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Bill Fatek: A Sea Story – Not Your Average Patrol
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Sea Stories – Not Your Average Patrol
By Brett Kulbis on August 17, 2024
By Nelson R. Greer EN2(SS) Submarine Veteran
USS Tiru (SS-416), a Balao-class submarine, named for the tiru, a member of the lizardfish family.
Chapter 1. DEPARTURE OF A SHIPMATE.
And there we were!
Aboard the USS Tiru (SS 416), September 1967; This Northern Run started off like most diesel submarine Cold War patrols did. We were told not to tell anyone we were leaving our home port of Pearl Harbor for parts unknown, then we painted over our hull number, took aboard umpteen tons worth of food, topped off our fuel oil tanks, and were issued foul weather gear topside in front of God and everybody. So much for secrecy. I had no ‘need to know’ where this here ‘there’ we were headed to was. I still don't know what we did or where we went. We were told that if anyone should question us, we were on an ‘oceanographic survey mission’. I’m happy to report no one ever asked.
All I knew was that when we raised the top of our snorkel mast just above the surface in order to run the diesel engines, the arctic air we sucked in was so damned cold we wore foul weather jackets and hats in the normally sweltering Engine Rooms. I would stand in a corner to stay away from the frigid blast traveling between the air induction piping and the engine intakes. The occasional slug of ice cold salt water coming in with the air needed to be avoided also. My favorite spot had an electrical switchboard that I leaned back against so that at least my butt was warm.
One day a large hulking Engineman named Lurch (he looked and acted like the butler Lurch on the Addams Family TV show) strolled up to the Control Room after he got off watch to shoot the shit and warm up a bit. The Chief Of The Watch spots him and says “Hey Lurch, go wake up Chief Mac. Tell him he’s late relieving me.”
Lurch, a man of few words and no visible emotions, comes back in a couple of minutes and reports “He can’t wake up. He’s dead”.
The Diving Officer, Torpedoman Chief ‘Spooks’ Merrill (it was his second tour of duty aboard Tiru), jumps in and says “That can’t be!” Lurch calmly looks him in the eye and replies softly, “I worked at a mortuary before I joined the Navy. I know what dead people look like.” No one believes him so a seaman is sent to wake Chief Mac. He can’t rouse him either. “Get the Corpsman!”
‘Doc’ Brandt (a bespectacled First Class pill pusher who was also the night cook and ship's baker) agrees with Lurch’s prognosis, Chief Mac is dead. The reason for his sudden demise was unknown.
Captain Shilling, who had steered Tiru through many major problems, orders that his body be placed in the freezer. The Chief Of The Boat drafts four volunteers to help Doc load him into a body bag. They carry him out of the Goat Locker in the Forward Battery, through the Control Room, and into the After Battery Compartment. The freezer is located under the mess decks. They lower him down the ladder and lay him out between the salisbury steaks and the boneless pork chops.
You should have heard the bitching and moaning, “Chief Mac is going to contaminate the ice cream” and similar complaints. Hell, Chief Mac was sealed up in his black body bag better than those cardboard boxes of beef, pork, and chickens stored in the freezer! The Captain finally relented and had the Mark 37 torpedo removed from number two torpedo tube. Four new ‘volunteers’ removed him from the freezer, carried him out of the After Battery through Control, through the Forward Battery Compartment, and into the Forward Torpedo Room. They loaded him into #2 tube and closed the inner door. He was already frozen and the sea water surrounding the outside of the tube was 28 degrees. He would keep in there.
The past year had been hard on the Tiru and her crew. We spent three days aground on a reef in Australia, and sailed to Brisbane for emergency repairs after two Aussie ships towed us off the rocks. Unable to submerge, we headed to Yokosuka Japan for an extended dry docking that replaced 3/4 of our keel. We had to pull into some obscure port in Korea for more repairs, had a diesel engine run away (until it broke), visited most of the dry docks in the western Pacific, and made a couple of Vietnam patrols and a Northern Run. We hit some great liberty ports too! Our scheduled six month deployment had turned into a nine month submarine saga. By the time we got back to Pearl Harbor 100 percent of the crew was qualified in submarines. It seemed as if we had barely gotten back home when we were tasked with this patrol. All these tribulations forged very strong bonds amongst the crew. We experienced chaos. We experienced joy. Chief Mac had been through all of this with us. I believe most of the crew walked up to the Torpedo Room individually to pay their respects to the man in number two torpedo tube. I know I did.
While all this underwater drama was unfolding, we headed for a spot in the open ocean where no one could easily surveil us and broke radio silence to ask for instructions. Pacific Submarine Force (SubPac) replied in a few hours with a message that probably went something along the lines of “Proceed undetected to Nome Alaska where a Naval aircraft will rendezvous. Do not divulge to officials in Nome the name of your submarine.”
We dropped anchor in Nome Harbor and our Executive Officer, LCDR. Meaux, rode the pilot boat to shore. He had an old, worn, leather jacket that had several ship’s patches sewn on it, but ours had not yet been added. He wore that to keep ‘em guessing.
Nome Airstrip
His mission was to secure a boat to transfer Chief Mac to shore, then arrange to get him moved to the Nome airstrip where a plane from Adak Naval Station was due to land. Plus manpower would be needed for the heavy lifting ashore. The Mayor of Nome and three City Councilmen said they would do it in exchange for a tour of the boat.
These burly bearded guys looked like gold miners with their plaid flannel shirts and insulated boots, not politicians. They stopped in the After Battery to chat with us for a few minutes. We went up on deck to get some eyeball liberty. Nome is a desolate looking place, a small town with big mountains and no trees. That Jack London book I read said they had saloons, but we never got the opportunity to carouse in them. We saw Chief Mac off with his escorts aboard a 16 foot outboard motorboat, and when they departed for shore we departed for that who knows where place again. It was back to work for us, the ocean wasn’t going to survey itself.
Chief Quartermaster Davis was due to be transferred so the Captain assigned him to escort Chief Mac on his travels. Davis reported back later that they flew to Anchorage in a P2V Neptune (an anti-submarine warfare plane, ironically) to do an autopsy. The Air Force Base Hospital staff was reluctant, so Davis put the Doctor In Charge on the phone with SubPac. Someone with a lot of horsepower convinced him it was in his best interests to comply. It turned out that a cerebral hemorrhage had caused his death. After a stop in Seattle to attire Chief Mac in a new dress blue uniform, he and Davis were flown to Arlington National Cemetary where his family was gathered for the burial. Chief Davis presided over the ceremony.
Chapter 2. PASS THE PEAS, PLEASE!
And there we were, again!
To make up for the time lost on that little side excursion to Nome our patrol was extended. The cooks hadn’t planned for this circumstance. We still had dehydrated and frozen food, plus flour and coffee, but we ran out of canned food. (For you non bubbleheads, the last of the fresh food was gone six weeks ago). A mess cook was sent to the After Torpedo Room to see if they had missed any provisions stored there. He laid down on his belly in the bilges with a battle lantern, peering into the dark recesses. The light reflected off of something shiny stuck under number ten torpedo tube. He slithered over and pulled it out. It was a can of green peas.
Number 10 cans.
Rumor of his discovery spread like wildfire. The only things we had to look forward to while on patrol to were watching movies and eating, and the movies weren’t very recent (think Rory Calhoun westerns). Canned green anything, yum, that was the next best thing to fresh veggies. A #10 can only holds 3 quarts which would have to be shared by 85 submariners.
We didn’t have space for a surface ship style buffet line, so we always ate family style in three shifts. Mess cooks would put food on the tables and we would take as much as we wanted of each dish. This method worked well and I still wear the belly fat to prove it. These green peas would be in high demand, so the mess cooks were instructed to personally put two tablespoons on each of our plates. I am sure the cook added bacon or dehydrated onion or something to give the peas more volume. There were no leftovers.
When the message arrived that we had surveyed the whole damn ocean and could head south, we gathered on the mess decks and were served a celebratory concoction made with Gilly (180 proof alcohol used in the torpedos, mixed with bug juice similar to kool aid but nastier). Each of our three watch sections would receive their share of this high end hooch after being relieved from duty, as we were not allowed to drink and dive.
Chapter 3. WE GET CRABS!
And then we weren’t there.
We reported our food situation to SubPac and were instructed to pull into Adak Naval Station and take on a weeks worth of vittles to sustain us during our return voyage to Pearl. And, oh, by the way and more importantly, Commander Submarine Force Pacific Admiral Maurer is hosting a big shindig and needs about a ton of crabs which just happen to be stored at Adak. Could you please transport them for him?
Adak, Alaska
Adak is an austere 28 mile long island in the Aleutian Chain, ideally situated for Navy patrol planes to keep an eye out for bad guys. The Tiru tied up to a pier and we loaded stores, sampling various fresh fruits as they were passed hand to hand aboard and stowed below. Not ones to disappoint an Admiral (especially one with two Silver Stars and the Navy Cross), we manhandled cases of crabs down the After Battery hatch and stashed them in our nearly empty freezer.
Admiral Maurer was to do a walk thru as we transited the Pearl Harbor channel, and the boat needed to be thoroughly cleaned. Everything in the Engine Rooms was covered with ‘snorkel dust’, a combination of diesel fuel, lubricating oil, and hydraulic oil bound together with dried salt and carbon from the engine exhaust. Our Chief Engineman, Eugene Gaito (a short New York Italian with a white beard and twinkling eyes, who made all 9 war patrols on USS Bowfin), told me and a couple of other snipes to go to the Adak Commissary and buy cleaning gear. First we went to Chief Of The Boat Christofferson (another WWII Submarine Veteran who had so many medals he had a port list when in his dress uniform) to get some cash from the slush fund, but he turned us down so we had to use our precious beer money for soap and such. We bought the then new ’409’ cleaner which worked so well I still use it to this day.
We got liberty on this port call. The only places to drink on Adak Island were the Officers Club, Chiefs Club, and Enlisted Mens Club. So off we went to mingle with the airdales and other sailors that called this secluded base home. When the EM Club closed, most of us stumbled back to the boat. But the Torpedomen had other ideas.They went to explore “Adak Forest”, which consisted of a traffic circle with the only three trees growing on the island. And a single totem pole.
Early the next morning the Adak Base Police were aboard wanting to know where their totem pole was. As we were the only ship in port we were the prime suspect. This totem pole was no virgin, having been stolen several times before. We heard she made it to Pearl Harbor once, and had to be flown home. They found her resting peacefully in the still torpedoless #2 torpedo tube. They got their totem pole back and we got underway.
Chapter 4. PEARL
And then we headed home.
We ate well on our southward voyage, boiled crab with canned green peas, and fresh salads, and omelets made from real eggs, not the dehydrated powdered crap we had been eating. The Engine Rooms warmed up enough to stand watch sweating and shirtless again. We could cruise on the surface and hang out on the bridge breathing fresh air and enjoy looking at the ocean without the use of a periscope. Life was good.
ComSubPac Admiral Maurer did his walk through, and we transferred his crabs after we tied up at the Submarine Base.The married men went home to catch up on their TV watching, so they said. Us single guys went to the barracks and took a shower, splashed on a quart and a half of Old Spice to mask the diesel submarine smell located deep in our pores, traded our filthy dungarees for spiffy civvies, and headed for our usual haunts in Honolulu.
Our first stop was The Dolphin Club on Beretania Street to check in with Big Mary and the girls. We toasted Chief Mac there, and walked to the Pantheon Bar on Nuuanu Avenue and toasted Chief Mac again. There were probably a few other fine drinking establishments that we patronized before arriving at the Rialto Lounge on Hotel Street. This had been Chief Mac’s favorite hangout. Besides the obligatory jukebox, the Rialto had a bowling machine and a shuffleboard that gave us squids something to spend our money on while drinking. It may be just my imagination, but I can still picture Chief Mac sitting on a stool with his back against the Rialto's bar, smiling at our gin mill antics with the neon beer signs reflecting off of his bald head. We intrepid sailors of the USS Tiru raised our bottles of Primo and Oly and Lucky Lager and said “Here’s to Electrician’s Mate Senior Chief Edward McKeon. Fair Winds And Following Seas, Shipmate.”
031823
Charles Stienert:
I have bought several items from them over the past several years. Thought the crew might be interested.
DBF
Charles
Submarineshop.com
Ron Martini, (307) 674-9847 - rotini@gmail.com
Gil Raynor, (800) 424-8372 - g.raynor@raynorassoc.com
020123
John Ulrich: Letter from John Ulrich
From John Ulrich - I learned our Westpac trip in 1966, that stopped in Guam on 11/24 for a few hours and because Guam has been added to contamination sites, we were presumptively contaminated by Agent Orange. Go to tiru news section for John's complete leter.
Additional Information from John on Agent Orange exposure: Note Tiru 1966 visit. Big deal for anyone with illnesses caused by Agent Orange on VA list. You will get benefits if you file clam with VA based on new PACT Act.
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John Ulrich: Letter from John Ulrich
Hello,
I’m not on Facebook so I’m sending by e-mail.
I learned our Westpac trip in 1966, that stopped in Guam on 11/24 for a few hours and because Guam has been added to contamination sites, we were presumptively contaminated by Agent Orange.
I’ve been told that Tiru has been added to the Blue Water ship list so anyone can look it up and use it as attachment to a VA claim for benefits. Also, the illnesses attributed to Agent Orange has been increased by the VA, so look it up to see if you qualify.
I’ve been trying to convince the VA for over two years that Tiru, on our 1965 trip, was within the 12 nautical mile area to qualify for presumptive exposure and benefits. Nope.
Deck Logs are empty during our 78 days of “special operations”, and our Patrol Report remains classified. Has anyone been successful?
If anyone is interested in more details or has found a way to be successful with the VA, let me know. Email: Dieselboatvet@gmail.com.
Thanks,
John Ulrich
Old ETR (SS)(DV)
Tiru 1965-1966
11/22/2021
Dick Murphy: Looks like we have lost another Tiru Crew Submarine sailor. Sailor Rest Your Oar. I rermember Carl Bonnelycke at our 2006 Tiru Reunion in Silverdale, Washington.
Cold War Submarine Veteran, Carl
Christian Bonnelycke, Gig Harbor, WA . Born in 1935 and passed away on March 31, 2020.
Carl qualified in submarines on the USS Tiru (SS-416) in 1955 and was a EN1(SS) when he left the Navy.
Boats Served on: SS-416, SS-317, SSG-577, SS-392, SS-334, SSG-574.
Dick Murphy: I received notification this last week that Tiru Shipmate Robert “Bob” Cushman has passed away. Bob served on Tiru as a ETR 3 Class from 1/57-9/58. Bob and his wife Rita attended our 2004 Manitowoc Tiru Reunion. Sailor Rest Your Oar.
Neal Chaves: 17 Aug 2020 - Neal provided the following information concerning Agent Orange Exposure Bangkok '68 WESPAC:
While Tiru is not on the "Brown Water Navy Ships" list for presumptive exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, the new VA regulations do apply to our operations in the Gulf of Siam and six days in-port a short distance from Udorn Air Force Base.Details here:
Click the following:
Department of Veterans AffairsVeteran’s Health AdministrationOffice of Disability and Medical Assessment (DMA)Compensation and Pension Clinicians’ Guide
Or for latest:
https://community.hadit.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=13704
Note: The above link provided a PDF down load.
"Vietnam-era Veterans whose service involved duty on or near the perimeters of military bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, may have been exposed to herbicides and may qualify for VA benefits. "Those who were aboard Tiru at that time may remember that we made water in the Gulf of Siam during operations before we entered the river, and almost everyone became ill. We had to flush and refill the potable water tank in port (with Bangkok city water - Good luck!") That river was loaded with run-off from Udorn and probably other bases where AO was deployed.Hope this might help some shipmates facing medical expenses. I worked nuke weps in the 70s and learned about tissue mineral analysis. I have used Analytical Research Labs www.arltma.com since then and have enjoyed excellent health without any medications since 1982. My first analysis showed I had high levels of toxic elements.
Thanks Neal.
Ed Holmes: 23 Aug 2020 - Ed provided the following pictures
Frank Mennel: 11 Aug.2020
Shirley Temple visiting Tiru. Gonna have to add this to our pictures.
Nelson Greer: 20 Aug.2020 - provided above names of officers in Shirlee Temple Picture.
Frank Mennel: 11 Aug. 2020
Although the 2020 Reunion Has Been canceled due to COVID19, we are not sitting still. Fred Flint has rescheduled the Sacramento reunion to September 6th - 9th 2021. Hopefully this will all be behind us. In the meantime, stay safe and watch for more info as the plans firm up.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas et metus.
Fred Flint: 6 Aug 2020
The new dates for the reunion are Sept 6 -9 2021
Richard Murphy: 20 July 2020
Another Tiru sailor has crossed the bar. Sailor, rest your oar. Robert Manookin.
Robert Manookin Obit
Bill Fatek: 15 July 2020
I am sad to announce that Donna Booth passed away on Saturday 11 July. Her obituary can be found at https://bowersfuneralservice.com/obituary/5f0c9f4bbe2e3d00349ae36e
I spoke with David on Sunday morning after he emailed me. He is having a pretty rough time with it and requests that he be left alone for a while, so please no phone calls or emails.
Condolences can be sent online at Bowers Funeral Service in Salmon Arm British Columbia
Mark Grupe: 13 July 2020
Mark Grupe is at USS Silversides Submarine Museum. Muskegon Mi.
Joe Starnes: 6 July 2020
At 46:10 he states: There are submarines and targets! Facinating discussion about US vs Chinese.
Larry Standlee: 1 July 2020
Man overboard (port - starboard side).....
https://archive.org/details/29644USNavySubmarineManOverboardProcedure
Frank Mennel: 30 June 2020
I received a note yesterday that we had lost another crew member. LT John William Diedenhofen Jr. LT Diedenhofen reported on Tiru Dec1, 1965 and departed I’m 1967. He passed away 11 June, 2020.
(Diedenhofen Obit)
Richard Murphy: 31 May, 2020
Sadly, we have lost another Tiru sailor.
For William Hayes Obituary click on picture above'
Richard Murphy: 23 May, 2020
A great poem for Memorial Day
In Oceans Deep by Eileen Mahoney
In ocean wastes no poppies blow,
No crosses stand in ordered row,
Their youth hearts sleep.... beneath the wave....
The spirited, the good, the brave,
But stars a constant vigil keep,
For them who lie beneath the deep.
‘Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer
On certain spot and think. “He’s there.”
But you can to the ocean go...
See whitecaps marching row on row;
Know one for him will always ride...
In and out... with every tide.
And when your span of life has past,
He’ll meet you at the “Captain’s Mast.”
And they who morn on distant shore
For sailors who’ll come home no more,
Can dry their tears and pray for these
Who rest beneath the heaving seas...
For stars that shine and winds that blow
And whitecaps marching row on row.
And they can never lonely be
For when they lived... they chose the sea.
Skip Moore and Charles Stienert: 16 May 2020
An interesting update on the latest and greatest fast attack USS Vermont
Has capabilites we never dreamed about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJ59njRl7c&feature=youtu.be
Lieutenant James Sharon, USN: died 13 May 2020 in Hermitage, Tennessee. Lt Sharon served on the Tiru from 1May1970 until 1Jan1972. Jim was an active member of the Tiru Association. See the Memorial Section for additional information and the Partlow Funeral Chapel website for detailed obituary.
(www.partlowchapel.com/obituary/James-Sharon)
Edna Montgomery: 7 May, 2020
Bob Montgomery. Active duty 1957-1961
Mark Grupe: 6 May 2020
Found these while cleaning out some drawers
Chief Doug Johnson: 2 Apr, 2020
News article about USS Grayback. Lost in 1944.(click on Picture)
Frank Mennel: 26 Mar, 2020
Cancelling 2020 Tiru Reunion:
The COVID19 issue has become a health and financial concern across the US. All of us may have already been touched by this health issue. We're observing self quarantines, canceled vacations and dealing with other issues in it's wake. One fact is certain, having been Smoke Boat sailors we are all up in age. This puts us all in the higher risk categories. Some more then others as a result of health issues. In light of this, we are going to postpone our gathering to 2021. There is too much uncertainty at this point to continuewithy our plans. A special thanks goes out to Fred Flint for all his planning and hard work trying to pull this together. I will keep everyone up to date with future plans.
I apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may have caused. I hope that everyone and their families stay safe during this health challenge. Have a good day.
Larry Standlee:2 Mar. 2020,
Not a photo of Tiru but rather Pickerel. 48 degree up angle ....good one! I remember operating off San Diego 69/70 or their about and surfacing with a slight down angle and a list to starboard that was estimated at about 70 degrees. I, my old shipmates, thought I was going to die.
Frank Mennel: 28 Feb. 2020
Good morning,
The Tiru Web now includes the 2020 reunion information. There are still details that Fred is finalizing.
The Tiru news letter (The Scuttlebutt) is coming out in e-mail to everyone. Because of the limitations of my email service, I have to send it in 3 parts over 3 days. So by Monday I’ll have that out. If you do not receive it let me know.
If you go on the web page and you see any issues let me know. You can email or DM me in messenger. I know I have to go back and address button sizes. I’m open to suggestions on color, terminology or things you may want to see added. I’ll add it to my list. Keep in mind I’m only part way through the website. Right now it is a combination of new and old. So suggestions on any part is welcome.
Have a good day.
Frank Mennel: 24 Feb, 2020; For those interested, I'm in the process of finalizing the web support, snailmail and e-mail notes. If nothing falls apart I'll have it all posted by the end of the week. The dates are Sept. 7 thru 11. Fred Flint has done a great job pulling things together to this point. There are still a couple loose ends. It looks like a good time with plenty to do and see.
Larry Standlee: 12 Feb. 2020, Some Tommy Cox for your listening pleasure....
(Tommy Cox)
Larry Standlee: 15 Jan. 2020, Passing of Carolyn Ann (Elliott) Draheim, (Obit)
