Typhoon Cobra - When the weather does more damage than the enemy
Let Audible help you discover new ways to laugh, be inspired, or be entertained. New members can try Audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com/drachinifel or text drachinifel to 500-500.
Today we take a look at the first of 'Halsey's Typhoons', what happened, why, and who had a lucky escape?
Sources:
US National Archive Videos 428-NPC-7014/12305/6846/6845
www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Cobra-Ad...
www.amazon.co.uk/Down-Sea-Sto...
www.history.navy.mil/about-us...
www.usni.org/press/books/bull...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:06 - Background
00:08:50 - The storm gathers
00:14:02 - The seas rise
00:19:24 - Running before the storm
00:28:00 - The typhoon hits
00:41:38 - Ships are lost
00:48:46 - Pint-size hero
00:55:45 - Aftermath
Free naval photos and more - www.drachinifel.co.uk
Want to support the channel? - / drachinifel
Want a shirt/mug/hoodie - shop.spreadshirt.com/drachini...
Want a poster? - www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Drachinifel
Want to talk about ships? / discord
Want to get some books? www.amazon.co.uk/shop/drachinifel
Drydock Episodes in podcast format - / user-21912004
Music - / ncmepicmusic
Pinned post for Q&A :)
On the category rating system used for hurricanes, Typhoon Cobra would be a Category 3 or 4
Crazy alt history: In the late 1930s, Japanese-German relationships degrade, first due to Germany providing military aid to China when the IJA is trying to conquer it, and later due to Germany signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact when Japan is fighting the USSR. The IJN, seeing this as a good opportunity to strike back at its eternal rival the IJA, uses this as an excuse to take control of the government from the IJA and force the civilian government to cut ties with Germany. Shortly afterwards, Germany invades Poland and kicks off WWII in Europe, followed shortly after by the USSR, and Japan declares war against Germany in exchange for being provided oil by the European powers. Seeing that the tripartite pact is falling apart, Italy opts out of the war when Germany launches its invasion of France, and the German-Soviet alliance holds strong. After the Battle of Britain, things on land mostly remain a stalemate in Europe though the IJA is losing badly to the USSR in the east, and this allows Germany and the USSR to start their surface fleet expansion programs (Plan Z and Stalin's insane fleet plans); the Royal Navy, Marine Nationale and the IJN aren't about to take this lying down and go through with their own historical naval expansion plans, and the US also starts production on the ships of the Two Ocean Navy Act and then further adds onto it, both to deal with the German/Soviet forces and to counter Japan once this war is dealt with By around 1942, the German-Soviet Alliance launches a major offensive to take the Balkans and the Middle East, which in turn causes Italy and the US to join with the Allies (Italy to protect its own interests and the US to counter communism). As the war effort intensifies, both Japan and the US commit much of their naval forces to Europe over the next year or two, resulting in a major Allied naval buildup in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and a smaller but still significant German-Soviet naval buildup in Occupied France, Norway, the Baltic and the Black Sea by 1944. What do the Atlantic and Mediterranean naval theaters look like in this alternate WWII, how long does it take for the USN/RN/IJN/RM/MN alliance (plus various minor Allies) to wipe the seas clear of Kriegsmarine and Red Fleet units, what do the various naval actions look like (convoy supply battles? German/Soviet breakout attempts? Mass carrier strikes facing off against the Luftwaffe?), and how many losses do they take in the process?
You must design your own battleship to be completed in 1940. The nation is your choice, and it will be expected to in historical battles. How do you proceed?
Who is narrating the voice of the crewman on USS Independence?
If this had been a Royal Navy fleet, do you think the admiral in charge would have done things differently? Also what would you have done?
My dad served as the Aerographers Mate aboard BB-60 (USS Alabama) and recalled that he was one of the few weathermen whose forecast called for a typhoon. He was later called before Adm. Halsey to explain how his forecast predicted a typhoon, whereas the majority of forecasts did not. My dad also recalled how he was experiencing spray from the high waves even though his station and quarters were at the very top of the superstructure. Today, one can still climb up to his cabin at the top of Alabama; it was a real thrill for me to do so!
Awesome
Is the top of Alabama near Tennessee?
@@jeebusk Alabama's northern border is with Tennessee.
My grandfather was on board the Bama. I remember him telling me about this when I was a kid, but, unfortunately, I don't remember much of it. While listening to the video I was reading her War Dairy for the typhoon. Crazy how you know whats going on, but the dairy reads like any other day in spite of being stuck in a typhoon.
@@Plaprad different boats probably had different experiences.
Halsey: What is thy bidding my master? Admiral King: What is thy bidding? How about I bid thee, to stop ramming the fleet into F****** typhoons.
Oh unexpected Robot Chicken reference
@@ph89787 is that a sign of the decline of our civilization, or the elevation or the satirical art form?
@@philvanderlaan5942 satirical
@@philvanderlaan5942 "Archeologists in the year 2400 AD discovered that as empires and civilization declined, the memes increased in frequency and intensity." - Babylon Bee
@@cbbees1468 to quote River Song ( Mrs Dr. Who) ‘ Spoilers ‘
Admiral Halsey: 3 Destroyers Sunk, Hundreds of souls lost. Rear Admiral Sperry: One ship reports one soul lost due to high seas. Another ship reports one soul gained due to high seas.
Context please?
@@delta5-126 journey of the white fleet video by drach - person washed off deck in high seas turned up on another boat further back in the line.
@@PCardon13 It’s one of my favorite videos as Drach gushes over the then American peacetime paint scheme and good ol Teddy Roosevelt.
Dad was aboard the USS Spence that fateful day. Lost several friends to sharks also
Phrases such as "the worlds first VTOL Hellcat" are one of the reasons I love Drach
Points for "Prometheus school of fleeing" as well!
@@Jimorian yeah, looks like Drach has watched a few CinemaSins vids, I half expected the classic sin counter to ding with him saying that
That's what I love about this channel
"3D game of Frogger."
I like the lines "anything not bolted down was out to get you and even some of the things bolted down found new and interesting ways to get free"
My grandfather was a 20mm Gunner's mate onboard New Jersey. He used to tell stories about Typhoon Cobra and how he had a good friend on USS Spence. Their last conversation was them shouting messages at each other across the waves as Spence tried and failed to take on fuel from New Jersey. My grandfather never forgave Halsey and cursed him to his dying day for his actions and inactions surrounding Typhoon Cobra.
My uncle, James P. Andrea was the captain of the Spence and was lost at sea on December 18 1944, along with many more men. The fleet was directed into the typhoon by faulty weather forecasting. The ships ran out of fuel and ballast.
"Perturbed by nearly having a unexpected 2000 ton lunchguest" Drach-ism of the day? :D
''...play a lethal 3d game of Frogger.'', was pretty good too. 😆
*"The mark of a great shiphandler is never getting into situations that require great shiphandling."* -Earnest King
My father, Edward Brown, was assigned to the USS Monaghan (DD-354) as a torpedoman right after Pearl Harbor and stayed aboard her for most of the war. He was by a stroke of fate and luck, to have been transferred right before her last voyage to attend a course at Mare Island, CA. I have his diary from the war, and includes the heartbreaking account the day he found out that she went down with many of the men he had served with. Though he was later assigned to a Gearing class destroyer he would only talk about "his" ship, the Monaghan. Thank you Drachinifel, for another coverage a major Naval event. I wish my father could have seen it. He would have loved it.
Worth noting on the Hull, there's rumors of the officers onboard wanted to relieve the Hull's captain of his command, which inspires the novel and movie The Caine Mutiny
That is heartbreaking if you know the bonds men and women at war form.
As a former fleet gunner's mate and plankowner of an Arleigh Burke class DDG, I 100% understand his loyalty to and fondness for "his" ship. Without sounding overly sappy, you develop a bond when you've sailed many thousands of sea miles - with both your ship and shipmates 🇺🇲⚓️🇺🇲
Roland, it was likely My Grandfather Lloyd S. Served with your Father !!! Heroes All !!!
We're there Any true Non Essential Ww2 personnel serving the allies any place?
I am so happy you mentioned USS Tabberer. I first learned of her when I read Down to the Sea years ago. The ship and all who served on her are among the unsung heroes of WW2. Lieutenant Commander Plage was always modest about the role he played in conning his ship through the storm. Crediting his crew and the grace of god for seeing them through. One crewmember commented "God had a little help from the Captain". When Halsey presented Plage with his legion of merit, he was surprised to learn that Plage was not even 30 years old and was a naval reservist who got his commission from Georgia Tech. Halsey commented "how could Japan hope to defeat a country that could pull boys like out out of thin air?"
In Halsey's Typhoon, it's mentioned that Plage was expecting a court martial for refusing orders.
@@wolfbyte3171 Excellent read and I seem to remember that the captain of Hull was found holding a fire ax when he was picked up.
@wolfbyte3171 I imagine in most circumstances he would have been. However, a court martial would have made it very public that the orders that Plage refused were to abandon fellow sailors to the sea. Plage would look like a hero and Halsey would be publicly seen to have abandoned his men who could have been saved to the sea.
The captain is a true hero. Also, I believe Plage is french for beach..
Ddzang, that is probably the most profound quote I've ever heard of Halsey making. Not that I am knocking Halsey, just haven't heard much of the stuff he is known for saying except for the quote he made after seeing the wreckage & flotsam, jetsam of Pearl Harbor. The "when I am done the Japanese language will only be spoken in hell." Which, of course, boasting such things doesn't exactly impress me but after the death toll of the Pearl Harbor attack especially with Arizona going down with all hands such a quote is understandable if not in fact commendable.
Steaming in Pacific storms is no joke. My ship purposely hid in a large storm while tracking OKEAN 75, the large Soviet fleet exercise of that year. Seven days of 35deg rolls with my 17,000 ton ship twisting on its expansion joints like a snake in the water. Green water over the bow up to the lower forward missile launcher was a regular event with each plunge into the waves. A couple of us went up to the 08 Level open bridge to view the surroundings - at more than 100' above the main deck it was quite an experience whipping port and starboard with the crazy seas. At the end of our surveillance period a warning was made throughout the ship 24-hours ahead of our turn out of the storm - we'd be turning beam-to the winds and waves to get clear on a reciprocal course. The turn began and the ship heeled over...over...over during the turn - a 1.5 ton warhead handling carriage broke loose from its steel hold-down clamps and launched across 15 feet of deck and through the bulkhead of Sick Bay narrowly missing personnel there. A 40+ degree angle of heel for close to 3 minutes during the turn. Not a typhoon, not even a tropical depression of any size; just a Pacific storm in May of 1975. I'll never forget it. Great video, Drach. Well done.
Reminds me of a return to Esquimalt on board HMCS Qu'Appelle DDE 264 in 77, we hit a winter storm a day out with a 30' swell and 15' waves on top. We had quite a roll going quartering into the seas with water constantly over the deck, thankfully watch as port lookout was spent in the relative comfort of the bridge instead of the wing.
Frightening. And crazy that it was just a storm.
My uncle was in the “Okinawa” LPH 6 or 3… I’ve forgotten. Anyway, he came home calling his captain a typhoon hunter. He said, even tho it was an aircraft carrier, (albeit, for helicopters) , men were thrown from their racks! Don’t know if this was the same typhoon, but the dates match up. Sadly, he has passed, so I can’t clarify the dates.
Got caught in a storm in the North Sea in Nov '77, onboard HMCS Huron. At times we were looking up at the top of the waves, from the bridge which was almost 40 ft above the waterline. Our wind vane was torn off and helicoptered into the storm. Our big SWR antenna had to be shut down to stop the motor from frying, as it couldn't turn agaibst the wind. There were times too the inclinometer bubble was buried, past 40°. We could feel her quivering when heeled hard over almost at the tipping point. I wasn't the only one encouraging her to come back, you really don't want to keep going. Quite the wild night.
That wouldn't happen to be USS Long Beach would it?
The fact that some of the men survived overboard in the sea in a typhoon is absolutely incredible and a testament to their strength.
I cannot even imagine experiencing that
It's truly a shame that Halsey left them to die. With the ocean being such a vast expanse, you could only imagine how many escaped their ships to only succumb to the sea. If Tabberer alone collected about half of the survivors within the first two days, and the other half where divided among late rescuers, I'd say at least as many who were rescued probably died. Ocean search and rescue is absolutely time critical, and the bulk of the rescue efforts were late.
The lives of the many outweigh the few.
@@Redmanfms Except he didn't save the lives of the many. He ignored weather reports because of internal politick and that killed dozens WHILE losing over a hundred aircraft and untold damage to the whole fleet.
@erikcrouch7881 Estimated 790 souls lost that day in '44. Rescued estimated at abt 100. Dad was on the USS Spence
My Father survived the typhoon aboard USS Pritchett DD561. He told me: “ The only time during the war when I was in genuine fear of my life was during the Typhoon. I was there in the wheel house watching the inclinometer as it passed 45 degrees. We waited and prayed the ship would come back to vertical. The stoves broke loose in the galley injuring a couple of the cooks. It just went on and on. Way too rough for the cooks to prepare any food. There were sandwiches, but we were all too sea sick to eat.I truly prayed for my life”
I remember my brother talking about the USS Pritchett. He was stationed on it sometime in the late 50’s or early 60’s. I was only 5 or 6 at the time. He was a quartermaster. I do remember his stories 😮 about walking on the walls during heavy seas.
@@dflo4165 FYI, The Pritchett was the last of the Fletcher class destroyers to leave service in the USN. 1970. It was sold to the Italian Navy. They scrapped it about 1977.
My grandfather was a mess officer on the USS Cowpens CVL-25. He used to say that the weather was more dangerous than any actions they ever participated in.
A Canon Class Destroyer Escort DE-742 USS Hilbert survived this event. On board was a young man who later fathered my mom and 6 other children. RiP George Daniel McCarthy.
My Grandad was on the USS Hull. Lieutenant Arthur Fabrick.
My father, ship fitter Leonard Glaser, served on the USS Taberer, DE 418, during typhoon cobra, and multiple battles. As damage control, he volunteered to cut through cables connecting the mast to the ship after the mast snapped during the typhoon as it was threatening to puncture the hull of the tiny destroyer escort. He volunteered to go over the side with ropes tied around him carrying an ox-acetyline torch during the typhoon. He and his crew members survived. He was very modest about this, saying that it was his job. His ship was saved and went on to rescue survivors from the Hull and Spence. My father and mother would attend yearly reunions of the Taberer crew with survivors rescued from the tragic disaster. I was able to attend one of the later reunions. Meeting some of the brave heroes and survivors and seeing some of their families was beyond description. My father passed away 10 years ago. He will never be forgotten ♥️. For further information, please refer to "Halsey's typhoon" Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, pages 210 and 211. Grove press, copyright 2007.
I almost fainted at "ox-acetyline torch". I mean "lashed overboard in a typhoon" is damned nuts but with a frigging explosive in his hand??
Halsey listening to his Met guys and getting caught by the typhoon is probably unfortunate bad luck however the subsequent lack of any organised search and rescue is inexcusable! Halsey abandoned an unknown number of his own sailors to die in the sea! This was the first time I’d heard about the heroic efforts of the USS Tabberer’s captain and crew. Few awards can have been more deserved.
As he did when he left the landing forces unprotected at Leyte, to go after the decoy group
@@herrvorragend882 and didn't he throw a tantrum when that was found to be a decoy and delay actually sending aid back to aid the DDs and escort carriers? The guy does not deserve the reputation people lavish on him
If only Halsey wasn't himself left in the violent sea to be left behind & thus converted into shark poo. 🦈💩
@@scottyfox6376 "Where is the Admiral?" "dunno, last i saw him was on the bridge wing before that last wave........"
@@RedtailFox1 I'd call it the USN good ol' boy club culture at work. You could see that fiasco's like Savo Bay, the mutiny sortie during Midway, the Iowa explosion, the USS Stark incident - where all fairly muted stories despite the huge implications of duty dereliction. The US Navy is still loath to acknowledge disgraced seniority; they scapegoated a junior enlisted sailor for the Bonham Richard fire, when in reality, the loss of the ship was gross negligence on behalf of the flag officers response and coordination efforts, and lack of leadership governing crew training all allowed the ship to burn out of control. It is like a game of delegating or burying mistakes while emphasizing anything that could be career endorsing. In my experience, it is such a desperate straw grabbing effort, that I watched an admiral take a spotlight to credit herself for distantly being in charge of a KIA FMF corpsman.
A friend of my grandpa Pat Douhan was a survivor from USS Hull. My grandpa would poke fun at him for his naval experience saying it was just a fishing trip and Pat would always say they didn't do very good cuz they were using their toes as bait.
Worth noting on the Hull, there's rumors of the officers onboard wanted to relieve the Hull's captain of his command during the storm, which inspires the novel and movie The Caine Mutiny
"...at 1314, after the worst of the storm's violence had passed, Halsey issued a typhoon warning." In a word: UNBELIEVABLE.
OMG! I have been a student of the war in the Pacific for most of my 74 years. The navy's battle with The Typhoon is legend, even appearing in classic works of fiction such as "The Caine Mutiny," but I have never in all of my reading encountered a more thorough and comprehensive treatment than this video. I've always known you were good, and have been entertained by and learned from many of your presentations, but this is above and beyond. You have joined the rarified ranks of my personal pantheon of the BEST naval historians alive. You, sir, are a legend.
Humphrey Bogart gave one of the best performance of his career in The Caine Mutiny. The fear on the bridge of the Caine was palpable.
IIRC the author rode out Cobra on some ship and this inspired the Caine Mutiny. There was apparently talk of relieving the Captain of USS Hull, but was shot down by the XO I believe, as "there had never been a mutiny on a US Navy ship". The captain, LTCMDR Rodgers, was found with an axe. Mostly against sharks, but one survivor was quoted as saying "he had that hatchet to make sure none of his own crew would try to get rid of him."
@@bobkitchin8346, have to agree. That whole cast came together to create a whole better than the sum of its parts.
@@wolfbyte3171, I was unable to confirm Wouk's presence in the typhoon with a quick internet search, but it wouldn't surprise me. He served in the Pacific as a naval officer on two destroyers throughout the war and was writing his first novel in his spare time, as was the Fred MacMurray character in the film. Almost begs too much of coincidence.
The book Halsey's typhoon is a good read. I'm sure this constituted 90% of his research.
The book "Down to The Sea", which I purchased after having it recommended by viewers here years ago on Drach's channel, really paints the violence of the storm. It also will make you most displeased with Halsey. When you combine this situation with him taking the bait at Leyte Gulf and leaving the invasion fleet alone...Not fantastic decisions.
Keep in mind though, hind sight is always 20/20. We have the ability to be displeased because we have access to a lot of information they may not have had. I am not defending Halsey, but I'm also not going to throw stones either. There are too many factors we still don't know and probably will never know for me.
I know this book. Your conclusions were all wrong - Halsey acted stupidly.
@@Strelnikov403 I think you misunderstand my original comment...I very much agree Halsey acted recklessly and has blood on his hands.
@@Strelnikov403 Oh...Nevermind. Red Octob3r. Got it.
@@mattblom3990 He´s quoting Marko Ramius from The Hunt for Red October.
When the barometer does a crash dive.
G-r-o-a-n.
My grandpa went through this on the USS Monterey.
That must've been an experience!
Let’s be honest those two USS Aylwin crew deserve recognition for their efforts, I know a MoH is out of the question since it was non combat but maybe at least a navy cross?!?! ( i know its also a combat award but hell the typhoon was an enemy too)
I'm a naval veteran. I served as a ship's navigator, communications officer, operations officer and executive officer on board four different ships. I have experienced heavy weather. In one instance 14 million dollars worth of damage was done to the vessel. After reading "Halsey's Typhoon", I'm left with the opinion that this was an example of groupthink among Halsey staff and possibly "go fever" amongst the other captains. As evidence for groupthink, I point to the fact that there were members of Halsey staff that even after the typhoon testified that it was a "storm". Additionally, though the flagship, New Jersey, suffered some damage she came through relatively unscathed. This means that members of the staff were safe in their beds at the time others aboard destroyers and CVLwere fighting for their last breath.
Lost an Uncle, George Svouros, on DD512 USS Spence December 18th 1944. 44 years later my son George was born on December 18th. Although I never met my uncle I heard all wonderful things about him. Even had a chance to talk to his old girlfriend. The loss of my uncle nearly destroyed the family because my grandfather had to approve him joining the Navy and I don't think my grandmother forgave him.
The 410-420 range of DE's sure does have a lot of heroes
"Your conclusions were all wrong, Ryan. Halsey acted stupidly." Amazingly this will not be the only incident Halsey does this blunder. I also hold his decisions at the Battle of Leyte Gulf against him, on top of running Third Fleet into a typhoon. Twice.
At first I thought that quote was directed at Ryan Szmanski, as he also loves Halsey (because he ridiculously believes Halsey is a draw to USS NJ and he doesn't want to affect ticket sales). Then my Tom Clancy brain turned on and I remembered Captain Ramius.
Leyte Gulf is much more forgiveable than this.
Good lord, what hell that was. I'd rather lose my life to the enemy. At least it would count for something. But a storm? Poor guys. Drach, you've done a masterful job explaining Just how awful this event was. Explaining the human suffering down to the seawater- in -open -sores wounds really shows your attention paid to the depth of your work. Well done, sir.
He's mentioned this event in passing, but it's nice to have dedicated videos.
A pilot that claims to fear nothing is a liar. All pilots fear the weather.
I disliked Halsey when I only had a cursory knowledge of this. Now I despise him. All sailors should first and foremost beware of the sea.
I remember discussing this with Drach on the Iowa, weather forcasting was improving Rapidly during WW2, but most of the command staff grew up in an Era, where the US coastline could be hit by unexpected Hurricanes. The Great Hurricane of 1938 hit the North East Coastline without warning. They only had an accurate Barometer reading because someone on eastern Long Island had mail ordered a Barometer from Sears, that arrived that morning. The owner took it to the post office to return it to Sears because it was Broken, the reading was impossibly low. By the the time the Barometer owner was at the post office, his house had been washed away by the hurricane. The Barometer was correct. Getting clobbered by storms was an expected event in those days. Hard to imagine in our weather Satellite, and data model prediction environment now..
as children, one of my neighbors, with her sister, rode a mattress close to a mile to high ground during the 38 hurricane. My inlaws tell of fantastic water levels in their town.
“And Then, it got worse “…. Yep that t-shirt will always have a story to go with it
I rode a typhoon in the south China sea. CVN70 had 3 feet of water rolling down the flight deck. Scared the hell out of me.
try 30?
I WOULD THINK THAT THEY HAD TO USE A SHOEHORN TO FIT THE VAW AIRCRAFT INTO THE CARL VINSON HANGAR-BAYS
It just goes to show that no matter how strong we build ships or how arrogantly we think they are unsinkable, the power of nature leaves us humbled and in awe of her fury,
YEP!
"Get off my pond!"
HMS Victorious: what typhoon?
In the book "Halsey's Typhoon" by Bob Drury and Tom Chavin, they wrote that Halsey intentionally wanted to take advantage of the typhoon by following behind it to launch airstrikes.
This is true, turns out the seas were too rough :D
This is a regrettably timely episode, given that a Thai corvette just went down in a storm a few days ago, in much the same manner as some of the destroyers.
This is truly one of the finest segments you have ever done. A great story, well told. 1. Someone needs to make a great dramatic film about Cobra and TF 38's fight for life. 2. Those two men on Aylwin deserved the Congressional Medal of Honor. 3. Halsey was a great fighting admiral but he was raked over the coals for this and deserved to be. From the evidence of Cobra and Leyte it seems that he was past his best by 1944. Aggression is a great quality, but it must be tempered by good judgement. 4. Tabberer...what a magnificent ship and crew. 5. The novel, play, and film "The Caine Mutiny" was partly inspired-based on what happened during Typhoon Cobra.
Great Video! Thank you for posting it. I wish my dad was still with us, he would have loved your series. He went through this Typhoon on a Sumner Class Destroyer USS Taussig (DD 746) they were considered 2,200 ton "Heavies" designed and built for the pacific conditions. He didn't talk much about the war or battles, but he did mention this storm a few times. Said he was never so sick in his life. (Fact is, everyone was throwing up all over the place). He did mention the loss of the other destroyers. Didn't say much but you could tell even after all those years it still affected him. He actually went through two typhoons in the pacific, this one, and another on Jun 5 Don't know the name of that one. His battle station was a loader on a 40 quad, but his post was a lookout on the bridge. (He always could look up and tell me what kind of plane was flying over at a glance when we went to air shows) I have "Radar Picket" sheets that he got after they were done with them. shows the formation of the fleet on any given day, along with the ship number, name and "Code Name" Taussig was "Terrific" Another event he also mentioned a few times, was when they made a run-on Tokyo Bay. Just three weeks before they surrendered, nine destroyers made a run into the bay. Dad said it was the only time they had all boilers fired and run the ship as hard as they ever did. (And he was a plank holder, so he'd been on it from the day they splashed it). They fired everything had on their way in and out. Another note: During WWII the navy only picked up two kamikaze pilots that survived. Taussig picked up one. My dad was there and took a picture of him. I still have it.
After learning about this, and about Halsey's behavior during Leyte Gulf, I realize that having Spruance and Fletcher in command at Midway had a greater effect on Japanese plans that realized. Facing the two more cautious Admirals derailed their plans completely.
The only reason Halsey kept his command after Leyte and TWO typhoons was the media coverage he received. He was the darling of the main stream media, always ready with a good sound bite, and he was too popular amongst the public and by extension Congress. Any other Commander would have and should have been beached.
Yeah He was an egotistical Idiot ! If taffy 3 hadn’t done what it did and the Japanese had gotten in amongst the landing force then I think he would have been given a parachute and kicked out over Japan.
I know the reason why (As you stated), but always find it troubling on how McCain was reassigned after the 2nd typhoon incident but Halsey was allowed to remain in command. Even in that I think politics came into play, as McCain's replacement was John Towers, who had been itching to have a sea going command throughout the entire war, and McCain was viewed as a late comer to the naval aviation circle.
I am afraid you are totally right
(On not being promoted to FADM, from his biography written by Buell): Spruance expressed his personal feelings on the matter in a 1965 letter to Professor E. B. Potter of the United States Naval Academy. “So far as my getting five star rank is concerned,” wrote Spruance, “if I could have had it along with Bill Halsey, that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would have been very unhappy over it. The present situation is that World War II will have been over twenty years next August, which is a long time. Also, the central and western parts of the Pacific Ocean are a long way from Washington.” Shame a classier and more competent admiral got shunned because Vinson was such a fanboy.
Better not beached but shot. Ultimate command is complemented by ultimate responsibility
My father was a radarman aboard USS Cowpens (CVL-25), scheduled to transfer off the carrier within a couple of weeks when Cobra struck. He and a shipmate were the last to see the air officer alive as they dogged the outside watertight door behind him when he insisted on exiting CIC. His stories of the storm were on my mind as I went through very heavy weather aboard both USS Independence (CV-62) and USS Duluth (LPD-6) nearly half a century later.
my father served on the Indy. mm1c don't see her mentioned online too much, given the tens of thousands that sailed on her through the years
This reminds me of an incident a couple of days ago when a Royal Thai Navy corvette sank in a storm while on patrol. Goes to show that storms can be very dangerous for smaller warships.
My grampa served on the Dewey , and though I never got the chance to hear anything about his experiences from him directly , stories about just how close she came to going down circulated among my family for decades. By a surprising coincidence my oldest friend had a relative that served on the Hull. Unfortunately, that relative didn't survive the Typhoon.
My grandfather was also on the Dewey, he was machinist mate 1st class. When I had asked him about the war he said, " I was in a really bad storm once".
Halsey's Typhoon was one of the best books on naval history I have ever read. I remember the roll of one of the ships exceeded 100 degrees, only to be stopped by the storm ripping off the ship's funnel by the wind? Amazed only 3 ships were lost, considering how many DD's and DE's must have been with the fleet? Many thanks for adding an hour of cogent and wanted detail on this terrifying typhoon to this for all of us, Drach.
"...roll of one of the ships exceeded 100 degrees...." I call BS. 90 means ship lying on its side. 100? Utter bollocks!
Pretty hard for wind to rip off a ship's funnel when the funnel is underwater. You understand that a 90 degree roll is lying flat in its side?
@@annpeerkat2020 It could be measured from the vertical. So if the ship is rolling down a wave broadside to the wave's direction of travel, 100° could still leave the superstructure out of the water.
Check out my connection to this book pages 210 and 211. Reference my father, Leonard Glaser and his actions on the Taberer.
@@JohnSmith-oh9ux It was roughly an 80 degree roll. It was the USS Dewey DD 349. My grandfather was machinist mate first class on the Dewey.
Excellent video! I spent 25 years in the USN as a Meteorologist/Weather Guesser/Professional Liar (1984-2009). Even in a much more modern age, it was easy - and even eerie - to relate to the situation with this storm. Thanks for doing this one!
Have good friends, Wynn Calland and Larry Warrenfeltz, both CAPT, USN (Ret), who were met guys (70s thru 90s). Better forecasting these days with computer-assisted numerical analysis. But it’s still an art for long-term forecasts.
@@davecorley5514 I can't help but think that satellites, at the very least, quickly end the arguments about whether or not the storm in question is a typhoon.
Thank you as always for the phenomenal storytelling. Among all the tragic and negative elements of this story, it's the very "human" elements that really stand out to me. The sailors quickly eating between waves, the officer on the bridge who stuck his hand out to grab a handful of seawater, the sailor who bluntly said if you go outside you'll die (hilariously direct, and just as funny as its opposite, British understatement). And of course the absolutely heroic efforts of the crew of Tabberer; if you excuse me, I really need to go dry my eyes.
Was deployed on an FF-1052-class frigate, USS Badger ( FF-1071 ). We were between two Super typhoons between Guam and the Philippines ( Where many typhoons form ). We took a beating and had to pull into Guam for repairs to not only the ship, but our helicopter ( SH-2F ) was also damaged…
So in WoWs, I recently got Halsey, and in the forum thread "If our commanders could talk..." I penned a letter to my ranking officer, asking him to assist in training Halsey, and to "While conducting training, please make clear the dangers of sailing ships into storms, we don't need to be loosing more ships to nature than the enemy actions." Little did I know that a little over a week later, Drach would be publishing a video on said subject
Hello from a fellow WoWs player. Talleyrand here.
It's crazy that the admiral didn't order search and rescue the moment it was known that ships had been lost
This sounds wild, but a VR game of trying to complete tasks and keep your ship afloat in the typhoon would be intense. Difficulty levels range from “Fully loaded Battleship” to “Out of Fuel Destroyer”
Unlockable Difficulty Level: Carrier Deck Watch
Estra Stage: PBY Catalina
Sounds like a lost lunch.
8yrs working at sea on pax ferries and the roughest I ever experienced was part of a crew taking a fast cat light ship from Belfast to Dover. We got caught in a massive storm that made an unexpected turn off the coast of Wales. That one was force 10-11 storm. All we could do was turn away from the coast and ride it out. The ship being a fast craft catamaran came through it riding over waves instead of slamming into them so all that happened was one of the canister link rafts was ripped from it's mount and lost. At one point the Cpt was lashed to the chair to stop him being thrown out it and the rest of us just lay down on the deck and held on as we'd end up there anyway. There were massive tankers and container ships out in the same weather and they got the utter crap kicked out of them. That was gusts hitting 70-80knts and waves 45-50ft? So barely a summer squall compared to what these guys rode through
Cannot wait for this! Most WW2 histories will basically say that the fleet sailed into a typhoon, some ships were lost (maybe a list of those) and some were damaged. To get some real detail will be fantastic!
Thank you Drach for this video. It was the usual fun and laugh until the destroyers started to go under. Quite sobbering. One expect casualties in battle, but so much lost sailors because of miscalculations and seeming crass incompetence is just sad. USS Tabberer was a silver lining in all this. Sheer persistance and "creative interpretation" of weather damage allowed many lives to be saved. I'm impressed beyond words by this man who almost drowned, took just enough time to dry himself up and then went back for more. That says a lot about the legnths some people will go to save their comrades.
Amazed that the man had the strength to haul himself out of the water and back aboard via the firehose .. desperation must have lent him it's strength
This reminds me of a story I have heard about HMS London. During an artic convoy, the convoy sailed into an artic storm. During said storm a massive wave hit the London and she was knocked (supposedly) 90 degrees onto her side. She did right herself but two Soviet destroyers were lost to weather in the storm, despite the London basically begging them to run for shore.
Better the storm than the gulag?
Rogue Wave I bet?
@@JerzeyBoy I suspect, but the account from the crewman I read, she supposedly rolled a lot more after the refit that gave her armor. So It really could have been a large wave at the wrong time.
THE ADMIRALTY ORDERED THE HMS LONDON INTO THE CALMER WATERS OF THE INDIAN-OCEAN BECAUSE THE LONDON FARE WORSE IN THE ARCTIC THE LONDON WHICH WHO WAS APART OF THE ATTEMPT TO RESCUE HMS AMETHYST IN APRIL 1949 WHICH WHO WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED BY COMMUNIST CHINESE SHORE-BATTERIES AND THEY DECOMMISSIONED THE LONDON AND SCRA PPED
Arctic storms are... something else, but so few people experience them that they are rarely talked about. I lived in Greenland, I know them.
There's old documentary about the typhoon and USN sailors telling us about the experience of swimming in the heavy seas for few days after their ship went down and then also avoiding shark attacks until they are rescued. One of the veterans said when Monaghan went down quickly, he also heard the Monaghan exploded deep beneath him after he jumped overboard.
cold sea-water+white-hot-boilers =BOOM!!!!
@@jonathanstrong4812 it could also have been the depth charges.
@@DERP_Squad Boilers + depth charges + ammunitions magazine
I imagine quite a few captains were rather frustrated that they couldn't shoot at the typhoon and show it what-for. All the naval guns in the world are still useless against the mariner's oldest foe.
In Drach's video on HMAS Sydney, he tells us that when the cruiser was in the Mediterranean Sea, it fired a lot of AA at the planet Venus in the mistaken belief it was a German plane. So if a ship can attack a planet, I see no reason why a typhoon should not be fair game.
When Drach said "and then it got worse" i expected The Kamchatka had appeared on the horisont
I don't think I ever expected to hear Drach say "the Prometheus School of Running Away".
Having served as a deck officer (ship driver) in the U.S. Coast Guard and weathering many storms, your descriptions are both chilling and (in retrospect) humourous. I especially like the Typhoon warning message after the worst of the Typhoon having hit! That's rich!
Typhoon Cobra: The _real_ "Divine Wind."
Well Susanoo was the Shinto thunder god and the younger brother of Amaterasu. So I wouldn’t put it pass the IJN resorting to divine intervention or dark magic to try and stop the allies.
The Mongols failed in their advance against Japan. The Americans continued on with their advance thanks to damage control teams.
@@champagnegascogne9755well to be fair, a wooden Mongolian boat is a lot less tough than a WW2 fleet. No wonder they got demolished in the typhoon
The NUTCASE who was thrice-drowned by his own “safety line” and was then back on duty DESERVED the Medal Of Honor, a Victoria Cross, the Navy Cross, and every other meritorious honor in every navy!! Also… has ANYONE ever tried to categorize Typhoon Cobra? Sounds to me like a Cat 5.
Last air speed was 110knots which would make it category 4 Probably nearing on 5 though
I'm posting halsey's quote because I want to analyze it. If you do too, here it goes: "The time for taking all measures for a ship's safety is while still able to do so. Nothing is more dangerous than for a seaman to be grudging in taking precautions, unless they turn out to be unnecessary. Safety at sea for a thousand years has depended on exactly the opposite philosophy." Edit: yeah, nope. I still have no idea what he's talking about! 😅
“…unless they turn out to be unnecessary.” How do taking precautions that turn out to be unnecessary endanger anything? And the last sentence, what does that mean? If Halsey was in the habit of making such pronouncements, how did anyone figure out what he meant?
I’m enjoying having Elmer Fudd read first hand accounts. Vewy well done
USS Tabora: "I've lost my mast" USS Dewey: "cheer up, I've lost my stack!" . The most chill after the worst of the storm, conversation between 2 ships and their crews
I've been deployed on a modern DDG and we hit a roll of 20 one day during some maneuvering in rough seas...70 is truly insane.
I want to think that this storm and it's effects were covered in a Victory at Sea TV episode, but you covered it extremely well and in better detail. At the time, I couldn't imagine what the crews went through, until I didn't. In late November/early December 1967 coming back from the Med aboard DD-781 Robert K Huntington, we hit a massive storm. Not a hurricane, but bad enough. We were making an approach to an oil Tanker to take on fuel (seems to be a pattern) and I was under the port bridge wing with another sailor waiting to receive lines for the fuel hose. The ship rolled to port, we slowly walked up the deck to the superstructure, then up onto the spud locker, and eventually grabbed ahold of the overhead sprinkler line. As one is submerged, one has a chance to evaluate the situation - did we roll over? Can we tell the direction of bubbles if we let go? Where is the side of the ship - in front of me or behind? I forgot. Since I could hold my breath for over 4 minutes back then, I was in no hurry to let go. At some point in all of my musings, I got real cold as the cold air hit us. We rolled back up! The main losses were to the bags of dirty laundry that washed out from the mid-ships laundry passage and the loss of the bubble in the inclinometer. Thanks for all you do Drach.
Drach , I'm sorry but I had to laugh at the add at the beginning of this episode. For some reason I always pictured you living at a country estate . Oh well maybe in the future .
Thanks for an awesome video Drach! It came out the day I got married and I listened to it while getting ready. You gave me a great start at an amazing day!
I remember a strange comment from a veteran of USS New Jersey who experienced the event, posted on their channel. This former enlisted sailor said that he watched a cruiser, note a CA or CL not a DD, go down with all hands when it was swallowed by a giant wave and did not reappear. I often wonder about that, as the rest of the man's stories seemed to fully agree with historic record.
It may well have been thrown far enough away from the ship that by the time it resurfaced it was out of sight.
That or similar events where recounted by others in the task force, that may have been Baltimore because they had major damage.
Drach you are a raconteur sans pareil. You would never have gone without a meal in the Middle Ages when wanderers of your ilk were the carriers of news and were well provided for from village to village for their efforts. Your works are at the pinnacle of their type and provide the never-forgetting internet with a resource for the ages, literally. Thank you. I hope Halsey finds forgiveness somewhere for his ghastly decision to abandon loyal men of his own navy to a merciless hostile sea. I certainly cannot find it within myself. His standing is as that of Admiral King the Atlantic obstructionist and those self-centred egomaniacs, McArthur and Montgomery. Bad cess to the lot of them.
Being attacked by the enemy is one terror, but being subjected to Neptune's Wrath of such intensity for such a period of time with not much more you can do..... pure nightmare fuel.
The Collingwood book is good. Strongly recommend. Battle of the Falkland Islands by is an Audible classic. The Crisis of the Naval War by Jellicoe is also available. Audible has expanded their library over the last couple years and has a very nice selection.
My grandfather (naval armed guard) rode out that typhoon on the USS Kushing eals (liberty ship) at sea. He said the damage in Guam was unreal for those who tried to tuck into the harbor.
That was a hard episode. The one person I know that is experienced and good at seamanship can scan the horizon....sniff the air then state a storm is on it's way. He has been rescued by the coastguard during a storm....his admiration for the Coastguard and their ships is great.
"We need a Divine Wind to stop the Americans." IJN "...Dude. What more do you want from me? Give me a hand here." - Cobra
Sunsanoo-no-Mikoto: What the hell do you think I'm doing Also wouldn't put it pass Umibozu (Japanese Sea Yokai).
I love that.
This turned out to be so interesting! I almost skipped it as I assumed I already knew about the storm(s), but the great photos and Drach’s narration really brought it to life for me in a way that books never had. I reminds me of the fascinating Pearl Harbor salvage videos; I really like these dramatic, non-battle-related incidents, “people vs the sea”.
15:05 this man is possably the most new york i have ever heard and i love it
I think my grandfather's ship went through this - it was a little confusing since Halsey seems to have liked to drive through Typhoons
Superb job, sir. I'm reminded of the line from Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald": "Does any one know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" I'd never want to be in a ship in the middle of a hurricane or typhoon. And I say this as a retired Air Force meteorologist who served for over a decade with the 53rd Weather Recon Squadron, better known as the Hurricane Hunters. Looking down from 10,000 feet, the surface of the ocean turns into a churning maelstrom of greenish white foam once the winds get above 100 knots or so. Not that it was any picnic up in the air. There were several times in my career when the plane was shaking so violently that I couldn't read my instruments for 20-30 seconds. Have you ever seen a dog take hold of chew toy and shake it violently? We were the chew toy. Thankfully, the WC-130 always brought me home.
Amazing stuff! Big respect for all the weather recon guys and girls. Those C-130s always have been tough old birds. My Uncle crewed cargo Hercules for 8 years in the RAF. Think he would’ve thought twice about flying into a hurricane in one though.
A short "sea" story: Back during the 00's, I was on TDY and got into a bar side conversation with the CO and SWO of the USS The Sullivans (DDG 51 Class). The CO, expressed his strong opinion on the USN (recent at the time) naming a DDG after Halsey. To him, this was inappropriate due to the decisions Halsey made that resulted in the loss of DDs and crews to Typhoon Cobra. He believed that Halsey made some bad calls and unnecessarily put the fleet and insensitively put the DDs and crews at risk. His opinion was that Halsey treated the DDs and men as disposable and that that was inexcusable. That was one opinion and your mileage may be different.
Many years ago my grandfather told me about how he served in WWII on an ocean going Tug Boat (my later research showed me that it was USS Mataco, AT-86/ATF-86). He described how it was a 180' ship (the ship was 205'), much smaller than the other ships in the fleet. When I asked him about some of the most exciting things he'd done on the boat, he casually mentioned that he went through a typhoon with Admiral Halsey. I asked him about how such a small boat could survive such a storm, he described how his boat just rode on top of the mountains that were the waves. He explained how he would have to stand on the walls, and sometimes even the overheads to stay standing up as their boat rode over a wave. He also told me about how he was very concerned for the larger ships. He described how the destroyers were rolling nearly over sometimes, and how they were plunging through the waves. The bigger ships were even more terrifying to watch, apparently, as they were spread across two, or even three wave crests. He was concerned the battleships and carriers would break their backs being suspended like that. In retrospect, I wish I could have learned more about it from him, but I was only 12 or 13 when he passed away, and I didn't know to ask about other specific things. He told me a few other stories as well, and after he passed away I learned about some of the more grim tasks he'd had to do as well. I'll never forget these stories he told me, and they're part of why I eventually joined the Navy myself.
Right there with your grandfather, Daniel. I rode out two Atlantic hurricanes on an Ocean Minesweeper, a 172' wooden-hulled vessel. 17 years old, and terrified out of my mind, of course, but we were small enough that no two waves could suspend us between them. I can only imagine the creaking and groaning the longer steel-hulled ships must have endured, and the morale effect those noises must have had on their crews. Glad I was where I was!
You were in the navy yet you describe ships as "boats". Only a submariner does that or a complete land lubber!
@claudfraleigh2062 Or, he was a man who spent his brief wartime career on Ocean going Tug boats before returning home postwar and finishing high school after witnessing the horrors of WWII in the Pacific.
I would really love to hear the account of Iowas bent shaft. Mostly where it bent, when it bent, and how the crew responded and if there was any other damage
My experience is on a large destroyer but probably similar procedures. Part of preparations for getting underway is to turn the shafts at a slow rate to straiten/balance them out. It wouldnt take much of a bend to put a shaft out of commission, especially with others working. Besides the mechanics involved the hull entry can let in excess water but if the shaft is secured it can be packed tight. I've experienced the screws being airborn .. the engineroom shudders when the screw re enters..
This was an incredible riviting account. My grandfather was an electricians mate in korean war and i remember him telling me stories about cobra, while i inspected his battleship models. Stories he had from veterans he served with. The terror was lost on a seven year old who wanted to hear about the battleship guns again for the 50th time, but it hits home now. What heroism, and as if i needed another reason to idolize the tin can fleet, and the DDEs, you've delivered.
I have lived through storms like this, and one worse, in Greenland. It was unsettling - and I was on land, inside, in a solid house built to withstand the elements. On a ship... I like sailing in storms, but not that kind of storm.
Drach recounting the fire on USS Monterrey and subtly remembering poor Admiral Rozhestvensky and the 2nd Pacific Squadron was the highlight of this video 🤣
US Navy vs IJN: "No problem. We got this." US Navy vs. Typhoons: "Aw crap. We in trouble!"
I'd heard of this Typhoon Cobra hitting the US Fleet, but not the details of it, but thank you Drach for going into such detail to give as such an interestingly constructed piece naming some of the brave crew/ ships and the less fortunate. I really look forward to your next presentation on Typhoon Viper
My father went through this storm on the 158 foot LCS(L)-24. How a ship that small could survive what ripped the bow off the Pittsburgh, crumpled the decks of some of the carriers and literally sunk other ships is beyond me.
Lol, I have that hoodie! Was so pleased to find the OG logo instead of World.
My uncle was a plankholder on Essex, and said this storm (as well as the second one) were by far the most scary episodes of the entire war - worse by far than Kamikaze impacts.
What's cool about listening to this is, when I was in during the late 80's early 90's, when we went out on a west pac cruise, this is one of the Scenario's we would run in the same spot that it happened. That is one aspect I miss, running GQ scenarios in the exact same spots as they were in ww2. From Coral Sea through Midway, to the Mariana's. It was fun all in all. Plus I did go through a Typhoon in the same spot as Hawlsey.
Cobra was the basis for the typhoon at the center of "The Caine Mutiny".
That would have most likely been the Typhoon Ida, in september 45, in which Herman Wouk was serving aboard a destroyer.
YEAH I'VE READ THAT PRETTY GOOD STORY ESPECIALLY THE MOVIE THAT H BOGART PLAYED THE MADMAN QUEEG
My Grandfather was a US Navy WW2 veteran of the Pacific. He is gone now, but always spoke of this storm and its amazing power. He told me it is a wonder his ship made it through as the waves and swells were to him over 50 feet.
As a former unrep line handler the talk of all the lines parting made my skin crawl. That job is absolutely lethal when it goes wrong.
Superb work Drach, you've outdone yourself with this one.
Aye, my comment exactly.
i've watched many many dozens of your videos, and I gotta say I LOVE the new hand-made animations in this one, and whoever did the voice for the extra narration. AMAZING voice, gives great depth as well, and rather funny hearing the occasional chuckle here haha. best wishes to you and your close ones for the holidays :).
I can't help but chuckle at that accent :)
I have long thought that the worst way to die, was by volcanic eruption, leading me to take absurd measures from time to time to ensure avoiding that sort of fate I am now quite undecided, as it appears that being gradually ground to bits on a destroyer caught in a typhoon, that then sinks, would likely entail far more terror, pain and suffering. Your initial account was frankly hysterical and I was hugely entertained by the images of anemometers playing helicopter in the approaching storm, etc. Until the somber bits, it was far better than even standup comedy routines. Planes lighting themselves on fire during a torrential deluge, with waves crashing about, was suitably incomprehensible and added to the merriment factor, and the "miraculous" radio transmissions comment was sheer genius! Thanks for an enlightening look at an often overlooked incident largely unreported elsewhere! I had never run across it until now.
Best epidode sense jutland 1 and 2. Listened twice already.
Same, and in a couple of days I'll probably watch it again.
A was a merchant navy cadet in '99 on board of the Belgian Navy 'A960 Godetia' , on a diplomatic trip from Zeebrugge to Buenes Aires (training for cadets) . We were caught by a heavy storm (not hurricane, just a storm) in the Gulf of Biscay. The ship rolled so heavely that our bunks (bolted down) were ripped from the floor. Until that point we stuffed our kitbags under our matrasses to give some angle so we were pressed against the wall, just not to be thrown out of our bunk. A few ours later, I was doing my stint on the wheel and I saw the foremost flagpole being ripped of. And this was just a heavy storm, mind you ... Can't imagine what a hurricane must have done to her. Was it after "cobra" the Royal Navy asked if the US fleet had a spot of bad weather too ?
HOLY-CRAP MAN BOY OH BOY THAT WAS NASTY UH?
Wow Drach. I absolutely loved this video.! This is a topic that I have never had a chance to dig deeper into beyond the basic info. Fascinating subject. Halsey is such a controversial figure throughout the war. I hope you have a deep dive into his career somewhere on your future radar
"I hate AA duty" "Me too, let's all take the day off"