Hubbard was relieved of command of two ships, including the PC 815, a submarine chaser docked along the Willamette River in Oregon. According to Navy records, here is what happened:

Just hours after motoring the PC 815 into the Pacific for a test cruise, Hubbard said he encountered two Japanese submarines. He dropped 37 depth charges during the 55 consecutive hours he said he monitored "the subs," and summoned additional ships and aircraft into the "fight."

He claimed to have so severely crippled the submarines that the only trace remaining of either was a thin carpet of oil on the ocean's surface.

"This vessel wishes no credit for itself," Hubbard stated in a report of the incident. "It was built to hunt submarines. Its people were trained to hunt submarines."

Hubbard got what he asked for: no credit.

"An analysis of all reports convinces me that there was no submarine in the area," wrote the commander of the Northwest Sea Frontier after an investigation.

Hubbard next continued down the coast, where he anchored off the Coronado Islands just south of San Diego. To test his ship's guns, he ordered target practice directed at the uninhabited Mexican islands, prompting the government of that neutral country to complain to U.S. officials.

"I carried this fear of the disease [gonnohorea] to sea with me. I was reprimanded in San Diego in mid-43 for firing on the Mexican coast and was removed from command of my ship. This on top of having sunk two Jap subs without credit, the way my crew lied [about?] me at the Court of Inquiry, the insults of the High Command, all combined to put me in the hospital with ulcers."

As a Navy lieutenant Junior Grade, Hubbard commanded at least three ships during the war, including one in the Atlantic - a converted fishing boat, the YP-422, refitted during several months in 1942-43 at the Boston Navy Yard, Navy records show. None of his commands saw battle.

In early Scientology biographies it was claimed that Hubbard fought German submarines in the Atlantic. And as recently as January, the Church of Scientology's official Internet site said Hubbard "saw action" in the North Atlantic during the war.

But, in an interview with the Herald, a sailor who served on Hubbard's ship contradicted that claim. "The YP-422 never saw combat," said former Navy fireman Eugene LaMere, 78, an upstate New York native who now lives in Maryland.

The YP-422 was refitted as a freighter armed with only a 3-inch gun and two .30-caliber machine guns, said LaMere, the first former crewman with direct knowledge of the ship's activities to publicly dispute Hubbard's claim to have seen combat as commander of the YP-422.

And Hubbard's claim of combat, or war wounds, is definitively ruled out by Navy records, according to published reports in Time and Forbes magazines, the Los Angeles Times, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, and books by critics and "defectors" Jon Atack, Russell Miller and Bent Corydon.

Hubbard was relieved of his command of the YP-422 soon after it set out from the Neponset River on a 27-hour shakedown voyage in September 1942, the reports say.

"Lt. L.R. Hubbard... is not temperamentally fitted for independent command. It is therefore urgently requested that he be detached," the commandant of the Boston Navy Yard wrote in October 1942 to the vice chief of naval operations, the reports said.

According to a court affidavit written by his son, L. Ron Hubbard Jr., the elder Hubbard was "relieved of (military) duty on several occasions," including once in the Pacific in 1944 when he "apparently concealed a gasoline bomb on board the USS Algol in order to avoid combat."

The affidavit - obtained by the Herald - is on file in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with a 1991 suit filed by Scientology against the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI's Boston office. The church had sued under the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to government documents.

And there were other incidents that marred Hubbard's Navy career. He once ordered a depth-charge "battle" against nonexistent Japanese submarines off the Oregon coast, and he illegally fired on Mexican territory, according to published reports.

"My service record was not too glorious. I must be convinced that I suffer no reaction from any minor disciplinary action, that all such were minor. My service was honorable, my initiative and ability high. I have nothing to fear from friends about my service. I can forget such things as Admiral Braystead. Such people are unworthy of my notice."

Dear FT,

Mr. Bob Keenan ("From Ron's Office", Letters, FT 136) repeats many long-disproved claims about L. Ron Hubbard's naval service, which the FT rightly called "less than distinguished".

The US Navy's records show that Hubbard was awarded only four of the 21 medals claimed, all being very routine service awards. There was no Presidential commendation. Two of the other 17 medals do not even exist. The US, British and Dutch military authorities have confirmed that the document on which Hubbard's claim was based is a poorly executed forgery. It credits him with non-existent and non-awarded medals, with academic qualifications that he never earned, serving on a ship which was scrapped long before World War II and bears the purported signature of a non-existent officer.

A few months ago, Karin Spaink put on her website a scan of what Scientology claims to be L. Ron Hubbard's Notice of Separation (US Navy form DD214). This document has been used as the basis of Scientology's claims that Hubbard "won 21 medals and palms" for his service in the US Navy during World War II. It can be found on Karin's website at http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/pix/lrhmedals.gif, with a covering note by Scientology at http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/pix/lrhmedexp.gif

This morning I received confirmation from the US Navy itself that the DD214 distributed by Scientology is not authentic:

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard commanded the USS Mist. The USS Mist was a motor launch converted during World War I into a guard boat. She was returned to her owner in February 1919, when Hubbard was only eight years old. She did not serve in World War II.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard won two stars to his Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. One of Hubbard's ships, the USS Algol, won two stars in the APAC theatre for 1 April-10 April 1945 and 10 July-3 August 1945. Only one star was awarded for each engagement; Hubbard would have had to have been in both battles to have been awarded both stars. However, Hubbard had left the ship on 28 September 1944 and was ineligible for the stars. The US Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual and the relevant Ship's Movement Card shows that his other Pacific vessel, the USS PC-815, took part in no engagements and was awarded no battle stars.

* The DD214 is purportedly signed by Lieutenant Commander Howard D. Thompson, US Navy Reserve. No officer of this name is listed in the 1944 Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Naval Reserve.

Other "inconsistencies" which I have independently confirmed:

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard commanded the USS Howland. No such vessel exists in the US Naval Vessel Register.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was awarded the "British Victory Medal". No such medal exists, and the British Ministry of Defence has no record of having awarded a medal to Hubbard.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was awarded the "Dutch Victory Medal". No such medal exists.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was awarded the "European Theater" medal (probably the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal). Hubbard never served in the EAME theatre of operations.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was at college for four years and held a degree in Civil Engineering. In fact, he dropped out after two years and held no academic qualifications.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was awarded a Purple Heart with palm. This is awarded only for combat injuries. No such injury is recorded in his medical reports, nor is he recorded as having being in combat with the enemy at ANY time.

* The DD214 claims that Hubbard was awarded a "Marine Medal" (there is no medal of this name). His only service with the US Marine Corps was as a reservist in 1930-31, during which time his total period of active service was five weeks (all training); he was discharged with the instruction that he was not to be re-enlisted. He would not have been eligible for any USMC medals in World War II.

* Despite what the DD214 claims there is no record of Hubbard having been awarded any commendations, stars (not palms) to the American Campaign Medal, Rifle and Pistol Expert ribbons or the Distinguished Marksman ribbon.

The only possible conclusion is that Scientology's copy of the document is in fact an incompetently executed forgery. The only question remaining is whodunnit. Does anyone know a graphologist? It would be interesting to see if there were any similarities between L. Ron Hubbard's signature and that of the fictitious Lt Cdr Thompson, which I suspect there are.

One other interesting thing which the Navy sent to me was a copy of the USS PC-815's Movements Card (a form recording the movements of a Navy vessel), which provides a complete history of the PC-815. It seems to have had a very quiet career before its unfortunate sinking in 1945:

Depart: 19 May 1943 from Portland, OR
(26 May 1943 directed to Seattle)

Arrive: (28?) May 1943 at Seattle, WA
(directed to San Diego)
Depart 29 May 1943

Arrive: 30 May 1943 at Almeda, CA
(ordered to escort MV CROATAN to San Diego)
Depart: 1 June 1943

Arrive: 1 June 1943 at San Diego, CA
(shakedown and training)
(Hubbard relieved of command on 7 July)
(ordered to escort MV TINOSA until 2nd darkness)
Depart: 7 November 1943

Arrive: 9 November 1943 at San Diego, CA

(There is now a jump forward to 1945; the PC-815 appears to have been inactive through 1944 and no movements are recorded for that year)

(ordered to escort MV COD until 2nd darkness)
Depart: 28 February 1945 from San Diego, CA

Arrive: 2 March 1945 at San Diego, CA

On 2 November 1945, the PC-815 was assigned active duty with the Pacific Fleet. On 11 November, however, the ship collided with the destroyer USS Laffey off San Diego and sank within two minutes. One man (presumably from the PC-815) was recorded as missing and probably drowned. Navy divers demolished the wreck in early November 1945.

Here's what the Navy said in their letter:

----------

Dear Mr. Owen:

This is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act request for information on the veracity of the DD214 submitted by LaFayette Ronald Hubbard which was forwarded to our office by the Navy Personnel Command, for separate reply.

I am enclosing brief histories of USS ALGOL and USS MIST from this Center's Dictionary of American Navy Fighting Ships, as well as extracts from the Navy and Marine Corps Medals and Awards Manual, which list ALGOL as receiving two engagement stars for 1 April-10 April 1945 and 10 July-3 August 1945 to be worn on the Asiatic / Pacific campaign medal. However, USS MIST did not participate in World War II. The Ships' Movement Card for USS PC-815 stated that it was on the west coast of the U.S. until it was sunk in September 1945 by a collision with USS LAFFEY. Neither MIST or PC-815 received engagement stars for World War II. Thus Lieutenant Hubbard could not have received all the engagement stars claimed on the DD214. His official service records is held by the Military Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100. Because of Privacy Act concerns the information from these records is available to the veteran, or if deceased, to the next of kin. I enclose this Center's information packet on the service records which includes an order form.

I am also sending extracts from the 1944 Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Naval Reserve which does not have a listing for a Howard D. Thompson. In July 1944, Lieutenant Lafayette R. Hubbard is listed D-VS (Deck Officers, commissioned and warrant, including boatswains and ships clerks, qualified for specialist duties). The schools he attended by July 1944 were Sound for Sonar, and Subchaser Training Center.

Several inconsistencies exist between Mr. Hubbard's DD214 and the available facts. Your interest in naval history is appreciated and I hope that this information will prove helpful.

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Lloyd
for BERNARD F. CAVALCANTE
Head, Operational Archives Branch

As part of my research into L. Ron Hubbard's career in the US Navy (due to be published on the web in about two weeks' time), I've asked three serving British military officers of my acquaintance to comment on Hubbard's performance records. I asked three officers - an Army Brigadier, a Royal Air Force Wing Commander and a Royal Navy Commander - the same question:

"You have an officer under your command, of lieutenant / captain / flight lieutenant rank [as appropriate], for a period of four years. He has had average performance reports for most of that period. However, over an 18-month period he is relieved of duty three times, twice for poor performance and arguing with his superiors and once for disobeying orders, for which he is formally admonished. How do you rate him at the end of his service?"

This is what they said:

Brigadier, Army:

Being relieved of duty is a very serious matter. If it happened repeatedly it would normally result in the officer being sacked. An officer with that sort of record would hopefully see the writing on the wall before it reached that stage. However, the system can be merciful. People can be victims of personality clashes or unsuitable postings. Tours of duty can be terminated prematurely without ending careers.

Wing Commander, RAF:

A very poor officer, obviously obstreperous and very difficult to manage. At that level you would expect to be able to give him tasks to do unsupervised. You would have to micro-manage him if you wanted to get good work out of him. If he is repeatedly relieved from duty in different posts, that is a clear message that he has a problem taking commands from his superiors. I would not want him working for me. I would seek to give him an administrative discharge or perhaps a court-martial if he misbehaved again. Indiscipline is a court- martialable offence, if you have clear and persistent evidence.

Commander, RN:

He sounds like a poor officer. Average reports do not cancel out repeatedly being relieved of duty. You would need to supervise him closely. A lot depends on the circumstances. Perhaps he just had a bad spell - e.g. as a result of adverse personal circumstances, like a close relative being killed - which may offer some mitigation.

"You did a fine job in the Navy. No one there is now 'out to get you.' You are through with its Navy and will utterly forget any derogatory instances."