USS Devilfish (SS-292)

USS "Devilfish" (SS/AGSS-292), a "Balao"-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the devilfish, any of several gigantic, viviparous rays found in warm seas, the octopus or other large cephalopods.

"Devilfish" (SS-292) was launched 30 May 1943 by Camp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; sponsored by Mrs. F. W. Fenno, Jr.; and commissioned 1 September 1944, Commander Edward Clark Stephen in command.

"Devilfish" aided the training program of the Fleet Sonar School at Key West between 18 October and 2 November 1944. She reached Pearl Harbor 2 December. On the last day of the year, she sailed on her first war patrol, putting into Saipan to refuel between 12 January and 15 January 1945.

"Devilfish" patrolled the dangerous waters of Kii Suido and Bungo Suido off the island of Shikoku, and served as lifeguard for Army pilots making bombing raids on Japan. She refitted at Guam between 13 February and 15 March 1945, called at Saipan, and sailed 16 March for her second war patrol.

Assigned to the area between Sagami Wan and the northern Nanpō Islands, "Devilfish" was attacked by a kamikaze plane on 20 March 1945 before she entered her patrol area. The plane crashed her as the submarine was submerging, destroying the mast structure and causing serious leakage. "Devilfish" returned to Saipan and Pearl Harbor for repairs, departing Pearl Harbor 20 May on her third patrol.

She sought targets in Bungo Suido and off northern Honshū, and on 16 June, in heavy seas, attacked an enemy submarine carrying a midget submarine on its deck. On 26 June, she attacked an escort ship, but in both cases the targets escaped. During this patrol she acted as lifeguard for strikes accompanying the Okinawa operation, and several times rendezvoused with other submarines to take off medical cases and previously rescued aviators.

"Devilfish" put in to Guam to refit between 7 July and 2 August 1945, then sailed to the Nanpō Islands for her fourth war patrol, during which her primary mission was lifeguard duty for the 3rd Fleet raids on Japan. On 10 August she bombarded Tori Shima, and on 16 August, after the end of hostilities, departed for Midway and San Francisco.

There she was placed in commission in reserve 18 April 1946, and out of commission in reserve 30 September 1946. Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, "Devilfish" was reclassified an Auxiliary Research Submarine AGSS-292. She was struck from the Naval Register, 1 March 1967. "Devilfish" was sunk as a target by USS|Wahoo|SS-565|3 off San Francisco, CA., 14 August 1968 in a MK 16 MOD 8 torpedo test at coord|37|5|N|124|8|W in 2000 fathoms of water.

"Devilfish" received three battle stars for World War II service; her second war patrol was designated as "successful".

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d4/devilfish.htm|http://hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss292.htm

External links

*navsource|08/08292|Devilfish