Chapter 34~ It was, Fun

"It was fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" ~ USS Thresher SS-200

First Patrol: "You can't be serious." Was Thresher's reaction when she heard the news. Just a few days ago she and Tautug had been on their way home from a successful simulated war patrol off Midway and now she was being told that war had broken out for real?! "Unfortunately I am." Linchfield replied. "Once you've refueled and restocked your orders are to scout out any Jap merchants that might be lurking in this area." The pair reached the harbor entrance. "Good luck." Linchfield said and away she went. "Wha-but, but..." Thresher tried but the destroyer was gone, leaving Thresher on her own. The sub sighed. "DD's." She grumbled.

A day later, Linchfield was back and ordered to rendezvous with Thresher at a prearranged place and time. The sub arrived first and spotting a destroyer that looked similar to her friend, she surfaced. "This is gonna be fun." Thresher chuckled as Linchfield approached. "You're late." She said, happy to tease Linchfield in the spirit of the good old fashioned rivalry between submarines and destroyers. The reception was not quite the one she expected. In reply, a hail of hot lead rained down on her. She yelped and immediately dove deep, realizing too late that was a Jap destroyer. "Okay, that was definitely not fun." She grumbled.

Second Patrol: The lovely freighter didn't know she was there. And just as she shouldn't. Thresher grinned to herself as she readied her forward torpedo tubes. "Down the hatch." She giggled and fired. There was a loud bang as one of the fish hit but Thresher couldn't determine much more than that. Rising to take a peak she saw the ship had gone. "I got her!" She laughed, pleased with herself. Her first kill of the war.

Her commanding officer, USS Indianapolis, disagreed. "It wasn't a confirmed kill, Thresher." She said. "Aw but..." Thresher whined. "No buts. You want a scorecard, make sure the Jap is dead when you sink it." Indianapolis stated in no uncertain terms. "You're no fun." The submarine huffed and she headed back out to her patrol area.

Third Patrol: "Goddamn Japs!" Thresher fumed as she ran away from the Japanese coastline, with the fish of four Japanese submarines on her tail. One exploded close to her and yelping, she dove deep to evade the rest. She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed overhead. "Right, let's find something more fun to do." She muttered.

Reaching the safety of American held waters, she spotted a task force led by Enterprise and Hornet. She tried slipping through the destroyer screen undetected but no such luck when Fletcher and two other destroyers began dropping depth charges on her. Thresher surfaced. "Friendly!" She cried. "I'm friendly! Hold your fire!" Hornet sighed. "Thresher, you know better than to sneak up on a task force." She scolded. "But its fun to sneak." Thresher pouted. "Thresher," Hornet sounded like she was trying very hard to control her anger. "Assume your station." Thresher knew better than to argue with that tone. "Yes ma'am." She jumped to it.

When she returned a day later, Hornet was stunned at the injuries she had received. "Got the freighter but the Japs sent a aircraft after me." She panted. "Enterprise." Hornet asked. Vestal's apprentice checked Thresher over, being gentle with the sub's wounds. "I can put a temporary patch on these but I would strongly recommend that you go back to Pearl and get those repaired." She said. "No can do." Thresher shook her head. "Thresher, I can make it an order." Enterprise said sternly. "Then I'll disobey it." Thresher smirked. "Face it. You need me out here." Enterprise sighed. "Alright, but be careful." She warned. "Am I ever not?" Thresher grinned and moved off to assume her station with the task force.

Fourth Patrol: The tender stood no chance and quickly sank under the onslaught of Thresher's torpedoes. Her escort however had a trick up her stern as Thresher soon found out. Turning to leave the area she found that she couldn't. Wrapped around her stern was a giant hook. Thresher growled. "I ain't becoming a POW no way!" She hissed and revved her engines, putting as many RPMs through them as she could. She turned hard to the right and after 10 minutes, she broke free, diving deep with a hail of depth charges exploding behind her. "YESSS!" She laughed. "SO LONG JAP!"

Fifth Patrol: It was her first mine laying run but that didn't mean Thresher wasn't going to have a little fun if the opportunity aroused. Spotting two large Jap freighters, she got into a position to attack. She waited for the explosion but it never came, her fish having gone straight under the freighters. A repeating occurrence for her throughout the war. "Damn my luck!" She swore.

Sixth Patrol: A nice juicy convoy all hers for the taking. She licked her lips. "Time for supper boys." She said and attacked. The first two ships took a direct hit. One was dead in the water, the other was sinking bow first, screws still revolving as they would all the way to the bottom. The escorts forced her to back off.

The next night brought even greater fortune. An aircraft carrier, a rare but highly prized target for any submarine. Thresher laughed as she got into position but found that the escorts were holding her at bay. "Let me through you tin cans!" Thresher fumed, forced to watch as the carrier sailed safely over the horizon. "She got away!"

Seventh Patrol: Thresher detected the Japanese submarine first. "Hello there." She grinned and fired a pair of torpedoes. The first was a dud, the second hit the ocean floor. Cursing her bad luck, she turned to her deck gun but the Jap vanished over the horizon leaving the seething American behind. She had the same luck with two convoys later in the patrol.

When she returned to Freemantle, Thresher complained to Indianapolis. "These torpedoes are the biggest reason why I keep failing to sink targets." "Sure blame the torpedoes." The cruiser said. "I'm serious!" Thresher hissed. "They never work when I need them to!" "No more whining Thresher unless you want to go back to the states." Indianapolis growled. "So I suggest that you pipe down and make do." Thresher could only pout.

Eighth Patrol: "Ugh! I'm bored!" Thresher whined as she had for every single day of this patrol. Her attitude and that of the men's had taken a significant downturn in the last few days. Not a single ship sighted. Nothing to aim their guns at. Just drill after drill after drill and Thresher was getting tired of the same routine. Finally her skipper had had enough. "Alright, turn this pig around we're headed back to Freemantle." He said and everyone, including Thresher who didn't mind being called a "pig", cheered. The submarine put her head down and charged back for Australia. Maybe the next patrol would bring some excitement.

Ninth Patrol: One 5000 ton freighter sunk and another running scared. Thresher loved her job. "Yeah run run away Jap coward!" She laughed as she chased after a tanker that was retreating from her at high speed. Crossing the tanker's wake, the sub ran right into some rather foul smelling water. "Ugh! Did she... oh that's disgusting!" Thresher cried as her crew laughed themselves silly. Diving deep to wash the tanker's shit off her face, the sub sighed. "I will never live this one down."

Tenth Patrol: The new refits felt nice, especially on her conning tower which used to be a lot wider and bulkier. It was nice to develop a more streamlined appearance. Spotting a convoy, Thresher slipped easily through the deep water and fired a spread of torpedoes on a 4300 ton freighter. The fish took care of her quite swiftly. A second attack proved not to be as successful as her fish missed. Cursing the men who built her defective weapons, Thresher dove deep as the escorts commenced a harassing depth charge. Not at all in her area. The sub snickered to herself as she slipped silently away.

Eleventh Patrol: The South China Sea was a nice place to be. The waters were warm and when she cruised on the surface, Thresher always enjoyed being a little playful. When a pair of masts were sighted on the horizon though, she became totally serious. With 10 successful patrols under her keel, Thresher had become a seasoned veteran of the Pacific War and knew exactly what it was she had to do. She dove to avoid detection but kept an eye on the masts. Once she determined it was just a small fishing trawler, she rose to the surface and used her deck gun. She didn't need to use as much ordinance as she did but she was bored and had nothing better to do. Laughing, she left the torn mangled wreck of the trawler to sink.

Twelve Patrol: She spotted a convoy of three freighters with a destroyer as an escort. They were moving fast but Thresher would be damned if she let them get away. She got into position and opened fire. The first two were sunk easily. The third tried to make a run for it. Thresher fell in behind, determined to get it. She fired her torpedoes and made a sharp right turn to steer clear of the explosion. She was too slow in getting away as her prey went up in flames. The concussion from the blast knocked her out for several minutes. By the time she regained consciousness the third freighter, though injured, was out of her reach. Sighing, she called it quits and set sail for Guam her head pounding.

"You're berthbound for at least 2 weeks." was the verdict. "Ugh! Damn Japs." Thresher grumbled in reply. But it served her right for getting too close in an area where she shouldn't have been. In reality, the submarine considered herself lucky just to be alive. "Alive to have some more fun." She chuckled before closing her eyes to rest.

Thirteenth Patrol: Apogon and Piranha were newcomers to the war, both commissioned in 1943. They were eager and inexperienced, something that Thresher and Guardfish would have to beat out of them, lest the Japanese do the same. Thresher was in overall command of the wolfpack, a post that made her feel giddy inside but she knew she could not mess this up. This would be her only chance to prove herself as a capable leader. "Alright listen up you Mickey Finns!" She ordered. "Our patrol area is the Formosa-Luzon route. A common one for Jap ships. When you have a Jap in sight, radio its position. Do not, I repeat DO NOT engage alone. We're working as a team here. Understood?" "YES USS THRESHER, MA'AM!" came the reply. Thresher bit back a smirk. "Alright, let's move out!"

Despite the route's lucrative targets the wolfpack only came across a few trawlers and patrol craft, nothing worth sinking. Then, after a month of waiting, a convoy arrived. "Got 'em. 15 miles out and closing fast." Apogon said. "I see 'em." Guardfish reported. "I don't. Where are they?" Piranha whined. The inexperienced Baleo-class was out of her element. "Piranha you hang back for now but ready your torpedoes." Thresher ordered. "Guardfish, Apogon you're with me. Guardfish will take the convoy's starboard flank. Apogon, you have the port. I'll trail behind ready to pick off any stragglers. Now let's move!" The subs spread out, each taking their position with the convoy as they came through the pass. The escort detected Thresher and latched onto her, which deprived her of the chance to attack the freighters but she instead used this to her advantage. "I've got the escort, go for it!" She ordered and the two other subs opened fire. Their torpedoes hit and did some damage but not enough to sink the ships. Piranha got one in her sights and opened fire as well, only to have it turn on her. "Piranha get out of there!" Apogon ordered and got the younger sub safely out of the way but she herself couldn't move in time. The 6000 ton cargo ship went up in flames just as it rammed the submarine. Apogon was able to dive and free herself but the damage was done. When she surfaced, Thresher could see the damage to her sail. "That looks bad, Apogon." She said. "I look worse than I..." She hissed in pain. "Feel." She finished with a sigh. Thresher's green eyes softened. "Go back to Guam." She ordered. "But Thresher, I can manage!" Apogon protested. "That's an order." The other sub growled. Apogon nodded. "Yes ma'am." She agreed and returned to port for repairs. Piranha was a bit shaken from her ordeal. "It was my fault." She whimpered. "I shouldn't have been where I was." "Aye and then if Apogon hadn't intervened then you would be the one returning home if you were that lucky." Guardfish growled before Thresher could say anything. "Chin up, kiddo. You'll learn." The Gato-class assured. "Yeah but at what cost." Piranha muttered as she fell in line with the other two. There was still a convoy to be dealt with.

There were 6 ships remaining. A large tanker, three freighters and two escorts. "Hello, hello." She grinned, eying the juicy tanker. "I got dibs on this one!" She called and fired. Guardfish and Piranha both took up their stations but were content to let Thresher take the lead on this one. After all, the Tambor-class had a score to settle. She fired three torpedoes at the lead freighter, another three at the escort, leaving the tanker vulnerable. Whipping her bow around she launched her stern tubes while her forward ones could be reloaded. All four torpedoes were aimed at the second freighter. Retreating to reload, she quickly resumed her attack. Despite a barrage of torpedoes at the remaining freighter and oiler, the two remained stubbornly afloat. Reloading her tubes she resumed the chase. While her stern tubes were reloaded, she launched those in her bow. Two struck the tanker, another two struck the oiler which both sank. The escort took at least 2 more torpedo hits before it too disappeared. Thresher had just sunk the entire convoy. Guardfish and Piranha both stood in shock at what they had just witnessed. She surfaced beside them, shaking her bow free of spray. "Save some for us why don't ya?" Guardfish whined. Thresher for her part had the grace to look sheepish. "Hehe sorry." She said. "But it was fun. Fun! Fun! Fun!"

...

18 YEARS LATER APRIL 9 1963 PORTSMOUTH HARBOR MAINE

"Ah those were the good old days weren't they?" Piranha asked her companion. "Wouldn't trade them for nothing, though these Soviets do present a fun challenge. And I like a fun challenge." "Everything's about fun for you isn't it, Thresher." The new nuclear sub grinned. "Only when I make it so." She replied. Piranha rolled her eyes. She'd spent the last 20 years tied to this dock and when Thresher had asked if the two could share a drink she wasn't about to turn it down. While her friends newest incarnation was impressive, Piranha found her to be even more immature than she used to be. "What's the matter Piranha? I thought you missed me." Thresher faked a pout. Piranha snorted. "You know for a ship who was the most decorated in World War 2 you sure are immature." She said. Thresher barked a laugh. "Well I sure didn't get my 15 battle stars for being a serious cuss." She replied. "Besides you weren't so stuffy yourself." "Oh please." Piranha huffed. "I was never as immature as you." "No but you did have your moments." Thresher grinned as she reenacted one such time. "Oh please save me." She gasped, rolling on her back and wriggling. "I'm being attacked by a Jap cargo ship." "I was young okay." Piranha groaned, knowing Thresher would never let her live the day down when she panicked on her first patrol. They joked about it now but at the time it was serious, nearly costing Apogon her life.

"You heading out today yes?" Piranha asked, hoping to redirect the conversation. The last thing she needed was to encourage Thresher to tell more embarrassing stories. "In a few hours yes. I've got some deep diving tests I've got to do. Test the new equipment, that sort of thing." She replied. "Not nearly as exciting as some of the old patrols huh?" Piranha chuckled and Thresher smiled around her teacup. She wasn't allowed alcohol until her newborn pups were weened. Said little bundles, three of them, squirmed at her side. "Not even close." She agreed as Piranha leaned down to get a better look at them. "I'd say they're adorable but in a few months they'll become nasty little rascals like you were." "Hey, hey, hey!" Thresher punched her good naturedly. "I'm a good girl." "Now you are but then, phew you were a rite little troublemaker. Did you know that Indianapolis tried numerous times to get you transferred to another command. She even attempted to push Pennsylvania into agreeing that subs should have their own field commander rather than another ship type run them." "Aye and she succeeded too. Hence my promotion." Thresher grinned. She always got a kick out of remembering that day. She'd been such thorn in Indianapolis' side that the cruiser appealed again and again to Pennsylvania to let the subs have their own submarine commander just like the other ships in the navy had theirs. Pennsylvania agreed and the submarine force unanimously chose Thresher to lead them. Thresher still had the photo of that day. The look on Indianapolis' face had to be captured for history. "I still think you tortured the poor girl a bit too much." Piranha said. "Ah, maybe a little but how else was I going to get my fun. Being depth charged and outrunning torps isn't my idea of entertainment." Thresher replied, leaning down to nuzzle her eldest child, Los Angeles, as she wriggled. "You're fortunate they're all girls." Piranha said. "Yes." Thresher agreed with a sigh. "Permit wasn't so lucky. All but one of her pups were boys. As soon as they're weened they'll be released into the wild." "It's a good thing though isn't it? Our numbers have gotten so low in the open seas these last few hundred years." Piranha said. "Yes, I suppose in a way it is." Thresher agreed. "And I know Permit would agree but..." "But they're her children." Piranha nodded her understanding.

Thresher shifted. "Piranha, I had a good reason for coming here today." She said. "Somehow I thought you might. Despite your immaturity you do have a purpose for things. Even simple ones." Piranha replied. "I want you to care for my pups." Thresher said. "Thresher, I can't even produce milk anymore! I'm too old for that!" Piranha protested. "How can I possibly care for something I cannot feed." "Then have Permit feed them. But I want you to raise them, Piranha." "You talk as though you won't come back." Piranha frowned. "That's because I won't." Thresher's breath hitched. "I can't share the details but I won't be coming back from this patrol. Nor will I ever." Piranha's vision swam with tears. "Don't go then Thresher. Stay here." She begged. "I can't. I'm sorry." Thresher whispered. She gently plucked each pup from her side and handed them to Piranha. A small basket was set in front of the older sub, containing a rolled up letter addressed to each, the names scrolled on the side. "Parche" "Los Angeles" and "Bremerton". Thresher handed Piranha a fourth letter, addressed to her. "I'm counting on you." She said and Piranha nodded, taking the letter. "I won't let you down." She promised. Thresher hugged her, giving Piranha a few comforting pats behind her sail before turning her attention to her pups. "You're all good girls." She said. "You're all good and I love you very much." Los Angeles rolled around, sucking her port fin. Bremerton was blowing bubbles with her spit while Parche rolled on her back, wanting Thresher to blow on her belly. Their innocence brought about a said smile from Thresher, who leaned down and did what Parche wanted, earning herself a squeal of laughter. Thresher nuzzled her youngest pup who purred and gripped her nose as Thresher pulled back. Piranha gently pried Parche free, leaving the pup confused and a bit sad. Thresher turned her attention to her remaining two pups, picking them up and holding them to her chest. She nuzzled Los Angeles and kissed Bremerton. "M'amoursine, gui'tas."* She whispered.

Reluctantly, she let them go and Piranha took them. "I will raise them well." She promised. "You better." Thresher growled, her voice breaking slightly. She turned to go, heading for the open sea. She heard the wails of her pups behind her as they realized their mother was leaving. "I'm sorry babies. I-I'm so sorry..." Thresher could not see a thing as she left, blinded by tears.

Once she was gone and the babies were asleep, Piranha opened the letter that Thresher had left for her. Once she was finished reading she pulled out a lighter and, fins shaking slightly in anger, lit the paper on fire as per the letter's instructions. Thresher wasn't to blame. Oh no, it was those who forced her into it. Those bastards who called themselves the Central Intelligence Agency! The old submarine's anger was always feared but the worst part was she couldn't show it. Thresher would live through that patrol and only Piranha had that knowledge. For the rest of the fleet, Thresher's death would be fact. Her pups would grow up believing their mother had died, and Piranha could never tell them the truth.