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Mates Forever: USS Wasmuth and USS Ramapo

by Robert P. Sables

56 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1326; ISBN 1-4120-3498-1; US$12.00, C$14.00, EUR9.50, £6.50

During a furious winter storm on December 27, 1942, depth charges ripped off the stern of the USS Wasmuth. The USS Ramaporescued the entire crew.

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about the book      about the author      excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book This book describes the naval career of the USS Wasmuth, a destroyer built shortly after WWI. With her service no longer needed, she is assigned to the "Red Lead Fleet" in San Diego Harbour. Recalled to active service in 1930, she was assigned to the Pacific Battle Force which later relocated to Pearl Harbour. With the influx of modern "Gold Plate" destroyers, the Navy converted the Wasmuth into a light-speed minesweeper. The Wasmuth was present that fateful December morning when the Japanese forces attacked the Hawaiian Islands. She was credited with downing a Japanese torpedo bomber. After a convoy run to the states, she was assigned to the windswept, desolate Aleutian Islands for escort duty. On December 27, 1942, during a furious winter storm, depth charges on the main deck got loose -exploded and ripped off her stern. The heroic actions of an accompanying Navy tanker, the USS Ramapo, took the sting out of the disaster by rescuing the entire crew. Throughout the years, the crews have remained in close contact and will be "Mates Forever".

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About the Author Robert P. Sables holds degrees from the University of Scranton and Fordham University School of Social Service. He is retired form the New York Department of Probation and the United States Army Reserve where he held the rank of Lt. Col. He is a frequent contributor to Sea Classics magazine. Sables and his wife, Delia, live in San Diego, California. He is the father of four children and the grandfather of five.

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Excerpts

Two old "S" class submarines, the USS S-18 [SS-123] and the US S-23[SS-128] were ordered to the Aleutians and arrived at Dutch Harbor on 27 January 1942. The history of the USS S-23 reveals the conditions under which our naval ships operated in the Aleutions.

On the afternoon of 7 February, she departed Dutch Harbor on her first war patrol. Within hours, she encountered the heavy seas and poor visibility which characterized the Aleutians. Waves broke over the bridge, battering those on duty there, and sent water cascading down the conning tower hatch. On the 10th, S-23 stopped to jettison torn sections of the superstructure, a procedure she was to report on her subsequent patrols; and on the 13th, the heavy seas caused broken bones to some men on the bridge. For another three days, the submarine patrolled the great circle route from Japan, then headed home, arriving at Dutch Harbor on the 17th.
[Extract from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships].

It was into this cauldron that the USS Wasmuth [DMS-15] led her convoy on 27 December 1942 and lost her life. With her sinking, the US Navy and Coast Guard had lost a total of five vessels in the Aleutians since 1914. The first loss occurred on 20 September 1914 when the US Revenue Cutter Tahoma struck an uncharted rock off Buldir Island and broke up. Nine years later, on 6 June 1923, the minesweeper USS Cardinal [AM-6], while on route from Port Angeles, Washington, to Dutch Harbor, struck a reef off Chirikof Island and was abondoned. There was no loss of life. A sister ship, the USS Swallow [AM-4], while on assignment with the Aleutian Islands Survey Expedition, grounded at Kanaga Island on 19 February 1938 and was declared a total loss.

After clearing the harbor, the USS Wasmuth took up patrol station off the channel entrance. With the Japanese planes gone by 1000 hrs, the main concern now was the presence of Japanese submarines. Earlier the USS Monaghan [DD-354] on her way down the west channel had rammed a Jap midget sub and dropped depth charges on her. The Wasmuth would drop a depth charge at 1023 "on suspicious waters" but with no results. At 1410, she met up with the USS Zane and according to the Action Report they conducted an "A SWEEP"--- "400 fathoms of wire between ships, depressors at 5 fathoms, no floats". They swept the entire channel up to the gate vessel where the Wasmuth's wire parted. She then anchored off the coal dock and retrieved her sweep gear before proceeding back out to sea. While underway, Lt. Cdr. J.L. Wilfrong was able to rejoin the ship and Lt. Cdr. D.M. Agnew departed. For the balance of the day, she maintained ASW patrol off Oahu.

During the attack, the USS Ramapo [AO-12] was at berth B-12, at the entrance to the southeast Loch, loading six PT boats from Motor Torpedo Squadron 1 for delivery to the Philippines. Four boats, PT's 27, 29, 30, 42 were already on the oiler's deck while PT 26 and PT 28 were still on the dock. The turrets had to be operated manually but soon their .50 cal MG's were pouring out a deadly fire. In an Action Report, SM1/c Francis T. Bean claimed that the PT-30 ravaged a Jap plane. The USS Ramapo had a close call when a 200 pound bomb exploded just off her port bow- the intended victim being the light cruiser USS New Orleans in the next berth.

The USS Wasmuth maintained a hectick schedule over the next few months with frequenct drills, patrols, sweeps, and even escorting US submarines out to sea. On 31 May 1942, she departed Pearl Harbor bound for San Francisco, California, with Convoy 4111. While on the west coast, Lt. Cdr. Leverton assumed command and several new crewmen, such as signalman striker Zeke Rocha, joined the ship.

The USS Perry [DD-340], built at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, was first comissioned on 7 August 1922. After five months service, she was decommissioned at San Diego, California, and placed in the reserve fleet for seven years. The old "tin can" was reclassified DMS-17 on 19 November 1940. The USS Perryj was present at Pearl Harbor during the attack on 7 December1941. Her After Action Report relates that she opened fire on a Jap submarine heading toward the Middle Loch and may have sunk her. Further, as for Japanese aircraft, "at least one and probable more of these planes can be credited to the Perry". The USS Perry would later serve in the Aleutian Campaign [August 1942-Aug 1943], Kwajalein, Aitape, Saipan, Guam, and Peleiu. On 13 September 1944, while engaged in sweep operations off Anguar, a mine exploded on her starboard side amidships demolishing the forward fire room. At 1607 hrs. [less than 2 hours after the explosion] the USS Perry capsized and sunk in 240 feet of water. Nine seamen were killed in the explosion. On 1 May 2000, Navot Bornovski and Jeff Wonnenberg in an expidition organized by Fish n' Fins dive shop, Palau, locatedf in the sunken minesweeper. They were aided in the search by Larry Turks, a survivor from the USS Perry. Mr. Turks celebrated his 78th birthday at the site and was pleased that his goal of finding the USS Perry had been realized. Today, the Palau Technical Divers takes visiting qualified divers to the wreck site.

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Catalogue Information

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