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Comdr. Gilmore sank one
Japanese freighter and damaged another by torpedo fire, successfully evading severe depth charges following each attack. In the darkness of night on 7 February, an enemy gunboat closed range and prepared to ram the Growler. Comdr. Gilmore daringly maneuvered to avoid the crash and rammed the attacker instead, ripping into her port side at 11 knots and bursting wide her plates. In the terrific fire of the sinking gunboat's heavy machineguns, Comdr. Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. Gilmore gave his last order to the officer of the deck, "
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Commander Arnold Schade — shaken by the impact and dazed by his own fall into the control room — waited expectantly for his captain to appear. Instead from above came the shouted command, "Take her down!" Realizing that he could not get below in time if the ship were to escape, Gilmore chose to make the supreme sacrifice for his shipmates. Schade hesitated briefly — then obeyed his captain's last order and submerged the crippled ship.
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262:, who cut his throat during an excursion ashore. He had to deal with several other instances of tragedy in his life, including the death of his first wife from disease, and at the time of his Medal of Honor action his second wife was still in a coma from a fall she had taken down a flight of stairs. In 1941, he assumed his first command, USS
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960:(copyright 1978 by Herman Wouk, Library of Congress catalog Card Number 78-17746) Howard Gilmore is recognized by "The death of Carter Aster is based on the famous self-sacrifice of Commander Howard W. Gilmore of the U.S.S. Growler for which he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor".
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s bridge, killing the junior officer of the deck and a lookout, while wounding
Gilmore himself and two other men. "Clear the bridge!" Gilmore ordered as he struggled to hang on to a frame. As the rest of the bridge party dropped down the hatch into the conning tower, the executive officer, Lieutenant
902:
For distinguished gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Growler during her Fourth War Patrol in the
Southwest Pacific from 10 January to 7 February 1943. Boldly striking at the enemy in spite of continuous hostile air and antisubmarine patrols,
938:(photo of stone can be found here) in Commander Gilmore's memory and honor was placed by Ed Shields, Ward Calhoun, and the Lauderdale County Department of Archives and History, Inc. at Magnolia Cemetery, Meridian, Mississippi in the Howard Family Plot. His mother's maiden name was Howard.
31:
1064:, Phil Carney as Executive Officer of USS Shark reluctantly submerges the submarine while under attack from a Japanese airplane, leaving his wounded Commanding Officer Paul Stevenson on the bridge after being ordered to "Take her down".
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hit the
Japanese adversary amidships at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph), heeling the submarine 50 degrees, bending 18 feet (5.5 m) of its bow sideways to port, and disabling the forward torpedo tubes.
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closed and prepared to ram. As the small ship charged out of the darkness, Gilmore sounded the collision alarm and shouted, "Left full rudder!" — to no avail. Perhaps inadvertently,
399:, Schade found the seas empty. The Japanese ship had, in fact, survived the encounter, but there was no sign of Gilmore, who apparently had drifted away during the night. Schade and
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907:". The Growler dived; seriously damaged but under control, she was brought safely to port by her well-trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain.
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For sacrificing himself to save his ship, Commander Howard
Gilmore was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, "the second man of the submarine force to be so decorated."
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patrolled off Truk in the
Caroline Islands as part of a repositioning of submarine assets on the way to Brisbane, Australia. No significant action occurred.
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Howard
Gilmore was born in Selma, Alabama, on September 29, 1902, and enlisted in the Navy on November 15, 1920. In 1922 he was appointed to the
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The submarine continued to take a heavy toll on shipping on its fourth war patrol, and during the night of 6–7 February 1943, it approached a
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1200:
1203:. Blair rounded entries in his tables (see Blair p. 900, bottom) while Roscoe's tables are an accurate transcription of the JANAC report.
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247:. Gilmore underwent submarine training during 1930 and in the years that followed served in various submarines and at stations ashore.
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submerged while under attack from a
Japanese destroyer, leaving his wounded Commanding Officer (played by Jack Gregson) on the bridge.
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at
Brisbane, Australia, for repairs to her bow, after she rammed a Japanese patrol vessel in the Bismarck Islands on 7 February 1943.
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portraying
Gilmore; this was one of a series of USN training films on leadership directed by famed Hollywood director and
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Building 84 onboard Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT is named Gilmore Hall in honor of Commander Gilmore.
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by competitive examination. Standing 34th of a class of 436, Gilmore was commissioned in 1926 and reported to the
1051:) to take down the captured German U-boat. Tyler complies, leaving his wounded Commanding Officer in the waters.
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Even today "Take her down!" remains one of the legendary phrases of the U.S. Submarine Force.
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character Lt. Cmdr. Mike Dahlgren (Captain of the S-33) orders Lt. Andrew Tyler (Played by
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s crew managed to control the ship's flooding and voyaged back to Brisbane on February 17.
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1129:. Nimitz Library U. S. Naval Academy. First Class, United States Naval Academy. 1926.
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Ensign William Wadsworth Williams and Fireman W. F. Kelly (Blair 1975, p. 374)
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Howard Gilmore's sacrifice inspired five different authors and screenwriters.
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Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II by All Causes
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196:(September 29, 1902 – February 7, 1943) was a submarine commander in the
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Simultaneously, the Japanese crew began a burst of machine gun fire at
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American naval submarine officer and WWII Medal of Honor recipient
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stealthily for a surface attack. Suddenly a convoy escort named
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submerged, leaving his wounded Commanding Officer (played by
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Lauderdale County Department of Archives & History, Inc
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remains not recovered; listed on the Walls of the Missing,
993:(1958), but playing the Chief of Boat (senior NCO) of the
985:) on the bridge. Ward Bond would subsequently appear in a
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Gilmore served as the executive officer of the submarine
1435:. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Company.
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Gilmore commanded his submarine skillfully during four
1459:. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
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Surfacing some time later in hope of reattacking the
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sank four merchant ships totaling 15,000 tons in the
1431:
Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
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United States Navy personnel killed in World War II
325:for which the Navy awarded him another Navy Cross.
266:(SS-174), only to be transferred the day after the
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1476:is available for free viewing and download at the
1456:United States Submarine Operations in World War II
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1091:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
1539:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
931:was named for him and sponsored by his widow.
8:
1509:United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
1504:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
954:In the historical notes section epilogue of
1349:Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
290:patrols. During his first, on 5 July 1942
1381:Undersea Warfare Summer 1999 Vol. 1, No. 4
270:to command the still-unfinished submarine
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1401:The Joint Army Navy Assessment Committee
1343:This article incorporates text from the
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1377:"Submarine Hero-Howard Walter Gilmore"
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1024:character as Executive Officer of USS
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590:Ranking compared to other top skippers
89:Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
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1544:Captains who went down with the ship
1201:Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee
1170:Submarine Hero-Howard Walter Gilmore
416:Summary of CDR Howard W. Gilmore's
1524:United States submarine commanders
1514:United States Naval Academy alumni
1365:from websites or documents of the
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834:American Defense Service Medal
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920:In September 1943, the
915:Other posthumous honors
897:Medal of Honor citation
855:American Campaign Medal
1363:public domain material
1139:: CS1 maint: others (
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636:Awards and decorations
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268:attack on Pearl Harbor
1411:. HyperWar Foundation
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328:During October 1942,
296:attacked three enemy
212:Early life and career
194:Howard Walter Gilmore
91:, Manila, Philippines
41:Howard Walter Gilmore
1244:Roscoe (1949) p. 537
989:film about Gilmore,
563:Brisbane, Australia
410:World War II summary
1403:(3 February 1947).
1280:Blair (1975) p. 923
1271:Blair (1975) p. 918
1262:Blair (1975) p. 917
1253:Blair (1975) p. 914
1224:Blair (1975) p. 909
1191:Blair (1975) p. 374
1049:Matthew McConaughey
957:War and Remembrance
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465:Territory of Hawaii
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1554:People lost at sea
1387:on 16 October 2012
1367:United States Navy
599:Number of Patrols
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463:Pearl Harbor, TH (
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198:United States Navy
101:United States Navy
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1375:Whitman, Edward.
1017:Submarine Command
991:The Growler Story
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927:Howard W. Gilmore
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99:
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78:
68:
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48:
44:
40:
36:
32:
27:
20:
1472:
1454:
1430:
1413:. Retrieved
1408:
1389:. Retrieved
1385:the original
1380:
1351:
1342:
1312:. Retrieved
1308:the original
1303:
1294:
1285:
1276:
1267:
1258:
1249:
1220:
1208:
1196:
1175:
1125:
1119:
1061:Up Periscope
1059:
1038:
1036:
1029:
1025:
1015:
1006:Rear Admiral
994:
990:
978:
974:
971:John Wayne's
964:
955:
949:
926:
910:
901:
822:Purple Heart
630:
589:
583:
550:zero / zero
547:zero / zero
518:August 1942
479:zero / zero
476:zero / zero
455:Patrol Area
419:
415:
405:
400:
396:
394:
388:
386:
379:
374:
368:
348:
330:
327:
313:
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292:
285:
282:World War II
273:
263:
253:
249:
226:
215:
206:World War II
193:
192:
154:Battles/wars
142:
133:
71:(1943-02-07)
1499:1943 deaths
1494:1902 births
1415:23 November
1030:Tiger Shark
1026:Tiger Shark
979:Thunderfish
975:Thunderfish
839:Fleet Clasp
817:" Gold Star
625:6 / 22,681
527:4 / 14,974
524:4 / 26,000
424:war patrols
288:Pacific War
227:Mississippi
161:Pacific War
1488:Categories
1326:References
1314:2010-06-01
1056:Robb White
999:Ken Curtis
803:Navy Cross
607:Ships/Tons
602:Ships/Tons
575:1 / 5,857
572:2 / 7,900
560:Growler-4
535:Growler-3
512:Growler-2
504:1 / 1,850
501:2 / 3,400
495:June 1942
489:Growler-1
484:Estimated
306:Navy Cross
298:destroyers
237:Max Leslie
222:battleship
182:Navy Cross
52:1902-09-29
38:Birth name
1135:cite book
1126:Lucky Bag
1058:'s novel
1009:John Ford
983:Ward Bond
925:USS
604:Credited
578:Solomons
555:Via Truk
470:May 1942
460:Growler-
418:USS
347:USS
272:USS
252:USS
225:USS
141:USS
132:USS
119:Commander
110:1920–1943
1453:(1949).
1427:(1975).
1069:See also
936:cenotaph
863:w/ four
596:Ranking
401:Growler'
397:Hayasaki
389:Growler'
375:Hayasaki
125:Commands
75:off the
1391:26 July
1028:orders
995:Growler
977:orders
868:⁄
846:⁄
812:⁄
632:
585:
507:Alaska
430:
420:Growler
380:Growler
349:Growler
331:Growler
323:Formosa
314:Growler
293:Growler
274:Growler
143:Growler
1439:
1341:
482:Midway
450:Credit
371:convoy
260:Panama
243:, and
170:Awards
97:Branch
61:, U.S.
1156:DANFS
1097:Notes
1039:U-571
997:with
610:JANAC
448:JANAC
439:Days
436:Date
321:near
302:Kiska
264:Shark
254:Shark
134:Shark
107:Years
1437:ISBN
1417:2011
1393:2011
1141:link
300:off
115:Rank
66:Died
46:Born
1054:In
837:w/
806:w/
616:74
569:48
544:49
521:49
498:27
473:15
184:(2)
1490::
1407:.
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1302:.
1229:^
1184:^
1161:^
1149:^
1137:}}
1133:{{
1105:^
1043:,
969:,
934:A
870:16
848:16
814:16
619:5
467:)
308:.
278:.
239:,
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1317:.
1143:)
1011:.
866:3
844:3
841:(
810:5
54:)
50:(
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