{"id":72786,"date":"2025-08-26T16:23:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:34:39","slug":"spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","title":{"rendered":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Fletcher-class destroyer O\u2019Bannon, known as the \u201cLucky O,\u201d had an illustrious World War II career, becoming the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of the war for its participation in protecting \u201cThe Slot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Slot was a narrow sea lane through the Solomon Islands, of which U.S. naval forces violently battled the Japanese Combined Fleet for control. For their efforts, the destroyer and its crew earned 17 battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship also became, perhaps, the first and last to sink an enemy submarine through the ingenious use of potatoes \u2014 allegedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 5, 1943<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While patrolling The Slot on the night of April 5, 1943, O\u2019Bannon made radar contact with a surfaced Japanese submarine, the RO-34, at a range of 7,000 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship\u2019s skipper, Lt. Cmdr. Donald J. MacDonald, cautiously maneuvered O\u2019Bannon so close that one sailor recalled<\/a> seeing the unsuspecting Japanese sleeping out on the deck \u201cwearing dark shorts and dinky blue hats,\u201d oblivious to the incoming Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to lore, the destroyer got a little too close and was unable to blast the submarine out of the water with its 3-inch deck guns, so its sailors threw the closest items they had on deck \u2014 potatoes from the spud locker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In earnest, the swabs nailed the Japanese sailors left and right with the nightshades, the latter thinking the home-grown potatoes from Maine were hand grenades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lt. Cmdr. Donald John MacDonald (Naval History and Heritage Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis kept them very busy as they try to get rid of them by throwing them back at the O\u2019Bannon or over the side of the sub. Thus occupied, they were too busy to man their deck gun which gave us sufficient time to put a little distance between our ship and the sub,\u201d according to sailor Ernest A. Herr<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reality, writes military historian John Wukovits in his book \u201cTin Can Titans<\/a>,\u201d \u201cMacDonald simultaneously dropped depth charges and ordered his 40mm and 20mm guns to open fire.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The enemy sub rose out of the water and settled by the stern a few moments later. The following day, aviators reported a thick oil slick at the location, and thus O\u2019Bannon received credit for a probable sinking of the submarine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship\u2019s cook later remarked<\/a> to MacDonald \u201cthat he thought he could have thrown potatoes at the boat,\u201d they had been so close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The myth begins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Certain members of the American press picked up the story and printed it as a tale of the destroyer sinking the sub with spuds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potato growers in Maine latched on to the story and even struck a plaque to honor the occasion, according to Wukovits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Plaque given to O’Bannon from Maine potato farmers. (Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lore of the spuds vs. submarine lingered for so long after the war that MacDonald admitted<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to drive a stake through this story for years.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he did maneuver O\u2019Bannon close to the submarine, even a sailor with an arm that could throw \u201ca football over a mountain<\/a>\u201d could not have managed to hit the submarine with anything, much less a potato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom that single remark [of the cook],\u201d MacDonald continued, \u201chas grown the entire legend of the use of Maine potatoes to sink a Japanese submarine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, O\u2019Bannon didn\u2019t need the false press. Its actions became the stuff of legends in its own right, with Adm. William \u201cBull\u201d Halsey declaring, \u201cThe history of the Pacific war can never be written without telling the story of the U.S.S. O\u2019Bannon. Time after time the O\u2019Bannon and her gallant little sisters were called upon to turn back the enemy. They never disappointed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Bannon was personally selected by Halsey to escort the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and was the first U.S. warship to travel from Tokyo to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco after the war\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":91,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,91,12,25,19,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3376],"class_list":["post-72786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-history","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"F774VP4KEBESHJ66IGM3V4IQOU","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nSpuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 676,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Military History\",\n\t \"News\",\n\t \"Newsletters\",\n\t \"Veterans\",\n\t \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/26\\\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Military History\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"military-history\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal - Marine Corps Times","description":"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal","og_description":"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00","author":"Claire Barrett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire Barrett","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal","datePublished":"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/"},"wordCount":676,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Military History","News","Newsletters","Veterans","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/","name":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-26T16:23:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:34:39+00:00","description":"Legend has it the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of WWII sank a Japanese submarine solely by throwing potatoes at it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/08\/26\/spuds-vs-submarine-the-lore-of-the-uss-obannon-at-guadalcanal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Military History","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/","ad_zone":"military-history"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O\u2019Bannon at Guadalcanal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/80-G-58800.jpeg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72797,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72786\/revisions\/72797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72786"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=72786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}