--- title: "How a destroyer won a World War II battle with only potatoes" description: "The WWII-era destroyer became a ship worthy of its namesake a year after it launched, surprising an enemy Japanese submarine with potatoes." date: "2022-10-16" modified: "2022-10-16" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/destroyer-won-battle-with-potatoes/" categories: - "History" - "Navy" - "Ships" - "Tactical" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # How a destroyer won a World War II battle with only potatoes ![A variety of potatoes in different shapes and colors, including shades of purple, red, yellow, and brown, closely packed together. The potatoes have a natural, slightly rough texture with some small eyes and blemishes visible.]() *Image released by the Agricultural Research Service.* The *USS O'Bannon* was named for the legendary Marine Corps hero Presley O'Bannon, who famously led a ragtag group of Marines and mercenaries in a daring overland expedition to surprise an enemy in North Africa. The World War II-era destroyer became a ship worthy of its namesake just a year after it was launched, surprising an enemy Japanese submarine – not with cunning or guile, [but with potatoes](). Lots of potatoes. --- ![destroyer with potatoes]() **USS O'Bannon*. (Wikipedia)* O'Bannon would also serve in the Korean War and in Vietnam. It's not as if the *O'Bannon* didn't have real armaments. The ship carried 17 anti-aircraft guns, torpedo tubes, depth charges, and .38-caliber deck guns. *O'Bannon* was a floating death machine. It just so happened that its [potato store]() was all it needed in this one instance. The ship had been running support missions in the Pacific Theater since it was launched the previous year. After the *O'Bannon* joined in the shelling of the Solomon Islands in 1943, it was cruising its way back to its home station in the middle of the night. That's when it came upon the enemy sub known as RO-34. ![newspaper with destroyer potatoes story]() RO-34 had no idea the *Fletcher*-class destroyer, a good-sized ship displacing 2,000 tons and carrying a buttload of weapons at its disposal, was in the vicinity. RO-34 was moving along, on the surface, as its crew dozed silently. *O'Bannon* had the drop on the enemy boat. And yet, despite the *O'Bannon's* buttload of weaponry, the skipper decided to ram the submarine instead. As the destroyer careened toward the submarine that was half its size, ready to send it to the bottom, someone aboard the U.S. destroyer surmised the sub could be a minelayer and take the *O'Bannon* to the bottom of the ocean in the resulting explosion. The ship turned rudder in a hurry, only to find itself now alongside its determined enemy. They were too close to use that buttload of weapons – or even their sidearms. ![potatoes story]() The Japanese naturally flipped the f\*ck out when they realized they were next to an American destroyer. They scrambled, running for the ship's deck guns, which were the perfect weapon to use on the *O'Bannon*. The fortunes of the battle just changed 180 degrees. They needed to buy time to keep the enemy away from the deck guns while creating distance enough to use their own weapons – they looked around for anything they could chuck at the Japanese sailors. Luckily, they had been carrying bins of potatoes on the deck, and the Americans began to throw them at the crew of RO-34, who promptly began to flip the f\*ck out once more. The half-asleep Japanese sailors thought they were hand grenades. ![plaque]() *(Wikipedia)* The thud of potatoes thrown at high velocity on a metal hull might have the sound of a grenade hitting a similar surface, but for those in doubt, remember what was happening to the Japanese crew. First, they were just woken from a deep sleep. Second, their alarm clock was a giant enemy ship coming at them at full speed. Third, they were likely confused as to why the Americans decided to come alongside them to throw stuff at them, rather than just shoot them. And finally, who throws potatoes in the middle of World War II instead of trying to kill the enemy? The Japanese had no way of knowing the thuds could be spuds. The potatoes gave the *O'Bannon* time to get far enough away to use its real weapons, which it did, hitting RO-34 hard before the sub dove into the dark sea. The destroyer then moved over the submarine's position and finished it off with depth charges. The crew was later presented with a plaque to commemorate the potato incident – from the Association of Maine Potato Growers. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()