Harry Clinton Stevenson, USN
| Born | 23 Jun 1906 | North Baltimore, Ohio, USA | |
| Died | 6 Apr 1992 | (85) | Sonoma County, California, USA |
| Ranks
Decorations
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Warship Commands listed for Harry Clinton Stevenson, USN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| USS Cachalot (170) | T/Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | Sep 1942 | Apr 1943 |
| USS Aspro (309) | T/Cdr. | Submarine | 31 Jul 1943 | 15 Jan 1944 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine USS Cachalot (170)
23 Sep 1942
USS Cachalot (Lt.Cdr. Harry Clinton Stevenson) left Pearl Harbor for her 3th and final war patrol. She was to patrol in the Bering Sea. After this patrol Cachalot was assigned to training duties.
23 Dec 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cachalot departed the Panama Canal Zone for New London, Connecticut.
3 Jan 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Cachalot arrived at New London, Connecticut from the Panama Canal Zone.
Submarine USS Aspro (309)
9 Sep 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) arrived at Newport Rhode Island for torpedo trails.
12 Sep 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) arrived at New London, Connecticut.
23 Sep 1943
With her trials and initial training completed USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) departed New London for Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone.
1 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) arrived at Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone.
4 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Balboa.
5 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) departed Balboa for Pearl Harbour.
19 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) arrived at Pearl Harbor from Balboa. Voyage repairs were undertaken and these were followed by a final training period.
23 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) departed Pearl Harbour for the submarine training area.
24 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) returned to Pearl Harbour.
26 Oct 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) departed Pearl Harbour for the submarine training area. She returned later the same day.
24 Nov 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Formosa. Aspro was escorted out by USS PC-597.
For the daily and attack positions of USS Aspro during this patrol see the map below. As no deck log is available (for the moment) positions were taken from the patrol report. Unfortunately the patrol report does not give daily noon positions.
28 Nov 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) refuels at Midway. She departed for her patrol area after a few hours.
4 Dec 1943 (position 27.46, 156.16)
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) damaged a Japanese fishing vessel / guardboat with gunfire in position 27°46'N, 156°16'E.
(All times are zone -10) 1840 hours - Sighted a steady white light bearing 000°. Closed to investigate. Radar picked up the target at a range of 10100 yards. The target was sighted from the bridge from a range of 6000 yards and appeared to be a 100 tons sampan. She was net fishing with all lights burning. Decided to go around and attack from the dark area of moon with the deck gun.
2046 hours - Commenced firing from 3000 yards. The second round hit forward of the sampan's deck house near the waterline. The sampan then extinguished her lights and the gun pointers were unable to see the target. Closed to 1700 yards but then the sampan opened up fire with her machine guns. Soon she opened fire with a larger gun. Another sampan was then seen ahead and closing rapidly. It was then decided to break off the action and retired at high speed.
10 Dec 1943
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) arrived in her patrol area.
15 Dec 1943 (position 25.07, 122.33)
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) attacked a tanker in Japanese convoy with four torpedoes. No hits were obtained.
The convoy attacked was made up of naval tankers Amatsu Maru (10568 GRT, built 1943), Ominesan Maru (10536 GRT, built 1943), army tanker Zuiho Maru (5135 GRT, built 1943), transports Kagu Maru (6806 GRT, built 1936), Nishi Maru ( 2655 GRT, built 1921), Shozui Maru (2719 GRT, built 1940) and Juyo Maru (5458 GRT, built 1926). They were escorted by the Japanese frigate Tsushima (all offsite links).
The convoy (HI-25) was en-route from Moji to Takao where it arrived safely later the same day.
(All times are zone -9) 0650 hours - In position 25°06'N, 122°34'E bbtained radar contact on a ship bearing 070°, range 21700 yards.
0656 hours - Sighted the masts of a ship bearing 070°. Dived and commenced approach.
0730 hours - Saw a ship through the periscope.
0750 hours - Sighted a convoy of three ships with a tanker in the center of two freighters. Two destroyers were seen to be the escort, one ahead, one astern. Started attack.
0816 hours - In position 25°07'N, 122°33'E fired four bow torpedoes at the tanker thought to be of about 7500 tons. Had to go deep after iring to avoid one of the destroyers. Enemy course was 260°, speed 12 knots, range 1675 yards.
0819 hours - Heard a torpedo explosion.
0821 hours - Deth charging started. Four deth charges were dropped over the next four minutes. No damage was done to Aspro.
1432 hours - Returned to periscope depth. Nothing in sight.
17 Dec 1943 (position 23.59, 124.42)
During the night of 17/18 December 1943, USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN), twice attacked a Japanese convoy damaging the Japanese army tankers Sarawak Maru (5135 GRT, built 1943) and another tanker (often stated to be named Tenei Maru but this can't be correct as this ship was only completed in 1944).
The convoy attacked by Aspro was made up of the above mentioned Sarawak Maru, the unidentifed tanker mentioned above as well as fleet tanker Ogura Maru No.2 (7311 GRT, built 1931) and merchant tanker Fushimi Maru No.3 (4289 GRT, built 1943), the cargo ships Batavia Maru (4393 GRT, built 1919), Nichirei Maru (5396 GRT, built 1943) and Hirota Maru (2922 GRT, built 1940) and eight other unidentified merchant ships. They were escorted by destroyer Shiokaze and minesweeper W-33 (all offsite links).
(All times are zone -9) 17 December 1943 1831 hours - Obtained a radar contact bearing 160°. Range 27800 yards.
1835 hours - Sighted smoke on the same bearing during the evening twilight. Started radar tracking. It soon became apparent that we were astern of a convoy. Commenced end around. Position was 24°13'N, 125°31'E.
1930 hours - Radar picked up another group of ships ahead of the group being tracked. Commenced tracking this group. The leading group was zig-zagging with courses of 180° and 270° as extremes. Enemy speed was 12 knots. The after group was closing the forward group at 15 knots as to join.
1940 hours - Went to three engine speed.
1950 hours - A third group of ships was picked up by radar. A brief track indicated this group was closing from the northwestward. Continued tracking the leading group of ships.
1957 hours - Went to four engine speed.
2025 hours - Sighted the convoy from the bridge. Range was now 14000 yards to the nearest ships. All the ships were now operating as one unit, enemy speed 12 knots.
2130 hours - Continued tracking and gaining position ahead.
2205 hours - Now in a good position ahead. Turned towards for a surface attack.
2225 hours - In position 23°59'N, 124°42'E commenced firing a full bow salvo. Range was about 2500 yards. Actually due to an error in drill only five torpedoes were fired before Aspro was turned to bring the stern tubes to bear.
2226 hours - Fired the stern tubes at a large tanker that was overlapping with a transport vessel. Range was about 2500 yards.
2227 hours - Commenced clearing the area at high speed on the surface.
2230 hours - Sighted one of the transports going down bow first. Her stern was in the air. Range was about 1500 yards. She was turning towards Aspro as she sank. This was the largest ship of the convoy.
2231 hours - Observed a medium to large freigther going down with a 15 degree angle.
2232 hours - Observed a medium sized freighter rolling over to starboard, lay on her side for a moment, and then sink. Also observed a tanker astern to settle in the water and going down by the bow until her bow was awash. This tanker was later seen to be in tow of one of the freighters.
2305 hours - All tubes reloaded. The convoy had scattered to the eastward except for one group of four freighters and two escorts. The crippled tanker in tow was following these ships but was rapidly drawing aft. Commenced tracking.
18 December 1943 0149 hours - In a position ahead. Dived to radar depth and turned to close track.
0210 hours - Went to periscope depth (55 feet).
0229 hours - In position 23°31'N, 124°15'E fired three bow torpedoes at a freighter in the center of the convoy and three bow torpedoes at an overlapping freighter to the right and ahead. Ranges were about 2500 yards.
0230 hours - Saw an explosion and orange colored flame from one freighter. Sound reported high speed screws close aboard. Started to go deep. Four torpedo explosions were heard. Just before the periscope went under a ship was seen to turn toward Aspro.
0232 hours - Depth charging started but none were close. Depth charging lasted for about one hour. Set course to clear the area to the northwestward in the hope of being able to finish off the damaged tanker later but she was not seen again.
27 Dec 1943 (position 26.20, 148.15)
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) attacked a small Japanese convoy with four torpedoes in position 26°20'N, 148°15'E. No hits were obtained. The targets could not be seen in the bad visibility. The torpedoes were fired by radar plot.
(All times are zone -9.5) 1920 hours - In position 26°16'N, 148°14'E obtained radar contact bearing 119°, range 16600 yards. Commenced tracking. Visibility was only 100 yards as it was raining very hard.
1950 hours - A small 'pip' was now seen astern of the main target, must be an escort vessel.
2010 hours - Range was now 700 yards but nothing could be seen. The enemy's course was between 270° and 300°, speed 9 knots.
2049 hours - In position 26°20'N, 148°15'E fired four stern torpedoes at the targets from 1700 yards and then cleared the area. No hits were obtained.
2054 hours - Heard five explosions at 20 second intervals.
2130 hours - The targets faded out on the radar screen at a range of 18000 yards.
1 Jan 1944
USS Aspro (Cdr. H.C. Stevenson, USN) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.
15 Jan 1944
Lt.Cdr. William Alfred Stevenson takes over command from his brother Cdr. Harry Clinton Stevenson who has developed problems with his eyesight during Aspro's 1st war patrol and was disqualified after an eye examination.
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