- USS Tuna (SS-203)
USS "Tuna" (SS-203) was a
United States Navy "Tambor"-class submarine, serving in thePacific duringWorld War II and earning sevenbattle star s for her service. After the war, she participated in theBikini Atoll atomic testing in 1946.Origins
"Tuna" was the second ship of the US Navy to be named for the
tuna , a vigorous, spiny-finned fish highly esteemed for sport and food. Her keel was laid down on19 July 1939 atVallejo, California , by theMare Island Navy Yard . She was launched on2 October 1940 sponsored by Mrs. Wilhelm L. Friedell, and commissioned on2 January 1941 with Lieutenant Commander J.J. Crane in command."Tuna" departed
San Diego, California , on19 May 1941 forPearl Harbor and shakedown training. Operations inHawaii an waters revealed that the submarine's torpedo tubes were misaligned. This problem necessitated her returning toMare Island for repairs. During the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor on7 December 1941 , "Tuna" lay in drydock at Mare Island. She set out for Pearl Harbor on7 January 1942 .Wartime operations
Initial patrols
The first of "Tuna"’s 13 war patrols lasted from
26 January to21 March 1942 , as she roved the waters of theEast China Sea . On4 March offKyūshū , a 4000-ton cargo ship became "Tuna"’s first kill. For the rest of the cruise, however, hunting was poor, and the unidentified maru remained the submarine's only victim during her initial war patrol.Standing out of Pearl Harbor on
14 April , "Tuna" once again set her course towards the Japanese home islands and the hunting offHonshū . She added another score to her tally by sinking the 805-ton cargo ship "Toyohara Maru" on15 May before returning to Pearl Harbor on16 June .Following refit, "Tuna" became Task Unit 8.5.12, with orders to proceed to the
Aleutian Islands . This third war patrol commenced on13 July , but her only contact with the Japanese came on9 August , when "Tuna" sighted a Japanese I-boat on the surface. She lost it shortly thereafter in heavy weather. Later in the month, she supported the Army occupation ofAdak Island by transporting a colonel and six enlisted men fromDutch Harbor, Alaska , toKuluk Bay between25 August and27 August . She returned to Pearl Harbor on5 September .Patrolling New Guinea waters
After routine overhaul, "Tuna" set out from
Pearl Harbor on9 November . She made only one contact during her fourth war patrol, firing two torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer operating offNew Georgia Island on12 December . Both missed their mark. Three days after Christmas 1942, "Tuna" arrived at her new base,Brisbane ,Australia .Setting out again on
18 January 1943 to begin patrol number five, she arrived in waters off the east coast ofVella LaVella six days later. Expending 16 torpedoes in five futile daylight attacks, "Tuna" pressed home determined forays only to be driven deep by intense enemy antisubmarine countermeasures. Kept on station between New Ireland and Buka after11 February , "Tuna" launched further attacks -- but from excessive ranges -- which only resulted in still more frustration for her crew. Dispatched next to interdict traffic from reinforcingVila Plantation and Munda, "Tuna" remained luckless and was forced deep and endured depth-charge attacks before ending the patrol on7 February .After refitting at Brisbane, "Tuna" set out on her sixth war patrol on
4 March to take up a position in theBismarck Archipelago , offLyra Reef , on the northeast side of New Ireland. En route, she patrolled west of Bougainville. On16 March , she received orders to shift her position to a point southeast of a line betweenMussau Island andManus Island in theAdmiralty Islands . Late in the afternoon of29 March , she sighted a convoy of four merchantmen, with two escort ships and two aircraft. After stalking the convoy all night, "Tuna" attacked the following morning, firing three torpedoes at the largest vessel. Two hits, and the 4697-ton "Kurohime Maru" plunged to the bottom.On
4 April , "Tuna" changed patrol zones, prowling now to the northwest of the Manus-Mussau line in theEast Caroline Basin on the traffic lanes toRabaul . After no further attack opportunities developed, "Tuna" returned toBrisbane on20 April .On
19 May , en route to her war patrol station for the seventh patrol, "Tuna" came under attack by a Japanese submarine which fired one torpedo at the American ship before breaking off the attack. After that brush with destruction, "Tuna" prepared to bombardWakde Island with her deck guns, but the presence of Japanese subchasers forced a change in plans.Friendly fire
On
29 July 1943 , as "Tuna" set out fromBrisbane on her eighth patrol, aRoyal Australian Air Force patrol bomber attacked her, dropping three bombs close aboard. The resultant damage necessitated 17 days of major repairs at Brisbane, delaying her departure for the eighth patrol until21 August . Once on station, two attack opportunities presented themselves, but neither one bore fruit.Arriving back at Fremantle on
14 October , "Tuna" refitted alongside submarine tender USS|Pelias|AS-14|3 before proceeding on her ninth patrol which commenced on7 November . After transiting theMolucca Strait , "Tuna" prowled in theJava Sea andFlores Sea . Attacking a freighter in a rain squall on21 November , "Tuna" launched four torpedoes, but only one hit the enemy merchantman. On12 December , the submarine had better luck. The 5484-ton cargo ship "Tosei Maru" fell victim to her torpedoes, becoming the largest kill in "Tuna"’s war career to that date.Following her ninth patrol, "Tuna" proceeded across the Pacific to Hunters Point Navy Yard in California, where she arrived on
6 April 1944 for a major overhaul. After refitting, she headed forPearl Harbor , her base of operations for war patrol number 10. Departing Pearl Harbor on24 April , she soon commenced roving thePalau Islands .The "Takima Maru"
On
4 May 1944 , "Tuna" sighted a 100-ton trawler. Bound forWake Island with classified documents on board, "Takima Maru" put up a fight when taken under fire by the submarine's two 20-millimeter guns. In the face of the returned fire, "Tuna" opened up with her three-inch deck gun and scored a hit on the first salvo, holing "Takima Maru" near the stern. Ten minutes later, the trawler settled beneath the waves, stern first, leaving the waters littered with secret papers and the surviving Japanese.Meanwhile, submarine USS|Haddock|SS-231|3 arrived on the scene and assisted in the pickup of confidential documents and prisoners. Each submarine picked up 30 documents; "Tuna" fished out three prisoners, one of whom died later. The two remaining prisoners were transferred to "Haddock".
Ten days later, "Tuna" bombarded the
phosphate works onFais Island with 24 rounds from her deck gun. After the remainder of her patrol proved fruitless, the submarine returned to theMarshall Islands arriving atMajuro Atoll on21 June .Final war patrols
After commencing her 11th patrol upon departing
Majuro Atoll on15 July 1944 , "Tuna" roamed the sea lanes of the Japanese home islands, offShikoku andKyūshū . Her radar picked up tempting targets, but bad luck continued to dog the ship's efforts to make contact and launch attacks. On occasion, the superior surface speed of the hunted enabled it to easily outrun the hunter, and good antisubmarine measures by the Japanese escort ships forced "Tuna" to proceed cautiously. On5 September , she arrived at Pearl Harbor empty-handed.Following refit, "Tuna" departed Pearl Harbor on
8 October , bound for the western Pacific. In conjunction with Operation "King Two," the invasion and liberation of thePhilippine Islands , "Tuna" operated in a wolf pack, "Roach's Raiders," in company with Haddock and USS|Halibut|SS-232|3. During this 12th patrol, "Tuna" contacted seven ships; but made only one unsuccessful attack before arriving atSaipan on2 December ."Tuna"’s final war patrol began on
6 January as she leftSaipan to take position off the west coast ofBorneo . From28 January to30 January 1945 , "Tuna" conducted a special mission, reconnoitering the northeast coast ofBorneo . She did not attempt a landing due to enemy activity. From2 March to4 March , "Tuna" accomplished her second special mission of the patrol, landing personnel and 4400 pounds of stores nearLabuk Bay . During the patrol, she sighted no contacts deemed worthy of torpedo fire, and "Tuna" returned to Fremantle on13 March 1945 .Post-war assignments
Thereafter, based at Fremantle, "Tuna" operated on training duty until she sailed for Leyte in the
Philippine Islands on13 April . The submarine touched at Subic Bay andSaipan before returning to Pearl Harbor on5 September . From there, she proceeded toSan Francisco, California , arriving on14 September .After moving through the
Panama Canal to the East Coast, "Tuna" remained in commission, in the inactive fleet, to assist in the maintenance and security of other submarines sent toPortsmouth, New Hampshire , for tests. In this capacity, she served with Submarine Division 162, Submarine Squadron 16, Inactive Fleet, New London Group, until she was selected as a target vessel for the upcomingatomic bomb tests atBikini Atoll in theMarshall Islands .Atomic testing
After once again transiting the
Panama Canal , "Tuna" arrived at Pearl Harbor on2 March 1946 and reported for duty with Commander, Joint Task Force 1. In company with submarines USS|Skipjack|SS-184|3, USS|Skate|SS-305|3, and USS|Searaven|SS-196|3, "Tuna" departed Pearl Harbor on21 May 1946 .Upon her arrival at
Bikini Atoll , nine days later, "Tuna" was assigned a place among the target vessels anchored in the atoll. The firstatomic bomb was detonated on1 July 1946 , and the second followed 24 days later. Receiving only superficial damage, "Tuna" departed forKwajalein on22 August 1946 en route to Pearl Harbor and the West Coast. On5 September , she arrived inHawaii an waters, mooring at thesubmarine base .Decommissioning
Underway for the West Coast on
7 October 1946 , "Tuna" arrived at theMare Island Naval Shipyard a week later where she moored with the 19th Fleet. Scheduled for decommissioning on11 December 1946 , she was retained as a radiological laboratory unit and subjected to numerous radiological and structural studies while remaining atMare Island . No preservation work was undertaken on the ship, and she was decommissioned on11 December 1946 . On20 September 1948 , fleet ocean tug USS|Tekesta|ATF-93|3 towed "Tuna" from Mare Island for the submarine's "last patrol." On24 September 1948 , "Tuna" was sunk in convert|1160|fathom of water off the West Coast and struck from theNaval Vessel Register on21 October 1948 .References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t9/tuna-ii.htm
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