USSHerring
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,Kittery, Maine[1] |
| Laid down | 14 July 1941[1] |
| Launched | 5 January 1942[1] |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Ray Spear |
| Commissioned | 4 May 1942[1] |
| Fate | Sunk by Japanese shore defense batteries onMatua Island,1 June 1944[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Gato-classdiesel-electricsubmarine[2] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2] |
| Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
| Draft | 17 ft (5.2 m) maximum[2] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Range | 11,000nmi(20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (19 km/h)[3] |
| Endurance |
|
| Test depth | 300 ft (90 m)[3] |
| Complement | 6 officers, 54 enlisted[3] |
| Armament |
|
USSHerring(SS-233),aGato-class submarine,was the only ship of theUnited States Navyto be named for theherring.
Construction and commissioning
[edit]Herring'skeelwaslaid down14 July 1941 by thePortsmouth Naval ShipyardinKittery, Maine.She waslaunchedon 15 January 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Emilie Spear (néePiollet), wife ofRear AdmiralRay Spear,Chief of theBureau of Supplies and Accounts,andcommissionedon 4 May 1942 withLieutenant CommanderRaymond W. Johnsonin command.
Operational history
[edit]Mediterranean
[edit]After shakedown, the new submarine was one of five sent to theMediterranean Seato take station off theNorth Africancoast prior toOperation Torch,the invasion of North Africa. Reaching her position offCasablancaon 5 November 1942,Herringremained there, spotting but not attacking several targets. On the morning of 8 November as the invasion was launched, the patient sub had her chance, sinking the 5,700 ton cargo shipVille du Havre.Herringreturned toRosneath,Scotland,on 25 November and departed for her second war patrol 16 December, but targets were scarce. The fourth war patrol, an antisubmarine sweep inIcelandicwaters, and fifth patrol, which took her back to theUnited Stateson 26 July 1943, nettedHerringno more kills.
Pacific
[edit]HerringdepartedNew London, Connecticut,for the rich hunting grounds of the Pacific on 9 August 1943. After intensive training atPearl Harbor,she sailed 15 November 1943 on her sixth war patrol to join the ranks of the American submarines systematically decimating Japanese shipping and destroying the Japanese economy. She scored two kills, the 3,948 tonHakozaki Maruon 14 December, and the 6,072 tonNagoya Maruto celebrateNew Year's Day1944.Herring's next patrol was a frustrating one as on 24 March 1944 she stalked a largeaircraft carrierbut was detected and driven deep before she could attack.
Lieutenant Commander Johnson commanded Herring for five of her first six patrols, with the sole exception being March 1943 when John Corbus was in command. On her seventh and eight patrols she was captained by Lieutenant Commander David Zabriskie, Jr.
Loss
[edit]Herring's eighth war patrol was to be both her most successful and her last. Topping off atMidway Islandon 21 May 1944,Herringheaded for theKurile Islandspatrol area. Ten days later she rendezvoused withBarb(SS-220).Herringwas never heard from or seen again. However, Japanese records prove that she sank two ships,Japanese escortIshigakiandHokuyo Maru,on the night of 30–31 May.Ishigakihad been responsible for the sinking ofUSSS-44(SS-155)on 7 October 1943.Herring's exact manner of loss can also be determined from these records. Two more merchant ships,Hiburi MaruandIwaki Maru,were sunk while at anchor inMatsuwa Islandon the morning of 1 June 1944. In a counter-attack, enemy shore batteries scored two direct hits on the submarine's conning tower and "bubbles covered an area about 5 meters wide, and heavy oil covered an area of approximately 15 miles." On her last patrol,Herringhad sunk four Japanese ships for a total of 13,202 tons. In all she had sunk sixmarus totaling 19,959 tons, and aVichycargo ship.
Awards
[edit]- European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medalwith twobattle star[7]
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith three battle stars
World War II Victory Medal
Legacy
[edit]There is a memorial plaque at theNaval Weapons StationinSeal Beach, California,[8]and another one, along with the ship's bell, atBattleship Memorial ParkinMobile, Alabama.[9]
In June 2005, at the former Tagan cape, now Pologiy cape (48°02′23″N153°13′58″E/ 48.039694°N 153.232642°E), near the site of the sinking, which is in 2,000 meters [6,600 ft] seaward, a memorial sign was established to the crew of USSHerringand to those of all the lost boats, which fought against theImperial Japanduring the Second World War.[10]The event was held in the fourth Kamchatka-Kuril historical and geographical expedition, led by the Russian researcher Evgeny Vereshaga.
In 2016 the wreck ofHerringwas located nearMatua Islandby a joint expedition of theRussian Geographical SocietyandRussian Defense Ministry.Aleksandr Kirillin, secretary of the academic board of Russia's Military Historical Society, said that "Russian divers in cooperation with the Pacific Fleet sailors discovered the submarine at a depth of 104 meters [341 ft]."[11]
References
[edit]- ^abcdFriedman, Norman (1995).U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History.Annapolis, Maryland:United States Naval Institute.pp. 285–304.ISBN1-55750-263-3.
- ^abcdefgBauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S (1991).Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants.Westport, Connecticut:Greenwood Press. pp. 271–273.ISBN0-313-26202-0.
- ^abcdefU.S. Submarines Through 1945pp. 305–311
- ^abcdeBauer, K. Jack;Roberts, Stephen S. (1991).Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants.Westport, Connecticut:Greenwood Press. pp. 271–280.ISBN978-0-313-26202-9.
- ^U.S. Submarines Through 1945pp. 261–263
- ^abcU.S. Submarines Through 1945pp. 305–311
- ^https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/navy-mc-awards-manual-rev1953/pt4-campaign-service-medals.html#sec2-16
- ^"USS Herring (SS 233) - Seal Beach, CA - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com".
- ^Memorial to USS Herring (SS-233).1976.
- ^"Четвертая экспедиция. Загадочные, необитаемые Курилы"(in Russian).
- ^"Генерал Кирилин: даже сын Хрущева до сих пор считается без вести пропавшим"(in Russian).
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
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