This is another proud story of great navy ingenuity and bravery. I'm also proud of my uncle Fred Gunn who served as one the officers on board that mission.
Did your uncle make it off before she was sunk ? My great great uncle Mooley Thompson served on her and was let off not long before she was sunk due to illness
I had to DDG/Google the authenticity of the story. Absolutely true. It carried 20T of gold and silver to Pearl Harbor. The USS Trout and her crew had a phenomenal record. She was lost on her 11th war patrol. RIP.
Really? I was just thinking about how every episode has a happy ending... I guess it wouldn't seem like "real events" if nothing bad happened... Even if it's only a couple episodes.
My great great uncle served on her he's one of only 2 to have left the Trout before she sank he'd been sick and offloaded before they returned to their patrol another man a few days later had to be offloaded as well and a week or a few weeks later she'd been sunk
The submarine writer Harry Homewood was a personal friend of mine for many wonderful years, and a mentor as was my father while he lived out a great life in Tucson, my hometown. In WW II, Harry served for eleven submarine patrol tours and campaigns. Following World War II, Harry became Chicago Bureau Chief for “Newsweek,” chief editorial writer for the “Chicago Sun-Times,” and for eleven years had his own weekly news program syndicated to thirty-two PBS television stations. Harry was the author of 6 books and lived with his wife in Tucson, until his death in 1984. On that day, I cried...for we lost one of a kind, a special friend to one and many.
"From a comfortable chair" it's this kind of thing that gave my Grandfather shivers. Till the day he died he wouldn't pass in front of a tv in his underwear for fear they could be watching him. Of course, his fears were unfounded, or at the very least premature, as one can be watched today from a laptop, phone, or smart tv with video calls option. You go Grandpa!!!!!
I was at quarters on the pier next to Trout. She had been transferred to Iran. Political problems led to the Iranian crew being deported. Armed Marines evicted them from the boat 1978-ish)
Harder, Darter, Trigger and Trout. Any older ASW service members will remember the pancake 2-cycle engines and their distinctive sound. CWO4, USN(Ret.)
These crazy things did happen in war time . I do know of an RAF airfield in Scotland that towards the end of the war. Did an inventory and found they had one Lancaster bomber to many . It had to go, anyone who wanted it could have it for £ 700 . :-)
Never had the gold headache but I can remember a few situations where extra inventory that was not supposed to exist caused a hot potato reaction among the command. lol
gunslingr45 Right, if they had two mines scrapping and bouncing off the side of the submarine..... This submarine and crew would be just another ship, that joined all the other ships underwater, in becoming manmade artificial reefs.....
There were many reports from the war of mines failing as well as the more well known torpedo failures. Could have been something else scraping the side but they knew they were in a mine field so the assumption fits. The rest I just put up to bad acting.
Sorry, this looks like one of the poorly acted, All American Hollywwod propaganda type films made in WWII to keep up morale for the folks at home. I can't really blame them, but some of the facts are wrong and the everything checked out with the money until thry found the gold bar in the galley part wasn;t exactly completely factual. My late best friend and fellow reader of WWII books, his interest was in reading about boats. A submarine is a boat and not a ship. And he loved as well reading about the USMC during WWII. We began reading about these actions when we were kids in the !960's. I was interested in US carriers, but we read each others books and I fell in love with the "Silent Service": as well, after first reading about U-Boats. As for the USS Trout, she was sent to Corrigidor to bring to the US the Philippines National Treasury. She did just that. The last gold bar was missing when the records were checked against what had been brought back aboard Trout. There was a kerfluffle until it was found that "cookie" had been using the gold bar as a paperweight in the Trout's galley. Sadly Trout did not make it through the war.
This is another proud story of great navy ingenuity and bravery. I'm also proud of my uncle Fred Gunn who served as one the officers on board that mission.
Did your uncle make it off before she was sunk ? My great great uncle Mooley Thompson served on her and was let off not long before she was sunk due to illness
I had to DDG/Google the authenticity of the story. Absolutely true. It carried 20T of gold and silver to Pearl Harbor. The USS Trout and her crew had a phenomenal record. She was lost on her 11th war patrol. RIP.
Such a good story. But I was sorry to hear about the loss of the Trout and her crew. May they all rest in peace.
Really? I was just thinking about how every episode has a happy ending... I guess it wouldn't seem like "real events" if nothing bad happened... Even if it's only a couple episodes.
My great great uncle served on her he's one of only 2 to have left the Trout before she sank he'd been sick and offloaded before they returned to their patrol another man a few days later had to be offloaded as well and a week or a few weeks later she'd been sunk
The submarine writer Harry Homewood was a personal friend of mine for many wonderful years, and a mentor as was my father while he lived out a great life in Tucson, my hometown.
In WW II, Harry served for eleven submarine patrol tours and campaigns. Following World War II, Harry became Chicago Bureau Chief for “Newsweek,” chief editorial writer for the “Chicago Sun-Times,” and for eleven years had his own weekly news program syndicated to thirty-two PBS television stations.
Harry was the author of 6 books and lived with his wife in Tucson, until his death in 1984. On that day, I cried...for we lost one of a kind, a special friend to one and many.
What an honor to hear the story.
"From a comfortable chair" it's this kind of thing that gave my Grandfather shivers. Till the day he died he wouldn't pass in front of a tv in his underwear for fear they could be watching him. Of course, his fears were unfounded, or at the very least premature, as one can be watched today from a laptop, phone, or smart tv with video calls option. You go Grandpa!!!!!
I used to watch the videos of submarine service on tv as a kid
I was at quarters on the pier next to Trout. She had been transferred to Iran. Political problems led to the Iranian crew being deported. Armed Marines evicted them from the boat 1978-ish)
My goodness! If they got sunk. Blimey! They'll be happy rich! $10b - for ballast! Crumbs !! I don't believe it! Oh my goodness no food! As well!
Harder, Darter, Trigger and Trout. Any older ASW service members will remember the pancake 2-cycle engines and their distinctive sound. CWO4, USN(Ret.)
Nobody wants that extra gold bar? Fine. Cut it up into equal pieces and give it to the crew members. They earned it!
I was thinking the same.
Royal Island Hotel.......been there, done that. ☮
Amazing how much combat support becomes available when congress values your cargo.
These crazy things did happen in war time . I do know of an RAF airfield in Scotland that towards the end of the war. Did an inventory and found they had one Lancaster bomber to many . It had to go, anyone who wanted it could have it for £ 700 . :-)
The one thing that is missing from these stories is the TDC operator calling out "We have a firing solution.".
Never had the gold headache but I can remember a few situations where extra inventory that was not supposed to exist caused a hot potato reaction among the command. lol
BOT Authentication early in the day. Rest of the will be leisurely. Thanks!
I love me some canned ham!!!! It makes the best, ham salad sandwiches!!!! NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM...!!!!! Lol.....
Fate:
Lost northwest of the Philippines around 29 February 1944
My uncle went down w/the Trout
did they return all that gold silver and bonds?
Yep, every penny worth !
Unloaded it to the USS Detroit, there's a video of it on here you can search for. My great great uncle served on the Trout
Oops!
That's not how mines work. Could they have made these Sailors look any more inept?
gunslingr45 Right, if they had two mines scrapping and bouncing off the side of the submarine..... This submarine and crew would be just another ship, that joined all the other ships underwater, in becoming manmade artificial reefs.....
There were many reports from the war of mines failing as well as the more well known torpedo failures. Could have been something else scraping the side but they knew they were in a mine field so the assumption fits. The rest I just put up to bad acting.
What if it was just the chains scraping?
Sorry, this looks like one of the poorly acted, All American Hollywwod propaganda type films made in WWII to keep up morale for the folks at home. I can't really blame them, but some of the facts are wrong and the everything checked out with the money until thry found the gold bar in the galley part wasn;t exactly completely factual. My late best friend and fellow reader of WWII books, his interest was in reading about boats. A submarine is a boat and not a ship. And he loved as well reading about the USMC during WWII. We began reading about these actions when we were kids in the !960's. I was interested in US carriers, but we read each others books and I fell in love with the "Silent Service": as well, after first reading about U-Boats. As for the USS Trout, she was sent to Corrigidor to bring to the US the Philippines National Treasury. She did just that. The last gold bar was missing when the records were checked against what had been brought back aboard Trout. There was a kerfluffle until it was found that "cookie" had been using the gold bar as a paperweight in the Trout's galley. Sadly Trout did not make it through the war.