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USS Loggerhead (SS-374)
Encyclopedia
USS Loggerhead (SS-374/AGSS-374), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the loggerhead
, Caretta caretta, a very large, carnivorous sea turtle
common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic
, Pacific
, and Indian Ocean
s.
Loggerhead (SS-374) was laid down 1 April 1944 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 13 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Barbara Fox; and commissioned 9 February 1945, Commander Ralph N. Metcalf in command.
Loggerhead emerged from the Manitowoc River
into Lake Michigan
1 March 1945 and headed via Chicago to Lockport, Ill.
, where she entered a floating drydock and was towed down the Mississippi River
. She arrived at New Orleans
7 March and departed 5 days later transiting the Panama Canal
and arriving at Pearl Harbor
8 April.
Loggerhead’s first war patrol started 15 May when she departed Hawaii
and headed via Saipan
for the Luzon Strait
s and the South China Sea
. Patrolling along the east coast of Hainan Island, she sighted an enemy hospital ship 11 June and allowed it to pass unharmed. Three days later, Loggerhead bombarded a suspected radar
installation at Gap Rock south of Hong Kong
, causing severe damage to the tower.
Much time was devoted to lifeguard duty during this patrol. Changing patrol areas and briefly stopping at Subic Bay
1 July for fuel, the submarine headed for an assigned lifeguard station south of Hong Kong. She stopped numerous native boats, questioned their crews, and learned that the Japan
ese were commandeering all native boats in the ports which they controlled.
On 13 July the submarine fired five torpedoes at enemy ships in Semarang Roadstead. The next day, the submarine headed for Australia
, transiting Lombok Strait
s between Bali
and Lombok Island during daylight 14 July. While Loggerhead passed between these islands, the enemy shore batteries surprised her with hot fire. Evading the bursts of the Japanese shells through skillful maneuvers, Loggerhead escaped undamaged. She arrived Fremantle
19 July.
The end of hostilities 15 August found Loggerhead two days out of Fremantle heading for the Gulf of Siam on her second war patrol. She put in Subic Bay 22 August, departed for the United States 31 August via Pearl Harbor, and arrived San Francisco 22 September 1945. Loggerhead decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard 16 June 1946 and was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
In December 1962 she was reclassified an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-374, and towed to Portland, Oregon
, where she served as a reserve training submarine until 30 June 1967 when she was relieved by auxiliary submarine . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on the same date, Loggerhead was sold for scrap in early 1969.
Balao class submarine
The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 122 units built, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was a ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named for the loggerhead
Loggerhead sea turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle , or loggerhead, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around long when fully grown, although larger specimens of up to have been discovered...
, Caretta caretta, a very large, carnivorous sea turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s.
Loggerhead (SS-374) was laid down 1 April 1944 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 13 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Barbara Fox; and commissioned 9 February 1945, Commander Ralph N. Metcalf in command.
Loggerhead emerged from the Manitowoc River
Manitowoc River
The Manitowoc River is a river, about 40 mi long, in eastern Wisconsin in the United States. It flows into Lake Michigan at the city of Manitowoc.-Course:The Manitowoc River is formed in eastern Calumet County by its north and south branches:...
into Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
1 March 1945 and headed via Chicago to Lockport, Ill.
Lockport, Illinois
Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, that incorporated in 1853. Lockport is located in northeastern Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, and north of Joliet, at locks connecting Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with the Des Plaines River via the Lockport...
, where she entered a floating drydock and was towed down the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. She arrived at New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
7 March and departed 5 days later transiting the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and arriving at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
8 April.
Loggerhead’s first war patrol started 15 May when she departed Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and headed via Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
for the Luzon Strait
Luzon Strait
The Luzon Strait is the strait between the island country of Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean....
s and the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. Patrolling along the east coast of Hainan Island, she sighted an enemy hospital ship 11 June and allowed it to pass unharmed. Three days later, Loggerhead bombarded a suspected radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
installation at Gap Rock south of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, causing severe damage to the tower.
Much time was devoted to lifeguard duty during this patrol. Changing patrol areas and briefly stopping at Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
1 July for fuel, the submarine headed for an assigned lifeguard station south of Hong Kong. She stopped numerous native boats, questioned their crews, and learned that the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese were commandeering all native boats in the ports which they controlled.
On 13 July the submarine fired five torpedoes at enemy ships in Semarang Roadstead. The next day, the submarine headed for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, transiting Lombok Strait
Lombok Strait
The Lombok Strait is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side....
s between Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
and Lombok Island during daylight 14 July. While Loggerhead passed between these islands, the enemy shore batteries surprised her with hot fire. Evading the bursts of the Japanese shells through skillful maneuvers, Loggerhead escaped undamaged. She arrived Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
19 July.
The end of hostilities 15 August found Loggerhead two days out of Fremantle heading for the Gulf of Siam on her second war patrol. She put in Subic Bay 22 August, departed for the United States 31 August via Pearl Harbor, and arrived San Francisco 22 September 1945. Loggerhead decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard 16 June 1946 and was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
In December 1962 she was reclassified an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-374, and towed to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where she served as a reserve training submarine until 30 June 1967 when she was relieved by auxiliary submarine . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on the same date, Loggerhead was sold for scrap in early 1969.