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USS Sunfish (SS-281)
Encyclopedia
USS Sunfish (SS-281), a Gato-class
submarine
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the ocean sunfish
, Mola Mola, a plectognath marine fish, having a deep body truncated behind, and high dorsal and anal fins.
The first Sunfish (SS-281) was laid down on 25 September 1941 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard
, Vallejo, Calif.
; launched on 2 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. J. W. Fowler; and commissioned on 15 July 1942, Comdr. R. W. Peterson in command.
Sunfish held her shakedown in the San Diego Bay
area and returned to San Francisco
for post-shakedown availability. On 26 October, she stood out to sea en route to the Pacific war zone.
, T.H.
, on 1 November, and departed on her first war patrol on 23 November. Her assigned patrol area was off the coasts of Honshū
and Hokkaidō
, Japan
. The submarine laid a minefield
at the entrance to Iseno Imi on the night of 16 December – 17 December. On 18 December, she fired a spread of torpedoes at a transport Kyowa Maru and damaged her. The patrol ended, on 14 January 1943, upon her return to Midway Island
.
Sunfish began her second patrol on 4 February which took her into the East China Sea
. She attacked a ship on the night of 4 March, but the first spread missed the target. Three stern shots gave her the satisfaction of seeing flames shoot up from the target.
Two days later, a transport was fired at with a four-torpedo spread; and three explosions were heard. When the submarine raised her periscope
, destroyer
screws
passed over the conning tower
. Close depth charges loosened bolts and temporarily extinguished the lights, but no serious damage was suffered. On the night of 13 March, Sunfish launched three torpedoes at a cargo ship in the approaches to Toro Shima. They ran true and the 3,262-ton Kosei Maru went under. The submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 April.
five days later.
From 28 July to 25 September, Sunfish sought targets in waters off Formosa
. In two attacks on 13 August, she left a tanker
down by the stern and witnessed a second ship explode, sending flames 200 feet (61 m) high. This signified the end of the converted gunboat Edo Maru. In the early morning hours of 4 September, Sunfish dodged between lighted sampan
s to attack a 10-ship convoy. The Kozon Maru went down after a terrific secondary explosion.
On 14 January 1944, Sunfish got underway to prowl the shipping lanes between the Caroline
and Mariana Islands
. She made a photographic reconnaissance of Kusaie and another atoll
in the Carolines between 21 January and 30 January. On 23 February, the submarine made four determined attacks on a convoy and sank Kunishima Maru and Shinyubari Maru for a total of 9,437 tons of enemy shipping. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 March, she was routed onward to San Francisco for an overhaul.
area. She sank the passenger-cargo ship
Shanmai Maru on the night of 5 July. The next day the submarine destroyed a fleet of 14 sampans and trawlers with her deck guns. A Soviet merchant ship the "Ob" sunk by USS-281 on 6 July.
"The 6,284-ton cargo ship Taihei Maru was torpedo
ed and sunk on the morning of 9 July. Sunfish steamed to Midway for a refit period from 1 August to 19 August.
Sunfish began her eighth war patrol on 20 August when she departed Midway for the Yellow Sea
. On 10 September she intercepted a convoy coming out of Tsushima Strait
and sank Chihaya Maru and damaged several other targets. On the night of 13 September, another convoy was sighted. Etashima Maru was sunk and Sunfish claimed damage to other targets, including one ship left with her decks awash. The patrol ended at Pearl Harbor on 27 September.
Jinyo. The carrier quickly passed out of range, and word was flashed to the other two members of the pack. Sunfish attacked the remaining ships of the convoy and sank two, Edogawa Maru, and . Spadefish caught Jinyo with four torpedoes and sent her under. The running battle continued, and Peto sank Aisakasan Maru and Chinkai Maru, while Spadefish added Submarine Chaser No. 156 to the score.
On 29 November, Spadefish sank Daiboshi Maru and the next day, Sunfish sank the transport Dairen Maru. The patrol terminated at Majuro
, Marshall Islands
, on 19 December 1944 after the coordinated attacks had sunk 59,000 tons of Japanese shipping on a single patrol.
and Yellow Sea
s. However, she had to terminate the patrol on 20 February when collision with an unsighted ice floe bent both periscopes. The ship entered Apra Harbor
, Guam
, on 27 February, for refit and repairs.
Sunfish began her 11th, and last, war patrol on 31 March 1945 off Honshū
and Hokkaidō
. She operated in the approaches to Ominato in April. On the 9th a ship was damaged but managed to speed away and enter a protected harbor. Five days later, Sunfish launched three torpedoes at a merchantman; but all missed. The submarine carried out a daylight attack on 16 April which resulted in the sinking of Manryu Maru, a transport, and the frigate
Coast Defense Vessel No. 73. Her last torpedoes were expended three days later in night-radar
attacks, sinking Kaiko Maru and Taisei Maru. Sunfish returned to Pearl Harbor on 28 April and departed for the United States two days later.
Sunfish was in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 7 May to 31 July for an overhaul and returned to Pearl Harbor on 9 August. She was preparing for another patrol when hostilities with Japan ceased. The submarine stood out of Pearl Harbor on 29 August en route to the west coast. She arrived at Mare Island, on 5 September, for inactivation and was decommissioned there on 26 December 1945. Sunfish remained out of commission, in reserve, until she was struck from the Navy List
on 1 May 1960.
Sunfish received nine battle stars for World War II
.
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 ocean sunfish
Ocean sunfish
The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally...
, Mola Mola, a plectognath marine fish, having a deep body truncated behind, and high dorsal and anal fins.
The first Sunfish (SS-281) was laid down on 25 September 1941 by the 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...
, Vallejo, Calif.
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
; launched on 2 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. J. W. Fowler; and commissioned on 15 July 1942, Comdr. R. W. Peterson in command.
Sunfish held her shakedown in the San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
area and returned to 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...
for post-shakedown availability. On 26 October, she stood out to sea en route to the Pacific war zone.
First and second war patrols, November 1942 – April 1943
She arrived at Pearl HarborPearl 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...
, T.H.
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, on 1 November, and departed on her first war patrol on 23 November. Her assigned patrol area was off the coasts of 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...
, 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...
. The submarine laid a minefield
Naval 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...
at the entrance to Iseno Imi on the night of 16 December – 17 December. On 18 December, she fired a spread of torpedoes at a transport Kyowa Maru and damaged her. The patrol ended, on 14 January 1943, upon her return to Midway Island
Midway 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...
.
Sunfish began her second patrol on 4 February which took her into the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
. She attacked a ship on the night of 4 March, but the first spread missed the target. Three stern shots gave her the satisfaction of seeing flames shoot up from the target.
Two days later, a transport was fired at with a four-torpedo spread; and three explosions were heard. When the submarine raised her 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....
, 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...
screws
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
passed over the conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
. Close depth charges loosened bolts and temporarily extinguished the lights, but no serious damage was suffered. On the night of 13 March, Sunfish launched three torpedoes at a cargo ship in the approaches to Toro Shima. They ran true and the 3,262-ton Kosei Maru went under. The submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 April.
Third and fourth war patrols, May – September 1943
Her third patrol was made, from 4 May to 24 June, in the shipping lanes near Truk Atoll. No enemy shipping was found, so Sunfish reconnoitered Anguar Island on 23 May and shelled a refinery on Fais IslandFais Island
Fais Island is a raised coral island in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia...
five days later.
From 28 July to 25 September, Sunfish sought targets in waters off Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. In two attacks on 13 August, she left a 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:...
down by the stern and witnessed a second ship explode, sending flames 200 feet (61 m) high. This signified the end of the converted gunboat Edo Maru. In the early morning hours of 4 September, Sunfish dodged between lighted sampan
Sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers, and are often used as traditional fishing boats...
s to attack a 10-ship convoy. The Kozon Maru went down after a terrific secondary explosion.
Fifth and sixth war patrols, October 1943 – March 1944
Sunfish refitted at Pearl Harbor and sailed on 16 October for an area northeast of Formosa. No worthy targets were found, and she returned to Pearl Harbor on 14 December 1943.On 14 January 1944, Sunfish got underway to prowl the shipping lanes between the Caroline
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
and Mariana Islands
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...
. She made a photographic reconnaissance of Kusaie and another atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the Carolines between 21 January and 30 January. On 23 February, the submarine made four determined attacks on a convoy and sank Kunishima Maru and Shinyubari Maru for a total of 9,437 tons of enemy shipping. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 March, she was routed onward to San Francisco for an overhaul.
Seventh and eighth war patrols, June – September 1944
When the overhaul was completed in early June, Sunfish returned to Pearl Harbor and was ordered to begin a patrol on 22 June in the Kuril IslandsKuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
area. She sank the passenger-cargo ship
Shanmai Maru on the night of 5 July. The next day the submarine destroyed a fleet of 14 sampans and trawlers with her deck guns. A Soviet merchant ship the "Ob" sunk by USS-281 on 6 July.
"The 6,284-ton cargo ship Taihei Maru was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk on the morning of 9 July. Sunfish steamed to Midway for a refit period from 1 August to 19 August.
Sunfish began her eighth war patrol on 20 August when she departed Midway for the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. On 10 September she intercepted a convoy coming out of Tsushima Strait
Tsushima Strait
is the eastern channel of the Korea Strait, which lies between Korea and Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.The Tsushima Strait is the broader eastern channel to the east and southeast of Tsushima Island, with the Japanese islands of Honshū to the east and northeast, and...
and sank Chihaya Maru and damaged several other targets. On the night of 13 September, another convoy was sighted. Etashima Maru was sunk and Sunfish claimed damage to other targets, including one ship left with her decks awash. The patrol ended at Pearl Harbor on 27 September.
Ninth war patrol, October – December 1944
Sunfish returned to the Yellow Sea, on 23 October, as part of a “wolf pack” that included and . On 17 November the Sunfish sighted a convoy of eight ships led by the 21,000-ton escort carrierAircraft 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...
Jinyo. The carrier quickly passed out of range, and word was flashed to the other two members of the pack. Sunfish attacked the remaining ships of the convoy and sank two, Edogawa Maru, and . Spadefish caught Jinyo with four torpedoes and sent her under. The running battle continued, and Peto sank Aisakasan Maru and Chinkai Maru, while Spadefish added Submarine Chaser No. 156 to the score.
On 29 November, Spadefish sank Daiboshi Maru and the next day, Sunfish sank the transport Dairen Maru. The patrol terminated at Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
, Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, on 19 December 1944 after the coordinated attacks had sunk 59,000 tons of Japanese shipping on a single patrol.
Tenth and eleventh war patrols, January – April 1945
Sunfish stood out of Majuro on 15 January 1945 to patrol in the East ChinaEast China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
and Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
s. However, she had to terminate the patrol on 20 February when collision with an unsighted ice floe bent both periscopes. The ship entered Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, 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...
, on 27 February, for refit and repairs.
Sunfish began her 11th, and last, war patrol on 31 March 1945 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...
. She operated in the approaches to Ominato in April. On the 9th a ship was damaged but managed to speed away and enter a protected harbor. Five days later, Sunfish launched three torpedoes at a merchantman; but all missed. The submarine carried out a daylight attack on 16 April which resulted in the sinking of Manryu Maru, a transport, and the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Coast Defense Vessel No. 73. Her last torpedoes were expended three days later in night-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...
attacks, sinking Kaiko Maru and Taisei Maru. Sunfish returned to Pearl Harbor on 28 April and departed for the United States two days later.
Sunfish was in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 7 May to 31 July for an overhaul and returned to Pearl Harbor on 9 August. She was preparing for another patrol when hostilities with Japan ceased. The submarine stood out of Pearl Harbor on 29 August en route to the west coast. She arrived at Mare Island, on 5 September, for inactivation and was decommissioned there on 26 December 1945. Sunfish remained out of commission, in reserve, until she 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 May 1960.
Sunfish received nine 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...
.