Lawson P. Ramage - World War II

World War II

Ramage was highly decorated for heroism during World War II – the Medal of Honor, two Navy Crosses, and the Silver Star Medal. Ramage was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the staff of the Commander, Submarines, Pacific during the surprise Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

In early 1942, he served on his first patrol of the war as the navigator of the USS Grenadier (SS-210). He was awarded the Silver Star Medal as a member of the Grenadier's crew for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" while patrolling enemy waters.

In June 1942, Lieutenant Commander Ramage assumed his first command – the USS Trout (SS-202). Under his command, the Trout conducted four war patrols and sank three Japanese ships. He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while in command of the USS Trout at Midway, Truk, the Solomons, and the South China Sea. During his first patrol aboard, Trout's fifth, on 28 August 1942 made the first attack that actually scored a hit on a Japanese aircraft carrier, this being Taiyo. Ramage found a virtue in his eye injury:

I didn't have to fool around with the focus knob on the periscope. Before I raised it, I turned the knob all the way to the stop . When the scope came up, I put my bad eye to the periscope and could see perfectly.

Promoted to Commander before his second patrol, CDR Ramage and Trout intercepted the IJN battleship Kirishima on 12 November 1942. Though he fired five torpedoes, all missed.

On his third patrol, Trout damaged Kyokuyo Maru and Nisshin Maru, and sank the Hirotama Maru. The Hirotama battle was both a torpedo and deck gun engagement. Of the 14 torpedoes Ramage fired, five were duds. He joined other submarine commanders in his criticism of the Mark 14 torpedo.

Ramage's last Trout patrol, her eighth, in March 1943 was a washout. 15 torpedoes fired, only one low order detonation. It was Admiral Christie's view that, "Red had a miss last patrol—many chances and many failures. He is due for a relief and will be sent back to the U.S. for a new boat and rest at the same time."

In May 1943, Ramage assumed command of the new Balao-class submarine, the USS Parche (SS-384). Commissioned in November 1943 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kitery, Maine, Parche transitioned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Parche's first patrol, in March 1944, was as part of a U.S. submarine wolfpack with USS Bang and USS Tinosa. The "sub" wolfpack sank seven enemy ships for 35,000 tons; Ramage was credited with two of them for 11,700 tons.

In June 1944, Parche's second patrol was also as part of a wolfpack. This was the submarine patrol that established Ramage's reputation. On July 30, 1944, the wolfpack made contact with an enemy convoy. In the dark hours before dawn on July 31, for forty-eight minutes ("among the wildest of the submarine war")

Ramage cleared the bridge of all personnel except himself and steamed right into the enemy convoy on the surface, maneuvering among the ships and firing nineteen torpedoes. Japanese ships fired back with deck guns and tried to ram his submarine. With consummate seamanship and coolness under fire, Ramage dodged and twisted, returning torpedo fire for gunfire.... the attack on the Japanese convoy by Red Ramage was the talk of the U.S. submarine force. In terms of close-in, furious torpedo shooting, there had never been anything like it before.

CDR Ramage became the first living Medal of Honor recipient for a submariner.

Parche's third patrol, and Ramage's last, was, comparatively, uneventful. No enemy ships were sunk.