USS Rasher (SS-269)

USS "Rasher" (SS/SSR/AGSS/IXSS-269), a ] "Rasher" proceeded to San Francisco via Hawaii for overhaul at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard on 11 September.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth war patrols, January – August 1945

"Rasher" departed San Francisco on 20 December 1944, arriving at Midway via Pearl Harbor in early January 1945. Her sixth patrol, as a unit of a wolfpack with USS|Pilotfish|SS-386|2 and USS|Finback|SS-230|2, commenced on 29 January, and was conducted in the southern sector of the East China Sea. However, no suitable targets were found, only small patrol craft, hospital ships, and ubiquitous patrol aircraft. The patrol ended on 16 March 1945 at Guam.

Her seventh patrol, 17 April to 29 May 1945, was little more rewarding. On lifeguard station off Honshū, she riddled two small craft with gunfire. No aircraft came down in her area, and she returned to Midway on 29 May.

"Rasher" departed Midway 23 June 1945 to take lifeguard station off southern Formosa. No Allied planes were downed in her area before orders arrived to proceed to the Gulf of Siam. While she was en route the war ended, and "Rasher" returned to the Philippines. She departed Subic Bay on 31 August arriving New York on 6 October, via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal. Following deactivation overhaul, she was decommissioned 22 June 1946 and was placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at New London, Connecticut.

Service as radar picket submarine, 1953 – 1960

She was placed in commission in reserve at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 14 December 1951, Lt. V. D. Ely in command. After being reclassified as a radar picket submarine, SSR-269 she commenced conversion which continued after she decommissioned 28 May 1952. After extensive hull and interior alterations at Philadelphia Navy Yard, she was recommissioned 22 July 1953, Lt. Comdr. R. W. Steeher in command. She departed New London on 12 November, arriving San Diego 17 December via Guantanamo Bay and the Panama Canal.

The following 2 years were spent off the west coast in operations from Washington to Acapulco. On 4 January 1956, she deployed to the 7th Fleet, where she operated with U.S. and SEATO naval units. She returned to San Diego 3 July 1956. Prior to and following a second WestPac deployment from 4 March to 4 September 1958, SSR-269 served in Fleet exercises as an early warning ship, and in ASW training operations.

On 28 December 1959, "Rasher" departed the continental United States for the Far East. While attached to the 7th Fleet, she participated in exercise "Blue Star", a large-scale American-Nationalist Chinese amphibious exercise. In May 1960, she took part in the Black Ship Festival at Shimoda, Japan, commemorating Commodore Matthew Perry's landing. She returned to San Diego on 20 June 1960.

Vietnam War service

"Rasher" was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-269, on 1 July 1960, with conversion being accomplished at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Involved in maintaining fleet readiness until mid-August 1962 when she deployed to WestPac, "Rasher" continued to exhibit her usual high standards of performance. She returned to San Diego on 15 February 1963, and was overhauled that summer.

During the next year, AGSS-269 was engaged in strike exercises involving other American and Canadian ships. Her next deployment, beginning on 3 August 1964, involved support of 7th Fleet operations off Vietnam, as well as ASW exercises with SEATO allies.

After returning to San Diego on 5 February 1965, she had ASW and amphibious training. Her next WestPac deployment, from 3 January to 17 July 1966, included amphibious and ASW training support for Republic of Korea, Nationalist Chinese, and Thai units, as well as operations with the 7th Fleet off Vietnam.

"Rasher" spent the remainder of her commissioned career providing training services off the coast of California to UDT and ASW units. She was decommissioned 27 May 1967, and later was reclassified "unclassified miscellaneous submarine" IXSS-269, was towed to Portland, Oreg., where she served as a training submarine for Naval reservists until struck from the Navy List, 20 December 1971.

"Rasher" was credited with sinking 99,901 tons of Japanese shipping, the second highest total for US submarines in World War II. However, a Japanese destroyer credited as sunk by sister ship "Flasher" is given a name that never existed and may have been a case of mistaken identity. If the tonnage credited for this ship is removed from the record of "Flasher", then "Rasher" becomes the highest scoring US submarine for tonnage. ("USS|Tambor|SS-198|2" has the highest total in credited sunk hulls.) She was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for outstanding performance in combat during World War II patrols 1, 3, 4, and 5. She received seven battle stars in World War II service, and two battle stars for service off Vietnam.

References

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08269.htm navsource.org: USS "Rasher"]
* [http://www.rddesigns.com/ww2/listr.html Sinkings by boat: USS "Rasher"]