USS Puffer (SS-268)
Encyclopedia
USS Puffer (SS-268), a Gato-class
submarine
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the puffer
, a fish which inflates its body with air.
Puffer (SS-268) was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.
, Manitowoc, Wisc.
, 16 February 1942; launched 22 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth B. Lyons (granddaughter of the oldest employee at Manitowac, Christ. Jacobson, Sr.); and commissioned 27 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. M. J. Jensen in command.
Puffer was transported down the Mississippi
to New Orleans
on a special floating drydock, having periscope
s installed en route after receiving torpedoes and ammunition. She exercised off Panama
for a month, then headed across the Pacific
to Australia
, arriving in early September 1943.
–Celebes Sea
area, 7 September to 17 October, resulted in several damaged ships but no sinkings. On 24 November Puffer sailed on her 2nd patrol, in the Sulu Sea
and the approaches to Manila
. On 13 December, she made a successful attack on freighter Teiko Maru (ex-Vichy French
steamship D'Artagnan). On 20 December she sank 820-ton destroyer
Fuyō, and on 1 January 1944, 6,707-ton freighter Ryuyo Maru, before putting in to Fremantle for refit 12 January.
, 4 February. On 22 February, she sank the 15,105-ton transport Teikyo Maru. Returning to Fremantle 4 April, she sailed again 30 April for Madoera Straits, Makassar Straits and the Sulu Sea. She acted as life guard for the first Allied carrier
strike on Soerabaia, sank 3,181-ton freighter Shinryu Maru 18 May, then on 5 June, attacked three tanker
s, sinking 2,166-ton Ashizuri and 2,500-ton Takasaki. She ended this most successful patrol, for which she received the Navy Unit Commendation
, at Fremantle 21 June.
Twenty three days later, on 12 August she made contact with a ten large vessels and their escorts. Five of the remaining nine torpedoes sank the 5,113-ton tanker Teikon Maru and a large freighter, with enough damage to beach another tanker. She completed the patrol at Pearl Harbor
, whence she continued on to Mare Island
for overhaul.
, Puffer got underway on her 6th war patrol 16 December. Operating in the Nansei Shoto area, she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 42 on 10 January 1945; and, prior to her arrival at Guam
, 17 January, damaged a destroyer, three freighters, and a tanker.
By 11 February, Puffer was underway again and following patrols in Luzon Strait
s and the South China Sea where she bombarded Pratas Island, she made an anti-shipping sweep of the Wake Island
area.
she departed 20 May en route to the South China and Java Sea
s to conduct her 8th war patrol. In a surface sweep of the northern Bali
coast, Puffer destroyed, by gunfire, two Japanese sea trucks and six landing craft
, 5 July, and inflicted extensive damage to harbor installations at Chelukan Bawang and Buleleng
, Bali. A brief respite at Fremantle followed, whence she headed north for her last war patrol, in the Java Sea.
Puffer earned 9 battle stars for World War II
service in the Pacific Theater, with a total tonnage
of 36,392 tons (eight ships).
, thence to the United States, reaching San Francisco
15 October. With the new year, 1946, Puffer returned to Hawaii where she trained officers and men in submarine warfare until returning to San Francisco, 19 March, for inactivation.
Puffer decommissioned 28 June 1946, and was berthed at Mare Island as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. At the end of the year Puffer was ordered activated and assigned to the 13th Naval District for training Naval Reservists. Employed in that status, at Seattle
, until relieved by 10 June 1960, Puffer was placed out of service and sold for scrapping to the Zidell Corp., Portland, Oreg.
4 November 1960.
Gato class submarine
The United States Navy Gato class submarine formed the core of the submarine service that was largely responsible for the destruction of the Japanese merchant marine and a large portion of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II...
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 the first 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...
to be named for the puffer
Pufferfish
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the Tetraodontiformes order. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called pufferfish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab...
, a fish which inflates its body with air.
Puffer (SS-268) was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.
Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company
Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was a major shipbuilder for the Great Lakes. It was founded in 1902, and made mainly steel ferries and ore haulers. During World War II, it built submarines, tank landing craft , and self-propelled fuel barges called "YOs". Employment...
, Manitowoc, Wisc.
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
, 16 February 1942; launched 22 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth B. Lyons (granddaughter of the oldest employee at Manitowac, Christ. Jacobson, Sr.); and commissioned 27 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. M. J. Jensen in command.
Puffer was transported down the Mississippi
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...
to 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...
on a special floating drydock, having periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
s installed en route after receiving torpedoes and ammunition. She exercised off Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
for a month, then headed across the 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...
to 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...
, arriving in early September 1943.
First and second war patrols, September 1943 – January 1944
Her first war patrol, to intercept Japanese commerce in the Makassar StraitMakassar Strait
Makassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea.The Mahakam River of Borneo empties into the strait....
–Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
area, 7 September to 17 October, resulted in several damaged ships but no sinkings. On 24 November Puffer sailed on her 2nd patrol, in the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
and the approaches to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. On 13 December, she made a successful attack on freighter Teiko Maru (ex-Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
steamship D'Artagnan). On 20 December she sank 820-ton destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Fuyō, and on 1 January 1944, 6,707-ton freighter Ryuyo Maru, before putting in to Fremantle for refit 12 January.
Third and fourth war patrols, February – June 1944
Puffer departed for her 3rd war patrol, in the South China SeaSouth 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...
, 4 February. On 22 February, she sank the 15,105-ton transport Teikyo Maru. Returning to Fremantle 4 April, she sailed again 30 April for Madoera Straits, Makassar Straits and the Sulu Sea. She acted as life guard for the first Allied carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
strike on Soerabaia, sank 3,181-ton freighter Shinryu Maru 18 May, then on 5 June, attacked three tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
s, sinking 2,166-ton Ashizuri and 2,500-ton Takasaki. She ended this most successful patrol, for which she received the Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
, at Fremantle 21 June.
Fifth war patrol, July 1944 – ~ 1944
On 14 July Puffer departed for her 5th war patrol, in Makassar Straits, the Celebes, Sulu, and South China Seas. She made contact with a submarine tender screened by five escorts on 21 July, spending three days following the group and using all but nine torpedoes to sink the tender.Twenty three days later, on 12 August she made contact with a ten large vessels and their escorts. Five of the remaining nine torpedoes sank the 5,113-ton tanker Teikon Maru and a large freighter, with enough damage to beach another tanker. She completed the patrol 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...
, whence she continued on to Mare Island
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
for overhaul.
Sixth and seventh war patrols, December 1944 – ~ 1945
Following refresher training at HawaiiHawaii
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...
, Puffer got underway on her 6th war patrol 16 December. Operating in the Nansei Shoto area, she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 42 on 10 January 1945; and, prior to her arrival at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 17 January, damaged a destroyer, three freighters, and a tanker.
By 11 February, Puffer was underway again and following patrols in 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 where she bombarded Pratas Island, she made an anti-shipping sweep of the Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
area.
Eighth and ninth war patrols, May 1945 – ~ 1945
Refitted at MidwayMidway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
she departed 20 May en route to the South China and Java Sea
Java Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
s to conduct her 8th war patrol. In a surface sweep of the northern 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...
coast, Puffer destroyed, by gunfire, two Japanese sea trucks and six landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, 5 July, and inflicted extensive damage to harbor installations at Chelukan Bawang and Buleleng
Buleleng
Buleleng is a regency of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 1,365.88 km2 and population of 577,644 . Its regency seat is Singaraja....
, Bali. A brief respite at Fremantle followed, whence she headed north for her last war patrol, in the Java Sea.
Puffer earned 9 battle stars for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service in the Pacific Theater, with a total tonnage
Tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...
of 36,392 tons (eight ships).
Post-war service
Completing that patrol with the cessation of hostilities, Puffer headed for Subic BaySubic 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...
, thence to the United States, reaching San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
15 October. With the new year, 1946, Puffer returned to Hawaii where she trained officers and men in submarine warfare until returning to San Francisco, 19 March, for inactivation.
Puffer decommissioned 28 June 1946, and was berthed at Mare Island as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. At the end of the year Puffer was ordered activated and assigned to the 13th Naval District for training Naval Reservists. Employed in that status, at Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, until relieved by 10 June 1960, Puffer was placed out of service and sold for scrapping to the Zidell Corp., Portland, Oreg.
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...
4 November 1960.