Every Friday the Bremerton Base, USSVI selects a restaurant where its members are invited to spend a leisurely lunch, drinking beer, eating and telling sea stories. In turn, the restaurant contributes to the Willie Spoon Scholarship Fund. In addition to the positive effect these get-togethers have on our young scholars, attendees absorb salty stories coming from some pretty awsome retired submariners. One of these is Jerry Drumm, who not only knew every submariner worth knowing since Pearl Harbor in '41, but who owned a bar/restaurant in Bremerton devoted to submarine sailors. This person is remarkable in his ability to remember names and events. SRC submits him as the best submarine story teller of all time. He is the academy award winner of after battery entertainment.

This bulletin challenges his prowess. The succeeding bulletin will carry Jerry's effort to top the following story which appeared in February, 1993 Polaris and is quoted from, "An Anthology of U.S. Submarine Stories" (Self published by Paul Wittmer). The story comes from James H. Allen.

"It's tough to remember exact dates from 50 years ago, but I believe it was mid 1943, and I was in SubDiv 102, on board Sperry. We were tied at the long dock of SuBase Pearl. With no duties at the time, I wandered to the bridge where there was a great view of the base and Navy Yard. There were a few boats tied up at the finger piers off to port. One was firing water slugs from the stern tubes. For the uninitiated, this involves going through all steps to fire a torpedo except there's no torpedo involved, at least there's not supposed to be a torpedo in the tube. The tube is filled with water, and the procedure allows a full check of the firing circuits. Every time I would hear the "whoomp" of the water slugs, I would glance in that direction and note the disturbance of the water build-up at the stern. When the third or fourth slug was fired, I was flabbergasted to see a torpedo wake streaking out across the harbor in the direction of the Navy Yard. The bridge of the Sperry must be 100 to 150 feet above the water line, so I had a panoramic view. The wake was headed straight at the stern of a freighter docked broadside to the speeding torpedo. I believe I was the only eyewitness; however, I was sure the crew members who had fired the slug knew something was different. I remember thinking that maybe there was ammunition on board that freighter, but I could not move. I could not take my eyes off the wake.

"My recollection is that the procedure for firing water slugs calls for maximum depth setting, and when the torpedo was about 100 to 200 feet short of the freighter it must have hit bottom. There was a gigantic explosion. A geyser of mud and water shot into the air, the stern of the freighter seemed to lift 10 or 20 feet and slam back down. A shock wave traveled through the water and through the air, and jarred the Sperry when it hit.

"Water and mud was raining down out of the sky, and a big circular wave was rushing away from the point of detonation.

"A period of calmness followed, which seemed like several minutes elapsed, but was probably only a few seconds. I heard running footsteps, and became aware that signal lights were flashing all over the place while the Sperry bugler was blowing General Quarters.

"Moments later General Quarters was sounded for the whole base and Navy Yard. The bridge of Sperry quickly filled with more brass than I had ever seen in one place, and General Quarters was "gonging" away. Men in battle helmets and life preservers were rushing up and down ladders and along the deck. Ammunition was broken out for the 20 and 40 mm AA guns, and the 5" gun turrets came alive. Over the loud speaker came, 'Single up all lines, prepare to get underway.'

"I heard the Captain order the Signalman to ask the Water Tower at the Navy Yard (the center of communications), 'Are we under attack?' Gathering courage I stepped forward with a snappy salute and said, 'Sir, I can explain. . .' and that's as far as I got when one of the officers growled, 'Do you have a battle station? Then get to it.' Stammering, I said, 'But, but, sir. . .' That's all I got out. I was ordered to my battle station or the Master at Arms would have me on report.

"Eventually, the guys who fired the torpedo came forward and admitted their goof. In another few minutes we were secured from General Quarters and things just went back to normal. I never did come forward as probably the only eyewitness."

This story may be setting the bar too high for Jerry. We'll see in the next bulletin.