Henry Conrad Lauerman, USN
| Born | 22 Apr 1917 | Chicago, IL, USA | |
| Died | 25 Dec 2005 | (88) | Winston-Salem, NC, USA |
| Ranks
Decorations |
Warship Commands listed for Henry Conrad Lauerman, USN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| USS Cabrilla (288) | T/Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 31 Dec 1944 | 8 Aug 1945 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine USS Cabrilla (288)
4 Feb 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
With her overhaul completed USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed San Francisco for San Diego.
6 Feb 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived at San Diego for special exercises with the West Coast Sound School.
7 Feb 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego together with USS PC-801 (Lt.(jg.) W.D. Wallace, USNR).
8 Feb 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego together with USS Duxbury Bay (Cdr. F.N. Howe, USN) and USS PC-801 (Lt.(jg.) W.D. Wallace, USNR).
11 Feb 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
On board USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) the entire hydraulic system was flooded with salt water. The entire system had to be disassembled for repairs which took four days.
17 Feb 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed San Diego for Pearl Harbour.
24 Feb 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived at Pearl Harbour from San Diego.
1 Mar 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour together with USS Burden R. Hastings (Lt.Cdr. J.W. Stivers, USNR).
15 Mar 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour together with USS Pruitt (Lt. D.B. Harby, USNR).
16 Mar 1945
During 16/17 March 1945, USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN), conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour together with USS Pruitt (Lt. D.B. Harby, USNR), USS Florikan (Lt. D. Hima, USN), USS PC-599 and USS Bonefish (Cdr. L.L. Edge, USN).
20 Mar 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed Pearl Harbour for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands.
For daily and attack positions (though incomplete) of USS Cabrilla during this patrol see the map below.
24 Mar 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived at Midway.
25 Mar 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed Midway for her patrol area.
7 Apr 1945 (position 41.12, 142.30)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) attacked a small transport ship to the east of the Tsugaro Strait (between Honshu and Hokkaido). Three torpedoes were fired but all missed. Following the attack Cabrilla was heavily depth charged by the escorts.
(All times are zone K, -10) 0130 hours - In position 41°04'N, 142°15'E obtained radar contact bearing 060°(T), range 15900 yards. Commenced tracking and closing target.
0150 hours - Determined that the target group was made up of one small and three very small ships on a base course of 120°(T), speed 8 knots. For such a small target, there is certainly an abundance of escorts.
0216 hours - Battle stations and started in for the target.
0243 hours - Sighted the target through binoculars at about 4500 yards. It looked like a small freighter of about 2500 tons.
0245 hours - The target zigged towards as planned.
0250 hours - In position 41°12'N, 142°30'E fired three torpedoes. All torpedoes were seen porpoising. Ordered cease firing and came left to ave a try with the stern tubes but then decided not to fire more torpedoes. All depth engines were probably effected due to the extreme cold.
0257 hours - Heard one end of run detonation. The target group zigged away and speeded up. Decided to track them and make an end around, have a look at the torpedoes and then to submerge to attack.
0319 hours - Secured from battle stations, continued tracking the target and reload the three torpedoes tubes that had been fired forward.
0543 hours - At a range of 13000 yards and in the early morning twilight the target sighted us and challenged us followed almost immediately with a salvo from two 4" guns. The target continued to fire and gave us zero angle on the bow.
0558 hours - When the enemy made a perfect straddle and exploded another in the air directly over the periscope shears it seemed wise to dive.
0600 hours - Submerged and went deep.
0615 hours - Sound reported four sets of screws, three pingers andwhat sounded like one fathometer.
0637 hours - Seemed to be boxed in by the enemy.
0740 hours - The enemy dropped 18 depth charges, big ones. All of them were close, but a little above.
0800 hours - Three more depth charges, very close.
0900 hours - One more depth charge which shook the boat violently while she was at 610 feet.
0930 hours - The enemy appeared to have lost contact.
1253 hours - Pinging now very faint astern.
1530 hours - Came up to periscope depth for a look, all clear.
1948 hours - Surfaced and headed east to inspect the damage from the depth charging. The superstructure rattles and bangs like the fenders on a Model T Ford.
2030 hours - Sent four crew and one officer on deck to inspect the damage and make repairs if possible.
2045 hours - The officer, Lt.(jg). P.W. Pinson, USN was washed overboard. All stop and astern full but he could not be found in the freezing water.
18 Apr 1945 (position 41.50, 143.35)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) claims to have either sunk or damaged an engines aft medium freighter east of Hoikkaido, Japan. The claim could not be confirmed post war.
(All times are zone K, -10) 1708 hours - In position 41°53'N, 143°39'E picked up echo-ranging on sound bearing 105°(T). Closed submerged. Could not see anything due to bad visibility.
1740 hours - Echo-ranging now coming in very loud. Nothing in sight visually and no contact with the ST radar.
1757 hours - Sighted the target through the mist.
1758 hours - Manned battle stations and rigged for silent running.
1804 hours - Sighted a second target bearing 136°(T), range about 5000 yards. Finally made out the pinger to be a sea truck or something similar worth two torpedoes.
1806 hours - Identified the second target to be an engines aft freighter of about 3-4000 tons.
1810 hours - The targets tracked on a base course of 305°(T), speed 7.5 knots.
1819 hours - In position 41°50'N, 143°35'E fired two torpedoes at the escort set at four feet. Range was 3000 yards.
1820 hours - Shifted setup to the freighter and fired the remaining four bow torpedoes at her from 2800 yards. Lost depth control on firing due to a malfuntion and ended up at 635 feet.
1824 hours - Heard one good hit thoght to be no.5 torpedo.
1827 hours - The escort dropped eight depth charges.
1837 hours - Slowly started working our way to periscope depth.
1916 hours - At periscope depth. All clear.
2000 hours - Finally had the boat trimmed correctly and the bilges pumped out.
2020 hours - Surfaced.
2 May 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed her patrol area for Midway. Before doing so she test fired ten Mk.18 torpedoes in the cold weather conditions to test their performance.
7 May 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) ended her 7th war patrol at Midway.
At Midway she was refitted by Submarine Division 242 Relief crew and the USS Aegir.
3 Jun 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed Midway for her 8th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China and Java Seas. She was to proceed to Fremantle, Australia upon completion of this patrol.
For daily and attack positions (though incomplete) of USS Cabrilla during this patrol see the map below.
11 Jun 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived at Saipan. She was escorted in by USS LCI(L)-1062.
12 Jun 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed Saipan for her patrol area. She was escorted out by USS LCI(L)-1062.
19 Jun 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived on her patrol station between Hong Kong and Formosa.
11 Jul 1945
Early in the afternoon, USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN), picked up seven crew of a downed B-24 bomber off the south coast of Formosa. One died later due to his injuries, his body was committed to the deep.
15 Jul 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) arrived at Subic Bay, Phillipines. She was escorted in by USS Walton (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Wills, Jr., USNR).
16 Jul 1945 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) departed Subic Bay for her new patrol area, the Jave Sea.
29 Jul 1945 (position -8.28, 116.02)
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) made the southbound passage of Lombok Strait. During the passage a Mk.27 acoustic torpedo was fired at a group of three small enemy ships but it failed to hit (the patrol report lacks details of the attack). The attack was near position 08°28'S, 116°02'E. The enemy ships were identified as two sea trucks and a lugger.
3 Aug 1945
USS Cabrilla (Lt.Cdr. H.C. Lauerman, USN) ended her 8th war patrol at Fremantle. At Fremantle she was refitted by Submarine Repair Unit no. 137.
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