USS Balao (SS-285)

USS "Balao" (SS/AGSS-285), a sclass|Balao|submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy; balao is the name of any of several halfbeaks.

"Balao" (SS-285) was launched 27 October 1942 by Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, sponsored by Mrs. Theodore C. Aylward, wife of Lieutenant Commander Aylward, commissioned 4 February 1943, Lieutenant Commander Richard H. Crane in command; and reported to the Pacific Fleet.

World War II

After a six week training period in New London, Conn., the submarine sailed for the Pacific theater of operations and joined the 7th Fleet at Brisbane, Australia, on 10 July 1943.

First patrol, July – September 1943

At the end of a brief refit alongside submarine tender USS|Fulton|AS-11|3, "Balao" got underway on 25 July to begin her first war patrol. She topped off her fuel tanks from submarine rescue vessel USS|Coucal|ASR-8|3 on 29 July and, on 7 August, took station in the scouting line in the sealanes between Truk and the Bismarck Archipelago. However, she made only five enemy contacts and was unable to launch a single attack. The scouting line was discontinued on 26 August, and "Balao" shifted to patrol the Palau–Rabaul shipping route where she fared no better. The submarine trained in emergency dives, and her crew frequently went to battle stations upon the sighting of enemy aircraft; but the patrol was not enlivened by action with surface ships before the boat moored alongside "Fulton" in Brisbane on 13 September for refit.

Second patrol, October – November 1943

Her second war patrol began on 4 October when "Balao" sailed in company with USS|Silversides|SS-236|3 for Tulagi. After refueling there on 11 October, the submarine got underway for her assigned area north of the Bismarck Archipelago and again covered the Palau-Rabaul routes. "Balao" sighted a convoy on 17 October, but it escaped her salvo of six torpedoes by making a radical zig-zag maneuver and increasing speed to open the range. The convoy's escorts counterattacked with depth charges, but "Balao" came away unscathed. Her targets moved out of range at high speed, preventing her from regaining contact.

"Balao" joined "Silversides" in a coordinated attack on a seven-ship convoy on 23 October, firing 10 torpedoes at three ships that presented an overlapping target. She scored six hits. One ship was seen down by the bow, with her stern in the air; another listed heavily; and a third was riding low in the water. While "Balao" was maneuvering into position for a second attack, the convoy's escorts fired on her, forcing the submarine to dive. "Balao" lost contact with the convoy and failed in her attempts to reach "Silversides" to exchange information. She later learned, however, that her consort sank three of the seven ships.

"Balao" stopped at Tulagi to refuel and to load torpedoes. On 28 October, she was assigned to a scouting line south of Truk. On 4 November, the submarine made a submerged approach to a two-ship convoy, but the six torpedoes that she fired missed their marks. "Balao" then shifted to the Truk-New Hanover route where she conducted an uneventful patrol until 7 November, when she headed for Milne Bay, New Guinea, for refit alongside "Fulton".

Third patrol, December 1943 – January 1944

Underway again on 6 December, "Balao" spent two days in training exercises and practice approaches with "Coucal" as her target. On 13 December, the submarine conducted communication and identification tests with friendly search planes and then began her patrol. No surface contacts came during the first two weeks, but her luck changed on 27 December when two sclass|Mogami|cruisers and two sclass|Asashio|destroyers crossed her track. The four warships maneuvered in a radical zigzag plan at a speed of convert|20|kn|km/h, passing the submarine so rapidly that she only managed a shot at the second cruiser. "Balao" fired four torpedoes which overran their target. While rigging for depth charges, she heard three explosions, but upon surfacing, could see no sign of damage. The warships were long gone at their high speed.

"Balao" began the year 1944 with a contact that turned out to be a very large steamer and two escorts. The weather impeded her efforts to close the convoy, but also offered protection when a rain squall covered "Balao" while she fired six torpedoes. The submarine counted three explosions and then went deep to wait out the inevitable depth-charge attack by the escorts. When "Balao" surfaced the next morning, the convoy had disappeared. Certain that the freighter had been sunk, "Balao" resumed her patrol of the shipping lanes. She later sighted a convoy of a damaged freighter and two escorts and moved in for an attack only to discover that the freighter was her target of 1 January. The escorts drove "Balao" off; and, on 7 January, she was ordered back to Brisbane, still without a confirmed kill under her belt.

Fourth patrol, February – March 1944

"Balao" arrived in Brisbane on 15 January for a normal two week refit and a brief training period. On 6 February, she was underway via Tulagi for her patrol area north of New Guinea, which she entered on 13 February. Her first opportunity to attack came just after midnight on 23 February when she closed a convoy of two freighters and one small escort. "Balao" fired six torpedoes at the larger of the two freighters, scoring three hits. The escort maneuvered to attack, but never came close to the submarine. Rather than risk a repetition of her disappointment during her last patrol, "Balao" returned to the scene to verify that the ship had sank. A survivor was taken on board, who stated that his vessel, the 5,857-ton passenger cargo ship "Nikki Maru", had gone down rapidly after being hit.

A convoy located on 26 February did not offer a chance of attack because USS|Gato|SS-212|3 had first fired on it causing its escorts to chase "Balao" from the scene. Two days later, "Balao" sighted smoke on the horizon and commenced tracking three ships and an escort. Shortly after midnight, "Balao" went to battle stations and closed for attack. After firing her six bow tubes at the lead ship, the submarine swung her stern toward the wing ships in the formation and fired her stern tubes. "Balao" heard several explosions at the expected times, as torpedo after torpedo struck home. One of the damaged ships trained a convert|3|in|adj=on gun on "Balao", but a heavy internal explosion silenced the gun before "Balao" could be hit. The submarine could see nothing except heavy smoke in the target area, but radar watched as two "pips" disappeared from the screen. "Balao" lured the escort out of the target area in order to double back to look for the third freighter. Radar and lookouts failed to locate the merchantman, so "Balao" returned to patrol the shipping lanes after a very successful attack. Postwar study of Japanese shipping records identified her victims as the 2,723-ton freighter "Shoho Maru" and the 6,803-ton passenger cargoship "Akiuro Maru".

On 3 March, "Balao" fired four torpedoes at a small freighter and escort from a distance that proved to be too great. All four fish passed under their targets. Later that morning, "Balao" sighted a convoy of four small cargo ships, described as "the dregs of the worst of harbors." The convoy changed course and pulled away from the submarine before she could close for attack.

The next day, "Balao" investigated smoke on the horizon; found two cargo ships; tracked them through a rain squall; and, as she passed into clear weather, found the convoy in perfect position for her torpedoes. She fired four stern tubes at the leading ship, but heard no explosions. The torpedoes were duds or had again passed underneath. As the escorts actively pursued the submarine, "Balao" submerged to wait out the inevitable depth charges. When the submarine surfaced again, all trace of the convoy was gone; and she set course for Langemak Bay, New Guinea, with all her torpedoes expended. On 7 March, "Balao" moored alongside "Coucal" and took on fuel and provisions. She got underway again on the following morning, bound for Pearl Harbor where she arrived for refit on 19 March.

Fifth patrol, April – June 1944

"Balao" completed refit and training on 24 April and the next day began her voyage back to action. After stopping for a few hours at Midway to refuel, she continued to her patrol area around the Palau Islands. She contacted a small convoy on 14 May but was unable to close for attack because of the diligence of the Japanese escorts. The submarine returned to patrolling the Yap–Palau shipping lanes. Her next contacts were unfavorable for attack, and problems with her surface search radar hampered her efforts to seek out enemy shipping.

On 1 June, the situation brightened. "Balao" made radar contact with a four-ship convoy and tracked it to an excellent position for attack. Just after midnight on 2 June, she fired six bow fish at one of the largest passenger cargo ships, and scored two hits. Although pursued by the escorts, "Balao" again managed to close the convoy, now with only two ships visible. Only minutes before "Balao" reached firing position, one of the escorts unwittingly moved to a spot on "Balao"'s beam and stayed there, thwarting the submarine's second attempt. She was prevented from carrying out a dawn attack by Japanese air cover and was forced to allow the convoy to escape without further damage. A fuel shortage forced "Balao" to enter Majuro Atoll on 12 June to begin refit alongside submarine tender USS|Sperry|AS-12|3.

Sixth patrol, July – August 1944

"Balao" began her sixth war patrol on 5 July when she departed Majuro for the Palau area. The submarine made a few contacts, but none worthy of pursuit. On 26 July, "Balao" joined in the bombardment of Angaur Island in the Palaus by firing on a lighthouse and loading docks, scoring several direct hits. The same day, she witnessed a fighter plane from the carrier USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|3 splash into the water dead ahead and quickly managed to rescue the pilot. After transferring him to USS|Dortch|DD-670|3, "Balao" returned to lifeguard duties off Peleliu Island where she picked up two more downed aviators on 27 July.

On 29 July, "Balao" joined USS|Drum|SS-228|3 in a coordinated attack on two sampans, engaging them with gunfire until the Japanese abandoned ship and the sampans were destroyed. She then resumed patrol duty and continued the task until 12 August, when she rendezvoused with USS|Conyngham|DD-371|3 and headed for Tanapag Harbor, Saipan. "Balao" was then ordered back to the United States where she entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 20 August for a complete overhaul. Upon the completion of that work, she returned to Pearl Harbor on 15 November and prepared to return to the war in the Pacific.

Seventh patrol, December 1944 – January 1945

"Balao" stood out of Pearl Harbor on 4 December and rendezvoused with USS|Spot|SS-413|3 and USS|Icefish|SS-367|3 en route Tanapag Harbor. The trio of submarines reached port on 15 December and moored in a nest alongside "Fulton". After topping off fuel, water, and provisions on 17 December, they got underway to patrol the Yellow Sea in a coordinated attack group . Until 2 January 1945, their only contacts were fishing craft and floating mines. On that day, however, "Balao" sighted the masts of a sailing vessel. She closed the three masted schooner and surfaced to attack. Her first two torpedoes missed the target, but the third hit squarely amidships and sank the vessel. That day proved to be lucky for "Balao" because, later that night, she picked up a larger ship on radar and successfully moved into position. Early on 8 January, she fired six torpedoes, three of which scored; but the stubborn "tanker" remained afloat despite being dead in the water. "Balao" fired seven more torpedoes for three more direct hits, but the target still refused to sink. The submarine closed in on the badly damaged tanker and fired another trio of fish, one of which struck the final blow. However, Japanese records examined after the war indicate that "Balao"’s victim on this occasion was not a tanker, but the 5,244-ton freighter "Daigo Maru". After that, "Balao" patrolled independently until 19 January when she pulled into Apra Harbor, Guam, for refit alongside USS|Apollo|AS-25|3.

Eighth patrol, February – April 1945

"Balao" began her eighth war patrol on 27 February as part of another attack group along with USS|Tench|SS-417|3, USS|Guardfish|SS-217|3, and USS|Sea Devil|SS-400|3 on patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas. Her first opportunity for action came on 9 March, when she sighted a small tanker with two escorts steaming along the coastline. Although not in an ideal attack position, the submarine fired four torpedoes at the tanker, all of which missed. The target’s escorts struck back at "Balao" with depth charges, but the submarine escaped damage and resumed patrol duty later that day. Although she sighted many vessels during the next eight days, none were worthy targets for "Balao"’s torpedoes. On 18 March, "Balao" caught a 188-ton trawler alone, sank it with gunfire, and then rescued three survivors in the debris. Early the next morning, she attacked a convoy of four transports guarded by four escorts. Firing 10 torpedoes at three of the targets, "Balao" heard four hits and the explosion on one of the transports nearly blinded her lookouts. The early morning darkness made it impossible to assess the damage, but "Balao" received credit for sinking "Hakozaki Maru", a 10,413-ton transport. The submarine then escaped to deep water to continue her patrol. Later that same afternoon, "Balao" surfaced to attack a group of small trawlers. She sank one trawler and left three others burning fiercely.

Shortly before dawn on 21 March, "Balao" began tracking a convoy of two ships closely guarded by four escorts. The effectiveness with which the escorts countered her several approaches convinced "Balao" that she had been detected. As dawn broke, the submarine made one last approach, moving to convert|1400|yd where she fired four torpedoes. A menacing escort picked up the submarine’s trail, and "Balao" ran for deep water under a smoke screen without waiting to observe results. On 26 March, "Balao" encountered the 880-ton cargo ship, "Shinto Maru No. 1", and sank her with gunfire. A small Japanese patrol vessel made a feeble attempt to counterattack, but "Balao" slipped below the surface and headed for Guam to replenish her fuel, provisions, and torpedoes. On 2 April, "Balao" submerged rapidly to avoid detection by a large, low-flying enemy plane and took on several feet of water in her conning tower, grounding out her radar and other electrical gear. Despite these problems, she arrived safely at Guam on 8 April for refit.

Ninth patrol, May – June 1945

The submarine began her ninth patrol on 3 May when she headed for the Yellow Sea to patrol in a wolfpack with USS|Dragonet|SS-293|3, USS|Shad|SS-235|3, and USS|Spikefish|SS-404|3. Targets were scarce and mechanical difficulties plagued "Balao". On 19 May, the submarine attacked a small freighter, but all three of the torpedoes that she fired missed the target. Nevertheless, she did win a consolation prize when one of her torpedoes struck and sank a nearby 30-ton junk. On 23 May, "Balao"’s earlier mechanical difficulties rendered her stern planes totally inoperable, and she received orders to Pearl Harbor for refit. En route, she embarked a sailor from USS|Torsk|SS-423|3 suffering from appendicitis and an injured USS|Sand Lance|SS-381|3 crewman. Later that evening, although the radar scope was clear and no other submarines were known to be in the vicinity, "Balao" was suddenly attacked by torpedoes. The quick reactions of the officer of the deck caused two to pass to port and two to starboard. The submarine continued on to Midway where she arrived on 3 June, discharged her passengers, and set a course for Pearl Harbor where she arrived four days later.

Tenth patrol, July – August 1945

A month in port was readied her for sea once more, and "Balao" got underway on 7 July for the Nanpō Islands area and waters east of Honshū. Her primary duty during this tenth and final war patrol was to provide lifeguard services for Allied aircrew during strikes on the Japanese home islands. "Balao" operated with air cover while on station and rescued four aviators during the patrol. Japan had been so weakened by the final weeks of the war that surface contacts were scarce. She was able to sink one picket boat and damage another with gunfire on 14 August. Word of Japan’s capitulation came on 15 August along with orders to cease fire. "Balao" rendezvoused with USS|Peto|SS-265|3 the next day to transfer the rescued aviators, then proceeded on to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 25 August.

The submarine departed Pearl Harbor on 31 August for Staten Island, N.Y., where her crew enjoyed a well deserved rest period and she underwent an overhaul. "Balao" was decommissioned on 20 August 1946, and she was berthed in New London, Conn., as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

1952 – 1963

"Balao" was recommissioned on 4 March 1952 at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, Lieutenant Commander S. V. Hadley in command, and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet’s Submarine Squadron 4 (SubRon 4). After shakedown training, the submarine was reassigned to SubRon 12 in Key West, Fla. There, she served primarily as a training ship for antisubmarine and Special Development Forces in the Key West and Guantanamo Bay operating areas.

After making several goodwill visits to ports in the southern United States, "Balao" joined the ships of Destroyer Squadron 24 (DesRon 24) in a combined antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training and goodwill cruise to South America that began on 6 January 1957. After joint exercises with the navies of several South American countries, the ship made liberty calls to principal ports such as Caracas, Venezuela; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The submarine returned to Key West on 22 March.

"Balao" deployed to Guantanamo Bay four times in the next year, spending one month each time training surface ships in “refresher training.” The submarine departed Key West on 19 July 1958 for an overhaul at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. Upon its completion on 13 November, "Balao" conducted refresher training at New London, Conn., and Newport, R.I. After "Balao"’s return to Key West on 30 November, she and USS|Archerfish|SS-311|3 spent 12 days of December in hunter-killer training.

In 1959, "Balao" starred as the “pink submarine” in the movie "Operation Petticoat", co-starring with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis ( [http://www.submarinesailor.com/boats/ss285balao/ photo] ). After her fame and stardom had subsided in 1960, "Balao" returned to local training operations. On 1 April, she was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-285, but continued to serve as a training ship. On 3 March 1961, "Balao" simulated a disabled submarine for the testing of a new device for individual escape. The mechanism, known as the “Steinke hood,” enabled Comdr. W. F. Mazzone and Lt. H. E. Steinke, the hood’s inventor, to ascend from a depth of convert|318|ft to the surface in 55 seconds, setting a new record.

From 28 June to 4 November, the submarine underwent overhaul and battery renewal. She returned to Key West and resumed services in training. In April 1962, "Balao" deployed to the Mediterranean Sea where she joined the 6th Fleet for four months of exercises with other NATO navies. "Balao" also deployed to the western Atlantic during the Cuban missile crisis in October and November, but returned to routine training duty when the trouble died down.

In 1963, the Board of Inspection and Survey determined "Balao" to be unfit for further service. The submarine was decommissioned on 1 August 1963, and her name was struck from the Navy list that same day. Her hulk was sunk off the coast of northern Florida on 6 September as a target. Before this occurred, her conning tower and periscope shears was removed; and are on display on the waterfront at the Navy Memorial Museum of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C..

Awards

"Balao" received nine battle stars for her World War II service.

References

External links

*navsource|08/08285|Balao
* [http://www.rddesigns.com/ww2/balao.html Sinkings by boat: USS "Balao"]