IN REPLY ADDRESS NOT THE SIGNER                                                                                      
   OF THIS LETTER, BUT
           HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE                                                                                                    
           NAVY DEPARTMENT
           WASHINGTON, D. C.
                                                                 HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE
                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                     WASHINGTON, D.C.
 
                                                                         September 2, 1941.
 
Dear Admiral Stark:-
 
          Your letter about my encounter with a submarine 
went all over creation, and finally came to me last Saturday.
I hasten to reply. For exact information I would have to send 
to the TEXAS, and pore over the records of the event, but I be-
lieve that my memory serves well enough for the kind of informa-
tion you wish.
                                            about July 17 or 18  
          We were on our sixth day of patrols /\ going NE, in 
Latitude 47 N., Long 41 W., approximately, when about 2000, a 
little before dusk, a submarine periscope was sighted by sever-
al lookouts simultaneously, or nearly so. It was sighted on the 
port quarter bearing about 225 relative, distant less that 1000 
yards. We immediately went to torpedo defense quarters, hoisted 
the emergency signals to the DD's, sent them out to try to trail 
the sub, and attack if she was a menace to us. The TEXAS was put
on an easterly course, speed increased, and manoevered to be in an
advantageous position for any eventuallity should such occur to 
one of the DD's.  The presence of the sub was broad cast, and
opNav notified in usual manner later.
 
                    How the submarine was able to get into that locality 
is a mystery to me. She had to pass through a cordon of at least two 
DD's, unless she was deeply submerged and rose to xxxxxxx per- 
iscope depth immediately they had passed over. In all of our patrole
we had submarine alarms (sound) in this approximate locality.
I believe that this is caused by the fact that this latitude is 
about right for a trip from Brest to Newfoundland.
 
                    The DD's formed a scouting line and tried to locate the 
sub, but she got away. This may be accounted for by the increased 
noises in the water when a vessel increases speed, or manoevers in
any way to disturb the normal situation. I would have put this 
alarm down as one of the ordinary alarms except for the fact that 
I saw the periscope myself before he submerged and it was seen by at 
least three others officers and several lookouts.
 
     In my opinion this sub was on the way home to Brest
with no more torpedoes, because had he had any, the chance was a
grand one if the Germans wanted to start anyhhing. After an hour
of search I recalled the DD's and we continued our patrol.