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USS GROWLER SS215
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ETERNAL PATROL
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Eleventh War Patrol
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Early in November 1944, USS Growler (SS-215), USS Hake (SS-256) and USS Hardhead (SS-365) were operating together west of the Philippines group as a coordinated search and attack group under the command of Cdr. T.B. Oakley, Jr., Commanding Officer, Growler. The patrol was Growler’s eleventh. On 7 November, Growler reported having made temporary repairs to her SJ radar. Which made it usable, but she urgently needed spare parts for it. A future rendezvous was arranged with USS Bream (SS-243) for the purpose of delivering the parts.
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In the early morning hours of 8 November, Growler, made SJ radar contact on an enemy target group, and reported it to Hardhead. Cdr. Oakley directed Hardhead to track and attack from the convoy's port bow. Shortly thereafter, Hardhead made contact with both the target group and Growler. After about an hour had passed Hake heard two distant explosions of undetermined character, and Hardhead heard an explosion, which sounded like a torpedo. At the same time, the targets zigged away from Growler. Shortly after, Hardhead heard three distant depth charges explode.
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A little over an hour after these explosions, Hardhead attacked the target from the port bow, obtained three or four hits, and Hake saw a tanker sink. Hardhead was subjected to a severe counterattack from which it emerged undamaged, while Hake was worked over thoroughly later in the morning. All attempts to contact Growler after this attack were unsuccessful, and she has never seen or heard from since. The rendezvous with Bream for the delivery of SJ spare parts was not accomplished. Since Growler had tracked targets by radar for at least an hour, it appears that her temporary SJ repairs must have been satisfactory.
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Although Japanese records mention no antisubmarine attacks at this time and place, it is evident that depth charges were dropped in the vicinity of Growler, but in the absence of more conclusive evidence the cause of her loss must be describe as unknown. The Japanese admit that a tanker was sunk that night, which checks with Hardhead’s sinking. Hardhead was heavily depth charged following her own attack and later that morning Hake was expertly worked over presumably by the same escorts. This leads to the belief that if Growler was sunk by depth charging it was at the hands of a skillful antisubmarine group.
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The explosion described by Hardhead as "possibly a torpedo" may have been a depth charge or a torpedo explosion. It is unlikely that a torpedo hit was made on the convoy at this time because if the tanker had been hit she probably would either have burst into flame, as she subsequently did when hit by Hardhead, or slowed down if hit in the engine room. She did neither, nor was there any evidence that any of the three escorts were hit. However, since only three subsequent explosions were heard by Hake, and a number of depth charges generally are dropped in an accurate or persistent antisubmarine attack, a number of possibilities exist as to Growler’s end.
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She could have been sunk as the result of a premature or circular run of her own torpedo, and the three depth charges heard by Hake may have been only a token attack by the escort. Although there was a quarter moon, the night was somewhat misty, and she might have been rammed, thus making it unnecessary for the escort to drop many depth charges. She could have been caught at either radar or periscope depth and the antisubmarine group, evidently a good one, might have verified the results of their attack immediately. An escort could have hit her with a torpedo and only dropped a few depth charges to insure a kill. In any event, sinking by her own torpedoes is only a slight possibility.
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