The Rampage of a Fiery Redhead
Known as Rammage’s Rampage, this red-haired submarine commander led one of the most famous submarine engagements in United States Naval history.
Don’t Forget the Pacific
When we hear of incredible submarine battles in World War II, chances are our attention is drawn to the Battle of the Atlantic. Understandable as the destruction and ferocity wrought by German U-boats is unprecedented. But don’t overlook the Pacific theater. It had its fair share of submarine warfare. It also featured Ramage’s Rampage.
Commander Lawson “Red” Ramage captained the USS Parche. The Parche, which was commissioned into service from a naval shipyard in Kittery, Maine departed Pearl Harbor on its first patrol in March of 1944.
Lawson and his crew joined a wolf-pack that scoured the Pacific. On his first patrol in the Parche, Lawson would be credited with two sunken enemy ships and a tonnage score of 11,700. He was just getting started.
Off to the South China Sea
After setting out on their second patrol, the Parche joined another wolf-pack and began hunting in the South China Sea. It was June and depsite their best efforts, they made no successful enemy contacts.
Instead of returning home, the wolf-pack asked for an extension to their patrol. This decision would lead to one of the most famous submarine attacks in United States Naval history.
On July 30, 1944, a Japanese convoy was sighted by the Parche’s pack-mate the USS Hammerhead. Just twenty miles from the Parche, Commander Ramage prepared his crew for attack.
As the Parche sailed along the surface, Rammage grew frustrated. They had been unable to locate the convoy. Feeling like a wild goose chase, Rammage’s frustration escalated to anger. He was irate that an eighteen ship convoy was eluding him.
Finally Getting His Chance
After midnight on July 31, after submerging and continuing to search for the convoy, Ramage would get his chance. What appeared as a cloud of interference on the Parche’s radar soon became a glowing field of pips. The Parche assumed battle stations.
Ramage took the bridge and began barking orders. Under cover of darkness, the Parche was able to steam along the surface. This allowed Ramage to get ahead of the convoy. Once ahead, he swung the sub around.
As he did, the convoy all pivoted. Rammage was thrilled as he realized the convoy’s new course would bring them right into the Parche’s path. Furthermore, the Parche would be “within” the convoy and avoid her escorts. With ten torpedoes in her tubes, the Parche began her attack.
First Torpedoes Away
At 3:59 a.m., the Parche fired its first torpedoes. Though the first set would miss, Rammage continued to shuffle the Parche around. As he did, the next set of torpedoes destroyed a large tanker named the Koei Maru. One target hit, Rammage calmly called out their next one. The stern now set on the convoy’s second tanker, the Ogura Maru, the Parche fired three more torpedoes.
Chaos had erupted. Japanese sailors straffed the surface with their guns. They fired flares into the air, hoping to expose their attacker. All the while, Rammage coolly issued orders and continued his hunt.
It’s torpedo tubes reloaded, the Parche fired at a transport ship, the Dakar Maru. The vessel slowed to a crawl as a result of the torpedo hits. During the constant maneuvering, and under constant fire, Rammage realized one of the Japanese ships was bearing down on him with the intent to ram.
The Parche pulled the rudder hard right and with just fifty feet between her and the Japanese vessel, evaded the contact. As they completed the evasive maneuver, it placed them in perfect position to attack the Yoshino Maru, a large transport ship.
Launching three torpedoes, the Parche watched them slam down the throat of the Japanese ship. Though a direct hit, the large ship wouldn’t sink. So Rammage whipped around and sunk another torpedo into the ship. This would send the Yoshino Maru to the depths.
Thirty Minutes of Fury
In a little over half an hour, the USS Parche had fired 19 torpedoes. It had sank two enemy ships and crippled three others. Impressively, Rammage’s crew was able to reload nine of those torpedoes while engaged in action and steaming along the surface.
The Parche fired more torpedoes in less time than any other American submarine attack in World War II. In addition to re-writing the playbook for nighttime engagements, it would earn Commander Rammage the Medal of Honor. He would be just the second living submariner to receive the award at the time.
History for the Hurried:
June 30, 1971: The 26th Amendment was enacted, granting the right to vote in all federal, state and local elections to American citizens 18 years or older. The U.S. thus gained an additional 11 million voters. The minimum voting age in most states had been 21.
July 2, 1881: President James Garfield was shot and mortally wounded as he entered a railway station in Washington, D.C. He died on September 19th. Three decades later, another political assassination would set the world ablaze.