- USS Shad (SS-235)
USS "Shad" (SS-235), a "Gato"-class
submarine , was the first submarine and second vessel of theUnited States Navy to be named for theshad , a fish of the herring family, common along coasts of the United States.The second "Shad" (SS-235) was laid down by the
Portsmouth Navy Yard (inKittery, Maine ) on24 October 1941 ; launched on15 April 1942 ; sponsored by Miss Priscilla Alden Dudley; and commissioned on12 June 1942 , Lieutenant CommanderEdgar J. MacGregor III (Class of 1930) in command.Atlantic war patrols
Following shakedown off the
New England coast, "Shad" departed on a special patrol as a unit of Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 50 to a point off the coast of Mehdiya, French Morocco, to conduct reconnaissance in preparation forOperation Torch , the Allied occupation ofNorth Africa . Upon completion, she sailed toRoseneath, Scotland , for repairs and further training."Shad"'s second war patrol was conducted in the
Bay of Biscay and Spanish coastal waters with other units of SubRon 50 under British command. Although the majority of the vessels she sighted were neutral Spanish ships, the submarine sank an enemy trawler, a barge, and severely damaged a destroyer escort before she returned to Roseneath for refit on12 February 1943 .With refitting completed, "Shad" departed
Scotland on7 March heading for the Bay of Biscay on her third war patrol. During this mission, the submarine damaged the blockade runner "Pietro Orseolo", before returning to Scotland on12 April ."Shad"'s fourth patrol, conducted in Norwegian waters, and fifth war patrol, conducted en route back to the United States, were uneventful.
Sixth war patrol
Following repairs in New London, Conn., the submarine was transferred to the Pacific front. Arriving at
Pearl Harbor on7 September , "Shad" underwent two weeks of voyage repairs and then departed, on28 September , for her sixth war patrol, and her first against theJapan ese. This patrol was also the first Americanwolf pack , comprising "Shad", USS|Cero|SS-225|3, and USS|Grayback|SS-208|3, commanded from "Cero" by CaptainCharles Momsen .Just before dawn on
22 October , "Shad" attacked aconvoy of twocruiser s and three escorts. After firing 10 torpedoes, she was forced to head for deeper water to evade the depth charging that followed. Although there was no positive evidence of any sinkings, a two-square mile oil slick confirmed the damage done by the submarine. Shortly after midnight on27 October , "Shad" sighted another enemy convoy and moved in for the kill. Although she sank none of the enemy ships, the submarine damaged three transports and a freighter before she was forced to leave the vicinity by an escortingdestroyer . "Shad" then returned viaMidway Atoll to Pearl Harbor where she terminated her sixth patrol before sailing for the West Coast for overhaul at San Francisco.Seventh war patrol, August – October 1944
After returning to Pearl Harbor on
11 May 1944 , Shad underwent further repair work and training before departing on12 August for her seventh war patrol which she conducted in waters surrounding the Japanese home islands. While offHonshū on30 August , the submarine attacked a heavily laden freighter escorted by two small patrol craft. Although there was evidence of one hit, exact results were unknown due to a severe counterattack that forced the submarine to leave the area and gave the freighter a chance to escape. On16 September , "Shad" fired four torpedoes, damaging a large transport. Following this attack, the submarine endured two hours of steady depth charging.On
19 September , "Shad" torpedoed and sank thefrigate "Ioshima", and, as expected, was forced to endure another lengthy depth charging. On22 September , "Shad" narrowly escaped destruction by maneuvering around two torpedoes, probably fired by an enemy submarine. One passed just under her bow and the other about 20 yards ahead. "Shad" terminated her seventh patrol at Midway on1 October , after atyphoon -racked passage from the patrol area.Eighth and ninth war patrols
"Shad" spent her eighth war patrol as a unit of a coordinated attack group with USS|Redfish|SS-395|2 and USS|Thresher|SS-200|2, in the area off the northeast coast of Formosa and in the
East China Sea . Other than a few inconsequential contacts with small enemy vessels, the patrol was uneventful, and the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on5 January 1945 .Following repair work and recuperation for the crew, "Shad" departed Pearl Harbor on
31 January for her ninth war patrol. She refueled atSaipan on12 February and then departed with USS|Peto|SS-265|2 and "Thresher" forLuzon Strait . During this patrol, the submarine attempted three attacks but all were thwarted. Twice the coming of dawn forced her to dive to evade enemy aircraft, and once patrolling escort ships forced her to leave the vicinity of an anticipated victim. On5 March , "Shad" again was on the receiving end of an enemy torpedo attack, with three torpedoes passing just ahead of her bow. After this unproductive patrol, the submarine arrived atApra Harbor ,Guam , on30 March .Tenth war patrol, August – October 1944
On her tenth war patrol, "Shad" operated as part of a coordinated attack group with USS|Balao|SS-285|2, USS|Dragonet|SS-293|2, and USS|Spikefish|SS-404|2 in the Yellow and
East China Sea s. On the night of17 May , the submarine contacted a large freighter and two escorts; fired three torpedoes; and quickly got out of range. One torpedo hit forward on the freighter "Chosan Maru", blowing her bow completely off; and she settled quickly to the bottom. The escorts gave chase, but "Shad" escaped and resumed patrol.On
7 June , "Shad" destroyed a small Junk by gunfire and, later in the day, attacked and sank the 1,370-ton cargo ship, "Azusa Maru". With her torpedo store depleted, the submarine returned to Midway.Eleventh war patrol and post-war service
On
11 July , "Shad" departed Midway on her 11th and final war patrol, consisting of lifeguard duty offMarcus Island . On15 August , she received word of the cessation of hostilities and returned to Midway on22 August . Upon completion of repairs, she returned to the United States, arriving at New Orleans, La., on20 September .Following the war, "Shad" was decommissioned and placed "in service, in reserve" and assigned to the 1st Naval District to train naval reservists. The submarine continued in that duty until she was struck from the Navy List on
1 April 1960 and sold for scrap to Luria Brothers, Inc., Kearney, N.J. "Shad" earned sixbattle star s forWorld War II service.See USS|Shad for other ships of the same name.
References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08235.htm navsource.org: USS "Shad"]
* [http://www.rddesigns.com/ww2/shad.html Sinkings by boat: USS "Shad"]
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