- Author
- Harris, Fred E.
- Subjects
- WWII operations
- Tags
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- September 2001 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
It will take longer to read this description than it took the torpedo to strike. (And the watching sailor was soon led off with blood running down his face.)
No sign of a periscope was ever visible. I could see down in the empty space of the conning tower for about three feet – that is standing higher than the opening and looking at the far wall inside. It was painted a glossy black. There was not a single paint scrape visible, weld, rivet, opening, ladder, gun or evidence one had ever been mounted, no A-frame, rope or blemish on the forward deck or port side of the conning tower. The outside of the sub was painted a glossy light tan. We were looking at the sub from the top and port side and from the conning tower forward. The remaining gas barrels blocked our view of the entire after end of the sub.
It seemed the only person on duty was a bow gunner on the ship closer to our position and he got off a burst of 20 mm and probably would have fired for effect had he not noticed the Marines among the gas barrels. Some of our ships with depth charge capability finally got the message and tried to turn the bay upside down a full mile from where the sub was re-submerging as silently as when it surfaced.
I sure would like to read the Navy’s action report of that event. The Navy did send me a picture of the I 16 which they said did the number on the Alchiba. They never responded when I told them that if this was really the I 16 then it picked up the bow gun pictured after it left the Guadalcanal waters. I was close enough to jump on it and it is to my long regret that I didn’t have presence of mind to do it.
(US Marine Fred Harris served in Australia during WW2.)