Did L. Ron Hubbard battle Japanese subs off Astoria?

This episode of the Offbeat Oregon History podcast explores the enduring mystery of whether L. Ron Hubbard, then a young Navy lieutenant, engaged in a dramatic submarine battle off Cape Lookout, Oregon, in 1943. According to crew accounts, Hubbard's submarine chaser, the USS PC-815, detected two Japanese subs via sonar and launched a 72-hour depth charge assault, aided by other naval vessels and blimps. One ship, the USS SC-536, reportedly scored a direct hit, with crew members observing oil and blood in the water. However, the Navy officially dismissed the entire event, claiming the sonar signals were likely from whales and that Hubbard’s actions were reckless. The episode examines the conflicting narratives—some portraying Hubbard as incompetent, others as heroic—and questions whether the government’s denial was due to embarrassment, secrecy, or a cover-up. The story gains new life through a modern dive team led by Kathleen Wallace, who has captured promising images of a long, slender object on the seafloor near Cape Lookout, potentially the remains of a sunken submarine. The episode leaves the truth unresolved, inviting listeners to consider the possibility that history’s official record may not tell the whole story.