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USS Redfin (SS-272)
Encyclopedia
USS Redfin (SS/SSR/AGSS-272), a Gato-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the redfin
, any of several North American fish
es with reddish fins.
Redfin (SS-272) was laid down 16 February 1942 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 4 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. B. B. Wygant; and commissioned 31 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. R. D. King in command.
15 October 1943, Redfin proceeded to Fremantle
, Australia
. On her first war patrol 4 January to 17 February 1944, she encountered an enemy convoy
of four ships in the South China Sea
16 January and damaged the IJN Destroyer Amatsukaze. From 8 March to 14 March, she patrolled north of Australia to defend against a possible Japan
ese attack.
Akigumo
off Zamboanga
, Mindanao
, 11 April. During the night of 15 April – 16 April, she sank two Japanese passenger-cargo ships, Shinyu Maru, 4,621 tons, and Yamagata Maru, 3,807 tons. On the night of 22 April – 23 April, she landed four of her crew near Dent Haven, Borneo
, to evacuate a British
reconnaissance party. Attacked by the Japanese, the landing party returned to Redfin, but the British agents were later evacuated by an Australian officer, and transferred to .
guerrillas on a small island near Balabac Strait
8 June. Proceeding to scout the enemy naval base at Tawi Tawi, she sank the 5,142-ton Japanese tanker Asanagi Maru on 11 June. She also warned American forces in the Marianas
of the departure from Tawi Tawi of the Japanese task force that was later defeated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea
on 19 June and 20 June. Operating off Leyte on 24 June, she sank the 3,028-ton Japanese passenger-cargo ship Aso Maru, before returning to Fremantle.
off the west coast of Borneo
on 19 August and rescued eight survivors of at Palawan Island
on 30 August. After lifeguard duty for airstrikes against Balikpapan
, Borneo, she departed Fremantle 26 October, and sank the 15,226-ton Japanese tanker Nichinan Maru No. 2 west of the Philippines 8 November.
Completing her fourth war patrol 7 January 1945, she proceeded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
, San Francisco Bay
, California
, where she received special mine detection gear. Underway from Pearl Harbor
30 May to 10 July, and later from 30 July to 5 September she made mine surveys first off Honshū
and Hokkaidō
, and later off Kyūshū
, Japan.
Decommissioned at New London, Conn.
, 1 November 1946, she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
in April 1951 for conversion, and was reclassified SSR-272. Recommissioned 9 January 1953, she engaged in radar-picket duty for the next 6 years in American coastal waters, off northern Europe
, and in the Mediterranean
.
submarines. She preceded the first ballistic missile
submarine as flagship of Submarine Squadron 14
.
After searching for the lost in April 1963, she was reclassified AGSS-272 on 28 June. Operating in the Atlantic, she continued to assist in special research and development projects, including the Polaris A-3 missile, until she decommissioned 15 May 1967 to become a Naval Reserve Training Ship at Baltimore, Md. Redfin was struck from the Navy List
on 1 July 1970 and sold to the North American Smelting Co., Wilmington, Del., on 3 March 1971.
Redfin received six battle stars for World War II
service.
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 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 redfin
Redfin
Redfin is an online real estate brokerage, currently available in the Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco Bay, Seattle, and Washington, D.C areas. Redfin combines a real estate search site...
, any of several North American fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es with reddish fins.
Redfin (SS-272) was laid down 16 February 1942 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 4 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. B. B. Wygant; and commissioned 31 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. R. D. King in command.
First war patrol, January – March 1944
Departing New OrleansNew 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...
15 October 1943, Redfin proceeded to 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...
, 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...
. On her first war patrol 4 January to 17 February 1944, she encountered an enemy convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of four ships in 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...
16 January and damaged the IJN Destroyer Amatsukaze. From 8 March to 14 March, she patrolled north of Australia to defend against a possible 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 attack.
Second war patrol, March – May 1944
On her second war patrol 19 March to 1 May, Redfin sank the 1,900-ton Japanese destroyerDestroyer
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...
Akigumo
Japanese destroyer Akigumo
Akigumo was a Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer of the .Shortly after the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the early hours of 27 October 1942, Akigumo along with the destroyer Makigumo sunk the heavily damaged and abandoned USS Hornet...
off Zamboanga
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
, Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, 11 April. During the night of 15 April – 16 April, she sank two Japanese passenger-cargo ships, Shinyu Maru, 4,621 tons, and Yamagata Maru, 3,807 tons. On the night of 22 April – 23 April, she landed four of her crew near Dent Haven, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, to evacuate a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
reconnaissance party. Attacked by the Japanese, the landing party returned to Redfin, but the British agents were later evacuated by an Australian officer, and transferred to .
Third war patrol, May – July 1944
On her third war patrol, 26 May to 1 July, she landed six PhilippinePhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
guerrillas on a small island near Balabac Strait
Balabac Strait
Balabac Strait is a strait in the South China Sea, at . It separates the Balabac island , Philippines from the Banggi Island north of Borneo that are a part of Malaysia's Sabah state....
8 June. Proceeding to scout the enemy naval base at Tawi Tawi, she sank the 5,142-ton Japanese tanker Asanagi Maru on 11 June. She also warned American forces in the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
of the departure from Tawi Tawi of the Japanese task force that was later defeated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
on 19 June and 20 June. Operating off Leyte on 24 June, she sank the 3,028-ton Japanese passenger-cargo ship Aso Maru, before returning to Fremantle.
Fourth, fifth, and sixth war patrols, August 1944 – September 1945
Departing Fremantle 6 August, she laid a minefieldNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
off the west coast of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
on 19 August and rescued eight survivors of at Palawan Island
Palawan Island
Palawan Island is the largest island of the Palawan Province, Philippines. The northern coast of the island is along the South China Sea, while the southern coast forms part of the northern limit of the Sulu Sea. This island is very undeveloped and traditional...
on 30 August. After lifeguard duty for airstrikes against Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
, Borneo, she departed Fremantle 26 October, and sank the 15,226-ton Japanese tanker Nichinan Maru No. 2 west of the Philippines 8 November.
Completing her fourth war patrol 7 January 1945, she proceeded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
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...
, San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where she received special mine detection gear. Underway from 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...
30 May to 10 July, and later from 30 July to 5 September she made mine surveys first off Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
and Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, and later off Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan.
Radar picket submarine, 1953–1959
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
, 1 November 1946, she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
in April 1951 for conversion, and was reclassified SSR-272. Recommissioned 9 January 1953, she engaged in radar-picket duty for the next 6 years in American coastal waters, off northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
Auxiliary research submarine, 1959–1967
In April 1959 she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and received an inertial guidance system. Redfin became a laboratory and training ship for the testing of inertial guidance systems used in PolarisUGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
submarines. She preceded the first ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
submarine as flagship of Submarine Squadron 14
Submarine Squadron 14
Submarine Squadron 14, or SUBRON 14, was a United States Navy squadron of Polaris and later Poseidon Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines based at Holy Loch, Scotland. The squadron was part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet...
.
After searching for the lost in April 1963, she was reclassified AGSS-272 on 28 June. Operating in the Atlantic, she continued to assist in special research and development projects, including the Polaris A-3 missile, until she decommissioned 15 May 1967 to become a Naval Reserve Training Ship at Baltimore, Md. Redfin was struck from the Navy List
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 1 July 1970 and sold to the North American Smelting Co., Wilmington, Del., on 3 March 1971.
Redfin received six 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.