Stories From the US Submarine Force
The submarine force of the United States Navy often made headlines with daring sinkings and spectacular patrols. Yet the war was also fought by boats like USS Gar, steady workers of the Pacific campaign, which endured mishaps, setbacks, and still managed to strike blows against the enemy. On August 20, 1943, Gar proved her worth in one of those tense encounters that demonstrated grit more than glamour.
In August of 1942 the USS Argonaut left Pearl Harbor on a mission unlike any she had ever undertaken. Built as a mine-laying submarine, she was slow, heavy, and awkward in comparison to the fleet boats that now carried the war westward. But her broad hull and ample internal space made her a fit for something no one had tried before. Along with USS Nautilus, Argonaut carried Carlson’s Raiders, two hundred twenty-one Marines with orders to strike Makin Atoll, inflict damage, confuse the enemy, and get back out alive. It was the first time the Navy would send a submarine into battle not just as a hunter of ships, but as a troop transport. For Argonaut’s crew, used to torpedoes and patrols, this felt like stepping into a different kind of war.
Continue reading “A Submarine’s View of Carlson’s Raiders, August 1942”
USS Bluegill began her life on the ways at Groton, Connecticut, in December of 1942. She was a Gato-class boat, built for the long patrols and hard work the war in the Pacific demanded. When Mrs. W. Sterling Cole christened her on August 8, 1943, she slid into the Thames River looking every bit the part of a warship that would soon prowl far from home. Commissioned that November under Lt. Comdr. Eric L. Barr, Jr., she went through the usual shakedown, torpedo shoots, and workups before making the long transit to the war zone.
Continue reading “SS Bluegill’s 2nd War Patrol: The August 13, 1944 Battle and the Mark 18 Torpedo’s Trial”
Patrol Reports 