- USS Salmon (SS-182)
USS "Salmon" (SS-182) was the
lead ship of her class ofsubmarine . She was the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for thesalmon , a soft-finned, gamy fish which inhabits the coasts of America and Europe in northern latitudes and ascends rivers for the purpose of spawning.Her keel was laid down on
15 April 1936 by theElectric Boat Company inGroton, Connecticut . She was launched on12 June 1937 sponsored by Miss Hester Laning, and commissioned on15 March 1938 with Lieutenant M.M. Stephens in command.1939 – 1941
After shakedown training and trials along the Atlantic coast from the
West Indies toNova Scotia , "Salmon" joined Submarine Division 15, Squadron 6 of the Submarine Force, U.S. Fleet, atPortsmouth, New Hampshire . Asflagship of her division, she operated along the Atlantic coast until she relinquished the flag to sister ship USS|Snapper|SS-185|3 late in 1939 as the division was shifted to the West Coast atSan Diego, California ."Salmon" operated along the West Coast through 1940 and the greater portion of 1941. Late that year, she was transferred with her division and the submarine tender USS|Holland|AS-3|3, to the Asiatic station. On
18 November , "Holland" with "Salmon", USS|Swordfish|SS-193|3, USS|Sturgeon|SS-187|3, and USS|Skipjack|SS-184|3 arrived at Manila and formed SubDiv 21 of the Asiatic fleet to bolster defenses in thePhilippines as marked tension was growing due to Japanese militarism.World War II
"Salmon" was conducting a patrol from
Manila, Philippines , along the west coast ofLuzon at the time of the surprise air raid by the Japanese against the Philippine bases andPearl Harbor . Having been on defensive deployment since27 November , in a wait-and-watch posture, she commenced war patrolling immediately upon receiving word of the attacks. On22 December , while on the surface in theLingayen Gulf , she encountered two Japanesedestroyers and pressed home an attack which seemed to bewilder the reluctant enemy. She succeeded in damaging both targets by delivering a "down the throat" spread of torpedoes which caught them as they veered course in opposite directions. She then was able to avoid further contact by ducking into a rain squall.1942
In January 1942, she moved south to operate in the
Gulf of Davao and off the southern tip ofMindanao and thence proceeded toManipa Strait betweenBura andCeram in theMolucca Islands . In February, she patrolled theFlores Sea from north ofTimor toLombok Strait in theSunda Islands , then put intoTjilatjap on the south coast of Java on13 February .The capture of the airfield on
Bali on18 February 1942 and the losses suffered byAmerican-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) forces in thebattle of Badung Strait on20 February forced the abandonment of the ABDA base atSurabaya and exposedTjilatjap to a possible trap. The tender "Holland" moved her base of operations toExmouth Gulf ,Australia , on20 February , as "Salmon" set out on her second war patrol."Salmon" spent the next month in the
Java Sea on patrol betweenSepandjang and the area just west ofBawean . She arrived at Fremantle,Australia , on23 March to end her second patrol.Beginning her third war patrol, "Salmon" departed from Fremantle on
3 May and established a barrier patrol along the south coast of Java to intercept Japanese shipping. On3 May , shetorpedo ed and sank the 11,441-ton repair ship, "Asahi"; and, on28 May , she sank the 4,382-ton passenger-cargo vessel, "Ganges Maru". On24 June , "Salmon" returned to Fremantle and commenced preparations for her next assignment."Salmon" departed from Fremantle on
21 July for her fourth war patrol in theSouth China Sea -Sulu Sea area. Sailing viaLombok Strait andMakassar Strait , theSibutu Passage , and theBalabac Strait , she stationed herself betweenNorth Borneo andPalawan , Philippine Islands. During this patrol, "Salmon" was unable to gain a favorable position for successful attack, but made numerous sightings and reports of shipping movements to sister subs in the vicinity. She returned to Fremantle on8 September .Salmon's fifth war patrol began on
10 October , and her area of operations was offCorregidor and Subic Bay. On the night of10 November , she challenged a largesampan moving in the vicinity of Subic Bay during the hours of darkness. After ignoring the challenge, the vessel was ordered to stop and shots were fired across its bow. "Salmon" then maneuvered for a closer inspection and saw that thesampan was displaying rising-sun emblems on its deckhouse and that its crew was attempting to jettison objects over the side. "Salmon"'s crew fired at it with .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns. The vessel stopped and was boarded by "Salmon" crewmen who found that most of the Japanese sailors had gone over the side. They removed papers, radio equipment, and other articles then set the sampan afire. As "Salmon" pulled away, the enemy vessel was seen to explode and sink.On
17 November , off the approach toManila Bay , "Salmon" sighted three vessels and maneuvered for attack. She fired torpedoes at each of the ships and succeeded in damaging two and sinking the 5,873-ton, converted salvage vessel, "Oregon Maru". "Salmon" ended her fifth patrol on7 December atPearl Harbor . She then proceeded toMare Island Naval Shipyard ,California , the following day, and arrived on13 December . "Salmon" remained at Mare Island until on30 March 1943 , undergoing alterations including the installation of newradar equipment and two 20 mm mounts to augment her firepower. She returned toPearl Harbor on8 April .1943
"Salmon" departed from
Pearl Harbor on29 April 1943 for her sixth war patrol viaMidway Island . She was assigned a special mission which took her to the coast ofHonshū ,Japan , atHachijo Shima ,Kantori Saki , andO Shima . During this mission, she damaged two freighters on3 June and returned toMidway Island on19 June ."Salmon"'s seventh patrol was conducted in the
Kuril Islands to cut theParamushiro -Aleutian supply route. She departed fromMidway Island on17 July ; sank a small coastal patrol vessel on9 August , and, on10 August sank the 2,411-ton passenger-cargo vessel, "Wakanoura Maru" off the northern coast ofHokkaidō . She returned toPearl Harbor on25 August ."Salmon"'s eighth war patrol saw her return to the
Kuril Islands where she was credited with damaging two freighters. This patrol lasted from27 September to17 November when she returned toPearl Harbor .1944
The ninth war patrol for "Salmon" was conducted between
15 December and on25 February 1944 . She succeeded in damaging one freighter on22 January .On
1 April , "Salmon" departed fromPearl Harbor en route toJohnston Island in company withsubmarine USS|Seadragon|SS-194|3. She was assigned a special photo reconnaissance mission for her tenth patrol which would assist in preparing plans for gaining control of theCaroline Islands . She conducted a reconnaissance ofUlithi from15 April to20 April ;Yap from22 April to26 April ; andWoleai between28 April and9 May . She returned toPearl Harbor on21 May with much valuable information that was utilized in last-minute changes to the assault plans."Salmon"'s eleventh and last war patrol was conducted in company with submarines USS|Trigger|SS-237|3 and USS|Sterlet|SS-392|3 as a coordinated attack group in the
Ryukyu Islands . This patrol began on24 September . On30 October , "Salmon" attacked a large tanker that had been previously damaged by "Trigger". This tanker was protected by four antisubmarine patrol vessels which were cruising back and forth around the stricken ship. "Salmon" fired four torpedoes and made two good hits, but was forced to dive deep under a severe depth charge attack by the escorts. She leveled off at convert|300|ft but was soon forced to nearly convert|500|ft due to damage and additional pounding of the depth charges. Unable to control leaking and maintain depth level, she battle surfaced to fight for survival on the surface.The enemy seemed wary and held their distance while sniffing out the situation, and gave "Salmon"'s crew a few precious minutes to correct a bad list and to repair some of the damage. The vessels began to close, but "Salmon" showed an aggressive stance, turned on the attackers and passing within 50 yards down the side of one, raked her with 20 mm gunfire and her deck gun. Apparently killing the topside personnel of the patrol escort which came to a stop, "Salmon" then exchanged fire with a second which again seemed to hesitate at some distance for reinforcement from the other two which were coming to the scene. "Salmon" began sending out plain language directions for all other subs in the vicinity to attack, giving the position of the action. This probably further discouraged the enemy who, fearing other submarines in the area, began milling around pinging on sound gear. "Salmon" took advantage of a rain squall and slipped away.
Other than the damage caused by
depth charge s, "Salmon" suffered only a few small caliber hits from the enemy vessels. Escorted by "Sterlet", "Trigger", and USS|Silversides|SS-236|3, she made it to Saipan. She was given one-third credit for the 10,500-ton tanker, "Jinei Maru" which was eventually sunk by a torpedo from "Sterlet". On3 November , she moored alongside submarine tender USS|Fulton|AS-11|3, inTanapag Harbor ,Saipan .1945
On
10 November , "Salmon" stood out fromSaipan , in company with "Holland", and sailed viaEniwetok andPearl Harbor toSan Francisco, California . On26 January 1945 , she departed from San Francisco with submarine USS|Redfish|SS-395|3 and proceeded via thePanama Canal toPortsmouth, New Hampshire , where she arrived on17 February .After repairs and overhaul at the
Portsmouth Navy Yard , "Salmon" was assigned as a training vessel for the Atlantic Fleet. After the war's end, "Salmon" was slated for disposal and was decommissioned on24 September . Struck from theNaval Vessel Register on11 October , she was scrapped on4 April 1946 .Awards
"Salmon" was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism against enemy surface vessels during her eleventh war patrol in restricted, enemy-held waters of the Pacific."Salmon" earned nine
battle star s forWorld War II service in the Asiatic-Pacific area.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s3/salmon-ii.htm
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