Talk:Richard O'Kane

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[edit] Lifeguard Duty

re: ... top records for submarine achievement. "He and the Tang also performed laudably on 'Lifeguard Duty', which was a practice of positioning one or more submarines off an island to be attacked by planes of the Fast Carrier Task Forces to be in a nearby close-in 'ditching station' in position to rescue downed piolets. " and other adds herein today, including the self sinking of the Tang are right out of his Book, which title I'd hoped to find herein. IIRC, Tang recieved a presidential unit citation and set the all time record for the most lifeguard pickups during the war — 16--18 the same patrol, in the Marshals, IIRC.

• The location of the sinking may be in error, it may have been in the Yellow Sea or BoHai Gulf but it's certainly more appropo than 'Off China'. O'Kane and Tangs crew had been itching to get into the inner ring of Japans defenses for some time according to his book. Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, COMSUBPAC under Nimtiz, had prohibited such patrols for a lengthy period, but relented when sufficient forces were available to re-enter the area, one unpatroled since Wahoo's loss, IIRC, according to O'Kanes book. He had theorized for months that Wahoo had been lost passing the Bonins (IIRC) in a subsurface mine field, so he took Tang in through the narrows on the surface.

FrankB (ETSC (SS), USNR (Ret.))

User:Fabartus || Talkto_FrankB 1 July 2005 03:53 (UTC)

• I didn't Recall correctly, but the publishers splash from the Random House paperback version gives both the book title and the correct count, while also making me pretty sure they did recieve the Presidential Unit Citation. IIRC, that was their second. I'll read this book again soon and see what more I can add. Meanwhile I'll put a reminder on my todo list. User:Fabartus || Talkto_FrankB 1 July 2005 05:01 (UTC)