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As our revered and learned Secretary recorded in his minutes of the · April meeting , lr. Troland made a timely comparison of local history with a current event . Inspired and in search of a subjectjthe recent popularity of Ping Pong led me to recall the pious days of my youth on the China Station. A short paper could only be one incident. I contemplated whether it should or should not be such €;;£§s as -· ' Stoned on the Great Wall ' or ” Ghinked in Tsingtao ' or ' Shafted in Shanghai ” . [ Incidentally the pictures brought back by the Ping Pong group indicated no more Rickshaws in China ) This is a short story of prei lao si Tung days . It is not religious and not political . It did happen in China and might be entitled ” Whanged On The I angpoo "
The year was 1936 some thirty five years ago this month. The Aussies would say it was ” ly Time ”. The U. S. Asiatic Fleet had a song entitled " The monkeys have no tails in Zamboango 2 . Ole verse of that song began and 1 quote ” We will all go up to Shanghai in the springtime ” unquote . The song said tha; so that is what we did . by way of comparison it is of some interest to note that is those days the ships were physically uncomfortable but we went to sea clean shaven , relitively unconcerned and uniformed of the developing crises out we had a song on our lips . Today the ships are very comfortable and they go to sea hairy , extr mely concerned with the crises reported by the media and the song is somewhat choked or rocked . Lack to my story --- lnroute to Shanghai was Submarine Squadron jive consisting of six fairly worn 900 ton "S' boats , an ancient Merchant Ship ¤¤¤v¤rted to a tender named the ”0anopus* and a rescue ship.:she pigeons
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ggis was the annual trek north to our summer quarters , the spa at Tsingtao some 400 miles beyond Shanghai . We always visted Shanghai as a reward for faithful service . It was the fascinating fun city, the Iew York of the China Coast with horse races , Hai Lai , light clubs , Taxi Dancers and bars .
0- We usually steamed in a column formation . The Squadron Commander and his staff who consisted principally of a fomner Aristonian , lr. Frederick Harder , were embarked in the Tender . It might have been the weather , the navigation , the current or the engineering performance but in any case we arrived at the Yangtse behind schedule . Shanghai is some eleven miles up the Wnngpoo from the Yangtze river . when we reached their junction it was realized that the Squadron would have to wait until daylight the next day and slack water in order to make our moorings off the Shanghai Bund .
If it had not been raining hard we would have seen the sun setting in the west as we neared the mouth of the Wangpoo » A strong ebb tide of threatening muddy water was running and a nasty wind was blowing . A signal was sent for all ships to anchor and anchorages were assigned is sectors about the Tender , the Canopus . I Was the engineer of the S-57 and had an early dinner for I planned to dharge the battery that evening to insure plenty of power for the Wangpoo passage the next morning . 'S* boats had to manuver on the battery and main motors because the engines were direct drive with no reverse .
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After -nchorin; the Captain and the other officers retired te the wardroom for evening mess. However, a watch was maintained to dieck our nolding ground . Out of curiosity I went to the bridge and soon found myself assuming tne watch ror we were dragging and it was necessary to kick her ahead to hold our position;¥;The Captain and the Navigator immediately returned to tne Dfldgb and it was decided to seek a new ancnorage hopeiuily in less current wnron was now roaring by at better tnan seven knots . The Captain ooo; the conn eng I sent bearings Bu the Navigator in tne cunning tower . Shortly thereafter tne regular Officer or tne neck arrived gn the bridge , I flltc him the pertinent information and offered to remain on the - bridge to assist in taking bearings . In Iavy tradition and custom ne said the magic words -- " I relieve you Sir * . with in the next minute the S-57 suddenly began to list to starboard . An emergency ”All Back Full “ merely blew the main circuit breakers . Gently but firmly she ro‘ ed over on her side . It was later computed by blueprint to be over 80 degrees . An alert anchor detail jumped down the forward torpedo room hatch and closed it . The hatch went under the muddy surging water . Aft the port propeller was high in the air . The water was up to the bridge level but not quite to the conning tower hatch , Below decks all was shambles . che was stowed for normal seas but not to be permanently on her side . Gear came tumbling off the port bulkheade . A few hands in their bunks were tossed out of same , In the after battery room our galley range and Icebox were now on the overhead poised over the main switch-board . Unfortunately the icebox doors came open an the contents were dumped on the main switchboard ,
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Our real danger was the status of the main storage battery , In two battery rooms were 120 cells . Iach cell stood acout five feat high and two feet square and weiuhed about a ton apiece . The acii or electrolyte was overflowing . The battery tanks were lead Lined but would the acid overflow into the water ways or would it find a way through the lead lining to the pressure hull ? It was soon determined that we were balancélamidshipe on a mound . There was B feet of water on the port side and 16 feet on the starboard. The SQ57 normally drew about 17 feet . The Captain ordered me to open the main ballast -lood valves and partially fill the tanks » This was the right idea for she rolled toward the vertical to about a 50 degree list .
We began to breath easier . The Commodore and lr. Harder managed to pay us a visit to asses the situation . They barely made it in a 40 foot motor launch from the Tender due to the current the seas and the rain . Tugs and a pilot had been requested from Shanghai but no help was expected until morning . Gradually the list came off and several hours later the S-57 was upright and we could almost feel her floating . All hands held ther breath-- the main ballast tanks were blown and both shafts were backed emergency . Off we cmme and somehow we went alongside the Canopus . For hours we washed down the battery and pumped the electrolyte or acid over the side . both the Yangtze and the Wangpoo were some what contaminated in those days and no one either Chinese or foreigners worried about polution .
We finally recharged the battery with full voltage grounds , This was strictly forbidden in our manuals but no explosion or fires occured . The S—o7 proceeded up the Whangpoo with the squadron .
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Shanghai was not fun city for us that trip . ly wife wondered why I did not come ashore . Some one told her we had grounded and rolled over . She said that could not be for we had a wonderful Captain`¥ In those days everyone endeavored to stay in the Iavy . A grounding or a collision was the usual way out. Pay masters had other ways . The Captain absolved the officer of the deck because he had the conn. I cleared senses of those words "I Jelieve you air " C-In-C Asiatic Elect ordered a Court of Inquiry and the Captain and the Iavigator were made interested parties .
'i'C·1e court noted ‘Z;E;·=;= exanct ;_·-o.e.;E.tion of tile _;;·.*oL;:1di::_; €.9‘t0l1.ll1‘13d oy tlc cohoinnd searing; of theuqther ships at the anchorage . It found that the S-37 was in good charted water and that the grounding was due to a shifting send or and bar . Ec blame was attached to the interests?-C gestion •
Tie original bell sheet had to be sent to the Envy Department as required by Regulations . A copy was used by the court of Inquiry , Cn the other side cf {Le cell sheet was a record of that battery charge . The full voltage ground was truly recoédid in defiance of instructions the charge had been conducted . The engineer waited many a day for a reprinand that never came . Some member or the bureaucracy was aither forgiving or failed to review the record . ly lest worry was eliminated some eight years later . I thought about that acid and wondered if the S•5? would ever Iaaken • She was back in Hanila at the start of World Har II. She fought valiently under the Command of two former New Londoners James Dempsey and Dome Reynolds . She was retired in 1944 in San Diego , decommissioned and towed out to sea for burial . Proudly she broke the tow and picked her own resting spot . Perhaps that acid finely did it .
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Her whereabouts were unknown for sometime and the search to locate her for the charts ie an epic toe long for this paper... Back tony story and shanghai . The media of the day -- the press and radio were silent . If the Chinese knew of our near tradegy there was no comment . Twoc ;g;;;‘e£cie.ted our recovery . One operated the garbage sampan and the other had the laundry contract , I read THH" wlzersemur ping pong players Gam Leied with Chou-en—I.a1 at a reception -bg-;h)no bars were reported . To this day the Chinese may not know . that there is a shifting we" where the whangpoo joins the Yarzgste but we know €¤on’t we .
