Now a submarine’s
main purpose is to seek the foe at sea
And Cavalla’s crew
was eager to find the enemy.
On their way to
San Bernadino they were told to turn around
And head for Marianas
where some big ships could be found.
So Captain Kossler
altered course to reach his destination
And it wasn’t long
till Radar had four ships in observation.
But Captain Kossler
played it smart and made a wise decision
To pass the ships
so he could find a good attack position.
Then orders came
to trail the ships and wait for bigger game
And this they did
for hours and hours until their big chance came.
For suddenly the
radar showed a screen that was alive
But just as quick
the Japs saw her and she was forced to dive.
She lay submerged
throughout the day until the darkness fell,
And when they surfaced
after dark, they looked around for quite a spell.
But nowhere on
that wide expanse could they see the slightest trace
Of the battleships
and destroyers that had forced them from the chase.
They turned around
and headed back for San Bernadino Strait,
When they reached
their destination they hunkered down to wait.
It wasn’t long
till Sonar reported heavy screws approaching
Twas a carrier
and two cruisers-not a good time to be broaching!
Captain Kossler
lined ‘em up with a final mark and bearing,
And Cavalla fired
six
torpedoes with an accuracy unerring.
Three torpedoes
found their marks and Shokaku took the hits
Explosions rocked
that once proud ship and she was blown to bits.
Cavalla then was
forced to dive to avoid interventions
By some Japanese
destroyers who were filled with bad intentions
For three long
hours depth charges came and made their lives pure Hell
But Cavalla and
her hearty crew came home with tales to tell.
Cavalla is retired
now along with all her former crews
No longer will
she plumb the depths, no more will turn her screws.
Her Glory Days
are over, she has reached home port at last,
May she live forever
in the memory of her past.
Bob Harrison
April 18, 1999
Greenfield, Indiana
