6 June 2024 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

[Flying10uk]

With both parents living through WW2, growing up it was talked about on a fairly regular basis.

[Bob Womack]

I've read first-hand accounts of Navy men aboard ships in the Pacific on June 6th. They always mention that the call went out over the 1MC that the Normandy landings had occurred and always mention that the men aboard their ship stood still for a few seconds, thinking of the ships and men involved. For instance, the men aboard submarine USS Tang, preparing to leave port, stopped what they were doing and sort of automatically went to a casual version of attention.

Bob

[Mark in Rochester]

Was it Tang that torpedoed herself with a screwy torpedo!

USS Tang (SS-306) was a Balao-class submarine of World War II, the first ship of the United States Navy to bear the name Tang. She was built and launched in 1943, serving until being sunk by her own torpedo off China in the Taiwan Strait on 24 October 1944.

In her short career in the Pacific War, Tang sank 33 ships totalling 116,454 tons. Commander Richard O'Kane received the Medal of Honor for her last two engagements (23 and 24 October 1944).

Tang was sunk during the last engagement by a circular run of her final torpedo, going down in 180 ft (55 m) of water. 78 men were lost, and the 9 survivors were picked up by a Japanese frigate and taken prisoner of war. This was the only known time that a Momsen lung was used to escape a sunken submarine.

[Bob Womack]

Tang went down in the Formosa (Taiwan) Strait, and thus it will probably not be surveyed for a while due to area tensions. Several others, such as Wahoo, have been survey for us for final disposition by private firms or foreign governmemts.

Bob

[CINDERS]

Bob when you say "final dispositions" does this indicate the wreck will be cut up for scrap or valuables removed like the bronze props etc.
I thought as a WWII wreck where there has been known casualties on board they may not be disturbed in any way, I have seen doco's where the wrecks even those from WWI are starting to become environmental issues for fuel oil leaks and onboard explosives.
The documentary I saw on the Jutland wrecks really made an impact as the amount of ordnance in the british wrecks is absolutely astounding, as Beaty said "There is something wrong with our bloody ships today."

There was! as the Grand Fleet was spoiling for a run in with the High Seas Fleet the brits had piled the munitions aboard to such an extent that fire proof doors were left open which put the risk of an internal explosion from a hit or fire a dead certainty, which was borne out by the engagement and the doco's surveying of the wrecks.
There were just large caliber shells lying all through the wrecks proof they had loaded them to the hilt with the bang gear which also included propellant you can still see the full carry cannister's in with the shells.

[Bob Womack]

The term "Final Disposition" covers all kinds of final situations including salvage, restoration, giving the ship to a museum, and abandonment in place. In the case of ships lost, at sea with loss of life it is definitely referring to declaring it a place of interment. For instance, the destroyers and destroyer escorts involved in the Battle off Samar were recently discovered in the deep, with their exact locations provided to the Navy so that they could declare the wrecks memorials. Unfortunately, some Asian concerns have been salavaging some British and Australian wrecks that are clearly war memorials and protected.

Bob

[CINDERS]

The unscrupulous ppl out for a quick $ uncaring of those that gave their lives so they could be robbed in a different era, hope the bl**dy sharks have a good feed of those type.
As long as there are still enough sharks in the ocean to complete the deed!

[Flying10uk]

A while ago I was watching a documentary which involved divers exploring a WW2 Jap shipwreck on the seafloor. They weren't taking anything from it, just diving on it and in it. As they were swimming through the ship's hold you could see like clouds of fine white dust or particles suspended in the water. Apparently this was asbestos fibres that was coming off pipe lagging etc and disintegrating in the water. I wouldn't have thought that anyone would want to risk diving through an area contaminated with asbestos but theses divers didn't seem to consider it an issue. It does make you think of the toxic and dangerous substances on-board some of these wrecks.

Before anyone points it out, yes, I do realise that the main risk of asbestos is breathing in the dust but I wouldn't have thought that one would want to take the risk of ingesting it or absorbing it through the skin.

A loved one who died from a rare form of lung cancer a few years ago, caused by exposure to asbestos, died a slow and very painful death that the doctor couldn't control even with morphine. It should be a warning to everyone to NOT take chances with asbestos.