While still in high school in 1941 and thinking we would be in the war before long, I signed up for the Navy. At that time they had a program whereby you could join with your parent's permission while you was still seventeen years old and be discharged on your twenty first birthday. Having a brother who joined the year before for a six year hitch, I thought I had a good deal for just over three years. Before graduating I made a trip to Dallas to take my physical and written examinations for the Navy. Everything went fine until I had my teeth looked at. I had one tooth on my left upper side that was set back behind the others on either side of it. The doctors got into a huddle and was talking about me, then one of them would turn and look at me then return to the huddle. I just knew I was going to be turned down by the Navy just because of this one tooth. After some time and a lot of sweating on my part they finally passed on me. Graduation being on a Friday night in May 1941, the next Friday, after being sworn in, I was on a train with about twenty or so other new volunteers at Dallas, Texas heading for San Diego Naval Training Station San Diego, California. Now that was an experience that I think everyone should go through. I dare say that was the first time most of us, if not all, had ever been away from home. During the next eight weeks we learned how to do a great many things for ourselves that we had never thought of before, as well as taking orders from a total stranger and learning the ways of the military. After eight weeks of long hard training we all were looking forward to knowing what our first assignment would be. My name came up on a transfer list with several others for the U.S.S. NECHES AO 5. We had no idea of what kind of ship it could be. All of our rates just out of boot camp was Apprentice Seaman. |
AS |
Sea 2/c |
My new assignment turned out to be a navy oil tanker, the U.S.S. NECHES AO-5. My rate was changed to seaman second class October 6, 1941 while still enjoying the peace time navy routine, and making trips to Hawaii, Midway Island, and two ports in Alaska, Kodiak and Sitka. We left San Pedro, California heading for Pearl Harbor with a full load of oil and towing a small surface craft Decembe1,1941.Seven days later on Sunday morning dressed in our dress blues having captain's inspection we received word that Pearl Harbor was under attack by the Japanese. Our orders read for us to sink the tow and make it on in if we could. We arrived in Pearl Harbor on December 10, 1941 just three days later. Going to our unloading dock we passed right by battleship row. That is one sight I will remember the rest of my life. The whole harbor was covered with a thick oil slick, the damaged ships were still smoldering and smoking, nothing but damage in all directions as far as you could see.. The Neches went to sea again a few days later to refuel the aircraft carrier U.S.S. SERATOGA and her battle group. That was a new experience for me. At times we had two small ships, one on each side refueling at the same time. The Neches kept busy hauling oil until we left Pearl one evening alone around five o'clock in the afternoon heading west to refuel another task force. That morning about 3:30 AM. about a hundred miles west of Pearl Harbor, the Neches was sunk by a Japanese submarine with the loss of fifty seven lives. The official location is Latitude 21.1 North and Longitude 160.6 West. To view the story of my duty and the sinking of the U.S.S. NECHES click on the link below. |
GETTING READY TO REFUEL ANOTHER SHIP |
After the loss of the U.S.S. NECHES AO-5, most of the survivors were assigned to a new ship;, the U.S.S. SPERRY AS-12 a submarine tender, still under construction in Mare Island Navy Yard. Mare Island is just off of Vallejo, California in the northern part of San Francisco Bay. Serving aboard the Sperry from just before the commissioning for almost a full year my rate advanced to seaman first class (Sea 1/c) then to electarician mate third class (EM 3/c) While in Australia I volunteered for submarine duty and was assigned to the submarine relief crew Division 101 aboard the Sperry. Upon our return to Pearl Harbor I went aboard the submarine U.S.S. FINBACK SS 230 April 28, 1943. |
U.S.S. SPERRY AS -12 February 19, 1942 to February 8, 1943 |
Sea 1/c |
EM 3/c |
To enjoy the history of the U.S.S. SPERRY click on the link below: |
FROM THE SPERRY TO U.S.S. FINBACK SS 230 |
APRIL 28, 1943 to FEBRUARY 26, 1944 |
Geto Class Submarine Displacement 1526 tons surfaced, 2424 tons submerged Length: 311' Beam: 27' 3" Draft: 16' 10" Speed: 20 knots surfaced, 9 knots submerged Armament: 1 3"/50, 6 bow and 4 stern torpedo tubes, 21 torpedoes Complement: 80 Diesel engines, surfaced / electric motors, submerged Built in Portsmouth Navy Yard and commissioned 1942 During the next ten months the Finback made three war patrols which were her fifth, sixth, and seventh. My rate advanced to electrician mate second class during this time. |
Finback refitted at Pearl Harbor from 13 April to 12 May for her fifth war patrol, through most of which she patrolled off Taiwan, and along the shipping lanes from the Japanese home islands to the Marshall's. On 27 May, she sank a cargo ship, and sent another to the bottom on 7 June. Yet another of Japan's dwindling merchant fleet was sunk by Finback 4 days later. After refitting at Fremantle, Australia, 26 June to 18 July, Finback sailed for her sixth war patrol along the Java coast. Her first contact was made 30 July, and although the freighter defended herself with gunfire, she was sunk, as was a larger cargo ship on 23 August. On 10 August, she outwitted both a surface escort and a patrol plane to inflict damage on another merchantman. Finback encountered two small mine planters, a tug, and an inter island steamer on 19 August, and engaged all but the tug with surface gunfire, leaving three badly damaged ships behind when her dwindling supply of ammunition forced her to break off the action. After the damage done on the sixth patrol, Finback had to have a major overhaul at Pearl between 12 September 1943 and 15 December. Finback sailed for the South China Sea on her seventh war patrol, characterized by heavy weather, few contacts, and continual sighting of patrol planes. She sank a large tanker in a surface attack on New Year's Day 1944, sent a fishing trawler to the bottom after a surface gunfire action on 30 January, and left another badly damaged after a similar action the next day. Finback refitted at Pearl Harbor once more between 11 February 1944 and 6 Mach. This ended my duty aboard Finback. Two or three patrols after I left the Finback, she was the sub that rescued, later to be president, George Bush. |
BACK ABOARD THE SPERRY |
After Sperry's long stay at Midway Island she returned to Pearl Harbor for supplies and another assignment. I went aboard for the trip to Majuro Atoll then back to Pearl for more supplies and out to Guam. I was in the submarine relief crew division this time aboard, while I was in ship's company most of my first tour in 1942-43. From the time Sperry left the states for her first assignment until I left her in Guam, it had been almost three years since I had been back state side. I left with orders to report in at New London for a new construction submarine after thirty days leave. While on leave I stopped off at my parents home in Compton, California and we all went to Snyder, Texas, where I married the girl of my dreams. December 20, 2000 was our fifty sixth wedding anniversary. |
NEW LONDON SUBMARINE BASE U.S.S. O-10 SS 71 |
FEBRUARY 26, 1944 to OCTOBER 26, 1944 |
JANUARY 18, 1945 to SEPTEMBER 25, 1945 |
My wife and I arrived in New London early enough to get an apartment in town before my reporting in at the base January 18, 1945. Being interviewed by the base commander, I received duty aboard one of the school boats since I had been overseas so long. The boat that I drew was the U.S.S. O-10 SS 71, a boat built back in 1918. It was some change from the fleet boat I had been on. Duty in New London was almost like having a nine to five job in civilian life. We would muster each morning while waiting for the sub school students to arrive, then shove off before ten o'clock or so. During the next three or four hours we would make several dives and put the students through their drills etc. We would always return to base around three or four in the afternoon. Being a married man I would not remain on the base since I had a wife and an appartment in town. We had three watches, so that ment I was on the beach two nights and two weekends out of three, which made it nice. After the Germans surrendered, the military came out with a point system for discharging personnel. It just happened I had over the required number. Before I was discharged we sailed the O-10 up the coast to Main to be decommissioned. Me and four or five other men were sent to Boston for our discharge which took place September 25, 1945. At that time I had four years, three months and nineteen days service in the navy and rated as electrician mate second class (EM 2/c) |
Electrician Mate Second Class |
SS-71 USS O-10 O Type Submarine: Displacement: 480 tons surfaced, 624 tons submerged Length: 172' 4" Beam: 17' 3" Draft: 13' 3" Speed: 14.5 knots surfced, 11 knots submerged Armament: 1 3"/23, 4 bow torpedo tubes, 8 18" torpedoes Complement: 33 Keel laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Co. Quincy, MA, 27 Feb. 1917 Launched: 21 February 1918; Sponsord by Mrs. John E. Bailey. Commissioned: 17 August 1918 with Lt. Sherwood Picking in command. Decommissioned: 25 June 1931 Recomissioned 14 April 1941 Decommissioned: 10 September 1945 (Bob White was aboard at this time) Sold for scrapping 21 August 1946 to John J. Duane Co. of Quincy, for scrapping. |
USS O-10 (SS-71) added to U.S. efforts in WW I operating out of Philadelphia on coastal patrol againts U-boats until 2 November, when she departed Newport, RI, with other subs for service in European waters. The Armistice was signed before the boats reached the Azores, however, and they returned to the U.S. In 1919, O-10 joined others of her class in New London to train sub crews at the submarine school. In 1924, O-10 steamed to Coco Solo, where she was re-classified as a 2nd line submarine 25 July 1924. Returning to operations at New London, she reverted to 1st line 6 June 1928. She continued at New London until January 1930, when she sailed north to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME, returning to New London in February, she continued training duties until February 1931, when she sailed to Philadelphia, decommissioning there 25 June 1931. With the approach of U.S. involvemnt in WWII, there was a recognized need for numerous training subs. O-10 recommissioned at Philadelphia 10 March 1941 and went to New London in May. She departed on a trial run to Kittery, ME, 19 June 1941, the day before USS O-9 (SS-71) failed to return. O-10 joined in the search for her sister ship but found no trace of her. Returning to New London, O-10 trained crews there until war's end. She then sailed to Kittery,ME and decommissioned there 10 September 1945. O-10 was struck from the Navy List 21 August 1946 and sold to John J. Duane Co. of Quincy, for scrapping. |
OIL TANKER to SUB TENDER to SUBMARINES |
UNITED STATES NAVY |
June 6, 1941 to Sept. 25, 1945 |
September 6, 1941 to January 23, 1942 |
by BOB WHITE |
American Defense. |
Good Conduct |
.WW II Victory Medal |
Meritorious Unit Commendation |
Qualifyed Submariner. |
Submarine Combat Pin Three war patrols. |
American Campaign |
Petty Officer Second Class |
Asiatic Pacific Campaign With three Battle Stars |
