Fearless Freddie Warder and the Submarine Crew Who Changed the Course of WWII
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 6 November 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, during World War II, the ocean was a battlefield few ever saw. Deep below the surface, American submarines hunted enemy ships in silence, their crews knowing that a single mistake could mean never coming home. Among them was Rear Admiral Frederick “Fearless Freddie” Warder, a U.S. Navy officer whose skill and steady command made him one of the most respected leaders in the fleet. Warder earned his nickname through acts of calm precision, leading his submarine into dangerous waters and striking with torpedo accuracy that seemed impossible. His courage and composure became legendary among Navy ranks, yet his name rarely appears in history books. He was one of the many unsung heroes of World War II whose quiet victories helped turn the tide of war. Here’s the story.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:14.9 | This is Lee Habib, and this is our American stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show, |
| 0:21.4 | from the arts to sports and from business to history, and everything in between. |
| 0:25.8 | Including your stories, send them to Our American Stories.com. |
| 0:29.7 | They're some of our favorites. |
| 0:31.4 | This next story is a war story. |
| 0:34.4 | America, well, it's made up of great men and women, and we are as good as the people |
| 0:41.2 | in our country. And America won the Second World War because of men like fearless Freddie |
| 0:47.5 | Water, whose story we're about to hear. Here's Greg Hangler. There are many incredible stories of courageous men, |
| 0:56.8 | incredible battles and heroes during World War II. Rear Admiral Fred Warder, a submarine |
| 1:03.8 | skipper whose exploits in World War II won him in Navy Cross, and a nickname he detested, was |
| 1:10.6 | average-sized, possessed firm lips, a determined Cross, and a nickname he detested was average-sized, possessed firm lips, |
| 1:13.1 | a determined chin with piercing blue eyes under narrowed lids and a smooth face. |
| 1:20.3 | Warder graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, class of 1925, received his |
| 1:27.3 | master's in marine engineering at University |
| 1:29.7 | Cal Berkeley in 1934, was married and the father of four children. Having narrowly avoided the |
| 1:37.1 | attack on Pearl Harbor, Rear Admiral Warder took charge of the USS Seawolf and set out for the |
| 1:43.5 | seas of the Pacific to wreck havoc on Japanese shipping and quickly became known as the artist of submarineing. |
| 1:52.0 | Warder fought his enemy hard, but he also respected and loved him. |
| 1:57.0 | Let's begin our deep dive into this story with submarine warfare guru, John Gorham. |
| 2:05.0 | I attended church here in Baltimore, Grace Bible Baptist Church, |
| 2:08.7 | and one of our church members mentioned that she had an uncle named Freddie Warder. |
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