- USS Peto (SS-265)
USS "Peto" (SS-265), a "Gato"-class
submarine , was a ship of theUnited States Navy named for thepeto , a sharp-nosed tropical fish of themackerel family."Peto" (SS-265) was laid down
18 June 1941 by theManitowoc Shipbuilding Company , Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched30 April 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs. E. A. Lofquist; and commissioned21 November 1942 , Lt. Comdr. William T. Nelson in command.Late in December 1942 "Peto" decommissioned, was loaded on a
barge , and departed Manitowoc for New Orleans, the first submarine to traverse the mid-western waterways to reach New Orleans and the sea from the building yards. The ship recommissioned, completed fitting out and shakedown, sailed for thePanama Canal and arrivedBrisbane, Australia 14 March 1943 .First war patrol, April – May 1943
"Peto" departed Brisbane for her first war patrol
2 April . The submarine reconnoiteredGreenwich Island for shipping on the 13th without finding any targets. That night she proceeded toward the equator to cover theTruk -Kavieng route, arriving on station the next day. A south-bound, Truk-Rabaul convoy came into view on the morning of17 April , consisting of twodestroyer s, two medium freighters, and one small auxiliary. However, before "Peto" attacked, the trailing destroyer detected the submarine and forced her to dive. She withstood ninedepth charge s without damage.On
5 May she made a night attack conducted by sound andradar alone, firing threetorpedo es at a target for one possible hit. After patrolling offCape Oxford , "Peto" headed for Brisbane20 May .Second war patrol, June – August 1943
"Peto" departed on her second war patrol
10 June . On29 June she fired two torpedoes at a small auxiliary. One torpedo hit near the bow, breaking the ship in two. On7 July she sighted an east-bound tanker similar to "Nippon Maru" with two escorting destroyers. "Peto" maneuvered and fired three torpedoes; two hits causing severe damage. She returned to Brisbane4 August .Third war patrol, September – October 1943
On
1 September "Peto" set out on her third war patrol, which was held in the area north of theBismarck Archipelago . After reconnoiteringNauru Harbor, she patrolled the route between Truk and Nauru for five days without contact. "Peto" moved to the Truk-Kavieng-Rabaul traffic routes on20 September ; and two days later, sighted five escorted ships headed toward Rabaul. She lost her attack chance at the last moment when the enemy made a radical change of course. While "Peto" attempted to close for a night attack, an alert escort only convert|7000|yd away detected her. The enemy ship opened fire on the submarine, forcing her to crash dive.From
24 September to26 September , "Peto" patrolled off theAdmiralty Islands without contacts. On1 October "Peto" sighted three medium freighters with only one sub-chaser as escort, and fired six torpedoes, hitting two of the ships. Post-war investigation revealed that 4,930-ton "Tonei Maru" and 4,980-ton "Kinkasan Maru" were both sunk. "Peto" returned to Brisbane, Australia21 October .Fourth war patrol, November 1943 – January 1944
Underway again
14 November 1943 , she fueled atTulagi , and set out for her patrol area24 November . On1 December , she sighted an enemy convoy consisting of two passengercargo vessels with three small escorts. She fired six torpedoes at the nearest and largest ship, 2,345-ton "Konei Maru", which broke up and sank. On9 December , while firing on a ship in a convoy, her target apparently saw the torpedoes coming and turned toward them to avoid being hit. An escort then drove "Peto" down and administered a thorough depth charging.On
19 December "Peto" received orders to return to Tulagi to embark Marines, and she landed them onBoang Island , Solomons, before sailing to Brisbane7 January .Fifth war patrol, February – March 1944
On
2 February 1944 she set course for Tulagi, arriving there5 February for fuel before departing the following day for her patrol area. On10 February "Peto" sailed to rendezvous with submarine USS|Cero|SS-225|2.On
19 February she attacked a ship with three escorts and one of hertorpedo es struck home. The target was immediately engulfed in black smoke and depth charges were heard in the distance. "Peto" surfaced and found the escorts depth charging "Cero"'s position. After closing "Cero" slowly, she fired two rounds from her convert|3|in|mm|sing=on deck gun at the escorts, and as the escorts returned the fire she withdrew, giving "Cero" a chance to escape unharmed.On
23 February , "Peto" sailed forLangemak Bay to refuel and obtain spare parts. She arrived27 February . On1 March she headed for her area again and on3 March made an unsuccessful attack on an enemy merchantman. The next day, she fired six torpedoes at a cargo ship and then went deep to listen as escorts were near. Two hits were heard, followed by a loud, deep explosion. Three minutes later breaking up noises were heard, and splashes from debris falling in the water could be heard for several minutes. The escorts dropped 13 depth charges before giving up. "Peto" had sunk 4,369-ton "Kayo Maru". On16 March "Peto" set course for Midway Island where she arrived25 March . She sailed on forPearl Harbor the same day arriving on29 March .Sixth war patrol, April – June 1944
On
28 April "Peto" and USS|Perch|SS-313|2, along with an escort, sailed for her patrol area south of Formosa. She sailed from Midway2 May with "Perch" and USS|Picuda|SS-382|2 joining the wolf pack. Arriving in her area, "Peto" began looking for shipping worthy of her torpedoes. Only six ship contacts were made during the entire patrol and a favorable attack position could not be obtained on any due to aircraft in the vicinity or shallow water. She returned to Midway15 June and later that day sailed for Pearl Harbor with USS|Kingfish|SS-234|2, arriving19 June . On21 June she sailed on for San Francisco, Calif., for major alterations at theBethlehem Steel Company yards.Seventh war patrol, September – December 1944
On
29 September 1944 "Peto" sailed westward again, reached Pearl Harbor7 October , and arrived Midway Island27 October , where she joined USS|Spadefish|SS-411|2 and USS|Sunfish|SS-281|2. Task Group 17.13 arrived in their assigned area in theYellow Sea 9 November .On
12 November "Peto" heard a loud explosion and saw a large flash. A burning ship with hull down was seen to the east and it was assumed USS|Barb|SS-220|2, which was also in the vicinity, had connected. Peto sent her crew to their battle stations and sent four torpedoes at the nearest ship of the convoy. Two hits were heard and the target slowed down and dropped back, though it didn’t stop. "Peto" fired her remaining two forward torpedoes at a second target and swung around to bring her stern tubes to bear. She fired 4 torpedoes at the third target. The torpedoes fired from the bow tubes struck home as the leading ship, 2,766-ton "Tatsuaki Maru", blew up and promptly sank. Two hits were heard on the third target and she was immediately engulfed in dense black smoke. "Peto" then scurried for cover, as it was getting light fast. She took her last look at the third target and noted that it was ablaze.On
18 November , "Peto" made contact with one ship which was apparently lost and without an escort. She fired three torpedoes, the first hitting and setting the target ablaze. The second missed but the third hit and the target blow up and burned much brighter. "Peto" came around for a coup de grace but saw that it was unnecessary as only the stern of 6,923-ton "Aisakasan Maru" was above the water, still burning like an inferno. She contacted another enemy ship, dead in the water with two escorts near, and sent three torpedoes streaking after the cargo ship. One torpedo hit the target and 2,827-ton "Chinkai Mara" sank in four minutes. On29 November , "Peto" attacked a small coastal tanker with her last torpedoes and she sailed for home.Eighth war patrol, December 1944 – April 1945
"Peto" arrived at
Guam 6 December and underwent a refit before sailing for Pearl Harbor where she arrived2 January 1945 . "Peto" departed from Pearl Harbor in company with USS|Thresher|SS-200|2, USS|Shad|SS-235|2, and USS|Tilefish|SS-307|231 January , topped off atSaipan 12 February , and headed for her patrol area the following day. However, she met no suitable targets on her 8th war patrol. She arrived Midway9 April .Ninth war patrol, May – June 1945
On
4 May "Peto" got underway for her ninth war patrol. OffMarcus Island 12 May , she guided friendly pilots to their targets. None of the planes were hit. On21 May , "Peto" closed to the coast of Manus and took pictures of enemy shore installations. The next day she headed via Saipan forGuam arriving19 June .Tenth war patrol, July – September 1945
On
14 July she stood out on her tenth and last war patrol. On24 July , she rescued two pilots from USS|Lexington|CV-16|3, one with gunshot wounds in both legs. On25 July her guns sank asampan , and the same day she saved nine more downed aviators. On10 August she picked up aRoyal Navy pilot from HMS|Formidable|R67|6.On
15 August "Peto" was assigned a life guard station to cover air strikes on theJapan ese home islands, but hostilities ceased. The next day, "Peto" sailed for thePanama Canal Zone , arriving15 September . On the 17th she sailed for New Orleans, arriving on the 21st."Peto" joined the Atlantic Fleet and
25 June 1946 was placed out of commission in reserve, berthed at New London, Conn. She remained in reserve until November 1956 when she became Naval Reserve Training submarine for the 8th Naval District. She was struck from the Navy List1 August 1960 . She was sold for scrapping10 November 1960 ."Peto" received eight
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08265.htm navsource.org: USS "Peto"]
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