinking,
blaming the Japanese Empire. To avoid problems, the US Navy also blamed the Japanese.
The Journey Back
After weeks of hunting, the Hellcats returned home on June 24.
On the way back to La Pérouse Strait, the Bonefish was intercepted and sunk with all 85 hands aboard.
The remaining Hellcats reached Pearl Harbor on
July 4, where they were personally congratulated by Lockwood himself.
The Vice Admiral would go on to write in his book, “Hellcats of the Sea” (QUOTE): "I felt
that the dauntless spirit of the Hellcats and of Dudley Morton's Wahoo was with me when I reported
their success to Admiral Nimitz. Now I could say in sadness and in pride, 'Go with God, Wahoo!'"
Shortly after the Hellcat's return, the US dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
prompting the surrender of the Empire of the Rising Sun and an end to combat in the Pacific.