HAKE, HARDER, and HADDO
24 AUGUST 1944
HAKE, HARDER, AND HADDO
CDR Samuel D. Dealey commanded a three-sub “wolfpack” off the Philippines comprised of his boat, HARDER (SS-257), along with HADDO (SS-255) and HAKE (SS-256). US planners were anticipating the invasion of those islands in October, and our submarines were there ahead of D-Day to reconnoiter and clear out enemy shipping. For Dealey it was his sixth war patrol, having received the Medal of Honor for his fifth patrol. But plethoric combat had taken its toll on his psyche. Shipmates noted him to be troubled, at times having difficulty making decisions. A letter Dealey had written several days before this patrol was rambling, in places incoherent, with handwriting that was barely legible. COMSUBSOPAC Commander RADM Ralph W. Christie, had already determined this would be Dealey’s last cruise. Dealey’s XO, LCDR Frank C. “Tiny” Lynch, thought him unqualified even for this last cruise, noting that at times Dealey seemed dangerously cavalier about enemy anti-submarine measures.
The three subs met off the western coast of Luzon on August 22nd where CDR Chester W. Nimitz, Jr., spotted an enemy destroyer. But before he could attack, the destroyer detected him and charged. Nimitz was forced to fire four torpedoes “down the throat,” all of which missed. HADDO dove and dodged the inevitable depth charge barrage. At sunrise Nimitz spotted another destroyer, ASAKAZE, escorting a tanker. This time his torpedoes struck the tin can, blowing off her bow and settling her bridge section into the water. Two trawlers were noted to depart the shore, presumably to tow the stricken destroyer into Dasol Bay near the Lingayen Gulf. HADDO was now out of torpedoes and Nimitz turned away for our Indonesian base at Mios Woendi, in Biak.
HAKE and HARDER picked up the battle, rendezvousing off Dasol Bay. When HAKE heard screws at 0554 this morning both skippers assumed that the stricken ASAKAZE was being towed south to Manila. Unknown to them, ASAKAZE had sunk the day before, and the noises HAKE heard were the aging Thai destroyer PHRA RUANG now in Japanese service and the coastal defense boat CD-22 leaving Dasol Bay to search for the Americans. LCDR Frank E. Haylor positioned HAKE for an attack on the destroyer, who turned away to re-enter the bay. The set-up was too dangerous for an attack on CD-22, who was already pinging, so Haylor broke off.
HARDER on the other hand charged! Dealey’s performance so far had earned him the moniker “destroyer killer” for his propensity to attack escorts. Dealey boldly fired “down the throat” at the sub-chaser, who, by 0710 had detected both Americans. HAKE heard a string of 15 detonations at 0728. She evaded, then resurfaced that evening to contact HARDER. Dealey and HARDER were nowhere to be seen.
Watch the POD for more “Today in Naval History” 27 AUG 26
CAPT James Bloom, Ret.
Alden, John D. U.S. Submarine Attacks During World War II. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1989, p. 126.
Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan, Vol 2. New York, NY: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1975, pp. 691-94.
Department of the Navy, Naval History Division. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol 3 “G-K”. Washington, DC: GPO, 1977, pp. 184, 200, 242.
Holmes, Harry. The Last Patrol. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing, Ltd., 1994, pp. 123-24.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Japanese records captured after the surrender documented that CD-22’s barrage of depth charges resulted in a rising plume of oil and debris that was undoubtedly the wreckage of HARDER. None of HARDER’s crew survived.
CDR Samuel David Dealey was one of the most decorated submariners of WWII. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he received the Navy Cross (4 awards), the Army Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and lesser awards. (Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the site of the JFK assassination, is named for CDR Dealey’s uncle, George B. Dealey, a Dallas newspaper publisher).
Chester Nimitz, Jr. was the son of the Fleet Admiral. He was a veteran of WWII and Korean submarine service, having been awarded the Navy Cross also.
