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Remembering US WWII Submariners on this Memorial Day

WWII Submarine Combat Patrol Pin with 3 Gold Stars (4 patrols) Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14925973
WWII Submarine Combat Patrol Pin with 3 Gold Stars (4 patrols) Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14925973

On Memorial Day, people sometimes thank veterans, rather than remembering those that died defending the United States. Surviving Veterans have our own day, 11 November.  Today, we should remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.  As we do so, let us not just think about our most recent conflicts. Before it recedes into history, let us remember comrades of our parents and grandparents, who gave their lives during WWII, which ended over 70 years ago.

The US Submarine Service took the highest percent of casualties of any US service during that war–nearly 23%. Submariners represented only 1.6% of Navy personnel, but were responsible for over 55% of Japanese ships sunk. My father, James Brink, was a submariner. He survived four war patrols on the USS Sea Poacher (SS-406) and went on to raise a family and have a successful career. Over 3,500 of his fellow submariners did not. In all, 52 American submarines were lost during WWII.

Below is a list of US submarines lost during WWII. Casualty lists for each submarine can be found at the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association.

1941

USS SEALION (SS-195)

1942

USS S-36 (SS-141), USS S-26 (SS-131), USS SHARK (SS-174), USS PERCH (SS-176), USS S-27 (SS-132), USS S-39 (SS-144), USS GRUNION (SS-216)

1943

USS ARGONAUT (SS-166), USS AMBERJACK (SS-219), USS GRAMPUS (SS-207), USS TRITON (SS-201), USS PICKEREL (SS-177), USS GRENADIER (SS-210), USS RUNNER (SS-275), USS R-12 (SS-89), USS GRAYLING (SS-209), USS POMPANO (SS-181), USS CISCO (SS-290), USS S-44 (SS-155), USS DORADO (SS-248), USS WAHOO (SS-238), USS CORVINA (SS-226), USS SCULPIN (SS-191), USS CAPELIN (SS-289)

1944

USS SCORPION (SS-278), USS GRAYBACK (SS-208), USS TROUT (SS-202), USS TULIBEE (SS-284), USS GUDGEON (SS-211), USS HERRING (SS-233), USS GOLET (SS-361), USS S-28 (SS-133), USS ROBALO (SS-273), USS FLIER (SS-250), USS HARDER (SS-257), USS SEAWOLF (SS-197), USS SHARK II (SS-314), USS TANG (SS-306), USS ESCOLAR (SS-294), USS ALBACORE (SS-218), USS GROWLER (SS-215), USS DARTER (SS-227), USS SCAMP (SS-277)

1945

USS SWORDFISH (SS-193), USS BARBEL (SS-316), USS KETE (SS-369), USS TRIGGER (SS-237), USS SNOOK (SS-279), USS LAGARTO (SS-371), USS BONEFISH (SS-223), USS BULLHEAD (SS-332)

ADDITIONAL WW II SUBMARINE PERSONNEL LOSSES ARE ALSO ON THE SITE

 

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Happy Veterans Day!

Crew of my Dad's Submarine, the USS Sea Poacher, posing at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base in front of a captured Japanese mini-sub (1944)
Crew of my Dad’s Submarine, the USS Sea Poacher, posing at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base in front of a captured Japanese mini-sub (1944)
LTJG James A. Brink, Weapons Officer, USS Sea Poacher, 1944-1945
LTJG James A. Brink, Weapons Officer, USS Sea Poacher, 1944-1945

Happy veterans day to all my fellow veterans! Here are some pictures of my Dad, his fellow shipmates, and the USS Sea Poacher (SS 406).  James Brink (at the time a LTJG) served aboard the Sea Poacher for four war patrols during World War II. After the war he remained in the Reserve, was mobilized during Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis, commanded two reserve submarines, and retired as a Commander in 1964. In his civilian career, he practiced law for over 40 years.

USS Sea Poacher (SS 406). Images courtesy of the USS Sea Poacher Association (www.seapoacher.com). War Patrols may be accessed on the site.

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NATO Actions to Deter Russia in Eastern Europe

U.S. troops arrive in Poland in 2014. NATO is hardly in the position to stop a Russian offensive in the event that war breaks out, especially if that offensive begins in the Baltics. (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Washington grabbed international headlines Wednesday when it announced plans to deploy another armored brigade to Eastern Europe. This is the latest step in Operation Atlantic Resolve, the United States’ effort to show its commitment to NATO’s collective security in the face of Russia’s growing assertiveness in Ukraine. The plans include the nine-month deployment of 4,500 troops beginning in February as well as the withdrawal and refurbishment of some of the United States’ pre-positioned equipment on the Continent. Despite the attention the combat rotation is getting, however, the U.S. military is making other moves in the region that are just as important, if not more so, in signaling its intentions for Russia. more…

(SRATFOR, A New U.S. Brigade Won’t Change the Status Quo in Eastern Europe,  Geopolitical Diary, 

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Increase in NATO Defense Posture vs. Putin’s Russia

Marines with Combined Arms Company, step back as an M777 Howitzer fires a round during a live-fire shoot in Rena, Norway, Feb. 23, 2016. U.S. Marine Corps Photo

There have been a number of recent articles regarding increased posture by NATO to counter an aggressive Russia in Europe.

General Philip Breedlove, NATO Commander, recommends increasing NATO deterrence–see section A, Deter Russia.

Feb. 25, 2016 U.S. European Command posture statement from commander Gen. Philip Breedlove.

 

 

 

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Battle of Midway

SBDs and Mikuma.jpg More details U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" dive bombers from scouting squadron VS-8 from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser en:Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the Battle of Midway, 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and USS Enterprise (CV-6), leaving her dead in the water and fatally damaged. Note bombs hung beneath the SBDs. (Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-17054; U.S. DefenseImagery photo VIRIN: HD-SN-99-02631; originally from en.wikipedia)

SBDs and Mikuma.jpg
More details
U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 “Dauntless” dive bombers from scouting squadron VS-8 from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser en:Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the Battle of Midway, 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and USS Enterprise (CV-6), leaving her dead in the water and fatally damaged. Note bombs hung beneath the SBDs. (Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-17054; U.S. DefenseImagery photo VIRIN: HD-SN-99-02631; originally from en.wikipedia)

73rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway–turning point of WWII in the Pacific.

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Thoughts on Memorial Day

Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Moselle, France (Wikimedia)

I hope all of you have had a very pleasant Memorial Day.  Here, at my home of St. Louis, MO, the weather has been pleasant and the break from the normal working grind has been wonderful.

However, on Memorial Day, I try to make it a point to remember those honored on this holiday–those in our Armed Forces, who have died in war while serving our nation. I think about some of my friends and colleagues that made that ultimate sacrifice: the sailors at the Office of Naval Intelligence office in the Pentagon killed in the 9/11 attack; a SEAL First Class Petty Officer and his Senior Chief killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008; the daughter of close friends, killed just a few months after deploying to Afghanistan in 2009; and others I have known through the years.

In all, about 1,355,000 have died in our Armed Forces since the  beginning of the Revolutionary War, 665,000 from direct combat. In the post 9/11 conflicts, 4,488 have died in the Iraq War and 2,229 in Afghanistan so far. In the fight against ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve, three have died since it began last year.

I ask you to take a moment to reflect upon the sacrifice our fellow Americans have made to ensure our liberties and our nation’s sovereignty.  They have truly fulfilled their oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

CAPT Ben Brink, USN (Ret.)