Knowledge (XXG)

United States Submarine Operations in World War II

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270:, giving the date and name of each sinking, its size and location, and the commanding officer at the time. He has additional tables that give greater details of the special missions; and he has a table that lists the vessels sunk in combined attacks, either by multiple submarines, or submarines in concert with land-based aircraft, or submarines in concert with carrier-based aircraft, to the same level of detail as the by-submarine entries 155:, earning him the title of "grandfather" of World War II American Submarine historiography. Because the book was written shortly after the war, later scholars have found errors or omissions in its facts. Nevertheless, the book's sweeping narrative maintains it as a classic text in the American submarine force; excerpts are often read at ceremonies where submariners earn their 863:, USNR. Some were taken through periscopes or on deck by amateur photographers of the Submarine Service. A few are from the private collections of submariners with their own cameras—pictures released to their owners after the war. Space does not permit a complete listing of credits. One way or another, the photographs are all Navy pictures. 199:
as "an extraordinary book...the definitive submarine history." Written by a competent professional historian a generation apart from Roscoe's work, each book casts reflections upon the other. At the end of each narrative, both authors appended tables of the history of World War 2 from the individual
170:
of the submarine war to publishable size. His resulting book was published in 1949 by the U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. "It is a truncated version of the Operational History (sometimes reproduced word for word)...the Operational History in more manageable form." The work was further
853:
Blair provides 32 pages of pictures. Roscoe provides 15 illustrations such at the top of this article, the back of each illustration is a page (twice the size of Blair's) of photographs. There are several common pictures, most notably the one shown on the Amazon link below. Roscoe provides his
717:, the discrepancy between claimed and confirmed sinkings, the professional disputations between force commanders. If there is anything left out, I certainly do not know what it is, for this book gives the whole scene, the good and the bad, the heroes and the failures, the eager and the reluctant. 668:
may be 104,564 tons, 4,333 tons above the long recognized and accepted value of Roscoe's 100,231 tons, Blair sums to neither. These errors occur and are understandable in the 29 times combination sinkings occur. Blair's occasional choice to round in "some instances" make his
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sunk beneath him at Cavite, Philippine Islands on 10 December 1941. He became the Submarines Pacific Operations Officer who planned the operations that are the subjects of both books. Given the job by Admiral Lockwood to write the
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The photographs in were collected from various sources. Most of them are official Navy photographs by official Navy photographers. Many were taken by the famous Steichen Photographic Unit under the direction of Captain
906:
produced by Voge et al. is a massive document of more than 1500 pages dealing with every conceivable operational aspect of the submarine war. No one attempting a serious submarine history should begin without consulting
220:-assessed ships and tonnage sunk, the applicable patrol area, with minimal footnotes about the involvement in any special missions the submarine might be undertaking, and footnotes that indicate shared-credit sinkings. 872:
Roscoe's index is sparse, at 10 pages. Blair's index is 64 pages, well beyond Roscoe's even adjusting for page size, having over 2000 entries. Blair has 13 pages of source discussion, Roscoe has one (Voge's
343:. On the other hand, Blair introduces partial credit for ships sunk in cooperative engagements, and while Roscoe gives a table of such occurrences, he makes no special use of its information. 212:, include the departure point for each patrol, its start month, submarine commanding officer, patrol duration, wartime assessed ships and tonnage sunk (usually as made by Vice Admiral 1444: 664:
Note Blair's typographical error for Patrol 2, the use of partial credit for Patrol 3 with 4,333 tons above Roscoe, and the rounding in Patrol 5. While the proper summation for
323:
Roscoe: 16–18 August '42 (Lt. Cdr. W. H. Brockman, Jr.) Carried portion of "Carlson's" Marine Raiders on Makin Island raid. Supported it with gunfire and sank 2 ships in lagoon.
1434: 335:
For Blair, in "some instances, both wartime credits and postwar credits are rounded off to the nearest 100 tons." Roscoe provides an accurate transcription of the
300:
Roscoe: 3 Feb '42 (Lt. Cdr. F. W. Fenno, Jr) Delivered 3500 rounds of 3" AA to Corregidor. Evacuated 20 tons of Philippine gold and silver plus securities and mail
693:
Generally, it tells a positive story; the "skipper problem," for example, is not dealt with. However, the torpedo section contains a long and frank account of
973: 673:
tabulations not reconcile with the record. Blair does, however, include other Axis vessels sunk and confirmed in his tables. This does not happen in
1429: 942: 705:, being 26 years later, lives up to the rest of Beach's acclaim, and shows that it was the work of a professional vice occasional historian : 346:
Where rounding or partial credit are injected, Blair's tabulations and Roscoe's transcription do not reconcile. A prominent example is that of
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assessments were about 50% of Admiral Lockwood's post-patrol judgement, as relayed to him by the commanding officers. The reasons are various:
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for submarines, he produced "Submarine Commands, Volumes 1 and 2." He is the sole source for Roscoe, and the seminal source for Blair:
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share is 4,333 tons, a number inferred by Roscoe and made use of by Blair. Comparing the two evaluations yields the following table.
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In highlighting the difference in specificity between Blair and Roscoe concerning special submarine missions, here are two examples.
1405: 1377: 1287: 1439: 1424: 76: 156: 713:
does not shy away from full and complete treatment of the controversial aspects of our submarine campaign: our
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Blair:      August 1942; William H. Brockman, Jr.; Makin Island raid
834:
Roscoe provides 20 maps, graphs, and diagrams; and 11 charts. The charts are two-page foldouts.
282: 263:
JANAC-credit for sinking a small escort vessel five miles away from the large maru she did sink.
145: 1401: 1373: 1341: 1331: 1321: 1283: 967: 313: 252: 248: 66: 162:
After World War II, John M. Will of the US Navy Bureau of Personnel hired Roscoe to reduce
1365: 1353: 860: 714: 694: 141: 28: 837:
Blair provides 37 maps, none of which fold out. This is a significant difference since
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Blair:      January 1942; Frank W. Fenno, Jr,; Corregidor
1418: 1277: 1387: 359: 152: 38: 354:, acclaimed by both as the tonnage "champion" of World War 2. On 26 July 1944, 56: 1391: 1273: 184: 1306:
Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II by All Causes
148: 105: 1345: 376: 234:
Not every vessel that sank was the one intended. Crossing merchantmen (
259:, asserted that a typographical error in his fourth patrol report gave 1370:
Pig Boats: The True Story of the Fighting Submariners of World War II
756:
Statistical Summary: Attrition War Against Japanese Merchant Marine
1297: 674: 670: 435: 425: 415: 405: 395: 385: 336: 224: 217: 1330:. Chicago, New York, San Francisco: Rand McNally & Company. 1302:"Appendix: Japanese Shipping Lost by United States Submarines" 241:
A torpedo that missed might hit a farther-on vessel by chance.
765:
Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Sunk by U.S. Submarines
726: 689:(577 pages vs. 1500-plus) Roscoe inherits Voge's problems: 238:) and escorts might put themselves in the way of a torpedo. 208:
Blair's Appendices E and F, organized chronologically by
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Sunk by U.S. Submarines and Navy Carrier-based Aircraft
128:
United States Destroyer Operations in World War II 
1282:. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Company. 327:
In no case does Blair match the specificity of Roscoe.
1360:. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. 1132: 1130: 885:
Rear Admiral Richard G. Voge, USN, had his submarine
787:
World War II Submarine Skippers Selected to Flag Rank
1279:
Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
784:
World War II Submarine Squadron Commanders, Pacific
780:The following appendices are in Blair as lettered: 123: 112: 100: 92: 82: 72: 62: 57:
U.S. submarine campaign against the Japanese Empire
52: 44: 34: 24: 20:United States Submarine Operations in World War II 1358:United States Submarine Operations in World War II 1327:Clear the Bridge!: The War Patrols of the USS Tang 137:United States Submarine Operations in World War II 759:Table: Japanese Merchant Ship Losses (All Causes) 774:Sunk by U.S. Submarines and Land-based Aircraft 731:The following addenda are in Roscoe as ordered: 266:Roscoe's tables are organized alphabetically by 896:Official Administrative and Operational History 790:Postwar Commanders of Submarines Atlantic Fleet 1445:Non-fiction books about the United States Navy 793:Postwar Commanders of Submarines Pacific Fleet 986: 8: 19: 1045: 762:Submarine Leaders (Ships and Tonnage Sunk) 171:condensed in paperback by Bantam Books as 18: 1435:Non-fiction books about submarine warfare 1169: 1167: 1165: 1163: 1161: 1159: 1157: 808:Best War Patrols by Tonnage of Ships Sunk 805:Best War Patrols by Numbers of Ships Sunk 1298:The Joint Army Navy Assessment Committee 768:Sunk by Combinations of U.S. Submarines 370:, a passenger-cargo ship of 8,666 tons. 144:is a classic history of the role of the 1372:(abridged ed.). New York: Bantam. 1018: 1016: 1014: 1001: 999: 997: 995: 916: 814:Top Submarines by Tonnage of Ships Sunk 1257: 1245: 1173: 1136: 1121: 1093: 1069: 972:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( 965: 811:Top Submarines by Number of Ships Sunk 1233: 1221: 1209: 1197: 1185: 1148: 1117: 1105: 1081: 1057: 1022: 1005: 753:Submarine Special Missions Chronology 244:Optimistic reporting by participants. 7: 1035:Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee 929:wwii-submarine-operations.tripod.com 750:Submarine Tenders in the Pacific War 339:report, the same as found in Voge's 16:1949 history book by Theodore Roscoe 841:is an 8½ inch by 11 inch book, and 231:Not every vessel that was hit sank. 14: 830:Maps, Charts, Graphs and Diagrams 1430:History books about World War II 817:Submarine Losses in World War II 685:At one-third the size of Voge's 854:pictures to the public domain. 796:Submarine War Patrols, Atlantic 799:Submarine War Patrols, Pacific 1: 849:Photographs and Illustrations 77:United States Naval Institute 802:Top Skippers of World War II 741:Presidential Unit Citations 652: 649: 646: 640: 637: 634: 626: 620: 617: 611: 608: 602: 594: 588: 585: 579: 576: 570: 562: 556: 553: 547: 544: 538: 530: 527: 524: 518: 514: 511: 503: 497: 494: 488: 485: 479: 471: 465: 462: 456: 453: 447: 1461: 638:104,446    157:Submarine Warfare insignia 987:Waddle & Abraham 2003 631: 599: 567: 535: 508: 476: 444: 432: 422: 412: 402: 392: 382: 379: 1400:: Integrity Publishers. 1390:; Abraham, Ken (2003). 200:submarine perspective. 1440:Books of naval history 1425:1949 non-fiction books 909: 865: 782: 722:Appendices and Addenda 719: 699: 289:assistance during the 251:, famous commander of 1308:. HyperWar Foundation 900: 856: 707: 691: 1398:Brentwood, Tennessee 839:Submarine Operations 747:Submarine Wolf-packs 291:Battle of Corregidor 1300:(3 February 1947). 904:Operational History 875:Operational History 868:Indices and Sources 744:Navy Unit Citations 701:On the other hand, 687:Operational History 341:Operational History 214:Charles A. Lockwood 191:(see references). 168:Operational History 21: 1322:O'Kane, Richard H. 1248:, pp. 564–565 881:About Richard Voge 709:Most importantly, 358:, in concert with 312:assistance to the 146:United States Navy 1368:(December 1958). 1337:978-0-528-81058-9 826: 825: 738:Submarine Losses 657: 656: 314:Makin Island raid 195:was acclaimed by 133: 132: 93:Publication place 1452: 1411: 1383: 1366:Roscoe, Theodore 1361: 1354:Roscoe, Theodore 1349: 1317: 1315: 1313: 1293: 1261: 1255: 1249: 1243: 1237: 1231: 1225: 1219: 1213: 1207: 1201: 1195: 1189: 1183: 1177: 1171: 1152: 1146: 1140: 1134: 1125: 1115: 1109: 1103: 1097: 1091: 1085: 1079: 1073: 1067: 1061: 1055: 1049: 1043: 1037: 1032: 1026: 1020: 1009: 1003: 990: 984: 978: 977: 971: 963: 961: 960: 954: 948:. Archived from 947: 939: 933: 932: 921: 735:Submarines Lost 727: 695:torpedo problems 644: 624: 615: 606: 592: 583: 574: 560: 551: 542: 522: 501: 492: 483: 469: 460: 451: 377: 274:Special Missions 210:submarine patrol 179:Blair vs. Roscoe 124:Followed by 84:Publication date 67:Military History 22: 1460: 1459: 1455: 1454: 1453: 1451: 1450: 1449: 1415: 1414: 1408: 1393:The Right Thing 1386: 1380: 1364: 1352: 1338: 1320: 1311: 1309: 1296: 1290: 1274:Blair, Clay Jr. 1272: 1269: 1264: 1256: 1252: 1244: 1240: 1232: 1228: 1220: 1216: 1208: 1204: 1196: 1192: 1184: 1180: 1172: 1155: 1147: 1143: 1135: 1128: 1120:, p. 990, 1116: 1112: 1104: 1100: 1092: 1088: 1080: 1076: 1068: 1064: 1056: 1052: 1044: 1040: 1033: 1029: 1021: 1012: 1004: 993: 985: 981: 964: 958: 956: 952: 945: 943:"Archived copy" 941: 940: 936: 923: 922: 918: 914: 883: 870: 861:Edward Steichen 851: 832: 827: 724: 715:lousy torpedoes 683: 661: 659: 642: 622: 613: 604: 590: 581: 572: 558: 549: 540: 520: 516: 499: 490: 481: 467: 458: 449: 439: 434: 429: 424: 419: 414: 409: 404: 399: 394: 389: 384: 333: 276: 206: 181: 142:Theodore Roscoe 118:(first edition) 101:Media type 85: 29:Theodore Roscoe 17: 12: 11: 5: 1458: 1456: 1448: 1447: 1442: 1437: 1432: 1427: 1417: 1416: 1413: 1412: 1406: 1384: 1378: 1362: 1350: 1336: 1318: 1294: 1288: 1268: 1265: 1263: 1262: 1250: 1238: 1226: 1214: 1202: 1190: 1178: 1153: 1141: 1126: 1110: 1098: 1086: 1074: 1062: 1050: 1038: 1027: 1010: 1008:, p. 1003 991: 979: 934: 915: 913: 910: 891: (SS-195) 882: 879: 869: 866: 850: 847: 843:Silent Victory 831: 828: 824: 823: 819: 818: 815: 812: 809: 806: 803: 800: 797: 794: 791: 788: 785: 777: 776: 775: 772: 769: 766: 763: 760: 757: 754: 751: 748: 745: 742: 739: 736: 725: 723: 720: 711:Silent Victory 703:Silent Victory 682: 679: 655: 654: 651: 648: 645: 639: 636: 633: 629: 628: 625: 619: 616: 610: 607: 601: 597: 596: 593: 587: 584: 578: 575: 569: 565: 564: 561: 555: 552: 546: 543: 537: 533: 532: 529: 526: 523: 517: 513: 510: 506: 505: 502: 496: 493: 487: 484: 478: 474: 473: 470: 464: 461: 455: 452: 446: 442: 441: 431: 421: 411: 401: 391: 381: 364: (SS-291) 352: (SS-249) 332: 329: 325: 324: 321: 310: (SS-168) 302: 301: 298: 287: (SS-202) 275: 272: 257: (SS-306) 249:Richard O'Kane 246: 245: 242: 239: 232: 205: 202: 193:Silent Victory 189:Silent Victory 185:Clay Blair Jr. 180: 177: 164:Richard Voge's 131: 130: 125: 121: 120: 114: 110: 109: 102: 98: 97: 94: 90: 89: 86: 83: 80: 79: 74: 70: 69: 64: 60: 59: 54: 50: 49: 46: 42: 41: 36: 32: 31: 26: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1457: 1446: 1443: 1441: 1438: 1436: 1433: 1431: 1428: 1426: 1423: 1422: 1420: 1409: 1407:1-59145-036-5 1403: 1399: 1395: 1394: 1389: 1388:Waddle, Scott 1385: 1381: 1379:0-553-13040-4 1375: 1371: 1367: 1363: 1359: 1355: 1351: 1347: 1343: 1339: 1333: 1329: 1328: 1323: 1319: 1307: 1303: 1299: 1295: 1291: 1289:0-397-00753-1 1285: 1281: 1280: 1275: 1271: 1270: 1266: 1260:, p. xii 1259: 1254: 1251: 1247: 1242: 1239: 1236:, p. 971 1235: 1230: 1227: 1224:, p. 966 1223: 1218: 1215: 1212:, p. 961 1211: 1206: 1203: 1200:, p. 949 1199: 1194: 1191: 1188:, p. 948 1187: 1182: 1179: 1176:, p. 534 1175: 1170: 1168: 1166: 1164: 1162: 1160: 1158: 1154: 1151:, p. 942 1150: 1145: 1142: 1139:, p. 564 1138: 1133: 1131: 1127: 1124:, p. 525 1123: 1119: 1114: 1111: 1108:, p. 900 1107: 1102: 1099: 1096:, p. 509 1095: 1090: 1087: 1084:, p. 917 1083: 1078: 1075: 1072:, p. 508 1071: 1066: 1063: 1060:, p. 907 1059: 1054: 1051: 1048:, p. 469 1047: 1042: 1039: 1036: 1031: 1028: 1024: 1019: 1017: 1015: 1011: 1007: 1002: 1000: 998: 996: 992: 988: 983: 980: 975: 969: 955:on 2011-07-16 951: 944: 938: 935: 930: 926: 925:"Terminology" 920: 917: 911: 908: 905: 899: 897: 892: 890: 880: 878: 876: 867: 864: 862: 855: 848: 846: 845:is 6½ by 9½. 844: 840: 835: 829: 822: 816: 813: 810: 807: 804: 801: 798: 795: 792: 789: 786: 783: 781: 778: 773: 770: 767: 764: 761: 758: 755: 752: 749: 746: 743: 740: 737: 734: 733: 732: 729: 728: 721: 718: 716: 712: 706: 704: 698: 696: 690: 688: 680: 678: 676: 672: 667: 662: 630: 598: 566: 534: 507: 475: 443: 437: 427: 417: 407: 397: 387: 378: 375: 373: 369: 365: 363: 357: 353: 351: 344: 342: 338: 330: 328: 322: 319: 318: 317: 315: 311: 309: 299: 296: 295: 294: 292: 288: 286: 279: 273: 271: 269: 264: 262: 258: 256: 250: 243: 240: 237: 233: 230: 229: 228: 226: 223:The ultimate 221: 219: 215: 211: 203: 201: 198: 194: 190: 186: 178: 176: 174: 169: 165: 160: 158: 154: 150: 147: 143: 139: 138: 129: 126: 122: 119: 115: 111: 107: 103: 99: 96:United States 95: 91: 87: 81: 78: 75: 71: 68: 65: 61: 58: 55: 51: 47: 43: 40: 37: 33: 30: 27: 23: 1392: 1369: 1357: 1326: 1310:. Retrieved 1305: 1278: 1253: 1241: 1229: 1217: 1205: 1193: 1181: 1144: 1113: 1101: 1089: 1077: 1065: 1053: 1041: 1030: 1025:, dustjacket 989:, p. 74 982: 957:. Retrieved 950:the original 937: 928: 919: 903: 901: 895: 888: 884: 874: 871: 857: 852: 842: 838: 836: 833: 820: 779: 730: 710: 708: 702: 700: 692: 686: 684: 677:and Roscoe. 665: 663: 658: 371: 367: 361: 355: 349: 345: 340: 334: 326: 307: 303: 284: 280: 277: 267: 265: 260: 254: 247: 235: 222: 216:), post-war 209: 207: 192: 188: 182: 172: 167: 161: 153:World War II 136: 135: 134: 127: 117: 39:Fred Freeman 1312:23 November 1258:Roscoe 1949 1246:Roscoe 1949 1174:Roscoe 1949 1137:Roscoe 1949 1122:Roscoe 1949 1094:Roscoe 1949 1070:Roscoe 1949 1046:O'Kane 1977 366:, sank the 331:Tabulations 166:1,500-page 35:Illustrator 1419:Categories 1267:References 1234:Blair 1975 1222:Blair 1975 1210:Blair 1975 1198:Blair 1975 1186:Blair 1975 1149:Blair 1975 1118:Blair 1975 1106:Blair 1975 1082:Blair 1975 1058:Blair 1975 1023:Blair 1975 1006:Blair 1975 959:2011-01-18 600:Flasher-6 568:Flasher-5 536:Flasher-4 509:Flasher-3 477:Flasher-2 445:Flasher-1 368:Tosan Maru 149:submarines 887:USS  681:Narrative 433:Inclusive 423:Inclusive 372:Flasher's 360:USS  348:USS  306:USS  283:USS  268:submarine 253:USS  197:Ned Beach 187:authored 173:Pig Boats 106:hardcover 73:Publisher 1356:(1949). 1324:(1977). 1276:(1975). 968:cite web 653:104,564 647:100,231 440:Tonnage 438:Credited 428:Credited 420:Tonnage 418:Credited 413:Roscoe's 408:Credited 403:Roscoe's 400:Tonnage 398:Credited 388:Credited 362:Crevalle 308:Nautilus 183:In 1975 45:Language 1346:2965421 889:Sealion 666:Flasher 632:Totals 595:42,868 586:42,868 577:42,800 563:18,610 554:18,610 545:18,610 531:24,949 525:20,616 472:10,528 463:10,528 454:10,528 393:Blair's 383:Blair's 380:  356:Flasher 350:Flasher 304:Noting 281:Noting 204:General 116:577 pp 104:Print ( 53:Subject 48:English 1404:  1376:  1344:  1334:  1286:  821: 660:  515:24,949 504:6,759 495:6,759 486:6,709 430:Ships 410:Ships 390:Ships 25:Author 953:(PDF) 946:(PDF) 912:Notes 675:JANAC 671:JANAC 650:21.5 635:21.5 436:JANAC 426:JANAC 416:JANAC 406:JANAC 396:JANAC 386:JANAC 337:JANAC 285:Trout 236:Marus 225:JANAC 218:JANAC 113:Pages 63:Genre 1402:ISBN 1374:ISBN 1342:OCLC 1332:ISBN 1314:2011 1284:ISBN 974:link 902:The 627:850 618:850 609:850 528:4.5 512:4.5 261:Tang 255:Tang 88:1949 907:it. 877:). 151:in 140:by 1421:: 1396:. 1340:. 1304:. 1156:^ 1129:^ 1013:^ 994:^ 970:}} 966:{{ 927:. 643:.0 641:21 623:.0 614:.0 605:.0 591:.0 582:.0 573:.0 559:.0 550:.0 541:.0 521:.0 500:.0 491:.0 482:.0 468:.0 459:.0 450:.0 316:: 293:: 175:. 159:. 1410:. 1382:. 1348:. 1316:. 1292:. 976:) 962:. 931:. 697:. 621:1 612:1 603:1 589:6 580:6 571:6 557:3 548:3 539:3 519:4 498:3 489:3 480:3 466:4 457:4 448:4 108:)

Index

Theodore Roscoe
Fred Freeman
U.S. submarine campaign against the Japanese Empire
Military History
United States Naval Institute
hardcover
Theodore Roscoe
United States Navy
submarines
World War II
Submarine Warfare insignia
Richard Voge's
Clay Blair Jr.
Ned Beach
Charles A. Lockwood
JANAC
JANAC
Richard O'Kane
USS Tang (SS-306)
USS Trout (SS-202)
Battle of Corregidor
USS Nautilus (SS-168)
Makin Island raid
JANAC
USS Flasher (SS-249)
USS Crevalle (SS-291)
JANAC
JANAC
JANAC
JANAC

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