Story of the USS Barbel.

In June 1944, the submarine, USS Barbel, piloted by Commander R.A. Keating, took on supplies and completed final training at Pearl Harbor.  By July, she was off to war.

Only days into her first patrol, the Barbel narrowly averted disaster.  “…On the 28^th of July, one of the lookouts, Seaman First Class Lange sighted a Jap plane low on the horizon and closing in fast,” Commander Keating shared in his History of the USS Barbel (SS 316).  The Barbel dove quickly as the bomb burst above, on the ocean’s surface.

On August 5, the Barbel torpedoed her first enemy ship.  The freighter, Miyako Maru was soon on her way to the ocean floor.  Although the Maru’s three escorts filled the surrounding grid with depth charges, the Barbel stole silently away.

Less than a week later, she destroyed a large tanker before settling in with a Japanese convoy.  “Unable to fire at the third ship, the Barbel was forced to dive under it to avoid being rammed,” Keating explained.  “Mingling with the screw noises of the third ship as it passed directly overhead were the welcome sounds of TM First Class Boyd’s torpedoes exploding against the sides of the first two ships.”  The Barbel stole triumphantly away.

Good ship and crew would down another freighter and a transport to round out her first war patrol with five kills.  In early fall, on her second patrol, she destroyed three more enemy ships and damaged two others.

In November, the Barbel steamed south in support of MacArthur’s return to the Philippines—her third war patrol.  Albion’s seaman took the initiative.  “…On 14 November, Duesler, a sharp-eyed lookout, sighted smoke on the horizon and the Barbel commenced her longest and best attack to date,” Keating recounted.  After over 20 hours of cat-and-mouse, hunting and being hunted, slipping in and out of the enemy convoy, the Barbel successfully sank both large vessels, while escaping the escorts.

On December 7, 1944, the Barbel found respite at the submarine base in Fremantle, Australia.  Her crew and officers enjoyed a month’s reprieve.  Lieutenant Commander C.L. Raguet replaced Commander Keating as skipper.

In January 1945, with 10 kills under her belt, the Barbel returned to the South China Sea on her fourth war patrol.  On February 3, multiple enemy aircraft attempted to sink her with depth charges, but she escaped yet again.  However, the next day’s scheduled radio contact brought only eerie silence.  When the Barbel missed a rendezvous with Tuna on February 7, all feared the worst.

Enemy logs indicate that on February 4, a Japanese plane caught a surfaced U.S. submarine at the mouth of the Palawan Passage—the Barbel’s location.  The aircraft dropped two bombs with one scoring a direct hit on the bridge.  An explosion and subsequent fire were witnessed as the sub dove for protection.  The USS Barbel and her 81 crew members were never heard from again.  Sailors, rest your oars.

Read more on Duesler and the USS Barbel in EVERYTOWN, USA.

3 Responses to “Story of the USS Barbel”

1. Bruce Mergele, QMC, USNR, Retired says:

   January 14, 2012 at 10:59 pm

   Admiral Keating was my math teacher at Boerne High School in Texas. He didn’t speak much of Barbel or any ship in particular, only that he had trained his crews to be vigilant and crash dive at any sign of approaching aircraft. Apparently the relieving CO wasn’t as cautious. I’m sure Mr. Keating felt the loss to the end of his days. He was a good man.

   Reply
2. Nancy (Ricketts) Stratton says:

   June 20, 2012 at 4:18 am

   My uncle, George Albert Ricketts, was a submariner on the USS Barbel. I have never known much besides that fact until the ability was afforded me to search the internet for any and all information. I am so grateful to once again “touch” the life of my Uncle George.

   Reply
   • mikemccoy says:

     July 27, 2012 at 10:49 pm

     Hi Nancy,

     Great to hear from you. I enjoyed seeing your Uncle George’s picture at “On Eternal Patrol.”

     http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/ricketts-g-a.htm

     I’ve also provided a link to related USS Barbel posts on this site.

     http://www.everytownusa.com/?s=uss+barbel

     Best Regards,
     Mike

     Reply