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ENCOUNTER WITH SUBMARINE
SS Frederic R. Kellogg
The Esso tanker Frederic R. Kellogg, while under the command of Captain Anthony J. Coumelis and with Chief Engineer Bernhard R. F. Olsson in charge of her engineroom, sighted a submarine's periscope on December 5, 1942 while en route from Balboa, Canal Zone, to Aruba. The vessel was about fifty-one miles from Aruba and within sight of Los Monges Island, near the entrance to the Gulf of Venezuela, when the incident occurred.
Ensign Elmer C. Brewton, USNR, commanding the tanker's gun crew, described the ensuing action in his report to the Chief of Naval Operations:
"1. The following is a log of events relative to the subject:
"0730-EWT. Bridge reported the sighting of submarine periscope on port bow. General alarm rung. Ship swung hard astern to submarine and periscope immediately submerged. Periscope was 600 feet away, six points on port beam. Submarine traveling at about eight knots in a southwest direction at Latitude 12°33' North and Longitude 70°36' West.
"Gunnery officer and seven members of crew on the 4-inch 50 caliber platform on the dawn watch, others nearby, this gun being the only gun on the ship. Our ship was sailing 99° true at approximately 9 knots and water was 50 fathoms deep. On sighting the submarine, master ordered engine wide open and vessel reached the speed of 11.5 knots. On our starboard bow, half a mile away, was a disabled unknown tanker, under tow, traveling at 280° true. We cut across her line of course, forward of her bow, immediately upon sighting the periscope.
"0733-EWT. Opened fire on starboard quarter at expected position for appearance of periscope. Periscope was sighted the second time, but submerged before our range was brought down enough for a hit. At this time periscope was about one point on the starboard quarter. Ship swung astern of submarine and we cut back across the line of course, forward of the bow of the unknown tanker.
"0735-EWT. Periscope sighted third time two points abaft port quarter. Ship was swung slowly astern to submarine and cut very close astern of the unknown tanker under tow.
Knocked Off Periscope
"Our 16th round knocked the periscope off. Shot hit in the wake of our ship, making a direct hit on the submarine; a black puff of smoke and explosion of projectile was seen as the shell hit the water line of the periscope. The water seemed to open up on the sides of the projectile after it hit. About four feet of periscope was seen to topple over and roll backwards, as though a lid were turned bottom side up. Noticed churning of water or bubbles rising to the surface and bursting for fifty or more feet, apparently astern of the submarine and perpendicular to the line of fire. Bubbles soon covered a greater distance, approxi-mately 100 feet.
"The 17th round was a hit with rapid fire; explosion seen at water's edge, bubbles and churn of water still seen - similar to several propellers churning the water. The 18th round was fired immediately and it ricocheted. After the 18th round, a few seconds elapsed; then we fired the 19th round into the bubbles or churning, which was still present.
"0739-EWT. Ceased firing; 19 rounds expended, no casualties. Submarine believed to be sunk. Soon our ship resumed normal course of 99° true.
Praise for Tanker's Master
"0743-EWT. Rising bubbles and churn of water not seen, probably due to distance we had gained.
"Due credit must be given to our captain, who did a splendid and perfect job of maneuvering the ship and keeping the sub-marine dead astern. The captain and the first mate gave 100 per cent cooperation in helping to make our engagement a suc-cess. Some members of the merchant crew helped in passing the ammunition from the magazine to the gun platform.
"We are definitely sure that we damaged the submarine and it is our belief that we 'sank same. The Navy can best judge the extent of our damage and we are anxious to hear further confirmation, if any, of our action."
Captain Coumelis, in his report of the action, gave the following information:
"On December 5, 1942 at 7:30 a.m., EWT, in Latitude 12°33' North, Longitude 70°36' West, on a 99° true course, a submarine periscope was sighted approximately six points on the port beam, traveling in a southwesterly direction and about six hundred feet off.
"Immediately the general alarm was rung, the wheel was put hard over right, and speed was increased to the utmost in an endeavor to place the submarine astern and increase distance as much as possible between the submarine and the vessel.
"About two minutes later I sighted the periscope again, one and one-halt points approximately on the starboard quarter and immediately orders to open fire on that bearing were given to gunnery officer, who at once directed his fire accordingly.
"About 7:36 a.m., for the third time I sighted the periscope, two points on the port quarter. This bearing was given to the gunnery officer, who immediately directed his fire in that direction. At that time, the periscope was in the wake of the Frederic R. Kellogg, which was swung slowly so as to bring the submarine dead astern without affecting the accuracy of the fire.
"The sixteenth and seventeenth shots apparently were hits.
"When the projectile hit the water, I observed the water open, and black smoke and a churning or big bubbles about forty feet or more in length, at right angles with the line of the projectile, resembling a wake of a vessel under way. This churning or bubbles lasted about four or five minutes.
"At 7:39 a.m., cease fire order was given, as there was no longer any evidence of the submarine.
"During this time, a vessel in tow was proceeding in a westerly direction about two miles off. She was informed of the pre-sence of the submarine by visual signaling.
"At 8:45 a.m., EWT, radio silence was broken;
I radioed sighting submarine and resumed normal speed."
The SS Frederic R. Kellogg was built in 1917 by the Moore & Scott Iron Works, at Oakland, Calif.
A single-screw vessel of 11,050 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 27 feet, she has an overall length of 440 feet, a length between perpendiculars of 425 feet, a breadth moulded of 57 feet, and a moulded depth of 33 feet. With a cargo carrying capacity of 82,305 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 3,500 barrels an hour.
Her triple expansion engine, supplied with steam by three Scotch boilers, develops 3,000 indicated horsepower and gives her a classification certified speed of 10.4 knots.
When war was declared in Europe on September 3, 1939, the Frederic R. Kellogg was en route from Recife to Aruba, where she arrived September 6 to load 72,748 barrels of gasoline and kerosene which she delivered at Baton Rouge on Septem-ber 22. She was commanded by Captain Aage Petersen and her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer Paul H. Franzen. Before departing from Baton Rouge she took on a cargo of 78,712 barrels of Varsol and kerosene consigned to New York. The rest of the year she lifted her cargoes at Baton Rouge twice and once each at Aruba and Galveston.
During the years 1940 and 1941 the vessel transported forty-seven cargoes, totaling 3,304,458 barrels of petroleum pro-ducts. These voyages were from Gulf, Caribbean, and South American ports to United States east coast discharge points, with the exception of a trip to Bermuda in March of 1940.
In the dangerous year 1942 the Frederic R. Kellogg traversed the submarine infested coastal waters of North and South America, but she was untouched by the enemy. Her deliveries during that year were made at New York five times, Cristobal twice, and once each at San Antonio in Chile, Montevideo, Jacksonville, and Aruba. It was while on her trip from Balboa to Aruba, December 2 to 5, that she encountered the submarine.
Her last two wartime years in the Esso fleet took her on six voyages to South America, where she discharged three times at Santos and once each at Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Natal.
On her voyage to Rio de Janeiro, the Frederic R. Kellogg left Caripito in convoy on May 3, 1943 with a cargo of 70,878 bar-rels of fuel oil. On May 9 and 10 she fueled four escort vessels at sea, transferring a total of 1,965 barrels of cargo, without difficulty, to the destroyer USS Borie (DD 704) and the corvettes USS Courage (PG 70), USS Tenacity (PG 71), and USS Saucy (PG 65).
Arriving at Rio de Janeiro May 21, the tanker discharged part of her cargo at the Cats do Porto and loaded a deck cargo of Navy stores. Later she shifted to Governador Island to finish unloading her bulk cargo. On May 26 she stopped at Salvador, Brazil, to discharge the deck cargo and on June 3 resumed her sea passage to Caripito, arriving on June 15.
After returning to New York on March 3, 1944, the Frederic R. Kellogg was turned over to War Emergency Tankers, Inc., on March 14.
The wartime transportation record of the Frederic R. Kellogg while a member of the Esso fleet was in summary as follows:
Voyages
The masters of the Frederic R. Kellogg from September 3, 1939 to March 14, 1944 were Captains Aage Petersen, Herbert A. Nelson, William Mello, Daniel H. Larsen, Leslie D. Cushman, Kenneth Wing, John J. Cienciva, Eric R. Blomquist, Robert J. Blair, Chester S. Swanner, Anthony J. Coumelis, Harold Holmberg, Olaf Andersen, and Charles F. Bossom.
In charge of the engineroom during the same period were Chief Engineers Paul H. Franzen, Joseph M. Farrell, John V. F. Brown, Frank J. Burchalewski, Bernhard R. F. Olsson, Charles K. Helton, and William L. Naughton.
From March 14, 1944, until the end of hostilities, while the Frederic R. Kellogg was operated for War Emergency Tankers, Inc., her masters were Captains Charles F. Bossom and Richard F. Ludden. Her engineroom was in charge of Chief En-gineers Charles K. Helton, Leroy E. Dwelly, Stephen Chucalo, Edward Madsen, and Skold T. Anderson.
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