Recently a Maine-based company, Historic Map Works, generously offered to create digital scans of a collection of WWI nautical charts. Several of these are related to submarine chaser service. Eventually I intend to post web-sized versions of them.

As an example, I have posted an image of a chart used on SC 93 during their voyage through the Strait of Gibraltar in 1918, en route to the Otranto Barrage. The pencil lines show the route plotted by Ens. Dole.

One chart, of the Strait of Otranto, is marked with a pencil-lined grid and numbered squares. This was used during active ASW operations in the Otranto Barrage. The numbered grid was used as a convenient way to identify locations. References to these "squares" appear in many of the attack reports from the chaser stationed at Base 25, Corfu.

A small section of that chart is shown in my book, Hunters of the Steel Sharks, marked with the location of all known attacks by U.S. submarine chasers in the Strait.

While my main purpose in having these items scanned is to preserve digital copies, it may also be possible to obtain reproductions from Historic Map Works. These charts are not available from their web site, but if anyone is interested, please let me know and I will inquire.

New in The Chasers >> Subchaser Crews

Recently posted is a photograph of crewmen on submarine chaser SC 1. SC 1 served at Plymouth and Queenstown, engaging in antisubmarine patrols.

The officers are:
Ens. J.S. Simmons, USNRF (CO) and
Ens. D.M. Brown, USNRF (XO).

Ralph Buskill, great-uncle of Karen Jordan, is shown front right.

Photo courtesy of Karen Jordan.

New in The Chasers >> Photo Sets

Earl B. Nichols served as a Listener on submarine chaser SC 99.

A photo set just posted, courtesy of his grandson, Scott Rimmer, shows scenes from his service on SC 99.

An interesting item in this set is a leave notice from 4 April 1919, when Nichols was visiting sites in France while waiting for word on when SC 99 would sail for home.

Earl also kept a journal, which his grandson is now transcribing. Look for excerpts in a forthcoming issue, including an excellent and interesting description of the K-tube hydrophone.

New audio content at In the Great War

Note: In the Great War is a sister-site to The Subchaser Archives, for two podcast series, one audio and one video.

The latest audio addition to the In the Great War series is an episode on the sinking of submarine chaser SC 209.

On August 27, 1918, USS Felix Taussig shelled and sank submarine chaser SC 209, south of Long Island. This podcast includes official reports and personal accounts of the sole incident in WWI of a chaser being lost to friendly fire.

Posted in The Subchaser Archives as a companion piece is a complete list of crewmen lost, injured, and uninjured, and a set of rare, recently-acquired photographs of SC 209.

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