Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Audio Recording Warren H. Link Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: 6th Submarine Squadron (Subron)
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Chief Motor Machinist's Mate
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/18493
Warren Link served on the Tambor, the flagship of the Sixth Submarine Squadron, with
Warren H. Link Collection
Interview / Recording
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PlayWas a machinist's apprentice who got a break working on diving helmets for the Navy; he was going to night school and a professor suggested he join the Naval Reserve to put his hands on equipment he was interested in; this was 1938; Reserve called up in 1939 and he delayed entry to mentor a replacement; basic training in Norfolk in 1940; was far advanced of other new sailors in training as machinist's mates; selected submarine school. 00:05:07.5 - 00:09:46.5
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PlayTesting for claustrophobia in sub school; diving tower tested ability to escape from submerged submarine; important to release your breath as you ascend; his experience working on diving helmets helped him understand the physics of working underwater. 00:09:52.3 - 00:15:37.5
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PlayGoing to sound school; machinist's mates were trained to listen to engines for any false sounds; joining crew of the Tambor in late 1941; practice runs around Wake Island; they surfaced only at night; one night, they saw the island was on fire; this was the Japanese attack the same day as Pearl Harbor; Marines running the island refused any help; Tambor captain's policy was they would live through war by sinking ships and vacating as quickly as possible; the wake of a torpedo would lead the destroyer escorts back to them; they always got depth-charged whenever they sank a ship. 00:17:16.4 - 00:25:36.1
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PlaySank a Japanese packet (mail) boat; a $5000 gun boat sunk by their $10,000 torpedo; bomber damaged their periscope and they had to returned to Pearl just before Christmas; saw remnants of the fleet; bodies still coming to the surface; harbor was 8 inches deep in fuel oil; went there after the war and oil was still accumulating in isolated pools. 00:25:56.0 - 00:28:24.8
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PlayPut out in front of American fleet at Midway for the big battle; with six other submarines, they were watching for the Japanese fleet; their sector was where the fleet came through; they sailed underwater through the fleet, using a Jane's reference book to identify the individual ships; their periscope was leaving a plume that could be spotted, even in the dark; two cruisers pulled out to pursue them and the Tambor dove quickly; the ships ran into each other, causing major damage to one, and the Tambor got the credit for the damage. 00:30:23.0 - 00:33:51.5
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PlayCommunicating with Admiral Spruance on the composition of the Japanese fleet; they were first to notify of the presence of the fleet; had "a little set-to" during the Battle of Midway; disabled by bombs; he was hit on the head by a wrench, which knocked him out cold; they had to go back to port for repairs. 00:34:13.3 - 00:40:56.7
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PlayBringing hand grenades into the Philippines to supply the guerrillas; danger in moving cases of grenades from the sub to improvised guerrilla vessels; did regular patrols through the islands; tricky navigation between their home base of Perth, Australia and the Philippines; explanation of how Japanese calibrated their depth charges; concussion from the blast can make your ears pop and knock you off your feet if your knees are not slightly bent to take the shock. 00:43:42.1 - 00:54:20.7
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PlayPhysical reaction to constant depth charges: combination of being at duty station for hours without a bathroom break and force of the concussions had loosening effect on the bladder; during depth charge attack, everyone stripped down to shorts and sandals, because the air conditioning was off and there was a lot of perspiring; also outbreaks of prickly heat; painful but effective cure for it; these are details movies about submarines never show. 00:56:46.5 - 01:01:40.7
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PlayWhen you sink a ship, you aren't thinking of the people on board but the cargo it's carrying; U.S. subs sank many more Japanese ships than their surface counterparts; one in every five submariners and 52 submarines were lost during the war; began the war with 12 ships in their "subron" (Submarine Squadron) and ended it with only two, the Tambor and the Thresher; evasive strategies his captains used after firing torpedoes; taking 70 depth charges in one attack that lasted 16 hours; staying on bottom for that time and getting stuck in the sand and mire; losing over 10,000 gallons of fuel in the effort to get free; Link lowered into the periscope housing to retrieve two dials which had jarred loose; he was the only man small enough for the job; Tokyo Rose reporting the Tambor had been sunk and the report getting back to Washington, where the wife of one of the crew read it; they radioed in the contradiction shortly thereafter. 01:02:41.4 - 01:18:54.7
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PlayAfter the war was over, he put away everything related to his service in a chest and got on with his life; worked for General Electric for 15 years, recruited by J.C. Penney, which credited his service at GE as an incentive; was head of customer relations for major appliance repair; developed a friendship with Mr. Penney, who told him if Link could stand depth charges, he could stand listening to an irate customer. 01:22:59.5 - 01:27:08.1
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PlayEarly in the war, he designed a system to circulate water that would cool the engines in the submarine; got a commendation for that. 01:29:52.7 - 01:30:25.0
More Resources
About this Item
Title
- Warren H. Link Collection
Names
- Norlander, Denis
- Albuquerque Older Adult Enrichment Program (OASIS)
- Courtnage, Lee
- Link, Warren H.
Home State
- New Mexico
Headings
- - Link, Warren H.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: 6th Submarine Squadron (Subron)
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Chief Motor Machinist's Mate
- Dates of Service: 1938-1945
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2003-06-26; 2003-06-26)
- Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Printed matter [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected unknown)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-06-26)
- Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Creative works [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Maps [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected unknown)
- Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [4 items] -- Photograph (collected 1942-1947)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/18493
Cite as
- Warren H. Link Collection (AFC/2001/001/18493), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image