Take her down

A fourth patrol

In January 1943 the submarine USS Growler (SS-215) sailed on her fourth war patrol in the Southwest Pacific under Commander Howard W. Gilmore. He was not new to command under fire. He had already received the Navy Cross for an earlier patrol in Growler in mid-1942.

According to his Medal of Honor citation, the patrol ran from 10 January to 7 February 1943. Growler worked in waters watched by enemy aircraft and anti-submarine ships. Gilmore sank one freighter and damaged another, and after each attack the boat survived heavy depth charging.

The night of 7 February

On the night of 7 February, Growler was on the surface when a Japanese vessel came out of the darkness and turned to attack. His citation calls it a gunboat. The Navy's ship history identifies it as the 900-ton stores ship Hayasaki. Gilmore swung the submarine and rammed the other ship first, at 17 knots.

Hayasaki's crew opened fire on Growler's bridge at close range. Ensign William W. Williams, the junior officer of the deck, and the lookout, Fireman Third Class Wilbert F. Kelley, were killed. Gilmore was badly wounded.

The citation records what happened next in plain words:

"Comdr. Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. Gilmore gave his last order to the officer of the deck, 'Take her down.'"

The officer of the deck obeyed. Growler dived, leaving her captain on the surface.

Think about what that order asked of the men who carried it out. For a submarine on the surface, a captain topside, wounded and under fire, is a choice between saving one man and risking everyone. Gilmore made that choice for them, in four words, so that no one below would have to make it.

The crew brings her home

The damage was severe. Water came in, the bow was bent about 90 degrees to port, and the boat had to be fought back to life. Lieutenant Commander Arnold F. Schade, the executive officer, took command. He and the crew brought Growler back to Brisbane, Australia, where she moored on 17 February 1943. As the citation puts it, she "was brought safely to port by her well-trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain."

Gilmore was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. NHHC notes that he was the first of seven U.S. submarine commanders to receive it during the war.

What the submarine force gave

Growler was repaired and went back to war. In November 1944 she was lost on patrol with all 86 men aboard, including her commanding officer at the time, Commander Thomas B. Oakley Jr.

Gilmore's story is sometimes told as a single famous sentence. The record shows more than that. A captain put his crew below before himself. Two shipmates died beside him. An officer of the deck made the hardest dive of his life. And a crew kept a crippled submarine alive for ten days to bring her home.

Families of submariners know what it means to wait for a boat that cannot send word home. This story honors them as well.

Our Submarines collection is made for the crews who served below, and for the families who waited.

Harborborne is an independent brand and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Navy or Department of Defense.