Some will say the below posting should be placed in the Navy forum below, but I have chosen that it deserves to be placed here.
Today is the anniversary day of not an act of individual valor, but a collective one.
About a month back I was made aware of a WWII Submarine Veteran who lives not too far from the local American Legion Post where we hold our monthly USSVI SubVets Base meetings. I wasted no time making contact with this fellow. My new Submarineer Shipmate and Senior Sea Daddy Herb has now become a great friend. He was the hero/guest at our October SubVets meeting just a couple of weeks ago. And I popped for his dues as a Life member of USSVI. (He has been a life member of American Submarine Veterans of WWII for many years.)
Here below is the narrative I have written describing the collective action that at the time, EM3/c Herb B. was a contributor to, in putting one of the Emperor’s finest and best heavy cruisers directly on the bottom of Palawan passage just west of the island of Palawan, P.I. in the South China Sea.
“67 years ago today at 0533 hours on 23Oct1944, CDR (later Captain) David McClintock and the crew of the U.S.S. DARTER (SS-227) hit and sink the Japanese Heavy Cruiser IJNS ATAGO with four torpedoes from a spread of six warshots fired from the 227 Boat’s forward tubes. CDR McClintock quickly orders a turn to port to bring the DARTER’s four stern tubes to bear and fired four more Mk14 Warshots at another heavy cruiser the IJNS TAKAO. In doing so he severely damages the TAKAO with two torpedo hits. While conducting a high speed night surface end around maneuver to finish off the TAKAO, DARTER runs up on the Bombay Shoals in Palawan passage at flank speed, coming to rest full length out of the water and permanently aground. 
(To make a clarification as to how the grounding happened, the XO/NAV had been unable to take a star or sun shot for two days due to overcast weather conditions. So they well knew that they were unsure of their actual position. But the risk was worth it if they could get into a position to perform a warshot Coupe de Grasse on the TAKAO.)
Not long afterwards, all hands are saved by the U.S.S. DACE (SS-247) who had "Deep Sixed" the IJNS MAYA the ATAGO’s sister ship, just minutes after DARTER’s torpedo’s had struck the ATAGO’s X-Ring so to speak.
The U.S.S. DARTER (SS-227) and her crew were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, and the 227 Boat received four battle stars for her World War II service.
Here below is an online copy of John Hamilton’s “Sinking of the IJNS ATAGO and MAYA by the DARTER and the DACE ". Thus this is a little anecdote/vignette about the opening shots of what would collectively be named the Battle of Leyte Gulf."
If any of you are interested in the “Ambush at Palawan Passage” just Google it.
The Ambush at Palawan Passage to me is exemplary and just one excellent episode of the fighting spirit displayed by the U.S. Navy’s Killer Submarine Force in WWII.
More interesting additional information about the 227 Boat and Herb’s Skipper can be found at:
http://users.infomagic.net/~grog/
Here is a link with some pictures of the DARTER.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08227.htm 
1Thanks
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