Loose Lips Sink Ships! Careless Talk Costs Lives!

[StrictlyRockers]

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WW II posters & expressions from America and England, used in similar education campaigns.
"Careless talk costs lives" is the British equivalent to the American expression, which was originally
"Loose lips might sink ships".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_lips_sink_ships

Loose lips sink ships is an American English idiom meaning "beware of unguarded talk".

The phrase originated on propaganda posters during World War II.[1] The phrase was created by the War Advertising Council[2] and used on posters by the United States Office of War Information.[1]
The most famous poster that helped popularize the phrase (pictured at right) was created for the Seagram Distillers Corporation by the designer Seymour R. Goff (also known by the pseudonym "Ess-ar-gee" or Essargee).[3] This type of poster was part of a general campaign of American propaganda during World War II to advise servicemen and other citizens to avoid careless talk concerning secure information that might be of use to the enemy.[4] The British equivalent used "Careless Talk Costs Lives", and variations on the phrase "Keep mum",[5].

[csziggy]

1. During WW2, Congressman Andrew May is credited with sinking ten U.S. submarines.

World War II in the Pacific
"Loose Lips, DO Sink Ships"

Congressman Credited with Sinking up to Ten Submarines

From: jbauer at ww2pacific

To: Rush at eibnet dot com, Mickelson at netINS dot net
Subject: Congressman sinks ten submarines in WW2
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 14:00:22 GMT

Ref: Congressional Indiscretion “Sinks Ships”

During WW2, Congressman Andrew May is credited with sinking ten U.S. submarines.

Visiting Pearl Harbor, he was briefed that the Japanese had no idea how deep our submarines could go and set their depth charges too shallow. He reported this interesting fact in a press gathering on his return home which was duly printed. Of course, the Japanese picked up this fact and reset their depth charges.

A loss of 800 men to other men's ego.

Citations:

1. "Senseless Secrets" - LtCol (ret) Michael Lee Lanning. Pg 82

"That intelligence failure involved U.S. Congressman Andrew Jackson May, who as a member of the House Military Affairs Committee visited the Pacific theater, where he received many intelligence and operational briefings. On his return, May held a press conference and stated that American submarines had a high survivability because Japanese depth charges were fused to explode at too shallow a depth. Soon enemy depth charges were rearmed to explode at a more effective depth of 250 feet. Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, commander of the U.S. submarine fleet in the Pacific, later estimated that May's revelation cost the navy as many as ten submarines and 800 crewmen."

2. "Silent Victory" - Clay Blair. Vol.1 pg 397

"A serious breach of security may have helped the Japanese anti-submarine forces. In June 1943, Congressman Andrew Jackson May, a sixty-eight-year-old member of the House Military Affairs Committee returning from a war zone junket, gave a press interview during which he said, in effect, Don't worry about our submariners; the Japanese are setting their depth charges too shallow. Incredibly, the press associations sent this story over their wires, and many newspapers, including one in Honolulu, thoughtlessly published it.

"Lockwood and his staff were appalled--and furious--at this stupid revelation. Lockwood wrote Admiral Edwards in acid words, "I hear ... Congressman May ... said the Jap depth charges ... are not set deep enough. ... He would be pleased to know the Japs set'em deeper now." And after the war, Lockwood wrote, 'I consider that indiscretion cost us ten submarines and 800 officers and men.'"

http://www.ww2pacific.com/congmay.html

My father reported to submarine school in Key West in December of 1943 and this story was imprinted on him. He often mentioned it when talking about untrustworthy elected officials. At one point during his Naval Reserve career during the war he considered becoming a regular Navy officer - but the physical when he was promoted to Lt. jg showed that he had hearing loss, most likely caused by being in the USS Spot while it was being depth bombed 23 March 1945 on the sub's second patrol.

Second patrol, February – March 1945
On 24 February, Spot began her second war patrol which took her, Queenfish (SS-393), and Sea Fox (SS-402) into the East China Sea. On the second night in her assigned patrol area, Spot expended all torpedoes attacking a Japanese convoy. They sank the passenger-cargo ship, Nanking Maru, and damaged a freighter. The attack was made in heavy weather and shallow water. Spot was surfaced and heading for deeper water but could not elude one of the escorts which closed to 4,200 yards (3,800 m) and opened fire. Spot manned her guns and returned the fire even though she was wallowing heavily in the rough seas. A lucky hit by her 5-inch (130 mm) gun knocked out the escort's forward gun and saved the submarine from almost certain disaster. Spot secured her guns, cleared the bridge, and submerged. The escort dropped a few depth charge patterns which caused no damage, and the submarine returned to Saipan on 23 March to reload.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Spot_(SS-413)#Second_patrol.2C_February_.E2.80.93_March_1945