(Edited from U.S. SUBMARINE OPERATIONS, WW-II, U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE)
Crack A/S team and expert submariners battled it out in "Convoy College" on a day in mid-November. In this undersea warfare clash, one observes the Japanese enemy at his best and an American submarine that was better. The submarine was HALIBUT (CDR I.J. Galantin), and the action occurred in Luzon Strait three weeks after the Battle off Cape Engano. HALIBUT was operating as a member of "Roach's Raiders" wolf-pack, and she had sunk the destroyer AKITSUKI off the Cape.
On November 14 the submarine attacked a convoy in Luzon Strait. Counter-attack came as a bolt from the blue. The story is best told in Galantin's report,describing what happened to HALIBUT.
"The Japs are apparently reverting to their earlier practice using supersonic search around their convoy, for two convoys were contacted by heading in direction of pinging. The pinging, between 16 and 18 Kcs., was ineffective, picking this vessel up only after its presence had been disclosed by other means.
It is believed that our experience of 14 November discloses a new Jap anti-submarine device. Six minutes after we had fired four Mark 18-1 torpedoes and changed course radically, a loud, fast, buzzing sound was heard. Men in the after battery state they heard this pass over four times, approaching from starboard, in the direction of the escorts, as well as the direction our torpedoes had been fired. Men in the forward battery do not know which side the device approached from but believe it passed overhead three times. The sound was variously described as high speed screws, a torpedo, and an airplane flying low. The commanding officer has heard Mark 14 torpedoes running erratically and this sound was entirely different.
To him, in the conning tower, this sounded as a fast, low-pitched buzzing, increasing in loudness and then decreasing for an estimated total interval of 40 seconds. He had no impression of its circling the ship, but it may have been a succession of similar devices. As the sound faded out, a heavy explosion, similar to a depth charge, occurring fairly close to port caused this vessel to go deep. This explosion was not an aircraft bomb, and no aircraft had been sighted during the approach. Also, at this time, the escorts were still over 2,000 yards away, apparently not having located us yet. With the explosion, they were quickly attracted to us and their pinging became accurate, resulting in a short, very severe depth-charging.
No end-of-run torpedo explosions were heard (depth of water 1342 fathoms, sea slight swell, few white caps). It is not believed that this device or devices was one of our torpedoes running erratic for it is too improbable to suppose that six minutes after being fired it would seek us out, paasing over us several times, and then choose to explode close aboard. Neither would its turning circle permit it to pass overhead more than once in such a short interval.
It is known from discussion with two experienced submarine officers who took part in special tests that at periscope depth it is possible to hear a plane go overhead if it is very low and very large. In view of this, and the heavy air coverage the PINTADO saw, it is possible the planes came over us and dropped markers to indicate our position and movement, thereby accounting for the unusual speed and accuracy of this depth charge counter-attack by the surface escorts. However, conditions for being sighted by aircraft can be described as only fair, and no torpedo wakes or impulse bubbles existed."
Evidently, HALIBUT was "fingered" by planes equipped with jikitanchiki, the Nipponese version of the magnetic airborne detector. These planes flew so low over the water that the submariners could hear them. After dropping bombs, the aircraft left markers and called in the convoy's surface escorts. The A/S vessels ganged up on the submarine. Their teamwork was good, and they unloaded a depth-charge barrage that came within a fraction of getting HALIBUT's number.
One close explosion dished in the port side of the submarine's conning tower. This blast was followed by three or four rapid thunderbolts which drove HALIBUT deep into the black abyss of the sea. Galantin's report details some of the damage.
"The forward torpedo room was particularly hard hit. The skids, with their torpedoes, jumped one foot up, damaging the torpedoes, all deck plates were dislodged, and all personnel were thrown into the bilge, one man being sure he was going through the bottom of the boat. All sea valves spun open, and the escape trunk leaked, but they soon brought matters under control. The pressure hull and tank tops were wrinkled and numerous bolts sheared. Meanwhile the line from #1 air bank in the forward battery carried away. The rush of high pressure air, and the combined odors of hair tonic, shaving lotion, glypton, and food caused the personnel in the compartment to believe it was flooding and that chlorine gas was escaping: hence, they abandoned and secured the compartment. #1 bank bled down, creating over 50# pressure in the compartment. This prevented opening the after door or the flappers.
Since the forward door opens into the torpedo room, ordered that room to crack the door carefully, checking for chlorine gas and letting the pressure equalize if no gas was present. By opening this door the presure in the two compartments was reduced to 28#. Began to bleed the pressure into the control room through the trim line hose connections. This was a long, very noisy process, but finally were able to jack the door open and help the men in the forward rooms.
Both sound heads could be trained in hand, but with difficulty, and in the great heat and pressure the men were working to exhaustion. On surfacing found that a depth charge had exploded on or very close to the 4" gun (forward), for the breech cover was smashed and punctured, and the chanber pushed to port."
HALIBUT was badly hurt. Somehow - or, rather, with know-how - her technicians forged temporary repairs, her engineers maintained life in the machinery, her Captain extricated her from Luzon Strait.
Concluding his report, Galantin noted:
"For some reason, the Japs shoved off. A little persistence would have paid off handsomely. The beating the ship took and survived brings our admiration and respect to the men who designed her, the people who built the HALIBUT, and those who recently overhauled her at Bethlehem Steel Company."
A final assessment of Halibut's injuries covered three typewritten pages. After first aid at Saipan and more repairs at Pearl Harbor, she was sent to the States where specialists at Portsmouth Navy Yard decided the injuries were too extensive to justify the necessary overhaul, and HALIBUT was relieved from active service. A wonder, indeed, that she had survived such battle damage.
It would seem that her captain and crew were also made of high-grade steel.