F.S.B.I.

The letters simply stand for the:

Forgotten Submarine Bastards of Ireland

The unique shamrock tattoo adorns the port check of the butt of Ken Jacobs, a USS Queenfish SS 393 sailor. Here's Ken's story.

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Late in the year 1944 a group was formed at the Submarine base in New London, CN. It consisted of approximately 200 Officers and men. The group was called the Rainbow Division and their express goals and commitment was aimed at taking over 10 German U-Boats and bringing them back to the U.S. for further study. These boats were located in North Ireland at a Base called Lisahally. It was situated on the Loch Foyle which had access to the North Sea. The war in Europe was winding down and U-Boats were surrendering to the British and were being stored there. At one point there were over 50 U-Boats tied up at the base. We were assembled and given a crash course on how to read understand markings on valves and other equipment on the boats. It was intended that we would bring them back on the surface. Late in January 1945 we were shipped out of New London by groups of 25-30 men and flown over to England. All the groups did not go exactly the same way. We were a very hush hush operation and as such were ordered not to reveal to anyone where were being sent. We didn't know where we were going until we got to Ireland. After we arrived we were broken up into groups and assigned to a U-Boat to get familiar with it, clean it up, and make ready to go to sea on her. I was assigned to a group that worked on the U-3008. We boarded her and found the she was extremely neglected and nicknamed her the "Dirty 08." One morning at muster, one of the Officers handed out cards to each man as his name was called out. The cards were our membership into an exclusive club called the F.S.B.I. To my knowledge there are only approximately 200 of these in existence. I assume the Officers all received them as well, but I have no count of them. The cards look something like this:

(Front side)

Supremesmeller: O.J.Cameron (sig.)

Supersmeller: A.C. Burley (sig.)

Countersmeller: I.Dye (sig.)

(by direction)

(The rear side)

F.S.B.I.

Know ye by these smells, the understinker is a member

of good standing of the

Forgotten Submarine Bastards of Ireland

having consumed his duly authorize over quota of John

Jameson Irish Whiskey, caroused above the Irish Seas,

and suffered the untold agonies of VICARAGE.

Furthermore, he is entitled to wear the official badge of

the fraternization, namely a Cluster of Shamrocks on his port cheek aft.

STINKER: Ken Jacobs F1/c

Here's the rest of Ken's story*:

To my knowledge Leroy Raphel West and I are the only two people on the Queenfish SS 393 that were with the Rainbow division over there. I know for a fact he had the tattoo because I was with him the night he got his. I didn't mine until a later date. The wind up of the whole story was that instead of getting the number of U-Boats we were promised, we only received 3 boats. There were too many men to tie up on three boats so they sent the excess back to New London, via the Queen Mary to New York. West and I were then transferred to the Queenfish SS 393.

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*This story is true, I saw them once as they were taking the weekly shower, whether they needed it or not. One of the U-Boats was tied among the school boats in 1946 when I went through sub school in New London, CN. - Harry E.Hall