USS Sea Devil 'The Sea Devil Attacks Puget Sound'

I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M Dukakis retired in the fall of 1951 the Korean War was dragging along and threatening everyday to develop into another world conflict with a bitter lesson of Pearl Harbor uppermost in their minds our defense forces were busy reevaluating their readiness to prevent any conceivable kind of sneak attack in this Atomic Age the price of failure has been multiplied astronomically prohibitively our story concern to test of defenses at Seattle let's get underway well you better enjoy these boys this may be the last weekend for the next two weeks I figured another one a long time before two weeks is up Charlie you're a pessimist well we have Naval Submarine early in the last couple of exercises we'll get her in this one too right now we've got a rail out division of destroyers if we don't have that submarine in the bag in three days I'll what do you do boy boom site this is a surprise it's good to see it say I don't believe you know these boys how does Charlie Mason skipper the Morse honey high a dick green skipper the cylinder I know yeah there used to be my roommate at the academy he's been submerged so long I haven't seen it but ten years how about a drink now later well sit down stop Thanks now tell us what you're doing up here well I got orders to report the new exercises Oh Here I am Oh our pigeon I've beginning a look forward to these three days at sea three days told me I'd be here two weeks well that's the way they set up these exercises they allow two weeks but you don't stand a chance of lasting that long maybe what kind of cops and robbers games do you play up here well usually the submarine starts outside of 500 miles from the west it tries to get close enough to the mouth of the Juan de Fuca straits to launch missiles at Seattle or to attack the shipping going in or out and in cooperation with the air boys we find them and sink them before they can do anything no restrictions on assembly how far can go or how deep you can dive absolutely and well then you just been playing lucky nope it's strictly scientific there's such a thing as knowing when you're good and we're good of course we're very modest about it well you're either shot with luck or you've been operating against some bush-league submarines I'll tell you what I'll make a bet with you that no matter what mission is assigned we'll accomplish it name the bet how about the officers on the losing ship carrying the winners on their back to the club and standing the drinks you've got yourself a deal just so you don't get lost the name of my ship is a forest we type at birth three same old bills still sticking oh my god say when we find out what these exercises are all about all the Admiral scheduled a briefing for 10:00 in the morning good luck you'll need it that's what you think I know that most of you think we've covered the ground rather thoroughly in past exercises but if we rest on our oars in this day and age oars and everything else a liable to be evaporated in a thermonuclear explosion submarines are one of our greatest threats especially those equipped to launch missiles so I've ordered another exercise and remote detection and destruction of a submarine bent on destroying Seattle I'll give you two days submarine this time is the sea devil commanded by Commander WJ rule van der Rohe has a distinguished war record and is one of the most experienced submarine commanders in the Navy it should make things interesting for you now you've all seen the operation plan there any questions Admiral it takes a specially built and equipped submarine to stand off and launch a guided missile tiny old submarine could look a nuclear bomb into Puget Sound leave it on the bottom and get out might I ask if there's an exercise testing defenses along this line been held in recent months no not recently but no submarine has ever done it successfully such a submarine would have to pass through 74 miles of the Strait of Juan de Fuca get by our inner patrols and defenses off protection island and then fast through the narrow happen all the in hland it's virtually impossible Admiral that's what the British sought is scapa flow Alexandrian Sydney we thought so too at Pearl Harbor but it was done we haven't forgotten that rule but it's so Elementary that the Defense Forces wouldn't get much training in such an exercise it would be a waste of valuable time but sir if a submarine could show that it was possible to get by the defenses what then is he out of his mind this guy will try anything obviously have something special up your sleeve are you trying to tell me you think you can do it well I won't go that far but I don't think it's impossible so I like to take a crack at it this training has just one objective to produce an airtight defense if there are any holes in that defense I want to know it this would be a dangerous exercise you could run aground or be ran by shipping I realize that's it but if you let me do anything that we might expect from a resourceful enemy skipper I'll take my chances you uh you don't propose to go any further than protection i-i'm do you yes sir all the way through the inlet and into Puget Sound young man I don't think you can do it I like your spirit the plan for the operation will be changed accordingly thank you sir this is the time you're gonna get that long neck of yours neatly bobbed you'll stand a chance of getting away with it I still like my bed and don't you forget it afternoon captain mr. golden is on his way up thanks bragging of the conference go get Steen and come to ward room right away we got a lot of work to do now you have a picture all we have to do is to dope out how we're going to do it well exactly mimosa is a friend of mine he says they have the hottest anti some 900 I know I've heard all that if there weren't any good it wouldn't be a test we play our cards right we stand a good chance of getting as far as protection island but getting past and into the Narrows about it'll be Inlet that is going to be the trick of the year actually I have an idea it's been kicking around my mind for some time I think it might work moving watches posted captain ships ready for getting on the way very well Bob you know I really believe we have a chance getting away with this we've got a lot of hurdles get over yet Bob matter of fact the more I think about it the more I feel we've got a bear with the tail no how's that captain there are these strong currents and here we're facing a terrific problem navigating close to the rocks we run the seed out of the ground there's nothing in the book that says that we won't face a court-martial yeah before sunset the devil got it away and stood out carefully concealed under a tarpaulin was a 12-foot boat when I finished telling you men with the boats cruel have to do I'm betting there won't be many takers you just count me in regardless mrs. Dean when we get off protection Island tonight the captain will put us over the side in the boat we're going to go ashore on camp in the woods dealership comes for us it'll be wet and it'll be cold I'm your man sir back in Idaho I've camped on the open more times than I can count your end bricken give me that hat pardon your motor machinists mate maybe you can keep that outboard motor running I used to own an outboard motor just like the one they brought aboard I know all about them they're tricky I think Martin's better qualified the business teen I'm good sketchy maybe I can diagram a few things for your report you might have something there Taylor okay it's you and breaking I got your gear Emmy you all set yes sir The Cook's put up a lot of provision for us we're as ready as we'll ever be all right we'll be putting you over in about a half hour you got the rendezvous position yes sir good we'll be there therefore tomorrow at 1400 all three of you got watches yes sir one of them's we keep running here's a code of signals that I've worked out no captain this whole idea is just screwball enough to work it better be I love the store your sailors never will get off our back good luck thank you sir I think yourselves now remember if you captured all you have to get is your name rank and serial number good luck Oh ahead follow all ahead full see devil proceeded out of Juan de Fuca straits to see the end I've got it at dawn radar stations began a special search Wolfpack Wolfpack this is honor this is hunter message follows break commence schedule exercises search in accordance with plan easy sugar able sugar over Wolf Pack 1 say again all after easy over I say again all after easy sugar able sugar over this is Wolf Pack 1 Roger out report back to Roger out SAS short and sweet we have a full charge on the battery captain we're ready to dive at the time they're gonna take those flower boys long to get out here we'll be able to pick up the radar beam a long time before they can sis on the scope I want a sharp watch up on the radar detector aye sir I'll go below and build a fire into the detector what aircraft radar bearing zero three zero I guess you don't have to build a fire under this group right let's pull the plug find a [ __ ] the seed ever went deep to escape detection by patrol aircraft after the plane had gone the sea devil came back to snorkel depth with the stop of reading ere the submarine could run submerged on its diesel engines they maintained a careful watch on the periscope on the radar detector and on their own radar they could detect ships and planes long before the opposition could locate the my new target their snorkel presented as soon as anything headed in that direction the snorkel radar and periscope the Lord and all trace of her disappeared from the surface of the ocean finding a needle in a haystack was a lead-pipe cinch in comparison playing at kg and close to his chest the skipper got by the outer patrols and entered the straits of Juan de Fuca a bright moonlight night we'll never get away with running our snorkel in here like a lot better if I could see something Ricola noses dead ahead sounds close she cares snorkelling emergency she cares more for your mergency he may bury 3/5 but there she is right full rudder right full rudder that was a close one Bob left full rudder study on your original course left full rudder steady on original cost zero nine five you know the clear saying I've seen all night but that court-martial we just missed no it's a lot better than the funeral we could ahead what's that that's trouble locker cover top side is coming lashing and slamming open shut remember the by the destroyers with regular not sure one will have to take a chance on surfacing so we can fix it Twila it's just beginning let's go service I should so it can't come over the bare hands that's gon die get me the Coast Guard a ship is sinking I just saw it go down enough to make me knock while fall rates for let me see half an hour it better be good enough to get me an invitation to petty officers mess for lunch oh you don't eat well by dinnertime we'll be back on the sea devil I guess that lets me up hope that fire doesn't get us captured my guess is a lot of hundreds of fishermen use this island so who's gonna know the difference Fish and Game Wardens might none of us has a license gas tank fall yes sir asparagus fan more relieved now just about makeup what this guy was sacked this morning jump up and down and wait you're on it's a Coast Guard yeah some ship sick it's not looking for us do you need medical help just keep your heads down he may go away I hope let's go we're gonna be late for the rendezvous the story you I think I hear I'm captain the making enough noise not a job the destroyers look on during 3 3 0 tops yeah yeah that's just the way we planned there is bring her right I want to get as close as we can of the cliffs in order to confuse a destroyer searching here they won't know whether they're getting an echo office or the cliffs are our boat listen to that outboard captain I can't hear her own propellers through it listen to it the story will never have either now we can confuse their echo ranging you Taylor sketched out to patrol pattern of the destroyers there's one headed this way right now the next one will be at the other end of his run when we get there last one is circling around right off the inlet they're gonna make this interesting taunting speaker you they picked up something on that sonar captain I don't think they know what it is they're trying to evaluate the contact come on we're headed for the beach is that contact submarine or non submarine I can't stay on this course much longer just a second sir it's a sharp contact you could get a shot back of those deep cliffs make up your mind nan submarine captain nan submarine very well left full rudder that was a caution Bob we've got to get closer to the cliff and we're already closing we got a right to be with our going up there we can take bangs through the periscope to fix our position constantly we need to nobody will see the scope that's part of the Vantage we have so less-used Isaac can steer 1 1 0 for 4 minutes and backed of course when about the lung on 0 left 2 1 1 0 where's the skipper going mr. seed we could have stepped over here from the beach without getting our feet wet he knows what he's doing Taylor don't block is here from the periscope it wouldn't make any difference I'm solid eyes you can see right through me when we get up through this destroyer circling off the inlet go far we could buy this last can we're in it's circling around close to the entrance to the inlet Dover by River but the safety man which should visit Samar's she's supposed to be the best at our submarine ship and activation - he has his sound gear sturdy right on his captain he's picked us up he's heading right for us honor honor this is Wolf Pack 1 we have contact over Roger Wolf Pack 1 and proceeding to join you reevaluate before leading your station for attack over this is Wolf Pack 1 Roger out sonar there's a small boat in cliffs on your bearing reevaluate contact there's no doubt about it captain he's getting an echo off of us that get closer to cliff 150 yards off now they got an even hundred I'm tagged evaluated a submarine and commencing attack over both five one delay repeat delay us back until I can join you or Roger hunter out there's two of Manas now looks like we've had captain we're getting exactly the same echo we got off the cliffs before it sounds like that same small boat is on that bearing too very well sonar that same small boat is there buy supplies not a submarine well I final been Navy for a long time but I just can't see getting a court-martial out of this so for the record knowledge navigator advising you not to go any closer they've trained office captain Uniontown here we come is down gently I'll be back in a moment our story illustrates as well as any I know the advantages that lie with the attacker he knows generally what his opposition will be and can then devise a plan that will concentrate his own strong points and opportunities against the enemy's weakness the defender has to be ready for anything an ingenious mind might conceive at any place he might decide to strike an air-tight difference is consequently almost impossible exercises of the kind we have shown you are designed to test for weaknesses when one is found exercises are worth 10 that bring none to light by this definition the SI Della's attack on Puget Sound success on both sides of the fence please be with us again when we bring you another true and exciting story of the silent service thank God well Hey yeah ah bill who like to be

Channel: Richard Damm

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Id: g0K27cOrwH0

Length: 26min 1sec (1561 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 27 2014