Comments on: Typhoon Cobra

Typhoon Cobra

Rafaelloello — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:14:38 -0800

WWII. The Pacific. Three destroyers sunk, five carriers and three more destroyers heavily damaged

Not by the Japanese, but by Typhoon Cobra. Out of many heroes, and many brave men, Lt. Cdr. Henry Lee Plage not only saved all of his own men and his much smaller Destroyer Escort , the USS Tabberer DE 418, but also rescued 55 additional men both from the sunken USS Hull and USS Spence. Here are some recent pictures of many men and their families, who could have easily lost their lives in that Typhoon, but due to the bravery of many did not. Be sure to scroll down and click on the thumbnails. Be sure not to miss Archie Deryckere and his wife. Archie could certainly tell you some stories of his own.

By: paulsc

paulsc — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:31:03 -0800

790 men lost, many of them draftees, because of primitive weather forecasting, and the ill-fated decision by three destroyer captains to refuel, requiring ballast to be pumped out, thereby setting up these ships for riding high and top heavy at the start of the storm. You have to read between the lines of the log entries for the anguish of those who watched it happen.

" We were escorting the Third Fleet oilers. Three destroyers had pumped ballast and were awaiting refueling at sea when the typhoon hit suddenly with great force. All three destroyers, the Hull, Spence, and Monahan capsized within view with tremendous loss of life. ..." - A First-Hand Account by David J. Woodland, TM2c

Compelling reading, and sad.

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:49:46 -0800

I've always wondered if this is the typhoon Herman Wouk used as the climax in the Cain Mutiny. Thanks for the post.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:51:01 -0800

I hadn't heard of this before, thanks Rafaelloello. Grandpa's video "A video of my father-in-laws (and the kids Grandpa's) service in the US Navy in WWII. The wreckage photos are from the typhoon off of Okinawa in 1944, which my father-in-law survived in that little YMS boat he was on. He called it a "cork in a big ocean", and said the only reason they survived was the clear thinking of the ships Captain, who's photo is in the video as well."

By: Relay

Relay — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:11:39 -0800

My uncle, who served on a destroyer during the war, told me about this storm. He (and his ship) were sailing into the South Pacific, and they came across a cruiser heading back for repairs after getting caught in the storm. He said he was on the bridge when another sailor said, "What's funny about that cruiser?" Upon looking through binoculars, my uncle could see that from the bow to the first big gun turret ALL of the 50 cal. gun stations were gone. Completely removed right down to the deck by the waves breaking over the ship. The other guy looked at my uncle, and my uncle looked at the officer in charge who said, "Get down to the radio room and find out just what the hell we're sailing into." As it turned out, the storm was largely spent by the time his ship got to where it was, but my uncle would always repeat this story when discussing just what the sea was capable of doing.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:42:58 -0800

tellurian, your grandfather's video was incredibly moving. I look back on the deeds and heroics of these brave, mature, men and marvel. I mostly marvel that they were laying their lives down for their country, gladly, at the same age that I was dedicating myself to mastering the drinking game "Quarters" and hoping to one day be able to drink 4 beers in an hour without puking. It's humbling, to say the least.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:37:57 -0800

Rafaelloello, that's not my grandfather's video. I was quoting the YouTube poster. Like I said, this post is the first time I've even heard of Typhoon Cobra.

By: X4ster

X4ster — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:24:26 -0800

Excellent book on the subject: Halsey's Typhoon by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:58 -0800

Excellent book on the subject: Halsey's Typhoon by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin The "books-on-tape" CDs of this book are great, too. I ripped them to my iPod and listened to them on the train while commuting late last year.