| UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET AIRCRAFT, BATTLE FORCE BOMBING SQUADRON SIX | |||
| U. S. S. ENTERPRISE, At sea, 13 December 1941. | |||
| From: | Ensign C. R. WALTERS, A-V(N), U.S.N.R. |
| To: | Commander, Bombing Squadron SIX. |
| Subject: | Contacts for War Diary. |
- On Wednesday, 10 December 1941, while on a scouting search, I saw ten surface vessels at the end of my first leg of navigation. I made a contact and amplifying report and after tracking for sometime, I was told that it was our Task Force One. While enroute back to the ship, I saw a submarine on the surface. Tracking the submarine in the sun, I was able to see it was large, no flag, and traveling at about 16 knots. I decided to bomb it in a glide bomb but the higher winds pushed me into a dive bomb attack and with little flaps. I dropped the bomb at 1800 feet and was unable to pull out until about 600 feet because I was traveling at a speed of about 240 knots. The submarine submerged just before I was in firing range with the .50 caliber fixed guns. He submerged slowly and blew many bubbles on descent. The 1000 pound bomb landed about 40 feet on the starboard quarter. I believe shrapnel hit the submarine as the bomb had an instantaneous fuze. My Radioman, IVANTIC, J.J., RM3c, strafed the submarine with his .30 caliber free machine gun as we pulled out of the dive. I remained over the spot for a few minutes and the submarine did not surface again, so I returned to the ship. I saw no oil on the surface.
| (Signed) C. R. WALTERS |