- USS Muskallunge (SS-262)
USS "Muskallunge" (SS-262), a "Gato"-class
submarine , was a ship of theUnited States Navy named for the muskallunge, a fish of the pike family found in the upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes region, and northward."Muskallunge" (SS-262) was laid down
7 April 1942 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT; launched13 December 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs.Merritt D. Graham , widow of Chief Torpedoman Graham who was lost in USS|Grunion|SS-216|3 in July 1942. The ship was commissioned15 March 1943 , Lt. Comdr.Willard A. Saunders in command.First war patrol, September 1943 – January 1944
Following shakedown, the new submarine departed New London for the Pacific, arriving
Pearl Harbor 7 August . She cleared Pearl Harbor7 September for her first war patrol, taking station off thePalau Islands . "Muskallunge" carried the first electrictorpedo es to be fired in the war by an American submarine. She made two attacks onJapan ese convoys; and, although handicapped by malfunctioning torpedoes, she managed to damage a passenger freighter and a cargo ship. On25 October "Muskallunge" returned to Pearl Harbor.She sailed
27 November for her second war patrol which was conducted in the western Carolines area and south ofGuam . During this patrol "Muskallunge" scored hits on a tanker and two freighters, sinking one of the "Noroto Maru" class, before returning to Pearl Harbor21 January 1944 .Third, fourth, and fifth war patrols, April – December 1944
After overhaul at Mare Island early in the year, "Muskallunge" left Pearl Harbor
30 April on her third war patrol. In June she joined eight other submarines in an operation designed to intercept any enemy forces approaching the Marianas which the Navy was invading. In the ensuingBattle of the Philippine Sea two of these submarines landed fatal blows on Japanese carriers and American naval aircraft wiped out the Japanese Fleet's air arm in a one-sided melee known as "the Marianas Turkey Shoot." "Muskallunge" ended the patrol atFremantle, Australia ,4 July .In company with USS|Flier|SS-250|2, "Muskallunge" got underway
1 August for theSouth China Sea on her fourth war patrol. On21 August off FrenchIndochina she sank 7,163-ton passenger-cargo "Durban Maru" before being severelydepth charge d. The submarine docked in Fremantle22 September for refit.Her fifth war patrol,
19 October to14 December , saw her operating west ofPalawan Passage . She then left Pearl Harbor16 December for overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, returning9 April 1945 .Sixth and seventh war patrols, April – August 1945
On
26 April "Muskallunge" departed Pearl Harbor for patrol off Formosa. She also acted as lifeguard for Philippine-based airstrikes onChina and Formosa on her sixth war patrol. She sailed toMidway Atoll viaSaipan to complete the patrol on arrival15 June .Her seventh and last war patrol started
30 July when "Muskallunge" got underway for theKurile Islands , north of Japan. On8 August she attacked several small ships through dense fog. Her guns damaged two of the Japanese ships, but enemy fire killed one of the submarine's gunners and wounded two other bluejackets. The news of victory brought orders toTokyo Bay for the surrender ceremonies on board thebattleship USS|Missouri|BB-63|22 September . The next day "Muskallunge" sailed for New London via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal. After operations with the Atlantic Fleet, she decommissioned and joined theAtlantic Reserve Fleet there29 January 1947 ."Humanita" (S-14), 1957–1968
"Muskallunge" recommissioned
31 August 1956 prior to transfer toBrazil ; decommissioned18 January 1957 ; and the same day was loaned under the Military Assistance Program. She served theBrazilian Navy as "Humanita" (S-14) until returned to the United States in March 1968 and sunk as a target offLong Island , NY on9 July 1968 ."Muskallunge" received five
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08262.htm navsource.org: USS "Muskallunge"]
* [http://www.rddesigns.com/ww2/muskallunge.html Sinkings by boat: USS "Muskallunge"]
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