8/3/2019 Coastal Patrol Base 17 News

1/3

O'fhc sea hrtes prescril,ecl for-

8/3/2019 Coastal Patrol Base 17 News

2/3

takc r,fl Ironr rrrarrr lroirrls al()n! tlri,' a-l ,,'.1-l .r|l,1 rar ;, t. ,.,rt t,. , , .r,r,iI'rr, l. , ,,r cr irr: tr.,, ',lJ\,,r t.,,l.,rL tlr,.il1'r'r'sr,r'iIcrl lnllrrl xrc.{s. 'l hcr har c,.tal,lishcrl ilr ( r\ ialrli leclir.d 1orrrrairrt.rirrirrg schcrluL irr all sorts oI\\cxlhcr :Lll(l ill.I u1l.l()uhtedl\ rcr(,llrr'li-lrirr- irn.rlrral,l,. r,.,tr,,l r,,,fl. |.,r1,-;r,',,1 .,ri, , ',."- l','t,i .r,1, ,itr,.,l tlrrr ll;L-- tl't ,,1 ,,r, ,,t rh.-,. .rirullrre. rlrire.llr, - rl, rr ,l, r ' tlr, \.rzi'-ki1,p, r r,,likr,',rr- rr,, r l,.r-t , \l,eri,. ,,. tlrrt .,r.,ll,r lr,,\\ I,i , ,,' lirrlr' llr, ,rirL.mir,,r.rlr,,,,l- it \\,,r,'r 1,. l,rr; l,eI,,r,. .rJr-,.rr . irn,l l,,,rrrl,: stllt hi: rrrr.Eostern Seo Fronricr

f nlil reccntlr the ,.\rnrr lst BonrlrcrC,'rrr''rrrrr,l 1,:rtr,,ll',1 tlr, err.t e,,.r:l f.,r-ll,-. \u\\ rrr \rrti-:ul,rrrrrrirr" C,,lr.rnand of thr: lst .\ir T,orce has hcerr,,r; rrrriz,.,1 t,, ,1', 1,.rt,,,1 r,,,rL t,,r rh.\rrrr urr,l, r' tlr. ,lir'r ti,,r ,,f tlr,. (..rrr-'r.rrr,l't ,'I llr' LSl' ,F..r-l, rrr S, e Irurr.ticr l.\,rrll \ir, rrrlt i,,,. .rl-,, t,iut ,,f tl,,l ql a,, ,r,,.,',,1. llri- air, ".ifr ,1".rrrr"-'l, r dt-ll,i t ,,, .IIIIjIIIi|;rI l- fr,...r r,-.:-

rrllr' ,rir I'a., - lrrrl slati,,rrs. l'jilor. ,,1iratlol rc1r,r't rlircct lr, (lontrol: thlrrr'- r, -1',rr-il,l, r,, tlr"ir ,,,rrr , ,. .r',,', ,iing oliitels lor the r,pclati,,rr ol lLcir.( ruJt. l'Iii\'",rrrtl sirrril.u r lrLlt ar-r'rnrrr lrirr crirllrrrc in th,' lratlol xrels: thcsr'( r'all itrc \\ell illrn(.{l irri(l (alr'\ (il(,u!llrl ',rrrl,- l, -:rrl r ,,,r, tlr;rrr ,,rr, -rrl,. llri-i-;'l-,, Irrr" "l \rrr Irlrt,rrlr,r -.rir( l -lt t-Lloast Grrar

8/3/2019 Coastal Patrol Base 17 News

3/3

turbance on the surlacc oI the *aterl ill be due to an undersca boat broach-irg the lavc tops, ald so the unceas-ing vigil contirrues,Sneeping onward. tltc B-25 sees theslou-nroting convol headed dolln thecoast. Several airplanes and a blimpare seen flying over the corrvoy, theairplancs circling irr lide arcs aboutlhe .hip.. rrhile th" li3htcr-lhan-aircraJt flies slosly abt,ve the vessels tokeep pa,:e rvith the surface craft. Navrantl Coast Guard armored ve-.sel-. al'ellanked on either side of the nrerchant-nlen ald tankers. readr to hurl depthcharges .rr bornbs at a submerged or

arld nearer the shoreline, there comesto rierr an amphibian plane of theCoast Cuard. ils Irrin engines r"aringas the pilot guns them to gain altitude.The pilot of the,l4ircAell bombersignals the commander oI the air pa-lrol of his arriral and re,'eites hi= in-structions. He learns that an attackuas made during the night on the con-r,oy by a sub pack, but rtas beaten olIrvithout loss to escorted or patrol ctaft.Semaphore code is used in the sendingand receiving of all messages. lor theradio has been silenced since the ct,rr-lov is norr in the submarine zone.The steady progress of the convoy

as per doctrine; he opens both thro!tles. bomb bals are opened and thebombsight set. As he starts his rurr,there is another flash, a yalning chasmopens in the sea and a geyser of uatershoots high into the air and slowlymushrooms downrrard. The bombshave dropped near the undersea boat,but none has yet scored a direct hit.

Plenty of E99s for JerryThe B-25 goes ou in until directlyover and less tharr I00 {t above theconning tr,\er ,,1 the ,-rash-dir in;r suh-mersible. Then it lets go rvith "plenty

of eilprs {or Jerry." Zooming uprvardarrd arral fr.rnr the multiple explo.ions.it circles to come in again. No need to,Ior lhe Catalina also reaches the sceneto be in on the kill and it also "shorr-ers do$'n,"The three"point attack is over andthe tirne consumed from the droppingof the first depth bomb until the des-perately harried U-boat disappears bc-neath the rraves is but a few minutes.All hands aboard our bomber a'egrinning; they shake hands and slapbacks, The sur{ace craft signal "nelldone." lhe b"nrl,er raggles it. rring"and heads back to its base, its bombracks empt1, its dar lell spent on asub huntiug tletnil.

partiallt suLrnerged srrl," ,,r to lrlast itlith their der:k guns i1 it slrould sur-lar:e.Alert Ai. Potrols

Coming in Jrott Lhc scarrarrl side o{the conlol- is orre of the Narr'"s pon-toon-equipped scout obselr ati,,n planes^and most expertly the pilot l aggles hisupturned uings as he flics ovcrheadald continues in his arc about theescortcd vessels. Ofi to port. orrc of thcNavy's graceful Carolino flr'ing boatscruises b1, lith free"swingirrg .50-cali-ber guns in each blister readl to attack{rom anv angle- and lith its crerv orrthr. alert lnr lln\ ereulualit\. R"1,,\ it-MAY I943

"Kingfishers" spot ond report subs thot opprooch coostol convoysis suddenll irrterrupted hy a scarletflash sorrre milcs to leerr ard. Ihe sym-rretrical forrnation of the ships andescort craft is broken up and thc,v takca nerr formation \rhen there is anotherflash folloued b1' a dull hoom. As theairrren turn in the direction o{ thesound they see a Navy blinrp over thespot. dropping depth bombs. This sec-ond blimp has but recentll j,-,ined theconvor and discor,ered the tl-boat.From'its high elevation it lets looseand is rol tilting downrlard to getcloser as a conning toher breaks thesurface. The curving, shark-like backt,f thc sub is plainlv r.isiblc as, anothellrornL drops ncarbr.'l'he pilot of thc B-25 lollor';s through

5