Herman Prager was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 1925. He attended grammar school in New Orleans. The family moved to Metairie, Louisiana in 1932. Streetcars ran along Metairie Road near his home at that time. He graduated from high school in Metairie. After high school, Prager started college at Louisiana State University in 1942, but after three weeks, he decided to join the Navy. His parents were not supportive of his decision to join the service. Since he was only 17 years old at the time, he went to work at the family shop in New Orleans. The shop continuously grew until it took up a whole city block. Prager wanted to join the Navy because the family company had a 38 foot cabin cruiser built in 1938. Prager always liked boats and the water. In addition, in the Navy, a person always knew where they would sleep at night, and the food was good. Prager stayed on with the family shop as an apprentice machinist until the latter part of 1942. His mother requested that he remain at work at least until after the start of 1943 so that he could spend Christmas with them. Prager agreed and was glad he did. He enlisted on 2 January and was on a train to San Diego, California. The enlistment line was not long when Prager went to join the Navy. Prager had been given an appointment by Hale Boggs to the Naval Academy at Annapolis in September 1942. He was refused entry to the Academy after his physical examination. It was ironic that Prager was called unfit for duty at sea, and yet he ended up in the submarine service.

Herman Prager left for United States Navy boot camp in San Diego, California after the Christmas and New Year holidays [Annotator's Note: the end of 1942 and start of 1943]. Boot camp was not too bad because as many men as possible were needed overseas and on ships. There was rifle firing and calisthenics training. It was quite an experience since it was the first time Prager had left his family home except for previously attending Boy Scout or YMCA camp. He met a lot of men in boot camp including some screwballs. He found a good friend in boot camp. He met Robert "Whitey" Schueberg [Annotator’s Note: unsure of spelling] from Michigan while in camp. His friend was a blond headed Swede. They both volunteered for Machinist Mate School in San Diego. They experienced running lathes and milling machines while in the school. After graduating at the top of their class, both men volunteered for submarine service when the call was made. They were selected and transferred overseas on the cruiser Baltimore [Annotator's Note: USS Baltimore (CA-68)]. The enticement of extra pay and good food and sleep arrangements were some of the reasons for the men volunteering for the submarine service. After reaching Pearl Harbor, the two men were assigned to the USS Sperry (AS-12), a submarine repair vessel. The Sperry was a 10,000 ton ship that had carpenter, plumbing and machine shops, as well as a little foundry. There were medical and dentistry facilities. Submarine repair vessels like the Sperry took care of many of the needs of the submarines when they came in from patrol. Prager and Schueberg went aboard the Sperry in August 1943. They were sent to the Marshall Islands to Majuro Atoll. The Sperry's relief crew built a submarine rest camp. Relief crews are made up of men who have just entered the submarine force and are learning the trade of the submarine business. When a submarine crew comes in from patrol for R&R [Annotator's Note: rest and relaxation] for two weeks, the relief crews from the submarine tender like the Sperry or Bushnell [Annotator's Note: USS Bushnell (AS-15)] go aboard the submarine to make any repairs needed after the last patrol. Prager was on Majuro Atoll for six months building the rest camp. Quonset huts were built on the atoll. The crew had learned in Hawaii how to build the Quonset huts. Generators, water distillers, ball parks, beer halls, and officers' quarters were all constructed during that six month period. After Majuro Atoll, the Sperry returned to Pearl Harbor. Prager was transferred to the Kingfish [Annotator's Note: USS Kingfish (SS-234)] on 27 September 1944. While on the tender, Sperry, Prager worked on submarine exterior work and mechanical upkeep of the boat including machinery space work. He met so many different people over six months with as many as five boats in for repair at one time. Prager met crews from submarines which would eventually be lost in combat. The Trigger [Annotator's Note: USS Trigger (SS-237)] was an example of a real hot boat. The men of the tender all aspired to get aboard the Trigger. The submarine officers who were most in the know would often get the assignments with the most potential enemy surface vessels. Unfortunately, on its last patrol, the Trigger did not return. The Kingfish had followed the Trigger on that assignment. The Kingfish had a nice skipper [Annotator's Note: captain], but he must have seen his family when he looked through the periscope. He was not gung-ho and did not want to take a chance on losing the boat. The motto "Back Alive in '45" was painted on the conning tower of the Kingfish. There were many other submarines not as fortunate in being able to return after the war. The crews of the Batfish [Annotator's Note: USS Batfish (SS-310)], the Trigger and the Wahoo [Annotator's Note: USS Wahoo (SS-238)] were all on hot boats, but they all went down. The boats were all in the same squadron as the Kingfish.

Herman Prager was transferred aboard the Kingfish [Annotator's Note: USS Kingfish (SS-234)] after she had returned from Mare Island. Kingfish had made eight patrols prior to Prager joining her. The last patrol had experienced depth charge damages. The submarine was lucky to return from that patrol. After torpedo tube and shaft realignments and other repairs at Mare Island, Prager joined the Kingfish and stayed aboard her for the duration of the war. He was still with his friend Robert "Whitey" Schueberg [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling]. They had been through boot camp, machinist mate school and submarine school, plus duty aboard the submarine tender [Annotator's Note: the submarine tender USS Sperry (AS-12)]. The submarine training school was very interesting, but Prager almost did not get into the school. A dentist was concerned with the alignment of Prager's teeth. An acceptable bite on a Momsen Lung [Annotator's Note: an emergency escape breathing aparatus for submariners] mouthpiece was needed for survival training. Even though Prager's teeth were not in total alignment, when the dentist asked him to bite down on the mouthpiece, Prager successfully passed the alignment test. Prager was trained in diving towers on the use of the Momsen Lung. Submarine School taught Prager to operate the bow and stern planes as well as some not so intricate parts. When first entering the submarine, a new man would be assigned to duties in the control room. Those duties involved not only the bow and stern planes, but the helm and blow manifold which are used to transfer water from one tank to another for proper balance on the boat. Those duties and lookout were the first duties for Prager aboard the Kingfish. The submarine control room is on the main deck. A ladder is used to access the conning tower above. A hatch is used to separate the conning tower from the control room. The conning tower also has a watertight hatch above it which goes to the sea. That hatch must be secured when the submarine is submerged. A helmsman is stationed in the control room and in the conning tower. The conning tower has the TDC, Torpedo Data Computer. There is the quartermaster, the sonar man, and the helmsman in the conning tower. Above the conning tower, when surfaced, is the Officer of the Deck, usually with another officer and the three lookouts - one aft, one port and one starboard. The lookouts are 10 to 12 feet above the deck in an A Frame to allow better visibility of the horizon for debris, planes, or mines. On the first run for Prager, there were three torpedoes fired at the Kingfish. One of the lookouts saw the torpedoes and the boat was able to avoid them. Some submarines were even lost due to circular torpedo runs. Captured submariners were not treated well by the Japanese. An example was O’Kane from the Tang [Annotator's Note: then Commander Richard O’Kane commanded the USS Tang (SS-306)]. In the submarine service, the crewmen knew that if they were hit, they would at least not suffer too long. Prager knew that on patrol, any submarine could be hit. This was particularly true if the submarine ventured out of its assigned area. Mines were also a danger. Rifle fire would be used to sink mines. It was a frightening experience to have depth charges dropped on the submarine. It could frighten the daylights out of a crewman. Prager would say his prayers while under attack. He knew that his life depended on his crewmates doing their jobs properly while at battle stations. Prager made four patrols on the Kingfish. On his first patrol the Kingfish sank two ships. The same happened on the second patrol. On the third patrol, the submarine rescued four British aviators. The downed airmen were pleased to see Kingfish since they were right off the coast of Japan. They were in small life rafts when the Kingfish was patrolling on the surface. Japan had little in the way of ships at the time, but incoming planes that might appear could be Japanese. One of the aviators was by himself after his plane had crashed. The others could not make it to their carrier. They were wounded and crashed near the Kingfish so they could be picked up. Prager saw the plane come down, and fortunately it did not break up when it hit. The third and fourth patrols for Prager aboard the Kingfish had very few Japanese ships to oppose them. The fourth patrol was in the Kuril Islands which are north of Japan and half Russian and half Japanese. Prager was the sight setter on the five inch deck gun for topside battle stations. The only action on that fourth patrol was to sink two small enemy boats. The last patrol was not considered a success like the first three patrols. The fact that the submarine returned at all made Prager feel it was a successful patrol. The Kingfish returned to Midway on the day the war ended, 14 August 1945. It was a happy day on Midway Island with a lot of celebration. Prager was just glad to get back.

Herman Prager witnessed the end of the war while on Midway Island. Following Midway, he sailed to Pearl Harbor for rest and recreation at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. [Annotator's Note: Prager served aboard the USS Kingfish (SS-234) as a machinist's mate.] From Hawaii, he sailed to the Panama Canal and then on to Galveston, Texas. His family and his future wife were there. He had only corresponded with his future wife by mail and had not seen her until Galveston. He had been overseas for nearly 27 months with no leave until he reached Galveston. The boat was moved to Orange, Texas while Prager was on leave. There was a parade in Orange and a Navy Day celebration while he was on leave. There were tours of the boat along with two other submarines during that time. After Prager rejoined the boat, it was sent to New London, Connecticut. The Kingfish was decommissioned in New London. Prager was transferred to the Navy Station on the Lake Front near where UNO is today. [Annotator's Note: The University of New Orleans is located on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, just north of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.] He was discharged while at the Lake Front Navy Station in January 1946 after three years in the Navy. In October 1946, Prager joined the Navy Reserve and served five years until 1951. During that time, he boarded nuclear submarines which were not only much larger than the Kingfish, but also were very complicated and required significant expertise. The Kingfish could make three to six knots underwater and just 19 knots while surfaced. [Annotator's Note: By inference, the nuclear submarines could make much more speed than their predecessors.] It was quite an experience to view the new class of submarines. Prager still corresponds with two of his friends from his days in the Navy during World War 2. [Annotator's Note: Prager refers to Whitey and Joe Fineger. Whitey is Robert "Whitey" Schueberg. Fineger is mentioned here for the first time. The spelling of the last names could not be verified.]

Herman Prager experienced increasing positions of responsibility as he served on more and more patrols aboard the boat [Annotator's Note: Prager served aboard the USS Kingfish (SS-234) from September 1944 until after the end of the war]. He started as a lookout, helmsman, on the bow planes, and manifold operator on his first patrol. He was oiler and throttle man in the two engine rooms on his second patrol. He maintained the engines for propulsion and for charging the batteries. On his third run, he was a throttle man in the engine room. On his fourth run, he was transferred up to the control room. He was in charge of the manifolds for ballasting the submarine and the air conditioning. The submarine was compartmentally segregated in the area of the control room with lower flats below the control room. The control room was below the conning tower which led to the exterior deck. Prager's battle station for depth charge attack was the lower flat where he was all alone with the hatch closed over him. He had to tighten valves down while the submarine was under depth charge attack. It was quite an experience. He was fortunate to get back to the United States. The Kingfish was a fine boat which sank 21 ships, rescued four aviators, and sank ten mines. Secret missions were carried out prior to Prager going onboard. It was fortunate that the war ended without an invasion of Japan. Many thousands of men would have been killed had that invasion occurred. The American submarines had a commendable service. The submarines sank many of the ships that Japan lost during the war. [Annotator's Note: After a brief interlude, there is a discussion of Prager's time at the New Orleans machine shop near where Higgins Industries built Patrol Torpedo or PT boats. He first wanted to join PT service, but he and his friend decided to join the submarine service when positions opened there and they had high standing in the Machinist Mate School.] The first time Prager thought about war was after he joined the Navy and took his first physical at San Diego. It was discovered that he had a hernia and surgery would be needed. His mother wanted to come to him, but he said it was not necessary. While in recuperation, he saw some of the Marines and sailors returning with injuries from Guadalcanal. He could tell the horrible injuries that resulted from war. War was one Hell of a thing. It made Prager desire to get into the action and do his share. Many of Prager's friends went in to the Marines and were wounded. Prager and the Kingfish participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The crewmen received battle stars for those two actions. It was an honor to serve in the submarine service. Prager has very few of his fellow crewmen to talk to now as most have passed on. Prager's last skipper [Annotator's Note: captain] on the Kingfish was a nice guy and really on the ball, but he was very cautious. One night there were torpedoes fired at the Kingfish. It could not be determined where the source was. The submarine submerged and when it went to periscope depth and looked out the submarine was in the middle of an enemy convoy. The skipper dove and stayed down at 300 feet for awhile because two incidents in one night were too risky for him. The convoy was cleaned up by other subs in the next night or so. The skippers for Kingfish were not recognized for making a real good history. They were not transferred to newer boats because they had not made the history. The skippers with the real good history would be given the pick of the litter on new submarines entering service. Nevertheless, the Kingfish played a role in the war. At one point, one other boat had engine trouble and Kingfish was to take over its position on station. Prager and others paddled over in a four man raft to get the assignment papers from the inoperable submarine. Before they left the Kingfish, they were told that if enemy aircraft were spotted, the Kingfish would dive. This was alarming to Prager, but fortunately he and his party made to and from the other submarine without incident. Prager cannot remember the name of the other submarine. The Kingfish refitted at Guam twice. There was a midget submarine on the ball park there. While there, a portion of another submarine's crew decided that they would scout for Japanese troops hiding out in caves. Playing softball and drinking beer was not enough for them. Unfortunately, the Japanese saw the Americans first and killed them. It is unfortunate that those Americans could survive combat at sea but eventually would die in an attempt to find enemy soldiers hiding from capture.

Herman Prager and the USS Kingfish (SS-234) refitted at Guam twice, Midway once and Pearl Harbor once. While at Pearl Harbor for refit, Prager and the crew stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu during 1944. It was a memorable experience to be at the Royal Hawaiian. He met his uncle while in Hawaii. His uncle was a civilian worker at Hickam Field and was the only relative Prager met while he was overseas. The Royal Hawaiian, with its pink color, was quite a treat for the crew. He spent two weeks there in rest and recreation. Unlike Waikiki today, in 1944 there was very little crowding of buildings on the beach. While on the beach, the men would swim but they would also go to USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations] dances, movies or bars and even visited the cemetery on Oahu. Prager took time to visit the USS Arizona (BB-39). The time on rest and recreation was ten days but it went by quickly. Any money the men had during their time off needed to be spent or sent home because when they returned from patrol, the paymaster would have money waiting for them for their time out to sea. The time Prager spent in the Navy was improved by the informal attitudes the submarine crew and officers maintained onboard ship plus the food was good. Crew quarters had a limited level of comfort. The sleeping area for the crew was aft [Annotator's Note: behind] of the control room and the mess room, but forward of the machinery and torpedo rooms. Officer quarters were forward of the control room. The first patrol had Prager sharing his bunk with two other crewmen. They hot sacked the bunk. That involved someone resting in the bunk during all hours. The bunk was used for rest, reading, or sleep. The bunks were three tiers high with the lowest right off the deck. On the first run, Prager had the bottom bunk but on the second run, he moved up to the middle bunk. By the time of the third and fourth runs, Prager had the top bunk. Each crewman had a small locker for his personal effects. The men either read or played cards or games. Prager spent much of his time studying the operation of the submarine so that he could move up in qualifications. Being qualified in submarines made an individual different from other Navy personnel. It took a lot of work to reach the point of being qualified. In understanding the various systems on the boat and who is responsible for each one, a crewman received a silver dolphin pin to indicate he was qualified in submarines. An officer would receive a similar pin in gold to indicate his qualification. It took multiple patrols and a lot of effort to reach the qualification level, but there is a personal distinction in achieving that goal.

Herman Prager would rise from his bunk on the boat depending on which watch he was assigned to perform. If he had the eight to 12 watch, he would get up early and have breakfast. Afterward, he would go on his watch. If he had watch in the engine room, he would hear those engines pounding. That intense noise caused loss of hearing for him. After the engine room watch, he would go have lunch and then he would be off duty for eight hours. During that time, he could go to the bunk and sleep, rest or read. During his time off, he could study in the mess room or talk with his fellow crewmen. Showers were allowed only every five days because of the consumption of distilled water. That water was needed for the batteries as a priority. Washing was limited but showers with fresh water were only allowed every five days or so. It was not bad except when depth charge attacks occurred. During those attacks, the submarine would be rigged for silent running. Power would be cut on all noise making equipment. The air conditioning would be stopped, and the heat would rise to about 120 degrees. Men would wear only their skivvy shorts and towels. Afterward the alarm subsided, showers would be allowed when time permitted. It was an experience close to Prager's heart while he was aboard the boat. Some guys seemed to be trying for a Section 8 [Annotator's Note: a premature discharge from the military service for mental incapacity], but most men were healthy and in good shape. There was some periodic overconsumption of alcohol. One memorable experience involved a sailor coming aboard and walking all the way across the submarine and falling overboard on the opposite side of the boat. [Annotator's Note: Prager laughs at the memory of the incident.] The good Lord protects the drunks. The submarine service was a lot of fun with worry at some time. It was quite an experience.

Herman Prager participated in torpedo attacks on enemy ships. [Annotator's Note: Prager sailed on four wartime patrols aboard the USS Kingfish (SS-234).] The men would hear updates via message relays of the impending attacks. That would be the case while attack was being made but before any depth charge attacks on the submarine. When depth charge attacks started, the hatches would be sealed. This would assure that compartment tightness could be achieved for limitation of flooding from space to space. There were attempts to keep the crew informed, but one of the best indicators of a torpedo attack was the shutter on the boat when the torpedo was fired. This was due to the air release when the torpedo was shot from its tube. Timing would be monitored to anticipate when the torpedo would hit the enemy. Then the detonation would be heard. On occasion, a ship would break up after being hit. Most ships sunk by the Kingfish were too far away to hear them break up. Danger could come from enemy planes coming out of the sun. In those cases, emergency dive would be called out and the crew above the conning tower would scramble to get below and seal the hatch to the sea. Accidents could occur from the haste in getting into the conning tower from above. It is difficult to explain how it felt at the time, but at times it was frightening. Losing friends from other boats had an effect on Prager. He had played ball with those other crewmen during rest and recreation. It was then that a Prager would thank God for the skipper [Annotator's Note: captain] he had. Prager experienced enough depth charge attacks to hear the bulbs popping and the boat shaking. He would start praying. It was like being in a drum with someone hammering against the top. Prager was in the Auxiliary Gang on his last run. His submerged battle station was down in the lower level with his wrenches lying on a towel. This was to prevent them from making noise against the deck. He wore shoes or slides because the deck was so hot that a person could not go without foot protection. The heat would build and the air would become stuffy. It felt like they were a big fish in a bowl with someone with a harpoon above them. The Japanese sonar was not as effective as the American equipment. That was a fortunate thing because more United States submarines could have been lost. The submarine service was one big happy family. That was the case when the Kingfish and other submarines were decommissioned in New London, Connecticut. That was nice except for the snow which Prager did not enjoy. New York City during New Years Eve in 1946 was nice.

Herman Prager was awarded the enlisted man's silver dolphin pin for submarine qualification, the Submarine Combat pin with two stars for three successful patrols, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Asiatic Pacific medal with two stars for Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In addition, he received the Victory medal and the World War Two China Medal. These were also given to crewmates that Prager had served with on the Kingfish. [Annotator's Note: Prager sailed on four wartime patrols aboard the USS Kingfish (SS-234).] One of his crewmates received an additional recognition for spotting torpedoes headed toward the Kingfish thereby saving the boat. Prager was glad to get back after the war. He married on 11 September 1946. He had not met his prospective wife face to face until after the war. They had corresponded via letters during the war. His sister had gone to school with his future wife and that was how they were introduced and began their correspondence. They were married for 36 years, but she died of cancer. After the death of his first wife, Prager met his second wife and they married. They have been together for over 20 years. [Annotator's Note: Prager discusses his children and grandchildren.] Prager has found success in his business and life has been good. His business was sold and Prager has done consulting work for the new owners. His health is good. Prager is concerned for the future of the world and his children. He realizes how his mother worried about him during the war as she worked for the Red Cross making bandages. It seems that the United States does not realize that it is at war today. The exception occurs only if a direct relative is overseas fighting the war. Prager feels sympathy for the Russian submariners who were rescued shortly before his interview. [Annotator's Note: Two days before the Prager interview, the Soviet deep sea rescue vessel (AS-28) was itself rescued with seven Russian submariners aboard.] All in all, life has been good for Prager. He and his current wife are doing well. He wants to see the D-Day Museum do well since it is dedicated to World War 2 veterans. It will also be interesting to see what is done with the property that Prager donated to the Museum. It is projected that a hotel may be built on that property. [Annotator's Note: The National D-Day Museum was the original name of The National WWII Museum when it opened in 2000.]