SUBMARINE OR PHANTOM TARGET? A Search For The Truth

[<A499March@aol.com>]

   Since early 1992 I and a fellow shipmate have been researching a 29 hour 
attack on a submarine sonar contact that commenced at 1913 on July 28, 1951. 
This attack involved 5 ships from TE 95.11. They are the USS Renshaw DDE-499 
(my & my shipmate's ship), USS Ulvert M. Moore DE-442, HMCS Cayuga DDE-218, 
HMCS Huron DDE-216, & HMNS Van Galen D-803. The other 3 ships in TE 95.11 on 
this date were the 2 carriers, USS Sicily CVE-118 & HMS Glory, and the HMAS 
Warramunga D-123.
   Initially the 6 destroyers were in a circular screen around the two 
carriers. The Renshaw made the initial sonar contact. The Task Element 
Commander, Captain John S. Thach, on the Sicily ordered the Renshaw & Moore 
to initiate the attack when the submarine failed to identify itself.
   Depth charges and hedgehogs were used in this part of the attack. Diesel 
oil was observed coming to the surface after 3 depth chage attacks by the 
Renshaw and 1 by the Moore. Both ships' (Renshaw & Moore) QDAs held the 
contact at 100 feet & taking evasive action on the first 2 attacks. After 
that, both ships' QDAs indicated it had dropped to 200 feet on the 4th & 5th 
attacks.
   As the ASW weapons were nearly expended on these 2 ships, the Cayuga & 
Huron relieved them & continued the attack during the night and into the next 
day.
   At first light on the morning of July 29, 1951 the oil slick had grown to 
500 yards wide and 5 to 6 miles long. About noon on the 29th the Huron's 
remaining ASW weapons were so low that the Van Galen was ordered to relieve 
her and continue the attack.
   Official ComNavFE reports that we obtained by means of a FOIA in April of 
1993, said that we attacked a WW II wreck, the Taian Maru 2, which had been 
sunk by the USS Sealion II SS-315 on July 11, 1944. When we obtained these 
records by using the Freedom Of Information Act they were held by the Defense 
Mapping Agency, DMA (now the National Imagery And Mapping Agency, NIMA).
   At this point we obtained official Japanese records for the Taian Maru 2 
as well as two other WW II wrecks (Tsukushi M 2 & Nissei Maru) that were sunk 
within 10 miles of the point of out attack on July 28, 1951. According to the 
information released to us by our FOIA to the DMA, these are the only three 
wrecks within 10 miles of our attack coordinates.
   We had these records translated and all three ships burned coal and none 
carried any diesel oil, even for auxiliaries ( generators, etc.). This attack 
occurred in the Yellow Sea about 110 miles west of Inchon. Why did our 
government hide the facts? It might be because the peace talks had just 
commenced at Kaesong and our country was afraid that the true facts and 
outcome of this attack would halt these talks.
   At one point in our joint research we became aware that the Soviets had 
maintained a Naval Base at Port Arthur prior to 1950, through the Korean War 
(1950-1953), and beyond. Important to us was the fact that 3 different types 
of Soviet submarines were based here during these years.
   In March of 1997 we were amased to learn that 275 Chinese sailors had been 
selected by a former Soviet consultant and sent to the Soviet Naval Base at 
Lushuan (Port Arthur) in April of 1951. Of these 275 only 166 managed to 
graduate and one went on to become the Commander of the Chinese Navy. In the 
years following, the Soviets turned over several of their submarines that had 
been stationed at Port Arthur to the growing Chinese Navy.
   The focus of our research now shifted to records of these submarines at 
Port Arthur during 1950-1953 and what they did. These records were stored at 
the Central Naval Archives at Gatchina just outside St. Petersburg, Russia. 
Things went slowly (paid Russian researcher in St. Petersburg) but smoothly 
until we allowed Poland into NATO. At this point our paid researcher there 
was forbidden by the Russian government to go through these records for the 
benefit of foreign nationals.
   We are hoping that this restriction will soon be rescinded but in the 
meantime we are continuing our efforts to "put a name" to the source of the 
diesel oil that we both observed and smelled so strongly that evening on July 
28, 1951!
   We are hoping that there is someone out there that can add information, 
that can be verified, concerning this attack and its final results! Can you 
help us?
                     Allison E. March           a499march@aol.com
                     Donald C. McElfresh     a0019874@airmail.net