USS PC-815

Did the USS PC-815 have a guardian angel? Or was it cursed from the start? This seemingly simple patrol craft, commissioned right here in 1943, packed enough drama into its short life for a Hollywood movie. The USS PC-815, a PC-461-class submarine chaser, began its career under the command of a man who would later become much more famous for something else entirely: L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Hubbard’s stint on the USS PC-815 was brief and controversial. In May 1943, off Cape Lookout, Oregon, he reported contact with not one, but two Japanese submarines. He launched a 68-hour “battle,” involving depth charges, blimps, and other ships. The official Navy investigation later concluded there were no submarines present. Hubbard maintained he’d sunk one sub and damaged another, a claim unsupported by any evidence. His next misadventure involved unauthorized gunnery practice near the Coronado Islands, Mexican territory. This diplomatic incident led to his dismissal from command in July 1943. The USS PC-815, now minus its infamous captain, continued its service as a shore patrol vessel in San Diego. It seemed destined for a quieter existence. But fate, it seemed, had other plans for the “jinxed sub-chaser,” as it became known. On a foggy September morning in 1945, just days after the end of World War II, the USS PC-815 met its tragic end. It collided with the destroyer USS Laffey, caught fire, and sank within minutes. One crew member was lost. The wreck of the USS PC-815, a silent testament to its tumultuous history, rests on the seabed off San Diego.