Herbert G. Claudius awarded Legion of Merit 72 years late
According to Stars & Stripes, Herbert G. Claudius was awarded the Legion of Merit with a Valor device for sinking a German U-boat off the coast of Louisiana on July 30, 1942;
Minutes after the passenger ship SS Robert E. Lee was torpedoed and sunk by U-166 45 miles south of the Mississippi River Delta, Claudius’ crew spotted a periscope in the area. After Claudius ordered depth charges fired, the crew saw an oil slick in the area where the weapons were dropped, according to historical accounts of the incident. This was strong evidence that the submarine had been severely damaged or destroyed.
But when Claudius submitted his after-action report, the Navy doubted his account because he and his crew had not yet received anti-submarine training, according to National Geographic, which is making a documentary about the affair.
According to records, USS PC-566, Claudius’ craft had been launched only a few months before in March, 1942. But, it’s good to see that the military hasn’t changed – you’re a racist until you get your EO training and a sexist until you get you sexual harassment training. And you can’t kill subs until they train you to do it.
But an oil company found the wreck of U-166 while searching for drilling opportunities in 2001 and about 140 miles from where folks had been searching for the submarine.
Category: Navy
…I am reminded of the story from Grenada where an Army UH-60 with wounded aboard wanted to land aboard the LPH USS Guam, and was initially refused because the Blackhawk hadn’t yet been cleared for shipboard landings.
IIRC, the pilot landed anyways.
Mike
Well deserved and long over due! Stories like this warm my little Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator’s heart.
You got it, AW1. BZ, Herbert!
I can hear it now, “How could you sink a sub? You don’t know a ping from a pong!”
REMFs. What would we be without ’em? Imagine …
This story of deferred recognition reminds me of the saga of my hero in the Navy Cryptologic community, Captain Joe Rochefort.
If you don’t know who he is, he was the man who “broke” the Japanese codes which enabled us to take the initiative at Midway. Before the battle, he briefed the PACFLT staff what the entire Jap order of battle was and where we would probably find them. His estimate came within 5 minutes, 5 degrees, and 5 NM of the estimates according to lore.
What was his “reward?” He finished the war as the skipper of a floating drydock. All because of BS politics and jealousy. It took 40 years and President Reagan to finally recognize him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Rochefort