Bare-Faced Messiah (PDF) - Apologetics Index

eporter that he had grown up in Portland and came from a long line of naval men. He said his
grandfather, 'Captain' Lafayette Waterbury, and his great-grandfather, 'Captain' I.C. DeWolfe, had
both helped make American naval history, although naturally he did not elaborate on their
contribution. [His great-grandfather's name was Abram; 'I.C.' were his grandmother's initials.]
His membership of the Explorers Club received a prominent mention, of course, along with the fact
that he had commanded three 'internationally important' expeditions. He was also persuaded to
reveal that during the Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition he had become the first man ever to use
a bathysphere for underwater filming.
When the reporter asked Ron for a comment about his new ship, he obliged with a picturesque
quote that began by sounding like Humphrey Bogart and ended like the President: 'Those little
sweethearts are tough. They could lick the pants off anything Nelson or Farragut ever sailed. They
put up a sizzling fight and are the only answer to the submarine menace. I state emphatically that
the future of America rests with just such escort vessels.'
On the evening of 18 May, the USS PC-815 sailed from Astoria, Oregon, on her shakedown cruise.
Her destination was San Diego, but she had only been at sea for five hours when, at 0230 hours off
Cape Lookout on the coast of Oregon, she encountered at least one, perhaps two, enemy
submarines in the middle of a busy shipping lane!
Ron provided a graphic account of the engagement that followed in a secret Battle Report to the
Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet:[6]
'Proceeding southward just inside the steamer track an echo-ranging contact was made by the
soundman then on duty . . . The Commanding Officer had the conn and immediately slowed all
engines to ahead one third to better echo-ranging conditions, and placed the contact dead ahead,
500 yards away.
'The first contact was very good. The target was moving left and away. The bearing was clear. The
night was moonlit and the sea was flat calm . . . The USS PC-815 closed in to 360 yards,
meanwhile sounding general quarters . . . Contact was regained at 800 yards and was held on the
starboard beam while further investigation was made. Screws were present and distinct as before.
The bearing was still clear. Smoke signal identification was watched for closely and when none
appeared it was concluded the target must not be a friendly submarine. All engines were brought
up to speed 15 knots and the target was brought dead ahead . . .'
On its first attack run, the USS PC-815 dropped a barrage of three depth charges. When it had reestablished
contact, a second attack was made at 0350 hours, this time laying down a pattern of
four depth charges.
Ron lapsed into rather unmilitary lyricism to describe the ensuing events: 'The ship, sleepy and
sceptical, had come to their guns swiftly and without error. No one, including the Commanding
Officer, could readily credit the existence of an enemy submarine here on the steamer track and all
soundmen, now on the bridge, were attempting to argue the echo-ranging equipment and
chemical recorder out of such a fantastic idea . . .
'At 0450, with dawn breaking over a glassy sea, a lookout sighted a dark object about 700 yards
from the ship on the starboard beam. When inspected the object seemed to be moving . . .
Although very probably this object was a floating log no chances were taken and the target was
used to test the guns which had not been heretofore fired structurally. The gunners, most of whom