Sub Chasing

[Clyde A. Phillips]

This is not necessarily all of my Newporter experiences, maybe just the exciting ones.  For the present let’s go back several years to the summer of 1948 for a trip eastbound on the Long Island Sound.

 My father, who is the source of my name and with whom I made an agreement when I was six years old that neither of us would ever use the “Sr.” or “Jr.” usually associated with such naming, had come into ownership of the A. J. Meerwald, recently renamed the Clyde A. Phillips, and we were now on our way to Greenport, Long Island, NY, to transport oyster shells for an oyster company from there west to the oyster grounds off shore of South Norwalk, CT and east to Greenport, Long Island, NY.

 The summer of ’48 was between my elementary school and high school years, making me, at 14 years of age, experienced enough at the wheel to be left alone in the wheel house while the others were below at a sumptuous dinner.  Our crew was Dad, “Capt. Clyde,” my Mom, Rae, as cook, my sister Nita, my brother-in-law. Harold Peek, a deckhand, Randy Hale, my baby brother, John (I’m his little brother), and myself.  The area we were passing through was used by the Navy as a training area for submarines.  While heading toward Greenport on a beautiful day with unlimited visibility and light seas, without a vessel in sight, I was suddenly aware of something strange.  A sub, one of the pre-atomic diesel/electric powered WWII types (we were only three years from the end of the war) broke the surface bow first, as if the skipper got to the surface long before he expect it.  The forward third or more of the hull was in the air, then she flopped (for the want of a better word) down to the surface.  I ran to the galley companionway and told the crew a sub just surfaced about 50 yards to our port.  By the time they got to the deck the sub had made a crash dive and disappeared.  They all claimed I was seeing things and claimed there was no sub and went below to finish their meal.  Minutes later the sub (or a sub) did the same thing 50 yards off to the starboard.  We duplicated the “There’s a sub/There’s no sub” routine and shortly thereafter I went below for my dinner.  Note that in those days here in the northeast dinner was at noon, it being the largest meal of the day.  Back to the “happenings.”  My brother, John, being two years my junior, now started his trick at the wheel.  The rest of the crew found comfortable places to digest their dinners.  Wouldn’t you know, before long someone came to the companionway to announce excitedly “Come quick, there’s a sub up here.”  My replay was simply “You’re crazy, There’s no sub!”

 We later decided, though we had no way to prove it, that the boat was “playing with us.”  During the next couple of hours we saw a periscope several times making runs on us as if they were practicing setting up torpedo plots on us.  We never saw a torpedo, though, and made the run safely to Greenport.

 Next “episode,” my sailing experiences on sailing oysterboats.

[Clyde A. Phillips]

Eddie,

Great response!  I read it to my wife, Mary, who reminded me of the subs we saw in the same area (well, within 30 or so miles).  Mary and I were on theGleam,a Sparkman and Stephens 12 meter build for Harold S. Vanderbilt, which I re-rigged after a demasting event.  I first thought that I was invited aboard as a "thank you" for a job well done.  Later I wondered if the owner wanted the person aboard on its first trip after the re-rig who had done the work.  I know that when I owned an airplane I wanted the mechanic who performed the annual inspection of the plane to do the first flight test.  I thought that if he trusted his own work with his life I could trust it with mine.

We were on course for entering the Thames River heading for an overnight at New London.  All attention was forward as we were inshore of Ledge Light.  A pair of fast (for the type) Naval tugs steamed out past us which turned our attention astern.  There two atomic subs were surfacing (slowly) and were waiting for their tug escorts.  They were some sight later as they went past us in all their glory.

There's one amazing difference between these subs and the one we saw in the late 40's.  These were designed for underwater speed.  The old class were designed for surface speed.  Both were designed to be fastest where they would spend most of their time.

Oh, by the way, you have my permission to edit my stories to make them personal and then tell them as your own.  Just don't attach my name to your versions.

[Eddie Offermann]

I'm going to start claiming to see submarines now. ;)

Another great story, Clyde!