ON ETERNAL PATROL
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, after World War II said, “We salute those gallant officers and men of our submarines who lost their lives in that long struggle. We shall never forget our submariners that held the lines against the enemy while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds.” The U.S. submarine force remained intact following the attack on Pearl Harbor and clearly took the fight to the enemy. By the war’s end submarines had supported all major fleet operations and made more than 1,600 war patrols. Success was costly as fifty-two submarines were lost during the war and nearly 3,600 submariners remain on “Eternal Patrol.”
USS FLIER was one of the U.S. submarines lost during World War II and unfortunately LT John Esward Casey was one of the crew members who died in the sinking of the submarine. FLIER, a Gato-Class submarine, was commissioned on October 18, 1943. Her first war patrol in May-June 1944 was in the area west of Luzon, Philippines, and resulted in her sinking an estimated 10,380 tons of Japanese shipping. While surfaced on her second war patrol, FLIER was bound for the South China Sea. As she passed through the Philippines Balabac Strait at about 2200 on August 12, 1944, she unfortunately struck a naval mine. The devastating explosion caused such extensive damage that FLIER sank in less than a minute. Shouting out names in a weird muster as they struggled to stay afloat, 14 men who had survived to this point, including LT Casey, gathered together in the moonless, starless night. After gathering, the group agreed it would be useless to start swimming in the dark night without a reference point so it was decided to tread water until the moon rose. When it became light enough to see a small island approximately three miles away, the group commenced swimming in that direction. The seas became choppy, it required great effort just to stay afloat and it was impossible to keep everyone closely together so each man swam toward the beach as best he could. After being adrift on the open seas for about 15 hours or more, eight weary men struggled ashore on the uninhabited Philippine island of Mantagule and were later rescued by Philippine guerilla and American forces. The eight men who survived the disaster became the first Americans of the Pacific war to escape from a sunken submarine and return safely to the United States. Unfortunately, LT Casey was one of the six men who survived the FLIER sinking but drowned as they struggled toward shore. Survivors reported that the explosion caused oil and debris to strike many of the men on the bridge. During their swim toward the island LT Casey, who had been blinded by oil, reportedly refused help from a shipmate and soon thereafter disappeared. He has been memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
SILVER STAR CITATION
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) toLeiutenant John Edward Casey, United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action in the line of his profession as Fire Control Officer of the USS FLIER (SS-250), during the First War Patrol of that submarine in enemy controlled waters from 21 May to 5 July 1944. He provided accurate and timely information on umerous occasions which enabled his own vessel to make successful attacks. He contributed materially to the destruction of four enemy vessels and in the damage of two more. His conduct throughout was an inspiration to the officers and men in his ship, and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)
