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requested the services of the American subs.
The mission to battle U-boats in the North
Atlantic was once again put on the back burn-
er. The squadron was given the challenge of
stopping blockade runners transporting goods
from neutral Spain to Vichy France in the Bay
of Biscay. The bay, shaped like a backward “C,”
is some 320 miles wide both east to west and
north to south, splashing up on the shores of
western France and northern Spain. The
Admiralty believed Spanish coastal waters
would be rich with juicy targets; the American
subs were expected to attack cargo ships
operating under French and German f lags
that were suspected of carrying war materiel.
On November 28, 1942, Gurnard, which had
missed out on the North African fracas, was
the first boat to transit down to the bay. But it
soon suffered the same catastrophic engine
failures as Gunnel and also returned to the
States. Subron 50 was down to four ships.
“Our orders were simple,” Steiny later
recalled. “Remain submerged during day-
light, identify contacts, and attack if hostile.
But respect neutral waters and avoid detec-
tion.” Respecting neutral waters proved a par-
ticularly difficult endeavor. Because SpainMazagan, off Morocco’s northwest coast. Sailing southward,
the ship—Ville du Havre, a 5,700-ton Vichy French vessel—
hugged the coastline, trying to blend in with the hills beyond
to avoid detection. At 10:03 a.m., the skipper called “Battle
stations!” His crew responded smartly as he brought the sub-
marine around to a new course, closing the distance to his
target. Tensions were high in the sub; it was their first attack.
At 10:52 Johnson fired a spread of two torpedoes, knocking a chunk
off the freighter’s bow and stopping the vessel dead in the water. A
third fish hit near the stern. The ship slowly settled and sank. His
morning’s work done, Johnson steered his boat back to its patrol line
off the coast of Casablanca.WITH THEIR NORTH AFRICA TASKS COMPLETE, the squadron’s
five boats set course north for Base II in Scotland, there to join the late-
arriving Gurnard. Unfortunately, Gunnel’s bad luck persisted during
the voyage, when all four of its German-designed diesel engines conked
out. That left only a small auxiliary engine to charge the batteries that
drove the sub’s motors. Chugging along at 3.5 knots, Gunnel finally
showed up at Rosneath on December 7—10 days behind its mates.
Steiny was decidedly unimpressed with the base, bemoaning: “Ros-
neath was as dreary as the weather and offered nothing in the way of
diversions.” About the only cheery place in the neighborhood was the
sprawling Ferry Inn, built in the 1890s for Queen Victoria’s daughter
Louise, and in 1942 commandeered by the U.S. Navy as a billet for offi-
cers. The limited choice of food at the base left something to be desired.
The lieutenant rued the daily ration of Brussels sprouts, then bounti-
fully in season: “They came aboard by the ton. I still wince when I see
one,” he recalled 55 years later.
Gunnel was at Base II only brief ly for temporary repairs before sail-
ing back to New London for a complete overhaul. While Subron 50’s
remaining boats were undergoing refit by Beaver’s ma i nt en a nc e c r e w s
in preparation for the next round of patrols, operational command of
the unit passed to the British Admiralty. It was they, after all, who hadOCTOBER 2019 67
The USS Gunnel on a trial run off
Connecticut; its skipper, John McCain
Jr. (far right at right), was part of a
famous naval family that included his
admiral father, John “Slew” McCain
(second from left) and his son, future
senator John McCain III (center).