Norman Conna Ware – On Eternal Patrol Aboard the Submarine USS Wahoo

Norman Ware was born in Milton, Florida on August 17, 1917. From the 1930 US Census we learn that Norman’s father, George, 54, was a farmer. His mother, Nancy, 48, had five children living at home at this time; Norman was the youngest at 12 years old, Calvin, 25, Alvia, 20, Velma, 17, and Joseph, 15. They all lived Milton Polard Road in Allentown, Santa Rosa, Florida.

Ware joined the Navy sometime in 1935. After basic training, Norman’s spent most of his military career working on or about submarines. Here is a chronological list from Together We Served website:

1937-1939, USS Nautilus (SS-168), 1940-1940, USS R-11 (SS-88), 1940-1940, USS S-20 (SS-125), 1940-1940, NAVSUBASE New London/Groton, 1940-1941, USS Thresher (SS-200), 1941-1942, USS Tambor SS-198 and 1942-1943, USS Wahoo (SS-238)

From the Pensacola News Journal (Pensacola, Florida) 30 June 1940, Sunday, Page 17, the announcement read: ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCED - Mr. C. C. Gaston of Jay announces the engagement of his daughter, Catherine, of Pensacola to Mr. Norman C. Ware of Milton and New London. Connecticut. The wedding will take place in New York city the early part of August.

Prior to Pearl Harbor, the submarine USS Threasher (SS-200) and Ware operated along the East Coast through the end of 1940 and into 1941. She set sail on 1 May 1941 for the Caribbean Sea, en route for Pearl Harbor, transiting the Panama Canal on 9 May, stopping in San Diego, through 21 May, and arriving at Pearl Harbor on 31 May. She operated out of the Hawaiian Islands into the fall of 1941, as tensions rose in the Far East and the U.S. prepared for war in both oceans.

From there Norman was aboard the USS Tambor during four war patrols into the South Pacific:

First war patrol - Tambor began her first war patrol[9] on 15 March 1942 when she stood out of Pearl Harbor to reconnoiter the areas around Wake Island, Truk, New Ireland, New Britain, and Rabaul. In all, she made nine attacks;[10] on 16 April, she fired two torpedoes at tanker Kitami Maru. One hit, and she was credited with a sinking; this was not verified by postwar examination of Japanese records.[13] Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 May, where her skipper criticized the torpedoes.

Second patrol - After refitting, she was then assigned to Task Group 7.1. The group of six submarines sailed for Midway Island on 21 May 1942 to begin patrolling a 150 miles (240 km) circle in anticipation of the invasion fleet intelligence had reported was en route there. At 07:15 on 4 June 90 minutes after first reported contact, COMSUBPAC, Admiral Robert H. English, informed his submarines, waiting until after 11:00 to order them to close. Running surfaced, Tambor was strafed by aircraft.

At 02:15 on 5 June, Tambor radioed sighting "four large ships" 90 nmi (100 mi; 170 km) north of Midway,[16] at a range of 3 nmi (3.5 mi; 5.6 km). The ships were far enough away to make identification difficult, and the subs on patrol had been warned that "friendlies" might be on patrol in that area. Murphy changed course to keep contact until he could be sure of their identity.

Shortly after this sighting, Yamamoto ordered the cruisers to turn north, away from their original course for Midway. Tambor soon sighted them again, at 0238. The sub was now in front of the Japanese ships, which changed heading again, to the northwest. At 0258, Murphy turned due west, hoping to put them between him and the moon so their silhouettes would make them easier to identify. After losing and regaining sight of the cruisers in the dark, Murphy made an educated guess, turning left again, and re-sighted the ships.[18]

At 0400, with the approach of dawn and improving visibility, the general shape of the ships became clear, but it was still not possible to see enough detail to determine exactly whose ships they were. At 0412, Murphy ordered the signalman to use the signal light to send an ID signal. When the response was unintelligible, the sub crash-dived. When there was no attack, the sub was brought to periscope depth, where damage to the cruiser Mogami's bow was easily visible.[19]

When Tambor had sailed across in front of the line of cruisers in an effort to see them more clearly, the lead ship had sighted the sub and ordered a change of course. Mogami had turned a bit late and had collided with Mikuma, sailing just in front of her, and 40 feet of her bow was compressed and pushed nearly perpendicular to the rest of the ship. The next day, based on Tambor's report, and following the oil slick, dive bombers found the two damaged cruisers and their destroyer escorts and were able to sink Mikuma—the largest Japanese non-carrier sunk to that point in the war. This proved to be Tambor's best (and among her only) contribution to the battle.

The captain ordered the sub to pursue the cruisers. Since surface pursuit would have been suicide, as the cruisers could have easily destroyed Tambor with their guns, the sub was forced to submerge. Since best speed while submerged was only nine knots, and the cruisers were estimated as making seventeen knots, they were soon lost. Tambor played no further role in the battle.

On 7 June, responding to a radar contact, Tambor dived. An exploding bomb damaged both her periscopes and cracked all four battery blower motors. The bomb probably came from an American B-17; a similar incident had happened the day before, when another B-17 had bombed the submarine USS Grayling, mistaking it for a Japanese cruiser. Tambor returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 June for repairs.

Along with several other sub skippers, Lt.Cdr. Murphy was promptly relieved of duty, for timidity in the face of the enemy in light of Tambor's failure to close with and attack the enemy, or at least identify and properly shadow the Japanese cruiser force so aircraft could be vectored to the location (a regular task for both Japanese and American submarines and the primary purpose for which Tambor was there at all). Lt.Cdr. Murphy's lack of aggressiveness had hampered Spruance's intelligence of the battle and had played an important role in allowing Suzuya, Kumano and Mogami to escape almost certain destruction from air attack. Murphy was sent to a shore post, being replaced in command of Tambor by Lt.Cdr. Steven H. Armbruster.

Third patrol - Her next patrol (now in the hands of Stephen H. Ambruster) began on 24 July 1942 at Pearl Harbor, ending on 19 September at Fremantle, Australia. Tambor searched for enemy shipping in the Marshall Islands. On 7 August near Wotje Atoll, she sank the converted net tender Shofaka with one torpedo which broke her in half. Tambor remained in the Marshalls until 19 August when she was ordered to patrol the southern passages to Truk. As there was time to spare before she was to take station there, she prowled through the Caroline Islands. On 21 August near Ponape, the submarine fired a spread of three torpedoes at a freighter and her escort. The first hit the target amidships and the other two aft, blowing off the stern. Shinsei Maru No. Six quickly sank. On 1 September, she fired four torpedoes at a tanker off Truk and damaged it with one hit. She was credited with two ships for 12,000 tons; this was reduced to 5,800 tons postwar.

Fourth patrol - Tambor sailed for Hainan Strait on 12 October 1942 and (in part due to torpedo shortages) laid mines. On 3 November, she fired three torpedoes at a freighter, but all missed. The submarine eluded detection and, 30 minutes later, fired two more. One hit amidships, and Chikugo Maru went under by the stern. On 6 November, she fired two torpedoes at a cargo-passenger ship flying the French flag, but both missed. On 10 November, she closed on an unarmed sampan, took its crew on board and sank it by gunfire. Credited with one ship for 10,000 tons (reduced to 2,500 tons postwar), Tambor returned to Fremantle on 21 November for refit, during which her deck gun was replaced by a five-inch (127 mm)/25cal gun.

Ware first joined the crew of the** **submarine *USS Wahoo (SS-238)* December 31, 1942. He participated in several patrols into the South Pacific, including the sixth and the ill-fated seventh war patrols. He attained the rate of Chief Electrician's Mate with a Navy service number of 272 12 38.

Norman Ware, along with 79 other sailors, was tragically lost on October 11, 1943, when a Japanese antisubmarine air and sea force holed the Wahoo and she sank with all hands on board. Official Navy records listed the boat as missing in action on November 1, 1943. This date was changed to “presumed dead” on January 7, 1946. A memorial to the men of the Wahoo is called Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii. Norman was awarded a Purple Heart Medal posthumously.

Wreck site found: Beginning in 1995, the Wahoo Project Group started the search for her location based on available evidence. In 2005 electronic surveys showed what turned out to be a US Gato class submarine in the strait. On October 31, 2006 the US Navy confirmed the wreckage of the Wahoo in 213 feet of water in the La Perouse Strait.

On July 8, 2007, the US Navy held a wreath laying ceremony at the confirmed site of the sinking of the Wahoo. On October 11, 2007, the US Navy held an official remembrance ceremony for the crew of the Wahoo. The ceremony was conducted at the USS Bowfin Museum and Submarine Park at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Details of Wahoo’s amazing war history and final patrol (see https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-022/h-022-4.html for more details) are given below:

Sixth war patrol, August 1943 - On 13 August, Wahoo entered the Sea of Okhotsk, having completed the passage through the Etorofu Strait. She arrived in the Sea of Japan the following day and sighted three medium freighters headed south. The submarine launched one torpedo at the trailing ship; it missed. The next day (15 August), while still on the trail of those three freighters, Wahoo sighted a large freighter on a northerly course. Deciding to attack the larger, single target, the submarine broke off the pursuit of the three freighters, surfaced, and commenced tracking the new target, diving to make a submerged approach. Wahoo launched one torpedo; it hit at the point of aim but was a dud. She fired two more torpedoes. Both missed. Wahoo then swung around to bring her stern torpedo tubes to bear and headed directly for the target. The submarine fired another torpedo which missed and must have broached and exploded before the end of the run. Wahoo soon sighted an Otori-class torpedo boat and commenced evasive action, letting the large freighter escape. She decided to move over on the Hokkaidō-Korea shipping route and spend the night and the following day transiting to that area.

On 16 August, Wahoo sighted a freighter headed south, but made another contact in a better position for attack. Shifting targets, she launched one torpedo at a medium-sized freighter. It missed. The next day, the scene was repeated with the same results. No pursuit was undertaken, in hopes of a loaded target heading south. However, Wahoo sighted a freighter heading north in ballast and commenced a submerged approach. Morton launched one torpedo which missed. Just as the torpedo left its tube, a southbound freighter passed close aboard this target, but the torpedo missed. Wahoo then surfaced and chased the southbound freighter. While pursuing this ship, the submarine sighted another target well ahead and away from the coast, so she again shifted targets. While tracking this new target, she passed two small northbound ships – one looked like a tug and the other resembled a tanker. Wahoo made a submerged approach and launched a torpedo at the medium-sized freighter. It was a miss. She fired again; still a miss, but this torpedo, probably broaching, exploded. The submarine surfaced and headed further out to sea.

Within four days, twelve Japanese vessels were sighted; nine were hunted down and attacked to no avail. Ten torpedoes broached, made erratic runs, or were duds. In light of the poor torpedo performance, ComSubPac ordered Wahoo to return to base.

On 19 August, the submarine sighted a ship and commenced tracking, but she withheld her fire when her crew recognized the flag as Soviet (an ally of the United States at the time). Wahoo made for La Perouse Strait. The next day, she sighted a sampan and fired warning shots across the bow. When the sampan failed to stop, the submarine opened up on it with her 20 mm and four-inch guns. The sampan was soon a wreck. Six Japanese fishermen surrendered and were taken on board as prisoners of war. Eight hours later, Wahoo opened fire on two more sampans, enveloping them in flames. Members of the crews jumped overboard but showed no desire to be rescued. Wahoo completed the passage of Etorofu Strait, and then arrived at Midway on 25 August. She immediately got underway for Pearl Harbor, and she arrived there on 29 August.

** Seventh and final war patrol, September–October 1943 – **Captain Morton, smarting from that last luckless patrol, asked to return to the Sea of Japan, and permission was granted. He elected to take a full load of the newly arrived Mark 18 electric torpedo rather than take the risk that further production runs of the Mark 14 steam torpedoes might still be defective. Wahoo got underway from Pearl Harbor, topped off fuel and supplies at Midway on 13 September, and headed for La Perouse Strait. The plan was to enter the Sea of Japan first, on or about 20 September, with Sawfish following by a few days. At sunset on 21 October, Wahoo was supposed to leave her assigned area, south of the 43rd parallel, and head for home. She was instructed to report by radio after she passed through the Kurils. Nothing further was ever heard from Wahoo.

On 25 September 1943 the Taiko Maru was torpedoed in the Sea of Japan; mistakenly credited to the USS Pompano (SS-181), it was apparently sunk by Wahoo.[25]

Wahoo - On 5 October, the Japanese news agency Domei announced to the world that a steamer, the 8,000 long tons (8,100 t) Konron Maru, was sunk by an American submarine off the west coast of Honshū near Tsushima Strait, with the loss of 544 lives. The victims included two Japanese congressmen of House of Representatives, Choichi Kato and Keishiro Sukekawa. Postwar reckoning by JANAC showed Wahoo sank three other ships for 5,300 tons, making a patrol total of four ships of about 13,000 long tons. The sinking of Konron Maru enraged the Japanese navy, and the Maizuru Naval District ordered a 'search and destroy' operation for US submarines.

Japanese records also reported that on 11 October, the date Wahoo was due to exit through La Pérouse Strait in the morning, Wahoo was bombarded from Cape Sōya. An antisubmarine aircraft (likely an Aichi Jake float plane) sighted a wake and an apparent oil slick from a submerged submarine. The Japanese initiated a combined air and sea attack with numerous bombs and depth charges throughout the day. Sawfish had been depth-charged by a patrol boat while transiting the strait two days before, and the enemy's antisubmarine forces were on the alert; their attacks fatally holed Wahoo, and she sank with all hands. She was declared overdue on 2 December 1943 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 December 1943.

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This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Resources:

Special thanks to all of those who provided information about this sailor in order for me to have the privilege of compiling this story.

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-022/h-022-4.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29443490/norman-conna-ware

https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=502014&source=fold3

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44592027:1143?tid=&pid=&queryId=d9c9da9b7e01665c59b56eb244fc6813&_phsrc=vvO1426&_phstart=successSource

Pensacola News Journal (Pensacola, Florida) 30 Jun 1940, Sunday Page 17

Ware, Norman Conna, CEM