Uncle Charlie: Admiral Charles A. Lockwood-Episode 433
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- This week Seth and Bill take an in-depth look at one of the most important, yet oft-forgotten, figures of the Pacific War--Admiral Charles A. Lockwood. Under Lockwood's direction, the US Navy's Silent Service submarine force went from a frustrating start to sinking almost everything afloat that flew a Japanese flag. Lockwood's planning and execution of the unrestricted submarine warfare campaign against Japan resulted in one of the most devastating naval campaigns in human history. Tune in and see what the guys have to say about, arguably, the most important American Admiral in the Pacific.
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This series is the gold standard of military history podcasts, nice one gents.
Gents - Bill's statement that you have done 160 episodes is a credit to you both and your guest historians. I am so happy for you. You have not only entertained us but you have educated us about the amazing heroism and dedication of the incredible generation that fought he Pacific War.
Admiral Lockwood fighting as hard as he did for the men in the face of BuOrd is something to be lauded more than it commonly is
I got excited when I saw the title of this one. It’s Capt. Toti’s time to shine.
Can’t get any better😅
Capt Toti....you mentioned the situation of parts and spares at the end of President Carters administration....well I was a FFG sailor during that time and remember well if we needed electronic parts for equipment we would take up a collection amongst the techs and head to Radio Shack to buy the various parts we needed....Just wasn't any money in the OPTAR for that kind of stuff ...what a time!
Seth, you and Captain Toti are doing a fantastic job with this series.
You're really bearing down with your research and your clear, well-organized presentation is extraordinary.
Thank you.
It makes a mockery out of anything the MSM historical channels churn out.
Note from here in Wisconsin: At 1:04:25 If I am not mistaken, the submarine being side launched is the USS Peto (SS 265), the first submarine built by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company. During World War II, the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built 28 submarines for the United States Navy. More than 7,000 men and women worked around the clock, 365 days a year to build some of the best submarines in the Navy. P.S. The signal flags, starting at the bow, spell out MANITOWOC . . . .
can you explain what looks like a rather crazy-large amount of debris that ends up in the water along with the sub during this launch? Looks like quite the messy affair. Was it supposed to be like that?
@@CaptainCoffee37 That "debris" is the timber cribbing that was supporting the hull of the submarine. Yes, it is supposed to be like that.
It's not every episode of this podcast that includes a film clip shot in Wisconsin. 🙂
Of the 28 submarines built in Manitowac, Wisconsin, 25 were built in time to see action during the war. Together they sank 132 Japanese ships. Four Manitowoc submarines were lost at sea, USS Robalo, USS Golet, USS Kete, and USS Lagarto. The four boats and their brave crews are now on Eternal Patrol.
@@jayshaw63 Thanks for the info! I assumed it was probably something like that, just don't ever recall seeing it all come apart like that before.
You two are great. I don’t miss an episode.
What a fabulous episode. These unsung heroes need to be both remembered and championed. Well done to you both!
As an Aussie I find these historical accounts very interesting particularly in this case where Australia is involved. My favorite podcast. I look forward to Tuesday nights. Bills rendition of bless them all was pretty good. Thanks you guys.
G'day, Yes I have watched many historical accounts but if you have watched the early episodes of this series you know they have always treated us aussies with respect and given us a fair shake.
“Pretty good rendition…”
High praise indeed!
As an American, I've always considered Australia our cousin on the other side of the world.
Thank you to your people for all you did for us during WW2.
@@johnrudy9404Thanks cousin.. we appreciate that..
Aussie here. Great show, I agree Momsen needs his own episode or 2.
I got the "sorry, Charlie" joke, so I wanted to follow it up by noting that Lockwood and his submariners were most definitely not "chicken of the sea" (one tuna joke deserves another, right? 😉). Another great show about a man who absolutely deserves to be remembered as an American hero--thanks again for all the effort you put into this excellent podcast!
I consider myself a pacific theatre history buff. You guys have forgotten more than I will ever know. Thank you for making this series
IT'S TUESDAY! That simply makes my week, guys. I thank you so much for all the joys that thinking, reading, and discussing PTO brings me.
Thank you Gentlemen. Consistently fascinating, thought provoking, and perceptive content.
From a friend among millions in Canada. Don't let petty politics divide us.
Back at it. Was loving fired up Seth after a few cocktails but this will work.
Lol, tippsy Seth was a bit much. I like balanced Seth better...
@@bloodgrssPersonally I enjoyed CINCPAC Seth quite a bit
@@bloodgrss Agree, especially second episode. Whoa Nelly
I enjoyed it and thought of the emotions and passion reflecting (and even channeling even a bit) all the veterans he's interviewed.
Thank you for giving Adm. Lockwood his due. It's long overdue. Probability, because during the war the sub force was truly a "Silent Service."
Excellent. Thank you gentlemen. I am looking forward to more episodes on the Silent Service and this amazing Admiral.
Thank you gentlemen. These episodes make me think of my dad out there as a Seabee in the Pacific back then. I have his diary, and I know his exact location on his posts on various islands through the entire war.. I know where he was when the Guadalcanal campaign ended, where he was when Yamamoto was shot down, , Battle off Samar, etc, etc. I thank you deeply for all of your work these past 160 shows
Thanks for the musical interlude, Capt. Toti!
I'm still stunned by the Bureau of Ordnance thinking they were smarter than Albert Einstein.
Thanks for the lesson about Uncle Charlie. What an amazing hero. What a role model. May he rest in well-deserved peace.
My dad was an enlisted submariner during the Korean War. A decade later he was living in San Jose and was a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. My dad was especially looking forward to the April 1963 meeting. The reason was that the guest speaker was a retired naval officer who resided in the area. The meeting was the same day that the Thresher was lost. The guest speaker was VADM Lockwood. My dad remembered that it was a very somber meeting.
Thank you for an overview of the challenges and successes under Uncle Charlie's leadership. I was hoping for more of a profile of the man, his personality, aspects of his leadership that were noteworthy. What of his post-war career? Did any of his thinking endure in the submarine service? One challenge for the leadership of this post is the inability to guide skippers beyond sending them on missions. ComSubPac has to determine who will be successful and send him on his way. What did ADM Lockwood look for?
Was great to meet you guys on Midway! Funny how we were just talking about Lockwood :)
What are your opinions of the movie Operation Petticoat? Was one of my favorite movies as a kid and looking back while its obviously a Hollywood comedy it always seemed to have some grains of truth about the early submarine war, as 'Seatiger' is effectively an 'alternate history' version of SS-195 Sealion. (Edit, hah, I wrote this 5 minutes before you mention the movie)
Great meeting you too, and the movie was not bad!
Thanks Seth and Bill time spent with you both is time well spent.
Thanks for this episode on Adm. Lockwood. My uncle was killed on the Growler (SS-215) when it went missing on November 8, 1944. It was in one of those "wolfpacks." The Growler was the lead boat in an attack on Japanese transports/tankers 60 miles off the west coast of Leyte with the two other subs the Hake and the Hardhead. The commanders of the two subs heard what they thought was a torpedo explosion rather early on in the attack, which makes the Navy's postwar historians think that maybe the Growler was sunk by a circular run of its own torpedo.
We finally got Captain Toti to (partially) sing a sea-shanty! Informative episode as always gents, and it was a genuine pleasure meeting you aboard the Midway at WNHA.
Brilliant simply brilliant! Seth and Bill what can I say, ALL your episodes are fantastic! BUT this one is a masterclass. A well researched treatment of an exceptional USN Admiral who has never received his overdue historic accolades. When most people talk about "the greatest submarine Admiral" they would say Doenitz! Sorry compared to Lockwood, Doenitz was a total loser. On your brilliant channel over the years, there is a lot of excellent talk on the "concept" of turning point battles.....Midway, Guadalcanal, Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf etc??? but perhaps the true "turning point" naval battle of the PTO was Lockwood beating the BUORD????? Gents yours is the very, very best coverage of the PTO.......Thanks from an RAN "Skimmer"!!!
The righteous fury in Cpt. Toti's voice when speaking of BuOrd's utter failure to support the men under the Pacific was truly impressive. I never want anyone to be that angry at me.
He was very restrained by my experience of angry bosses. And I wasn’t getting anyone killed!
You guys still have it. Your the best WW2 podcasters on the internet for the pacific. I’ve learned so much.Thank you
Thank you again! You guys are the best.
Thank you for spending some time to focus on Admiral Lockwood. I took the trip to Golden Gate Cemetery a few weeks ago and didn't appreciate his contributions when I was there.
Thank you ever so much for this great episode about an amazing man and his Silent Service. I loved the photos on Facebook of the three of you in San Diego, CA. I hope one day you might be able to do a show about the 72-hour yard repair turnaround of CV-5 Yorktown @ Pearl Harbor leading to her going to Midway. What they did, how they did it, and much more. Blessings always from Fairbanks, Alaska, or Wild-AK.
I love new information about unknown event on sea or land wars, but this is a ture gem a golden nugget Admiral Charles Lockwood also know to his submarines men as Uncle Charlie.
Thank you for this talk about a truely remarkable leader and man.
My favorite episodes are the silent service ones!! Love the excitement Bill has for them! Excited to hear more about these unsung heroes. Also thank you for introducing me to the term "pigboat" hadn't heard it before 😆
Great episode boys.😅
1:50 John Parshall - laughing in the background 25° thats a warm summer day.
Great episode! Adm. Lockwood graduated high school from Lamar, MO. Also students at Lamar during that time were Freeland Daubin and Thomas Combs. A small Missouri town, hundreds of miles from the sea, produced 3 admirals that played roles in World War 2.
This podcast needs to be supported financially. Everybody praises the quality but tends to forget the support the guys deserve 😢
Best episode so far period !
Awesome job guys. You hit another one out of the park. One minor thought though, if something cannot be understated that means that it is a very low value. I think what you might mean is it cannot be overstated.
Another hit right out of the ballpark! Great information about Lockwood and his underappreciated contributions to victory. As Bill would probably say, "there are two kinds of ships: submarines and targets".
Thank-you, gentlemen, for your really great story of Adm. Charles Lockwood. In a previous comment, I mentioned that I avidly read everything that I could get my hands on about the WWII U.S. submarines, while I was in elementary school. He was my favourite WWII Admiral, because of the way he looked after his men. (BTW: that's the same reason we in my Squadron in the Canadian Sappers loved our c,o,) No wonder they respectfully referred to him as "Uncle Charley". I fondly recall his message to "Mush" Morton after one the latter's successful patrols, "Come on home 'Mush', your picture's on the piano". If I recall correctly. Adm. English was on the BuOrd's Mk 14 torpedo design and development team. Thus, he , apparently, refused to believe that there could've been anything wrong with said torpedoes. On a different note, please keep these wonderful insights into history coming. They arrive in my computer every Tuesday. I hold off watching them until after supper. They are my rewards for a day's work done.
指導力というものの大切さを痛感します。一人の指導者によって随分組織の体制は変わるものなのだなと思いますね。今回話題のロックウッド潜水艦隊司令官ばかりでなく直近のアメリカ大統領交代劇を見ていてもアメリカという国は指導者が変わることで柔軟に変化できるところがまだあって良いなと思います。指導者一人変わってもなかなか変化できない国も組織も多いなかで指導者が変われば体制が一新できる国なり組織を羨ましいなと僕などは思ってしまいます。 やはり、組織の組み立て方の在り方がアメリカと日本とでは違うのでしょうか、アメリカはトップが変わるごとに重要な役職に就く者も入れ替わると言われてますが、一方日本ではトップは変わっても組織の構成自体は変わらないことが多いので、その点が柔軟な動きのできるかできないかという可否のひとつの重要なポイントに繋がるのかしらと僕などは考えてしまいます。
Thank you again for the show!
Absolutely the best of the best. Appreciate your efforts immensely.
Thanks to both Seth and Bill for doing this podcast on Admiral Lockwood. I have been fascinated by his actions in the Pacific War for decades. It has always seemed to me that without Admiral Lockwood, the war would have taken longer to win.
What I absolutely love about this podcast and your tireless work, is the way you’ve opened my eyes to lesser known campaigns and the service and sacrifice of lesser known units and individuals that made critical contributions and sacrifices that shaped the outcome of WW2. Thanks again gentlemen for the work you do and please keep it up as it is greatly appreciated.
Hope you enjoy your visit to Midway. She was my home for 2 years, and one of our escorts was USS Lockwood. Midway and Lockwood were both homeported in Yokosuka Japan. I'm not sure where our subs were stationed. It wasn't Yokosuka. There were still a couple of diesel boats homeported in Okinawa.
Excellent as always guys! Who was in charge of British subs ( ETO /PTO), and did that person (s) play a comparable role to Lockwood?
I-122 was an obsolescent boat by 1945, relegated to training duties. She was somewhat similar in capability and age to USN S-boats, except being about 40% greater in displacement and having only 2 torpedo tubes instead of the 4 S-boats had. Her loss meant the loss of the men being trained and probably some experienced trainers. Her loss also emphasized to the IJN that the Sea of Japan was no longer a safe training area.
Just another great installment from a great program. Thanks for bringing history to this guy…who only thought he was well versed.
Another brilliant presentation 😀
Great episode as always! The first time I read about Admiral Lockwood was in the Time-Life book series on WW2. I have the whole series; my father bought it, one volume every other month, when I was a kid, because he wanted to encourage my interest in history. The volume War Under the Pacific talked about Lockwood and his battle to get working torpedoes. The author(s) of that volume said Lockwood, responding to a letter from someone in BuOrd, said something to the effect, that "from the amount of bellyaching it contained" that the letter-writer's breakfast "coffee had either been scorched or the eggs had been overdone" or something to that effect. Lockwood was definitely the kind of guy US submariners needed on their side; very much a true leader.
Sink Em' All is Adm. Lockwood's book of every sub fighting in the Pacific starting at his HQ in Perth all the way to his final HQ in Guam. It's a little dry but everything is in there including the sub support of SPYRON. I love that book.
Thank you Bill and Seth.
Great job! The submarine war is what got me going on the Pacific war thanks guys!
Thanks guys as always.
Brilliant presentation! Incredible background in submarine evolution, tactics and of course.. torpedo’s that actually worked!
Great stuff, not heard the Einstein story before, proving once again the truth is WAY stranger than fiction. Concerning BU ORD, a reminder that remember "self congratulation is no praise".
Excellent episode gents. I just finished a memoir of the U.S.S. Barb. Uncle Charlie figured prominently in it and to his credit and the credit of the Navy.
Nice Hook there Captain Bill. We have to wait until the end for the Big Reveal. Great video on Admiral Lockwood. It's fitting that He is buried next to Nimitz and Spruance. Nice singing, I remember a scene from 12 O'Clock High The 1949 Movie with that melody. I don't recall the lyrics other than "The long and the short and the tall."
God RIP uncle Charley you are an American Hero and an eternal patorit
These just keep getting better and better! Seth you and Bill do a great job putting these together and bringing different aspects of the war to light. Only recently learned of ADM Lockwood--if we had torpedoes that worked, I wonder how much the war could have been shortened. The other call that needs made when talking about the failures of the Mark 14 is that these were on our torpedo planes and our destroyers as well. Thanks for a great episode!!
One of the ironies of the Mark 14 torpedo debacle was that the older Mark 10 torpedoes, used by the older S-boats actually sort of worked.
the only ray of sunshine in the battle of Savo Island! S43??? sinks the Kako on its way back to Kaviang
I think it was S-44 who sank the IJN Kako.
@@johnstanley5681 totally believable: S Forty-something!
Another great submarine episode--Bill must have been quite happy. The Frank Rich reveal was mind blowing!
Reliable torpedoes, along with the british invention of the hedgehog, made short work of enemy submarines.Thanks for the video guys.
Love the podcast.
Absolutely brilliant episode guys.
Outstanding episode again. My top WW2 entertainment site.
As a former submariner, EM1 (SS), I enjoyed hearing your stories. Thanks
thankyou Gentlemen, outstanding as always!
Another home run episode. Wow! Thank you both…keep ‘em coming.
Great job on this episode! It brought back many memories from my time in Pearl. There is so much WWII history out there it is just mind blowing. Lockwood Hall, the dive tower, the submarine memorial, Ford Island etc. Capt., I also did a tour on Indy from 90-92 and actually got stationed in Pearl again in early 98 to see the her right before decom. Again, great job and hope to see many more submarine episodes!
Thank you for highlighting the contribution of Admiral Lockwood and all of his Submariner's! My great uncle served through the entire war in the silent service and was instrumental in my joining the Navy.
Good evening Guys.
Thank you again.
God Bless America.
God Bless you.
SGT DOUG, RECON, 101ST, RVN 68-69 LZ SALLY.
PS: only 88 ° F here.
Great show gentlemen.
Thanks!
Great Episode Seth and Bill. Always makes my Tuesdays a history pleasure.
Great stuff Mr Paradon and Commander Toti! But then, all episodes are outstanding!
How great to be so beloved as a flag officer and yet be called "Uncle." I suspect many wanted to make "the old man " proud.
Another great episode, extolling duty, honor, and country.
Added Camp Shelby to my tour of Southeast military museums in late March.
One of the best episodes EVER!
Stellar! Once again. Just stellar!
As a heads up, the "War Tales Uncharted" channel has recently published several videos dramatizing the Barb's war cruises (under Playlists, Tales of WWII Submarines). I binged all of them in one go, and enjoyed the entertainment.
Fascinating in so many ways.
Another great discussion of an under-appreciated aspect of the war.
Great pod as usual, but I think you both mean to say "Cannot be overstated."
We name an aircraft carrier after Bill Clinton..but the best we could do for Admiral Lockwood was to name a Knox class frigate. No justice in this world.
26:10 With all due respect, it was the American taxpayers that "fixed" the spare parts problem 🙂 (CAPT, SC, USN ret)
Who the F*** thought that farcical idea up!!!! That vile piece of 💩💩💩 hated the military. And all the services suffered under his administration! If the DOD wanted to rename something; instead of renaming bases do that ship a favor and rename it before it gets launched.
While I’m on a rant here is a story related to me by a AF Major. Clinton shower up at Whiteman AFB in I believe 1999. There was a formation held in a hangar with the squadron. And when Clinton took the stage a bunch of officers who were at the back did an About Face turning their backs on him. I guess there was an epic ass reaming later.
8:48 Great Lakes Naval Training Station, that was my dad's last post after 20 years in the USN. He was training boots in the late 60's
Great job gentlemen, was time for Lockwood and the silent service to get this recognition.
In RE: Squalous ... it wasn't "another officer" that got the Medal for the rescue ... it was four chiefs ....
As a crew member of Pintado SSN 672 i thank you ,we were proud of our namesake
Another example of me thinking I know WW II and you guys proving I know very little. Bill's passion for the topic was evident.
Thank you for this episode! I have to admit I didn’t realize how effective the silent service ended up being.
Another awesome video, that Admiral should get alot more credit!!!
Always well done
Thanks again. Most informative. Excellent!
I have always admired those men who fought WWII in submarines. Lacking creature comforts, risking a drowning death and being cooped up with their comrades for weeks and months, they fought a tough fight on our behalf. Thank you all.
Will you be doing any episodes about the occupation of Japan
Good to wake up to a new episode as always. Good work lads.