USS Herring (SS-233)

USS "Herring" (SS-233), a "Gato"-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the herring, a type of small oily fish found in the temperate, shallow waters of the North Atlantic. Her keel was laid down 14 July 1941 by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 15 January 1942 sponsored by Mrs. Ray Spear, wife of Rear Admiral Ray Spear, Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA), and commissioned on 4 May 1942 with Lieutenant Commander Raymond W. Johnson (Class of 1930) in command.

After shakedown, the new submarine was one of five sent to the Mediterranean Sea to take station off the North African coast prior to Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. Reaching her position off Casablanca on 5 November, "Herring" remained there spotting but not attacking several targets. On the morning of 8 November as the invasion was launched, the patient sub had her chance, sinking the 5700-ton cargo ship "Ville du Havre". "Herring" returned to Rosneath Scotland, on 25 November and departed for her second war patrol 16 December on which targets were scarce.The fourth war patrol, an antisubmarine sweep in Icelandic waters, and fifth patrol, which took her back to the United States on 26 July 1943, netted "Herring" no more kills.

"Herring" departed New London, Connecticut, for the rich hunting grounds of the Pacific on 9 August 1943. After intensive training at Pearl Harbor, she sailed 15 November 1943 on her sixth war patrol to join the ranks of the American submarines systematically decimating Japanese shipping and destroying the Japanese economy. She scored two kills, the 3948-ton "Hakozaki Maru" on 14 December and the 6072-ton "Nagoya Maru" to celebrate New Year's Day 1944. "Herring’"s next patrol was a frustrating one as 24 March 1944 she stalked a large aircraft carrier but was detected and driven deep before she could attack.

"Herring’"s eighth war patrol was to be both her most successful and her last. Topping off at Midway Island on 21 May 1944, "Herring" headed for the Kurile Islands patrol area. Ten days later she rendezvoused with USS|Barb|SS-220|3, and was never heard from or seen again. However, Japanese records prove that she sank two ships, "Ishigaki" and "Hokuyo Maru", on the night of 30 May – 31 May. "Ishigaki" was responsible for the sinking of USS|S-44|SS-155 on 7 October 1943. "Herring"'s exact manner of loss can be determined from these records also. Two more merchant ships, "Hiburi Maru" and "Iwaki Maru", were sunk while at anchor in Matsuwa Island on the morning of 1 June 1944. In a counter-attack, enemy shore batteries scored two direct hits on the submarine's conning tower and "bubbles covered an area about 5 meters wide, and heavy oil covered an area of approximately 15 miles." On her last patrol, "Herring" had sunk four Japanese ships for a total of 13,202 tons. In all she had sunk six marus totalling 19,959 tons, and a Vichy cargo ship.

"Herring" received five battle stars for her service in World War II.

References

External links

* [http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-herring-233.htm On Eternal Patrol: USS "Herring"]