16-Year-Old’s Vomit Accidentally Saved 78 Men From Japanese Depth Charges in WW2 Submarine

On March 17, 1945, deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, the USS Barb was in grave danger. At a depth of 250 feet, 78 men faced imminent death as Japanese destroyers unleashed a relentless barrage of depth charges. The submarine’s lights flickered and then went dark, leaving only the eerie red glow of emergency lights to illuminate the panic-stricken faces of the crew. Each explosion sent shockwaves through the vessel, shaking its steel frame and causing paint chips to rain down from the ceiling.

Among the crew was a young sailor, just 16 years old, who was hunched over a bucket, violently ill from seasickness and fear. This young man, James Robert Decker—known as Bobby—was not just any sailor; he was about to become the unlikely savior of the USS Barb and its crew.

The Young Sailor’s Journey

Bobby Decker’s journey to the USS Barb was anything but ordinary. Born in Galveston, Texas, in April 1928, he was only a teenager when he enlisted in the Navy. After the death of his older brother Michael during the Normandy invasion, Bobby felt a burning desire for revenge and a need to contribute to the war effort. With a forged birth certificate in hand, he successfully enlisted, despite being underage and lacking any formal training.

Assigned to submarine duty, Bobby quickly became the youngest member of the crew, with no technical experience and a constant battle against seasickness. However, his time aboard the Barb would soon prove pivotal.

The USS Barb: A Fearsome Hunter

Under the command of Commander Eugene Flucky, the USS Barb had established itself as one of the most successful submarines in the Pacific theater. By March 1945, it had already sunk 17 enemy ships and earned a reputation for aggressive tactics. However, during its tenth war patrol, the Barb’s luck took a turn for the worse. After being spotted by a Japanese patrol plane, the submarine was forced to dive deep to evade the enemy.

As the Barb descended to 250 feet, the crew went into silent running mode, shutting down non-essential systems to avoid detection. But the Japanese destroyer Okuru was relentless, honing in on the Barb’s location with its sonar. The first depth charges detonated nearby, damaging the submarine and sending the crew into a state of panic.

A Crazy Idea

While the crew scrambled to maintain order, Bobby Decker remained in the forward torpedo room, grappling with his seasickness. In between bouts of vomiting, he noticed something peculiar: bubbles formed in the mess, rising and creating patterns in the water. This observation sparked a wild idea in his mind. What if they could create a cloud of bubbles to confuse the enemy’s sonar?

Despite knowing that interrupting the command crew during combat could lead to severe consequences, Bobby felt he had no choice. He stumbled into the control room, where Commander Flucky and his officers were desperately trying to devise a plan. With urgency, Bobby blurted out his idea about using the air systems to create a decoy of bubbles that could mislead the sonar operator above.

At first, the officers were skeptical. Lieutenant Commander Paul Summers looked at Bobby as if he were out of his mind, but Commander Flucky saw potential in the young sailor’s desperate suggestion. Flucky, known for his unorthodox tactics, decided to give Bobby’s idea a chance.

The Ingenious Plan

Time was of the essence. The crew had only minutes before the next depth charge pattern would be unleashed. Flucky ordered his chief engineer to rig a makeshift air release valve that could create the bubble cloud Bobby had envisioned. The engineers worked frantically, pulling together parts and improvising a solution that was against all regulations but necessary for survival.

When the system was ready, Flucky made a bold decision. He commanded the submarine to turn hard to port while simultaneously releasing the bubble curtain from the starboard side. This maneuver created the illusion that the Barb was still on its original course, while the real submarine quietly turned away.

The Decoy in Action

As the Okuru’s sonar operator detected the echo shift, he reported a target exactly where the bubble cloud was rising. The destroyer’s captain ordered a full depth charge pattern dropped on that location. Five depth charges detonated in a sequence that would have destroyed the Barb had it been there. But the real submarine was safely 300 yards away, evading the deadly assault.

For the next 40 minutes, the crew executed a deadly game of misdirection. They released bubble clouds, changed course, and maintained silent running while the Japanese destroyer dropped depth charges on false contacts. Frustration mounted for the Okuru’s crew as they chased ghosts, unable to confirm a kill.

Finally, after exhausting their depth charge inventory without a successful strike, the Japanese destroyer retreated, leaving the Barb alone in the dark water. Bobby Decker’s quick thinking and innovative idea had saved the submarine and its crew from certain destruction.

A Hero’s Recognition

When the Barb finally surfaced that night, Commander Flucky called Bobby to the bridge. He wanted to know how a 16-year-old kid had managed to devise such a clever solution. Bobby recounted his experience of watching bubbles rise in a bucket during his bout of seasickness. Flucky couldn’t help but laugh—not because it was funny, but because it was so absurdly brilliant that a teenager’s observation had led to a breakthrough in submarine warfare.

Upon returning to Pearl Harbor, Flucky filed a detailed report about the bubble decoy system, giving full credit to Bobby Decker for his innovation. The Navy was thrilled to have a working countermeasure against sonar, but they faced a dilemma: Bobby had enlisted fraudulently and technically was unauthorized personnel throughout the ordeal.

In September 1945, after the war ended, the Navy quietly discharged Bobby, hoping to sweep the incident under the rug. However, Commander Flucky stood up for Bobby, arguing that the young sailor’s contributions outweighed the bureaucratic issues surrounding his enlistment. While Flucky’s efforts didn’t change the outcome, he ensured that Bobby’s name and contribution were recorded in the Barb’s official history.

The Legacy of Innovation

Bobby Decker’s bubble decoy concept evolved over the following decades, laying the groundwork for modern submarine acoustic countermeasures. By the 1960s, the U.S. Navy had developed sophisticated systems directly descended from Bobby’s crude air valve and diffuser plate. Today’s submarines still utilize the principle of creating false echoes to mislead enemy sonar.

After the war, Bobby lived a quiet life, using his GI Bill benefits to complete his education and eventually becoming a high school teacher in Texas. He rarely spoke of his time on the Barb, partly due to Navy discouragement and partly because he didn’t view his actions as particularly noteworthy.

In 1985, at a reunion of the Barb’s crew, Bobby was approached by Paul Summers, who tearfully apologized for doubting his idea. Bobby graciously accepted the apology, emphasizing that everyone contributed to the submarine’s success.

Conclusion: A Remarkable Story

Commander Eugene Flucky, who later achieved the rank of Rear Admiral, documented the Barb’s wartime service, ensuring that Bobby’s contribution was not forgotten. The USS Barb, which survived 12 war patrols and sank 17 enemy ships, became a symbol of innovation and survival, with every crew member making it home alive—thanks in large part to a 16-year-old who turned seasickness into a revolutionary idea.

This incredible story serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most unexpected solutions come from the most unlikely sources. In the face of overwhelming odds, a young sailor’s ingenuity changed the course of submarine warfare, saving lives and proving that courage and creativity can emerge even in the darkest moments.