Name: Walter S. “Gus” Kraus
Dates of Service: 1939 – 1969
Highest Rank: Commander
Branch: U.S. Navy
Conflict: World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War
Unit: S-36(SS141), Snapper (SS 185), Pickerel (SS 524), Cobbler (SS 344)
Awards: American Defense Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Good Conduct, Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Campaign, Submarine Combat Insignia (10 stars),Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and World War II Victory Medal
Location of Service: Australia; Brazil; China; Italy; Pacific Area; Philippines; Scotland; Spain and Vietnam
Collection #: VHP/2014/426
See more about this veteran in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Digital Library: https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll27/id/3534/rec/1
Hello my name is Ray Hughes and I’m the interviewer for the veterans history project we are at the main library in Cincinnati Ohio today and the date is the first day of July 2014 today we’re going to be speaking with Walter Krauss and uh Mr Krauss goes by the name of
Gus um it’s a pleasure uh and a distinct privilege to uh interview you today uh Gus and uh regarding your service in the military um but first uh we know we know that you were a Submariner uh but just find a little bit about uh about your life uh well when
Were you born Gus and where I was born November the 15th 1920 in Bamberg Bavaria Germany and uh my my father was in World War I on the in the Cavalry for Germany and he was wounded at Verdun and he spent 18 months in a hospital and it was in alus lorine and
After the war alus lorine was turned over to France so they transferred him to VIs boten to a hospital there and my mother was working there with his sister my mother was a cook for a big famous lady there and my father used to come there on on
Weekends when he had a liberty and he he went there and my mother always cooked and that’s how he started dating her and that’s how eventually they got married and but she she was working there in vbot my mother was from worring and a little town just outside of
Verburg Germany and uh her father was a baker and the bakery is still in existence today it’s called Otter Bakery now it used to be Hartman my mother was name was Hartman but uh her father started that Bakery my grandfather he was born in 1853 and he started that Bakery in
1872 and is still operating today and under what name today under otter OT t t e r oh yes yeah otter yeah and uh order beai and they they uh the big they have three trucks that do do deliveries they deliver for and they go to uh carlot where LeBron
The B Shavers and electronics equipment and they deliver bread and rolls and everything to them and so when we we were over there there my cousin my second cousin ALB is his name he runs the bakery now but where my grandfather and his father and and and his son they
Had a need dough and everything all that’s done by computer today yeah they got the whole thing computerized and mechanized and he doesn’t have to get up at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning to start kneeing low and what was your mother’s
Maiden name Hartman h a r t m a an n two n yeah yeah and but they got married in 1920 and uh I came along in November and uh then my father had been on the quota to come to the United States before the war
Started but he had a an aunt his mother’s sister was a good shepherd nun at a Good Shepherd Convent here the the last one was in Carthage it was called girls Town girls what girls town oh yes yeah but it’s up across where s savior High
School is right now there was a old big old Dome Church there I don’t know if you have ever been up there but uh she was stationary and she always wrote and told him opportunities are good over here why don’t should come but anyway he
Took her he remembered that and he he he got picked up for the quota but my mother and I weren’t on it and so he had to make up his mind that he want to come or not so he decided to come and he said told my mother well will I’ll see you
You know so I would at the time he left I was um I was about four uh yeah about four years old and uh so he left and of course the relatives Al said he’s leaving him my my mother but she had faith in him MH my mother
And I we traveled around Germany to our different relatives who were having kids you know she was she was sort of a midwife for the oops can’t get that open but can you hand um so um oh thank you yeah and um so anyway we we kept waiting and waiting he kept
Sending us money and but uh he couldn’t get us to come over here but he finally uh he was staying with a man named Madden Madden had a shoe store in in Covington and Newport and they had a home on Lyndon Street and he had a room there with them
And he stayed there and he worked for Schmid showcase company in Cincinnati but event a fellow by name of Brent Spence for whom this bridge is name was a representative right and Mr Madden wrote to him and he made arrangements to get my father moved request moved up to have my mother
And I come over so 18 months after my father came over my mother and I came over that’s pretty quick yeah so that uh what year was that then that you came 1925 1925 uhuh yeah and you settled in Newport Kentucky Newport Kentucky I see and then I went to Corpus Christie grade
School and uh then uh my uh then I went to Newport Catholic High School right and after graduation it was during the Depression just to show you how things changed my tuition at Newport Cathy was $40 a year and my father could hardly afford it yeah no so what year did you graduate
From Newport Catholic High School after that oh I I was working in after hours I was working as a red arrow boy I don’t know if you ever heard of them but were special delivery yeah for on bicycles weren’t you yeah for on bicycles for United Parcel Service yeah yeah so you
Graduated to what year 1930 1938 38 1938 mm so you graduated in June of 38 June of 38th I my gradu the my graduation night was the night that Johnny vmir pitched his second no hitter ah historical event for the Cincinnati Reds yeah yeah but anyway the but uh then but then
Uh uh I I had a little accident with my bicycle what happened is we were told not to hang on back of trucks or buses to go up a hill in Cincinnati going up the hills with your bicycle that makes sense I always hung
On the back well one day I hung up and the in the truck swung around and I fell off and you know hurt myself oh and they told me no more so I lost my job yeah now so then I started looking around for another job and it 38 was a
Horrible year it was the most horrible year of the depression right and uh so I passed aan Walnut Street there was a recruiter there and he said come on up he said so I went up and I took the written exam and uh I thought well I hope I pass
It I passed it with flying colors apparently because they came around and signed me up in October and then they they called me in to have my fysal in January and January the 4th 1939 I got sworn in I went in the Navy and spent 13 weeks at boot camp at norol
Virginia M and subsequently after 13 weeks I I got transferred to the USS Shaw in San Diego but I went temporary additional duty on the Fanning to get out to the West Coast what was an Fanning DD 385 Fanning yeah Fanning F an
N i n g and uh so then I in May yeah you went through the Panama Canal then yeah through the Panama Canal yeah and I went to San Diego and uh I got transferred to the Shaw and the shaw was what a destroyer a destroyer DD 373 yeah and uh I
I I was mes cooking but then I also went to I got selected to go to sound school at that time it was it was known as sound school at that time it was the first sound School in the Navy uh and but it was later was called sonar right
And I volunteered to ride the s27 and the s28 for Passive training you know passive sound training and um so I that was my first introduction to submarines actually being on on one now what uh what were the two submarines s27 and s28 okay and their names were they
Didn’t have any names were s27 and S USS s27 and it was the SS uh one 32 and the 28 was SS 133 oh that was the designation right see and the s36 was ss1 141 five numb numers okay yeah um they were they these submarines were launched in 19
198 but after the war there was a treaty called the Treaty of London that said that submarines can’t be built anymore and so forth you can’t continue to build them can’t put them in commission so they set them aside you know but then uh after 3
Years they uh said well that treaty is no longer good what happened is France and England were the only two countries out of the five that said no but Russia Japan the United States said yes so to to building more ships okay so they start putting them back in
Commission so the s36 went in Commission in 1923 and uh and eventually went uh in 1926 she went to China and uh with a group s36 s37 s38 s39 S4 s41 six votes how long did you stay on board to when you volunteered now this is why you were in training I
Wasn’t I wasn’t there at that time just giving you a background of the submarine but then uh anyway when uh when when I went on the on the shaw I was going to sound school on the submarine and that’s where I was interested in the submarine and got acquainted with the
Various various systems and so forth and uh the executive officer had the the commanding officer write me a letter write a letter for me to the requesting that I be sent the submarines if I so requested and I did I I requested it when I went back to the
Shaw and so the yman helped me write it up the letter and attached the letter that I had copy of the letter that the skipper of the s27 something and it and it was sent and I this letter was sent to the Bureau of Naval personnel and
But it was sent disapproved by the commanding officer of the shaw so so I got stuck I was on the sh but eventually after I think it was February 1940 that they said well oh orders came in for me to be transferred uh temporary additional duty for for duty to the Asiatic
Fleet and then I got transferred to the Whitney and then the Dixie and and the Mel Melville I think was the other one I I made a a tour of various tenders every time one went to sea I got off and went to the one that was I carried my hammock and seabag
Okay but anyway by in uh in June I think it was June of 1940 I got transferred to USS shamont transport and I and then I took a a six week boot trip to China on the Sham yeah we stopped at at various ports Guam and Manila and chifu
Shanghai finally Shang and I got transferred to the can Opus and after a week on canopus I got transferred to the s36 so that’s how I ended up and and we didn’t go to China in 19 that was our last time we went to China the Asiatic Fleet usually
Spent 6 months in China and 6 months in the Philippines the summer months were spent in China winter months in the Philippines and we came back to the Philippines we didn’t go T the tension between Japan and the United States had increased during that time what what time period is this
1941 this is 1941 and you’re on the s36 I was on s36 I qualified in February 1941 but I went a border in August 1940 okay what was your job on board the submarine I was an engineering I was a a a a fireman first and then mes hooked
For a little bit then I was in charge in a motor room after what I made uh at that time you had to go from fireman fireman second class fireman there was no there was fireman second class fireman first class and then you went to second class there was no third
Class rating for the artier group you there was no third class machinist mate there was no third class metal Smith everything was fireman first class was the same as a petty officer okay third first third fireman first class was the same as a petty officer third class but you weren’t a
Petty officer until you made second class and I made second class in October 1941 no yeah October 1941 where were you in October of 41 in the Philippines in the Philippines but when the war started when uh before the war started we knew there were a lot of there was a
Lot of tension so forth we were alongside of canopus in in in Manila Bay and all submarines were in there we were alongside canopus you know the canopus is the mothership she was the tender okay the canopus as9 okay and U so there were six old s Boo the
S36 s37 s38 s39 S40 and s41 they were six s boats then you had the pbats the tarp and the pick roll permit the uh anyway Tarpon even though she was what’s a pebo pebo there was it’s a class it’s a PE booat they were uh a
Class of boats that they had a partial rivet at home but they were they were they were the first type Fleet boats the First Fleet boats they had engines that were electric driven for electric driven boats like and we got this from the railroads mhm we the
Railroads had uh the winon engines were on the railroads and they you know how you saw the see the electric trains right okay we saw that the bureau there the Bureau of ship says this is what we need for submarines so that’s how before that we had the
Bonita Barracuda and bass now these PE boats are submarines submarines all these things I’m telling you about are now submarines the PE boats yeah PE boats when I we Bo we we uh excuse me we we mention boats boats are submarines to us in in the
Navy we we we call the submarines boat CU they were torpedo boats and they’re submerged torpedo boats that’s how they got the name boats so you among submarine personal you say I was on this boat I was on that boat what Boats were you on you know that so and you’re
Talking about submarines that’s the terminology for among submarines for us yeah well thank you I’m glad you clarified that yeah I can see where you can be confus but uh then we then in November in November we had the new type es boats come in the uh salmon salmon seal skipjack Snapper
Stingray all those boots came in addition Sea Dragon sea lion they all came at that time too yeah that was just a month before the war started they came yeah so the on December the 2 and the uh Admiral Hart called the conference he for all the submarine Skippers to be on
The canopus so forth and when my commanding officer left the s36 he told the executive officer strip ship we have a strip ship bill that you you get rid of all your moing lines your gang way everything else that you have on board he he said strip ship
And ex I remember the executive officer saying to him are you sure sir he said yes I am he said do what I do what I tell you strip ship so boy we strip ship and we were ready at 8:00 that night we were ready to get underway and we did
But we had nothing on board except we forgot a little a little dingy that we had we a little boat right it called a dingi we used to put that over over the side the paint the side sometime you know we forgot that we left that on board but it didn’t bother we
Got rid of it later well he anticipated trouble by telling you yeah he anticipated and but we had left December the 2nd we left all the submarines left we we went except the sea line of sea dragon were in the Navy Yard Kaviti K yeah they were in the kavid Navy yard
But uh the rest of us all went we went to um bolau Harbor and uh and we anchored there on the night of the 3 of December and then we got word we while we were there eventually four or five days later the for December the 8th it
Was for us right when the when the Japanese Bor Pearl Harbor and then we we uh we were assigned our duty at Lan Gulf well uh we were unable we were able to receive messages but for some reason we weren’t able to transmit and we kept they kept trying to
Tell us to come in we were trying to they or they wanted us to communicate with them but they but we couldn’t communicate you know so they they were who was they the the the tender in Manila they were over in Marvis Bay okay but they wanted us they wanted to make
Sure where we were but we couldn’t tell them mhm so they ordered us to come back to Manila so we couldn’t transmit and and we so but they told us what to do and so forth right and we did that and fortunately we didn’t get and there was somebody
Waiting for us they kept looking for us and they finally waited we sent a blinking light uhuh then then we went in and uh went in Manila and then they sent people over we were in the Manila Harbor and we flooded down and we had they put
Bamboo in and everything else over top of us so the planes couldn’t see us when they were bombing and uh then you were there when they were bombing the Philippines yeah we were when they were bombing a few bombs landed pretty close to us but none of them got us you know
But they they they they were they were bombing the countryside and we we were nearby but it wasn’t sometimes they missed and something went in a drink but we didn’t yeah but we were fortunate we got out and so then we went out again uh I think it was about
December the 20th we went out finally and and uh then we went into a place called cipon Harbor we threaded our way into the harbor and there was a Philippine fader there big one and even though it had flying a Philippine flag we knew we could see the Japs were there
Anyway they were going to take it over you know oh so we fired two Torpedoes and one of them hit and we sank that uh it was a 5200 ton Freer MH and we left and uh then they ordered us to go well first first of we had so many
Problems let me give you so uh so I mean you know I say here that it must be noted that the United States between 1919 and 1937 rendered very little concern about his Armed Forces in general we were isolationists and our Congress felt that the natural barriers
Of the Atlantic and the Pacific Pacific Ocean provided us with all the protection we required in the meantime Japan and Germany occupied themselves with improving and building the most modern armies and navies conceivable consequently many of us including myself were serving in obsolescent vessels military strategists are agreed
That the ship sunk or damaged their Pearl Harbor would have been doomed with greater loss of life if later they had been engaged in battle with Japanese counterparts right in this regard the adversity suffered at Pearl might be described as a net gain despite the high costs in lives and ab obsolete
Battleships it was a wakeup call My Submarine career began in July 1940 when I was assigned to the USS 36 in sow China she had no name and her number was SS 141 her kill was laid in 19 18 and she was launched a year later she was not commissioned until
1923 so in 1940 she was a 17-year-old and the oldest submarine in the Asiatic Fleet local operations were conducted out of home ports Manola and singal annually we had two-day Readiness for for war patrols and as a finale a summer deployment to Shanghai and Hong Kong in the spring of
1941 because of TI ened International tension a decision was made to cancel operations in Chinese Waters and our operations were confined to the Philippine Islands on December the 2nd 1941 while in Manila Bay the captain after a briefing from the commodor on a submarine tender canopus issued orders
To our exec to make all preparations for getting underway in full War Readiness condition included was a strip ship order which Left Behind such non-essentials as our tiny brow canvas hatch covers topside awnings and our moing lines we were underway within several hours and soon learned that our
Destination was cap was Cape Bolano just north of Ling Gulf and that’s on the west side of Lon we anchored in the picture postcard setting of Bolan now Harbor two days later a modified steaming watch was set so we could get underway within a few minutes
And a cap and a captain then related to us that Admiral Hart had sent a message that war with Japan was imminent and we were to be except exceptionally alert and I say I often wonder why such orders were not issued at Pearl Harbor yeah yeah but we
Were close to Japan out there in a Phil Philippines so it was natural that we would assume that they would hit us first right yes yes the excitement of being on alert soon wore off we were hot and sweaty no air conditioning very short of fresh water so like good
Sailors everywhere began to Grumble and complain I think most of us felt that war was coming so why not adapt the philosophical attitude of acceptance since there was very little we could do about it in a very early morning December the 8th we received messages that hostilities have commenced govern yourself
Accordingly the batteries were topped off and with a quick charge and we got underway for our Patrol area in lingan Gulf as the hot sweaty leaks slowly passed p as a hot sweaty days slowly passed it became apparent that our obsolescent and creaky old Les booat was reacting to her age without air
Conditioning the tropical heat and humidity reached almost unbearable levels tiny rivlets of condensation slowly trickled down the bulkheads and contributed to the many electrical grounds that plagued the electricians Machinery that was nearly 20 years old was first became bulky and then failed completely the electrical steering system though repaired twice
Stubbornly refused all attempts to restore it the main exhaust valves began leaking excessively and a cracked cell was found in the after battery and annoyingly we could receive radio traffic but were unable to transmit headquarters concerned that we might be lost ordered us back to Manila we anchored off Marvis Bay awaiting
Recognition procedure clearance accomplished we entered Manila Bay and moed inside the Breakwater alongside a Sampan and beneath a camouflaged netting that was painted to resemble another Sampan when viewed from the air there the soft patch was removed in order to replace the cracked battery cell and repairs were made to our
Transmitter and steering system our spare parts were very limited due to space and our Reliance on a tender we took on Provisions refueled took on extra spare parts and then headed south to our to our patrol station at verie Island passeng on New Year’s Day the captain decided to
Investigate the small Harbor of cipon on mandor’s north northeastern Edge inside the harbor and mored to a seaw wall during unloading operations was a small transport our Skipper skillfully threaded the boat inside the narrow confines of the harbor and carefully crept as slow as he dared he fired two
Torpedoes bam it was our first experience of hearing a torpedo explode and and it was much louder than any of us had anticipated and though dust and paint chips flew off the bulkheads and overhead we all had Chessy cat grins of Triumph one fish one hit one ship the captain observing that the
Explosion was on the far side of the target concluded correctly that the fish had run deep and had detonated we call them fish this torpedo torped fish had run deep and had detonated on impact with the seaw wall this was confirmed as a Target listed heavily and sank
Presenting her untouched flank toward us on January 8th we requested an import stay because our electrical and Engineering casualties were rapidly mounting our nelso engines exhaust evaporators were not able to keep with the demand with the demand of our battery water consumption the crew itself used no fresh water except to brush
Teeth we didn’t have any sanitary tanks either we just had a direct flush okay don’t you had to have an engineering ready to operate that damn thing because so it didn’t blow back into your face you know so we were first ordered to B Pap and Borneo but within a few hours this
Was changed to Saraya Java the Japs Atlanta the B poin reluctantly we headed south and in a few hours the port air the port air compressor fails when we talk about an air compressor you got to remember these nelu engines had an air compressor attached to them as part of
The engine cool the air the nelso engine because it was a four cycle engine and the air had to be pumped into it U from a compressed air pumped into the air Inlet to go to each cylinder okay so the air compressor was a vital
Part of the nelo engine and when so when I mention air compressor it’s it’s the air compressor on the engine the port compressor failed on the on the port engine yeah The Black Gang as we call the mechanical ratings worked long fatiguing hours in oppressive heat with
No success to repair it the air compression on diesel engines are a vital component since it is a compressed area that ignites the fuel two days later we had problems with the starboard compressor the same starboard engine compr a few hours later the port main motor succumbed to a
Myriad of computer short circuits and a starboard main engine lubricating pump malfunction with only two main engines mechanically clutched to two Main Motors it is obvious that any single unit and such an array would be crippling the U the crew was very tired men were not who were not in The Black
Gang torpedo men electricians everybody else volunteered to help in the shearing strength strength sapping heat of the engine room and motor room we had like 120 125° in that area and we had no air conditioning no ventilation each day was seem to bring another mechanical or electrical failure
Yet somehow you find find away with Innovations running rampant bringing forth and yet a a yet more determined effort on the part of an exhausted crew in the early morning darkness of 15 February with half of the port main main motor ards littering the deck of our after battery compartment our
Engineer officer requested delay on the morning dive because a starboard main motor had lost Lube oil pressure almost immediately simultaneously simultaneously the OD called for the captain to the bridge as his binoculars discover the target Great Balls of Fire a term our Skipper generally use as a cuss word
Followed by take her down fast a full-grown Destroyer was determined to Ram us and Loom Bening close aboard as our hatch thumped shut and we slid beneath the surface his his thrashing propellers clear the audible throughout the hall sounded like a passing freight train but for a few seconds there was a
Strange rumbling noise that we were later to discover was the rubbing of his Hull over our after clearing lines we had clearing lines okay dis paring and serving was shredded away exposing strands of bare wire sensing that his ramming did knock the seed the Japanese Skipper accurately
Straddled us with a pattern of seven dep charges that exploded close aboard with a vicious Collective Roar the rolling turbulence elevated our Stern delaying our frantic descent in Ben num in then in in benumb succession we lost power to the Balan St planes the starboard lighting circuit
And the main gyro with the next round of death charges we lost all lighting and the starboard main motor striving for fuel oil for for Lube oil began to admit emit a rhythmatic screech most importantly with but one screw available for propulsion and both PL both planes
Now enh hand the bow planes you know the planes the bow and Stern planes right but we had a now inand operation we lost depth control and began rapidly to sink our maximum test depth was 200 ft and our depth gauge went to 250 we relied on
Pre C pressure gauge for conversion to depth and we were near 300 perhaps ours was a rivet remember ours was a riveted Hall the captain facing a rapid and unchecked descent ordered a bubble plac the number one ballast tank then following a rhythmic R rhythmic Then followed a rhythmic order
Of flooding and venting he’ say flood one our ballast tanks flood then uh then he had vented to go down some more you know because we were going like a yo-yo elevating to 90 ft and then sinking below 200 we were blowing and venting creating an uncomfortable amount
Of pressure in the boat because our tanks were vented in board when when you vent a tank on a submarine we are letting out the air so that the water can come in so you can dive okay okay okay so the water can come in on the old es boats that
Vent vented in board the vents the ballast tank was part of the hole and when you vented it the vent came in board it created a lot of pressure inside the boat but it actually saved us because it didn’t emit any bubbles if we had been
On if we had been on a fleet boat the bubbles would have been admitted to the Sur Surf and it would have given a Dory better indication where we were now so new newer class submarines vented tanks outboard however this discomfort probably saved Our Lives because we emitted no surface bubbles to disclose
Our position the Destroyer continued a pinging search as our depth continuously fluctuated during this time I was in a motor room Knee Deep in water now you were hidden correct you you had been we’ve been depth charged right we’ve been depth charged but we but I we we couldn’t run
Our pumps our pumps screeched you know okay and we would have Ed Too Much Noise right so and the water came in and we have bearings that were heating but we couldn’t use water on them because it would have created extra weight so we
Had to we use solid oil to to come in and we took the bearing top off and poured solid oil over it so so that we could keep going you know so your knee deep in water because because we couldn’t Pump It Out couldn’t that’s
Right okay now I just want to make sure right they have a good understanding right we could not use our pumps because they made too much noise the heat was unbearable and for over two hours I squirted oil from a handgun onto the starboard shaft pedestal bearing a
Bearing so overheated that the babit buring surface was melting and oozing out onto the rotating shaft our captain realizing that we could not continue to control our depth without decent propulsion power ordered the gun crew to assemble and St standby in a forward battery at the same time
Word was circulated to abandon ship and we were issued life jackets and mson lungs mson lungs the man who invented the the Bell also in the mson lungs it it had oxygen in it and you put in and then you breathe this as you would go up the line
If you wanted to escape you know but you could also use it as a life jacket oh okay even though you know but it would be uncomfortable but you could shift it around making it to your back or so forth but anyway we uh we we we were all ISU them so
Uh at the uh by mid morning the the captain still maintaining the con had with the plesman solved the tricky feet trick of maintaining depth with but one screw and at oneir speed we only had one screw and one/ third speed now we were repairing the other bearing
That was had burned out on the other shaft after a couple hours we lost contact with the destroyer and thankfully he with us now see if was obvious that the Japanese it was good for us but the Japanese had no follow-through procedure at that time they they just assumed that they had
Sunk us right okay and so later on in the war that wouldn’t have happened but this was the beginning of the war the war was only two months old we were getting experience and they were getting experience you know well they thought they’d sunk him yeah so they they
Stopped you know you know we we just assume this we don’t know what reason right yeah the air was foul and the smell of oil was everywhere when we surfaced our lungs gaps to take in a portion of the fresh air our one good engine Drew in
The air from the open coning toar hatch and it was like Mana from Heaven no one has slept and even though we were exhausted you felt a feeling of relief and joy we headed south for cbah as the exhausted electricians continued working on the port main motor that night it was
Back in commission but after assuming the load of the battery charged 6 hours later it began to smoke again in addition the starboard main Motor lubeoil Supply failed again we submerged that Dawn on the 16th of January many of us were in a were in advanced state of exhaustion and some dehydration
We slept on we slept on battery decks and for plates wherever there was a hint of coolness just before noon a fire broke out in a main motor auxiliary circulating pump it was quickly extinguished but it interrupted our sedation because the a a ACD irritating fumes burn our eyes and
Cause us to cough and wretch on the 17th of January both port and starboard shafts were out of commission because of the main motor Lube oil failures again they were repaired by men with oil and dirty bodies and no fresh water and we we Ed Gilly you know what Gilly is it’s
Torpedo alcohol we had Guam blisters that that because of the sweat increase you get we call them Guam blisters the sweat and everything between your legs and boy you know you had to be careful you didn’t get that down on your on your testicles you know yeah but boy that’s
The only thing we had we couldn’t use that we didn’t have any fresh water for us was for the batteries you know so the 18th of January marked the first time since the 7th that no major part of the engineering plant was out of commission we continued down through the masser
Straits and on the 19th we were able to get in a full battery charge and when the Char charge secured we had both engines on the line for propulsion Murphy’s Law which was unknown to us at the time certainly revealed its compelling logic as we optimistically optimistically made
Our way down the Straits on the surface with both engines running and drawing in the fresh air we were revitalized many of us took a bucket face wash to freshen up and shave and torpedo Gilly wiped away the oil and underarm discomfort we were making 10 to 11 knots surface speed
Our gyro Compass was out of commission but the Navigator obtained good NA navigational fixes at North Watcher Light 2 days previous and he had confidence in his dead reckoning and magnetic compass plot we had to stay Eastward more toward the island of celes because the Japanese were concentrating
Their forces on an invasion of Borneo to the West right in a couple of days we’d be in cabaya and have a good overhaul with with the old which the old girl certainly required old 36 at 0400 on the 20th I was relieved from watching the motor
Room as I prepared a cup of coffee in the after battery compartment to Shor with others going off watch I felt a I felt and heard a scraping noise followed shortly by a bounce and a crash which threw me onto the starboard bulkhead my coffee was gone and I was Dazed we came
To a full stop and listed heavily to starboard we were hard ground on taka ban Reef the Ed speed which was such an extraordinary and hard-earned pleasure sent us well into the grasp of the coral reef a fullest stern was given which resulted in a terrific vibration as the
Screws chewed uselessly into two The Rock and the coral that entrapped us a ground and sinking request assistance was transmitted in plain language chlorine was reported in the forward battery compartment all hands were ordered tops side where they huddled miserably in the Lee of the conning Tower braced against the sea the
Boat was listed sharply to starboard with the breaking of dawn and the receding tide we saw more of the damage a huge Rock the size of a small pickup truck had pierced number one main ballast tank and it made up penetrated up through the battery we had to close
The Ford battery compartment because tvine has set in the chlorine gas and could cause an explosion so they ran into it though actually what’s that they actually ran into the boulder though yeah we ran it we we couldn’t get off we were hard to ground okay and uh so and a
Press entered a Ford later at full e tide the boat was nearly on her side on her beam ends listing between between waves to 50° or more the C estimated at Force 2 alternately lifted the boat clear of the Rocks then as each wave passed the boat came smashing down again with a
Shuttering crash that shook her from stem to stern with each up and down movement the Mortal wound in her side was widened and deepened after a wet and sleepless night we were advised that help was on its way we were all drenched and sunburned from the equatorial sun
And it became increasingly clear to all of us that any Salvage effort was doomed to failure about 1500 on the 20th of Dutch Freer the SSC bro moved slowly near The Reef with bow into the sea and lowered a Lifeboat after rigging the boat for flooding we disembarked in
Orderly fashion leaving the old lady for the last time the SSC bro gave us passage to saraba we we wrote her uh she was a Dutch freighter and they took you and the Dutch freighter if we she took us first to celes where we got a good meal and so
Forth and we boarded her again but at cabes we uh we were all reunited you know so forth but on at freder they had pigs chickens everything right and they baked their own bread and everything you know was a a typical Dutch Dutch freighter in the East Indies how many men were on
Your submarine we had 43 43 yeah yeah and all 43 were able to well we got out to board the freight yeah yeah okay and I I have a plaque over there when we when we we uh we we scuttled the boat I I picked those two items up that’s oh did you
That’s right that’s on it I put it on best I’ll be going yeah sure yeah you can look yeah is it still running that’s right yeah well that took some foresight yeah I wanted to I wanted to have a souvenir the USS s36 the most efficient vessel in her
Class in Naval engineering 1932 33 I wasn’t on her then uh and I a firing order of the engine that’s the only thing El firing order of the engine yeah the starboard in the port side yeah yeah recovered from his submarine and M M masser masser masser Straits by machinist made second class
Walter escros January the 20th 1942 and my middle name is Sebastian and that was the Feast of St Sebastian it was yeah January the 20th 20th that uh that’s ironic uh what happened to Tom was on St christen’s day and what happened to you was on St Sebastian’s day yeah yeah very
Good yeah thank you thank you thank you that’s gorgeous what a piece of History they the SE Roo gave us passes to sarabah and one of things that you know we were all given stations and my station on the seab bro was I had a watch it was in a in a uh
Propeller alley I don’t know if you know what that is on a on a steam well you go down and there’s a you you open a watertight door and you go in and the the uh there’s the shaft turning there and so you but noisy and hot yeah and uh
So that that’s that’s the after shaft room you know so when uh somebody cited a periscope while I was on watch there and all at once the engine the the engine uh the Water type doors closed from the bridge you know it it it closes from the button and the mechanical
Button it closes it’s select a mechanical unit and I’m in there and the lights go out and I can’t see my hand in front of my face so I take my flashlight you know and I I look around and there so so I’m hitting on a damn door I want somebody
Open and my light goes out oh Jee and I heard the damn waves and so forth I thought we were sinking you know sure and so and finally after about a half an houre the door open but boy that the next time I went on why I was like close
To that door and if that damn thing was going to close I was going to be out of there not kid oh my goodness oh but your imagination will run away with you like that imagine so anyway they gave us past to Sarabia and we were all assigned to
Other submarines in the Asiatic Fleet 16 of the people assigned to other submarines 16 out of 43 uh perished in other submarines you know we we lost 52 of them so they uh we lost four guys on the sculping we lost a guy on The
Cisco uh another fell on the KE and uh uh two on alardo and so anyway it was 16 out of the 43 16 out of the 43 and we lost 52 submarines you say 52 in the war 52 submarines during World War II yeah this was a the second one lost the sea
Lion was the first but she was but uh the sea lion uh lost three men the Sea Dragon one man when they bombed it in Kaviti on December the 10th there was the first loss and this was the second one loss yeah okay but uh um so anyway uh you think that uh
Considering all the agony and grief that the s36 gave us with her equipment engineering plan you think good riddens on the contrary just seems that most of us have learned to love her more because you have tried so hard to keep her and please her most of us agreed that we
Have a soft spot for her in our hearts John hollenbach a shipmate who served with me on the 36 boat lives in the grossbeck area of Cincinnati he’s 90 years old now and doesn’t get out much anymore he died since when we get together we always reminisce
About our experience aboard the old boat and we were we are still amazed that we got through it all many of our Shipmates who were transferred to other subs perished with them on warit rols the organizations of the submarine veterans of World War II and the United States veterans and
Corporators who are responsible for this function and a tooling of the Bell are dedicated to preserving the memories of our Shipmates who are internal Patrol veterans of World War II like myself are becoming more scarce because we are in the old deck circle on the on on Deck Circle for eternal
Patrol we are extremely grateful for you for the dedication and memory of our ship the Shipmates you know that were the two organizations so want to take a break just for a minute want to take a break for just a minute sure sure and continuing uh we in February while I was in
Java I was uh put on guard for fuel fuel supply the fuel supply areas and we had guns the old and Springfield old 3030 right well we one type bold action and we had the old helmets with the dough boy type yeah so anyway we uh we stood watch there and uh the
Japs bombed us we call it Dr Pepper eyes it was like 10 two and four you know so you could expect them at 10:00 the whole wave would come in and then the two 2:00 another wave had come in and the bombs had come all around us but the and I had
People in in a trench I was like in a trench and guy at the next trench might get get hit so and I didn’t get hit you know M So eventually uh they uh we were called in and uh I was told that I was going
With a group to chill jaap te j i l a j a p tiller jet tiller Jet and I didn’t know where that was but uh anyway that the Holland was there and I went aboard to Holland and then a funny thing happened to me there the quarterback Master notebook went
Missing after I got aboard to Holland and I want what happened to the quarter and ask a notebook you know that’s an important important notebook so I was getting ready to go on a working party and CER cruss uh the captain wants to see you Captain is said captain of the Holland
Yes we noticed that you’re born in Germany would you know what happened to the quarter asked a notebook by any chance oh my goodness God I don’t know what you’re talking about you oh my goodness I said no I don’t have so he said well he said you’re not permitted
To leave the ship till we find a Quarter Master notbook I was supposed to go to the USS sailfish and I did what and I was held up so it was about a day later that they found the Quarter Master notebook the captain called me up and he apologized
To me he said but we had it he said you weren’t the only one and we had several other people we had that were foreign born we had a take a check I said I have no hard feelings I said no no hard feelings right I said but I I missed my
Assignment don’t worry you’re going to get a submarine he said so sure enough about two hours later the Snapper came in and I went board then I went aboard the Snapper and when I went aboard a snapper there was a skipper named Hamilton l stone now he was a liutenant
Commander he was 43 years old okay and he uh I was getting ready to go AB board he get that man off my ship I was stting on a gang plank uh and he and the tman the exec say captain he has orders from the Squadron to come
Aboard he said I don’t care get him off there so T move mov me on and he moved so finally s of so he got me aboard he said go down below he said stay away from the captain I said don’t worry so anyway I went down below and find finally the
Captain calls tells the exact he wants to see me and I go in his in his State room he says what’s your name I said Walter Krauss he said Krauss I said yes he says what is your rank I said I’m a machinist mate second class you’re an apprentice Sean on this
Ship I said she he said are you qual I said I’m a qualified submarine man he said we’ll see about that you’ll qualify on this ship well okay anyway I went up and stood hel Watchers and look out watches and so forth and tman would
Say don’t don’t be angry said I said I’m not angry I no I was when I went to the mess hle guys were kidding me appr Seaman the lowest ranking guy on the ship you what do you have against you nothing I don’t know what he had against me you
Know I have no idea but anyway so I had no records see we had the records were all on canopus I had no records I couldn’t prove anything know so he so anyway I oh we finally uh one thing let oh we went into Deval
Gulf and he fired in a convoy he fired several fish and uh missed but we got dep charged but then they were far away and so forth the next time he got into a convoy he take her down to 300 ft secured he wouldn’t attack oh he
Did and tetan kept note of all this exact uh finally uh oh then the other thing happened we I was on the helm at that time we had a a a a Helm on a we had two Bridges one on the top side and one in the conning Tower
And and steering below we have three places to steer now we’re steering from the the the top deck you know okay because we were toying we we the sea Raven was crippled and we were toying her with our toying Spar we had a and we were toying her and finally uh uh
Australian Destroyer came by and took over the toy for us but in the meantime when when we were toying her our gyro went went spinning around and round and round and I and he he and the skipper said Mark your head and I said 270 magnetic he said don’t give me
Magnetic I said I said Captain I told you the gyro was out I said Gyra was out I want I I want to know what’s the true bearing I said 270 magnetic I boy he came he beat me on the back you know and like and the EXA up stop ta please you
Know so he said go down below Gus so they called me Gus and I went down below and we got somebody else up there but boy he ran and raved and so forth oh my gosh and so when we got into into uh Perth the in the freem man should say Freeman well
Um I went aboard the Holland and the the new repair officer was on board that was Shields and I got a picture of him up there but he he was on and I knew him from before you know so he he’d been a first class metal Smith made warrant and
Then became a lieutenant I see anyway so and he said I see where you made first class I took an examination for first class in November and it was they had an our Navy magazine that published all the race when it went to the bureau and I had
Made machinist made first class you’re Apprentice though right yeah so so I said can I have that magazine and I he bring it back to me I said sure So I went down and I gave it to T and I said see this I said that’s me he said that’s
Right he said he said because it had my service number on it right so I and so anyway he said let me let me have this I said okay so he went in I heard the skipper rumbling and roaring so anyway but anyway they had we we had rest in
Recreation you know I went rest in Recreation for two weeks and I but I didn’t have any money I didn’t hadn’t been paid so tman Carl tman he reach in his pockets he gave me two bucks he said you take this he said go ashore I gee what
Am I going to do with two bucks you know but anyway the the fellows helped me out you know you had Shipmates and so oh anyway uh so when we were getting ready to when I got back to the ship Stone was getting ready to take her out again and
So T was nowhere to be seen so uh so where’s the exact where’s the exact well he didn’t show up all at once orders kind squadron commander comes down and stone gets relieved he told told get out of there he didn’t even reading they didn’t he didn’t even read his
Orders he just got sarily relieved and I got see him and arrange it I don’t know how we don’t we don’t know what ever happened but anyway he he never went back to submarines something wrong with him and we had a new a new Skipper came name came aboard his name was
Baker so anyway so that’s and then we went on on patrols you know but uh in the meantime we made patrols out of and you know on a Patrol run you might be out there 60 days say out of the 60 days days you’re going to have maybe four to five bad
Days MH but depth charging and things like that the rest of time is boring you know you have to and sometimes sometimes you go on a patrol and you have two days two days three days four days but but depends where where where you are and what’s the name of the submarine you’re
On now Snapper spp that was Snapper and uh I made 11 patrols all together 11 War patrols and uh but then after the war I but toward the end of the war I got transferred to new construction I went to the USS Pickel in Boston but they sank a
Submarine up there called the Lancet fish the the sub submarine Construction is for people who know what the hell they’re doing believe me because and cramp was a ship building company and they they had all kinds of problems with men so the piic was delayed and they sent me
Down to New London to The Cobbler so I went to The Cobbler put the cobbler in commission the SS 344 she was commissioned on the 1st of August 1945 and shortly thereafter the war ended right yeah so and then we went to Key West and I went to Key West on the
Cobbler and uh at the oh I was a chief machinist made at the time okay uh I made Chief machinist mate in uh uh May 19 43 I me Chief machinist yeah early yeah and so anyway uh I went back I came back I went to General Motors diesel School in
Cleveland went to Fairbanks moris diesel School in in uh uh Fairbanks more Rockford Illinois I think it was rock yeah Rockford Illinois and then I went to Governor’s School and different schools that they have air condition York air conditioning Refrigeration I went there for 6 weeks
That’s where I joined the VFW because on weekends you had nothing Pennsylvania had blue laws but on place to drink but place to drink yeah VFW so I joined a VFW for life yeah anyway that was good and uh I went to The Cobbler and I was on her uh until 19
408 1948 or mid 1948 mid 1948 I volunteered then for the they had a a a a submarine wide request for chief machinist mate uh was air conditioning and Refrigeration experience so I I said I volunteered for it never figuring I’d get it and next you know I got selected
For it did you know anything about air so huh did you know anything about air conditioning oh yeah air conditioning Refrigeration yeah yeah I was qualified for that so then I got sent to the Joint Brazil US military Commission in Rio de Janeiro I went there for 2 and A2
Years and uh so we had my family with me what do you mean you had your family what year is this since you went to Brazil 19 1940 1948 I went I left in I was on board ship for Christmas so it was December 1948 until
Uh uh May 1952 are you on are you uh1 in Brazil I’m in Brazil yeah submarine still no I’m with the joint US military commission sometimes submarine I I went they they used to send me all over with uh well back up one second then you said
Your family’s with you my family well well I I lived in on Copa Cabana I lived in Copa Cabana yeah who’s your family though my wife oh I got married in 1946 I forgot to tell you yeah yeah I got married in 1946 okay after the war yeah all right yeah I met
My wife on a train I was uh I was I had a car I bought a car and it was a Packard big car in 37 Packard and I had it up in Staten I was in Staten Island for three months after the war for three months submarines were
There the the draf E the reserves were all leaving getting a papers out of the Navy and uh so we were we had we were down to 32 men on the submarine cobbler from 43 to yeah and so we were putting submarines out of commission in order to
To make up the differential you know and they kept the better submarines in commission so uh then we went to Key West but my car was in St but I I I parked it over New York New Jersey so anyway I wanted to get in my
Car so I kept telling the captain I wanted to leave to get my car oh that’s R time went on one second all right I wanted to get my car which was in nework New Jersey so I put in a request uh for leave which I
Was entitled to but but of course at the convenience of the right commanding officer anyway JB Grady was my commanding officer so one day he called me in I’m going to give you two days leave I said Captain I can’t get up there in two days and bring my car back
He said just a minute two days leave and 8 Days traveling time okay I said yeah I my golly he said on one condition he said biddy Rand Rand was our Communications officer his wife up there and her sister said his wife is pregnant you’re going to bring her back along with her
Sister I said all right I said that’s I he said you have to go up to New London to get her I said that’s all right I’ll do that so when I get up to New London I get a call from from the captain and he says while
You’re up there pick up mid Clark the Gunnery officer’s wife she had an accident with her car and she can’t drive it bring her down here too I know my God that’s three women he said can’t you handle that I said sure So anyway we didn’t have the super
High R then you know right right have they take the fairy and you know and so anyway I drove from New London down but on the way up to take the train I’m I was in the dining car and I met this girl and she was from Bunker
Hill West Virginia on the way up from where on the way up from Key West to go to Newland to go to New York New Jersey so and well and so anyway we got acquainted that’s how I met my wife then we kept corresponding and then I saw her again on
Vacation and so there they’re we got married in August 1946 I see and uh you had three children with your wife yeah we had Stephen uh who is now he’s uh 67 60 yeah he he’ll he’ll be let me see he’ll be he’ll be 67 this September yeah and
Mary Alice I’m my Carol Suzanne who uh she died at age three and a half from leukemia and then uh Mary Alice who was born in 19 50 four she born 19 or 53 I think 53 you said you were divorced from your first wife yeah she divorced me yeah what was
Her name Maxine Helen Maxine Miller was her last name Miller Miller I see and so you you brought everybody back down and you and so you had your family with you in brail I had I just had I just had stepen and my wife my wife with
Me and in Brazil okay and then she got pregnant and went back to the States I see uh before me she left me down there yeah and uh but uh that was in 1950 she left so she was there 49 until mid about mid-50 and then I stayed until uh Fe March
I think it was March or April 1951 I came back yeah and where were you stationed in what did you do during the Korean War mostly down in Brazil no during the Korean War I was uh with uh well I also went to Portuguese language school I speak Portuguese Oh Come by [Laughter]
Yeah oh yeah thank you but anyway I they sent me to o i language school at canosia uh for 6 weeks before I went to Brazil and so when I came back I we gave they I they sent me to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where we had the St Louis and the Philadelphia the
Uh Brooklyn and the Nashville and uh toan and I can’t remember anyway these ships two two of these ships the uh the um were given to Brazil the the the the um these are battleships correct no these are Cruisers Cruisers Cruisers here Cruisers but uh they trying to
Think of the two ships that we gave to Brazil but anyway anyway I I I served with them to to it it as liaison for engineering you know I see on the the steam plants I see and uh so they and uh I rode them back to Brazil and then I
Served with the Chileans and rode them they had the Nashville and the Brooklyn and one of the the the the uh lot of the people in Philadelphia said you know that Irish ship that’s in here it was called the O Higgins oh Higgins is a is is like the
Boulevard of Chile you know he he was he was a the big name in Chile ohagin I is and they they call it the Irish ship but but they named it the O Higgins the the Nashville so were you in that type of service to
During the all of Korea more yeah yeah I was just Le that and I was with NATO the NATO forces U after that I I I in the meantime I got commissioned a warrant officer I got oh the promoted to Warrant Officer and I was a warrant
Officer when I got transferred to the to the uh ches Pig Bay training group NATO forces so I served with the NATO with the belgians the Dutch the Norwegians the Greeks all all the NATO forces and uh so oh in the meantime before that I U you
Know before I before I got to uh to Philadelphia I went on I got recruiting Duty I got recruiting Duty I asked for Cincinnati and I did I got recruiting to Cincinnati that was in uh 19 52 okay 19 and 52 but my recruiting Duty was cut short
Because my my daughter two things happened I got promoted to waren officer and my daughter got sick and uh she uh we were I was the main recruiter in Lexington and uh lexon Kentucky right so uh she wanted me to carrier and I was so I carried her and so forth but she
She uh she fell down and she bruised herself she and the bruise didn’t heal so my wife and I we took it to the doctor and the doctor said I not certain he said but I I think your daughter has leukemia so I said leukemia I I heard of it because uh
Because of uh uh I was uh remember the Argentine lady what was um you know she became president of Argentina Ivon Peron Ivon uh so uh anyway so I said what is that can’t be healed I said I can’t be so he said you better take her to the
Hospital I took her to the hospital God at that time the Navy didn’t pay for for any outside uh medical they you had to take them to the Navy hospital or something like that well the bill down there was horrible so I uh so they I had to
Transfer up here to right Patterson you know so took her to the right Patterson Air Force Base and they treated her very nice up there in the meantime went to the place in Bond Hill but I was a warrant officer at the time yeah and uh
So she went into what we call a remission uh but they the Red Cross and see my wife was able to stay with her and everything up there they put made a room for her and very convenient she was up there for about oh I’d say say 2 months and they
Gave her transfusions and so forth and then finally went she went into remission so when that happened well the Navy got word that she was all right so they transferred me to Fleet training group ches speak Bay that’s how I got to the NATO in the meantime when I was
There I was only there for about a month and a half when my daughter got sick again I took her to the PO na hospital and she died there and then we buried her in Martinsburg West Virginia yeah so and and uh so then from there uh uh it really devastated my
Wife I don’t I you know you you never know what happened between two people when something like that happened but but she she blamed the Navy a lot for things but the Navy didn’t have anything to do with it it were just you know
And I know I was gone a lot but uh right we had a good life but anyway she she said she met someone else she wanted to get married and so forth but she never did she she but anyway so you got divorced so she yeah she divorced I didn’t contest it right
And uh so and then I then uh so then I oh then I took the Examination for offer candidate school and I passed it and I went to OCS in Newport Ro Island and got a my commission as an Anson at the same time I had a commission as a
W2 I was uh so I was beside myself going take a cut and pay I was on safe pay they put me on safe pay as an Anon because I was making more as a as a warrant officer W2 than I would as an Anon so I was on safe pay
Until I made lieutenant JG then overcame it you and uh but but it’s fortunate that if I had stayed at warrant I might have made W4 which was just below Lieutenant Commander you know for pay but I made lieutenant commander and then I made Commander so so you retired as a
Commander as a commander yeah and that’s equal to a uh Colonel no Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel yeah so after NATO U yeah you after NATO I I went to I got assigned to the uh to OCS Then I then I I got sent
To the submarine again I went to the USS sorta and became qualified submarine officer on I was on a sarda for two years Sara s SS 488 SG sard S A RDA sard RDA sarda and then I went to assistant repair on a USS Fulton was the same guy who you see
There that when he retired I’m giving he’s I’m giving him a clock did you see that picture not yet okay it’s over there uh it’s over there on the the in the black case no it’s just on the top yeah right there yeah the black frame
Yeah black frame now he was on the other ship with you yeah he he was on the Holland yeah what was it what was it his name Shields we call him papy Shields yeah Shields this I was a JG at the time and I and uh I was the assistant repair
Officer when I went aboard I had been to damage control and firefighting School in the Navy and I came aboard with my orders from Bureau for as damage control officer so when I went aboard there was a fellow named El Patrick grer thir and he had the
Distinct this distinction I say he made Time Magazine cover he was the first uh what do you call it uh first FBI director after J Edgar Hoover gray J Patrick gray III yes okay now oh not J L Patrick grer third El Patrick greater third that was 1972 then yeah by
19 uh no it was way before that uh it was uh yeah it was 197 you’re right you’re right yeah when he that director you’re right finally got rid of yeah I’m sorry yeah but anyway he was my executive officer on the on the Fon when
I went aboard so I went aboard with these orders and he said uh do you know who I am I said no sir I said I know you’re the executive officer don’t you know my name said no I said I know who the commanding officer
Is it was Shepherd you know he said he said well that’s a at least you know who the commanding officer is he’s but but you should know who the executive officer is before you come aboard to report all right sir she said you’re not going to be the damage control
Officer he said you’re going to be the assistant repair officer aren’t you I said whatever you say sir he said because he said I’ve been through six assistant repair officers with this guy and you I’m going to I hope that you’re going to be all right because I’m not
Going to go through another one gosh okay and happen to be him you know we got along splendidly yeah he is I took care of my job he took care of his and I I always went to him and told him what I was going to do so forth and we got along
Very well so I was a assent repair officer for two years with him uh what did you do during the Vietnam era during a v then well uh after I left the Fon I went to enr engineering and Repair on a at the submarine base engineering repair facility and I
Was the hull officer there and my boss was HH Caldwell whose father had been the first commanding officer of the USS Holland first commanding submarine officer his father his father married at age 47 he said boy he said I came along he said but he said he was a good dad you
Know he said but he said that was those were rough days he said he volunteered for submarine Duty and he got it and he said you know but anyway that’s that’s a different story but anyway then while I was Hall officer there A call came in
For they needed a hall officer on a USS produs which way they cut it they were cutting it in half for the First Fleet ballistic missile submarine ship in Charleston South Carolina and I had to go down there so uh my I had a home in Gren
Connecticut I sold it went to South went to South Carolina Charon where IIs Hull officer on the Proteus and we cut that in half put in 144t section and it became the first missile submarine for the holy lack Scotland so I was only on it until she got to
Scotland and then I got transferred to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as planning uh superintendent for the submarine overhaul overhaul of submarines there submarine planning officer so at that time I was a lieutenant and uh so and I was there for two years you know I I bought a home in haddenfield New
Jersey and that’s where my M my wife decided to leave me right then over there see uh uh because I was home every night but uh she was unhappy and uh she she had a lot of problems or uh I think the death of the child
Affected her very very badly yeah and um anyway so then I from there I uh what I where did I leave from there from submarines oh uh New London Fair Department oh planning oh from there I went to uh yeah planning and production officer for
The hold to the holy lock and went from oh no I went to New London Connecticut from there I went to I became submarine division 81 engineer SubCom sub 881 engineer uh I had to ride to all the boats that had problems with the engineering plant so forth and evaluate
What the problem was and so forth and from there I went to submarine Squadron 8 uh engineer and uh and while I was at squadron 8 engineer they uh tapped me to be planting and production officer for the fleet ballistic missile submarines in the Holy Lo in Scotland so I got transferred to
Scotland and I was over there for two years two and a half years and then I came back to the I got assigned to the Bureau of ships in Washington DC I was with the Bureau of ships I rode various ships that were being overhauled that were being uh
Overhauling or new construction that was being planned and I had I was expert AR for different parts that they needed at certain times while I was there my son had turned 17 turned 18 excuse me and he got he got caught in a draft he quit high school after three years of
High school he quit and uh so so anyway he he wanted he he he got he was going to get drafted right so he came to me and so I said well I said what what do you want from me he said I want to get in the
Marines I said you I can get you in a Navy tomorrow I said why do you want to go in the Marines I want to go in the Marines I said Gee Stephen I saidou know you probably go to Vietnam he said I don’t care it’s all right I said Gee I said
You don’t want to you don’t want to do that said hell I don’t he said I want to go in the Marines can you help me said well I’ll do what I can so I I knew the marine officer who was in charge of the uh down
At the naval you know Arlington Naval where they had the naval offic so he said well let’s see what we got here he says yeah said there’s only he said I got an opening down in New Orleans he said I said New Orleans I said I I don’t
He said well he said he can fill it he said well you know he said he don’t have to go to New Orleans he said I I’ll make sure the guy down there gets the gets the credit for it he said but we’ll we’ll send him on that villet so I
Called Stevie said I’ll take it I’m going to get Marines okay so anyway I got him in the Marines so okay so then he goes to boot camp and all you know and down so I went down the seam a couple times and uh what it uh Campell so forth and uh anyway
Uh we uh he was get getting ready to get a sign and of course a good friend of mine he was a his name was Avalon he he was the assignment desk officer for all assignments for the Navy you know officers so he said he called me and said I got a
Call from your wife said she like to know if you wouldn’t like to go to Vietnam in instead of your son I said instead of I said I’m not going into this place he said no he said got that wrong he said here look he
Showed me an order where if a father or son are in Vietnam the one or the other can be sent he said if we send you we don’t have to send him he said he can out opt out I said Gee I don’t know he said well
He said Gess it he said if it were me he say it’s my boy he said you want your boy to go over there and get killed I said hell no I said I don’t expect him to get killed man I said you’re putting me in a
Hell of a mind here so anyway I said I’ll let me think it over so I called my wife my ex-wife I said what’s this I said you’re talking to Avalon I said don’t even tell me about he said Gus he said you know you’ll get
A desk job out there or something like that you won’t have to worry I said I don’t know I said there aren’t too many best jobs out there she said well if you go he won’t have to go well I said all right I said I’ll I’ll volunteer so I
Went in and I said okay I said I’ll I’ll go so anyway I so they had us for they had a special assignment special projects officer just fit my Billet everything I I could do and he said for on a commander Naval Forces Staff in
Saigon okay I said I’ll I’ll take it so anyway I went I went through survival training out in Camp Pendleton you know I’m 46 years old at the time and I I was the oldest guy to a for survival training so anyway I I went through it and uh I
Got so I was going to go to uh to Vietnamese language school but something happened out there a DC3 crashed and they lost a lot of of officers on it they lost something like 14 officers from from the staff out there and I got orders to report
Immediately so I was only in one the first week of language School in Coronado when I got orders that I was going to go to to to to Saigon so I flew out there the flight was uh uh Travis to Anchorage Anchorage to to uh Tokyo and Tokyo to Cameron to uh
Tonsen in Saigon I got out there and uh so anyway uh uh the assignment started work right away and uh he it was it was a hard thing to adapt to for the first week the the way things were arranged you know anyway I I got caught on pretty
Quick and uh so but I had to ride helicopters and like if two of us when I after that crash happened they got kind of uh what say they got paranoid you know and so if two of us got an assignment each of us had to take a different helicopter
So so we we had buddies together you know we’d be buddies and we’d be drinking together at night next morning we get an assignment and same place but we had to take two different helicopters you know so anyway but I’m out there for about two months and all at once I get a
Call uh a radio call and says hi Dad dad I said hi this sounds like Steve it is Steve I said where the hell are you Steve donga I said donga what are you doing here he said Dad the Marines get shipped as a group they don’t ship men one at a
Time like they do in the Army he said we get shipped as a group I said well you didn’t have to come I know that but he said you know what he said do you think can leave my group I said what am I doing here Dad I
Don’t know I didn’t tell you to come anyway but we had a good time there’s a book out called brave men better better heroes or something like that or if you look at the fly fly page in there you a picture of he and I
On that on that font page that Pro that book is probably here in the library somewhere what’s the name of it you already know the name book brave brave men something Heroes okay but anyway but he left before I did I was out there 16 months his tour was only 13 months but
He got wounded twice oh did he yeah MH yeah he’s on disability right now yeah he lives in Sebastian Florida your middle name Sebastian Florida yeah so but but then when I came back from uh Vietnam I I I made Commander while I was out there and then
I got assigned as Commander Service Group one staff uh engineer in San Diego I was there for eight months and then I retired yes so you retired in 1969 yeah February 1st 1969 so you spent 30 years in the United States Navy 30 years in a
Month well um I don’t think we should end this interview without talking about uh your second wife then yeah my second wife yeah well we we got we uh my second my I met her because I spoke Spanish from from Mexico you know and uh
So my my daughter knew this girl and she said she she’s uh does care takes care of all the sewing of our habits and so forth and which they won’t need anymore anyway they don’t need her and they don’t wear habit anymore so anyway she
Introduced me to her and so forth and uh so I dated her a few times and and uh so in 1974 we got married I see and uh I have what children did you have with your second wife I have two children I have Gretchen who’s now 30 she’ll be 39 in
September and Emily who was 35 in April this April yeah and and I have three children three grandchildren by Gretchen she’s married to an architect I see Gretchen went to Notre Dame and so did my Emily both went to Notre Dame yeah High School yeah and then they they went to
U uh gret and went to Xavier University and got a scholarship to dealul University for she became a lawyer you know she she she took past the bar exam up in Illinois she’s a lawyer and she’s married to uh my sonin his her name is Müller m u l l
R and uh he’s an architect with a big firm up in uh Chicago and you currently live in um Cresent Springs Kentucky yeah yeah yeah I know where you live yeah down there yeah well it’s it’s been a pleasure to uh to have this interview
With you we’ve U used up our time and U I want to thank you very much for uh allowing us to uh interview today experiences in the United States Navy and we thank you for your service I thank you appreciate it very much appre than