Silent Victory, The U S Submarine War Against Japan, Page 99 On the tender Pelias, moored in a backwater at the sub Base, Al McCann commanding Submarine Squadron 6, was in his stateroom, in his pajamas performing Gene Tunney exercises when the alert came. He raced to the bridge in his pajamas. What he saw he later said "turned my stomach upside down". It was "Unbelievable ... shabby ... absurd" battleship row - California, Oklahoma, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona and Nevada - was under severe air attack. The noise was deafening. There was smoke and flame all over the Harbor. Pelias was not yet fitted with her full complement of anti-aircraft weapons. McCann did not fire those he had, lest his gunners hit friendly ships, but watched in disbelief as as the bulk of the Pacific Fleet crumpled under the weight of the attack. For a while he considered getting under way and standing out of the harbor, but his path was blocked by flaming and exploding ships. When a wave of torpedo planes came over McCann was certain they were headed for Pelias, but they over flew the tender, and and attacked Hickam Field. (Pelias having only arrived November 25, was not on the Japanese target list, and only one crewman was injured: He lost his footing and fell off the gangplank while craning for a better look at the holocaust.) That morning there were four submarines in Pearl harbor. In addition to Wilkin's Narwhal, and Raine's old Dolphin, there was one older V boat, Cachelot, and the new Tambor-class Tautog. just returned from a long patrol off Midway.Narwhal, Dolphin and Tautog were moored at the sub base finger piers. Cachelot was in the Navy yard undergoing overhaul. When the first Japanese planes appeared, the crews on all four boats ran to battle stations.setting up .30 and .50 caliber machine guns. When a Japanese plane came over Tautog, the duty officer, William Brnard 'Barney' Sieglaff. coolly directed enlisted gunners manning a .50 caliber machine gun. The tracers climbed upward into the fuselage, and the plane burst into flame, and crashed into the water 50 yards off the sub base piers. Tautog was the first U S Submarine to destroy anything Japanese. At the navy yard, gun crews on Cachelot hammered away at Japanese planes with machine guns but got no positive hits. During the battle a Japanese plane headed for larger targets strafed the boat, hitting Seaman Second Class G. A. Myers in the right lung. Myers was rushed to the Sub base dispensary where, in time, he recovered. Myers was the first submarine force casualty of World War II and the only submarine casualty of Pearl Harbor.