This World War II submarine was important to Holly Grove, because one of the families, the Arch Lynch family, whose children attended HGHS, lost a son, Walter, when the Japanese sank the Wahoo after it was detected in the straits between the northernmost island of Japan and the peninsula of Russia just north of Japan. The Japanese searched several hours and dropped many depth charges trying to sink and put this sub out of commission. After an all night attack, a large oil slick and bubbles reached the surface of the ocean. The ole girl put up a courageous fight.
The Wahoo sunk more Japanese ship tonnage of WW II up until the time it was sunk. There is a lot of information, including pictures and maps about the Wahoo. I found it on Google/USS Wahoo.
Just in the last month of this year, the Wahoo has been located after years of searching by divers. The commander was named "Mush" Morton. All 79 hands on board perished. Lynch was a FF, I suppose those initials stand for fireman. I don't have the rank lingo to recall. The list of the crew is in the Google article. There will be no attempt to recover anything connected to the Wahoo. This is the crews resting place for eternity as is proper.
I just remember Walter coming to the campus when Kenneth Lynch, his youngest sibling and other members of my grade school class (third or fourth) watched Walter passing the football with members of the football team. He was on leave (possibly before going to the Pacific) and was wearing his uniform. Oh, my, all the girls thought he was so handsome. I remember when the Lynch family received the news the submarine was sunk how it touched all our lives.
Ken lives in Yukon, OK, a suburb of Oklahoma City and a sister Delorese Lynch Boyle, (husband, Marvin) live in Brinkley. The Boyles are in their eighties. I talk with her frequently. She is a classmate of H. I. Summerfield. Check documents in the pictures album. There is a play cast with her name on it.
I will try to find more information on this submarine and make notes to write to you about.
