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USS Gato (SS-212)
Encyclopedia
USS Gato (SS-212) was the lead ship
of her class
of submarine
in the United States Navy
. She was the first Navy ship named for the gato, a species of small catshark
found in waters along the west coast of Mexico
.
Her keel was laid down 5 October 1940, by the Electric Boat
Company of Groton, Connecticut
. She was launched
21 August 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Royal E. Ingersoll
, and commissioned
31 December 1941 with Lieutenant Commander William Girard Myers (Class of 1926) in command.
, Gato departed 16 February 1942, for Pearl Harbor
via the Panama Canal
and San Francisco. On her first war patrol from Pearl Harbor (20 April – 10 June 1942), she unsuccessfully attacked a converted aircraft carrier
3 May before being driven away by the fierce depth charging
of four destroyer
s off the Marshall Islands
. On 24 May she was ordered to patrol the western approaches to Midway
, taking station 280 miles (450.6 km) westward during the Battle of Midway
.
; then she steamed via Midway and Pearl Harbor to Truk atoll, where her attack 6 December on a convoy was broken off by aerial bombs and a severe depth charge attack by three destroyers. This patrol terminated at Brisbane, Australia, 23 December 1942.
, Solomon Islands
. On her fifth war patrol (19 March – 6 June 1943), she landed an Australian Intelligence party at Toep, Bougainville
, 29 March 1943, and evacuated 27 children, nine mothers, and three nuns, transferring them 31 March to SC-531 off Ramos
, Florida Island. During a submerged radar attack approach 4 April 1943, between Tanga
and Lihir Islands, she was shaken so violently by three exploding depth charges that she returned to Brisbane for temporary repairs 11 April to 20 April. Gato landed more Australian commandos at Toep Harbor 29 May, transported more evacuees to Ramos Island, and then reconnoitered off Tarawa
in the Gilbert Islands
before putting in at Pearl Harbor 6 June 1943.
for overhaul; returned to Pearl Harbor 22 August 1943; and conducted her sixth war patrol (6 September – 28 October) via Truk and Bougainville in the Solomons to Brisbane. En route on 19 October she attacked a convoy, scoring hits for unknown damage to two large cargo ships. Her seventh war patrol (18 November 1943 – 10 January 1944) took her north of the Bismarck Archipelago
. On 30 November she made a coordinated attack with , sinking the cargo ship Columbia Maru. She rescued a Japanese soldier from a life raft on 16 December, then attacked a convoy in the Saipan-Massau traffic lanes four days later to sink cargo ship Tsuneshima Maru and scored damaging hits on another freighter. After two hours of dodging depth charges, she finally evaded her attackers, surfaced, and headed for Tingmon, the most likely port for the damaged cargo ship. Gato discovered a live depth charge
on her deck at the same time two enemy escorts were sighted headed in her direction. She outran them while disposing of the depth charge by setting it adrift on a rubber raft. Although she did not overtake the cargo ship, she did sight a convoy. On 2 December her chase was foiled by a float plane, which was driven off by Gatos gunners. She concluded the patrol at Milne Bay
, New Guinea, 10 January 1944.
and two other downed airmen on 5 February. She sank a trawler off Truk 15 February, transport Daigen Maru No.3 the 26th, and cargo ship Okinoyama Maru No.3 12 March. Two other trawlers were destroyed by her guns before she returned to Pearl Harbor 1 April 1944.
On her ninth war patrol (30 May 1944 – 2 June 1944) Gato took Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood
to Midway; completed photographic reconnaissance of Woleai
Island, served on lifeguard station for air strikes on Truk 11 June to 18 June, and terminated her patrol at Majuro
atoll. Her 10th war patrol saw her on lifeguard
15 July 1944 for the carrier air strike on Chichi Jima, during which she rescued two aviators. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 2 September 1944, proceeded to Mare Island for overhaul and then returned to Pearl Harbor.
as a unit of a coordinated attack group (called a "wolf pack"), with and . She sank a coast defense ship on 14 February and cargo ship Tairiku Maru on 21 February, then returned to Guam
. She departed on her 12th war patrol 12 April 1945, taking lifeguard station in support of the invasion of Okinawa
. On the night of 22 April – 23 April she had a brief contest with two Japanese submarines and narrowly missed destruction as well-aimed torpedoes came close. Between 27 April and 30 April she rescued 10 Army aviators from shallow water near the beaches of Toi Misaki, Kyūshū
. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 June 1945.
and then off the eastern coast of Honshū
. She received word of "Cease Fire" 15 August while making an attack approach on a sea truck
; steamed into Tokyo Bay
the 31st; remained for the signing of surrender documents on board 2 September; and then departed the following day via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal to the New York Naval Shipyard, where she decommissioned 16 March 1946. She served for a number of years as a naval reserve training ship at New York and later at Baltimore, Maryland, until her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 March 1960. She was sold for scrapping 25 July 1960, to the Northern Metals Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
in recognition of daring exploits during war patrols four through eight and 13 battle stars for service in World War II
.
The Gato is the subject of the series finale of the syndicated
television
anthology series, The Silent Service
, which aired during the 1957-1958 season.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class
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...
of 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...
in 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...
. She was the first Navy ship named for the gato, a species of small catshark
Catshark
Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae, with over 150 known species. While they are generally known as catsharks, many species are commonly called dogfish....
found in waters along the west coast of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Her keel was laid down 5 October 1940, by the Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Company of Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
21 August 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Royal E. Ingersoll
Royal E. Ingersoll
Royal Eason Ingersoll was a United States Navy four-star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet from January 1, 1942 to late1944; Commander, Western Sea Frontier from late 1944 to 1946; and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S...
, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
31 December 1941 with Lieutenant Commander William Girard Myers (Class of 1926) in command.
First war patrol, April – June 1942
After shakedown at New London, ConnecticutNew London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, Gato departed 16 February 1942, for 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...
via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and San Francisco. On her first war patrol from Pearl Harbor (20 April – 10 June 1942), she unsuccessfully attacked a converted aircraft 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...
3 May before being driven away by the fierce depth charging
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
of four 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...
s off the 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 24 May she was ordered to patrol the western approaches to Midway
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...
, taking station 280 miles (450.6 km) westward during the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Second and third war patrols, July – December 1942
On her second war patrol (2 July – 29 August 1942), she patrolled east of the Kurile Islands toward the Aleutian chain. She obtained four torpedo hits with unconfirmed damage to a ship 15 August 1942, and terminated her patrol at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Her third patrol (4 September – 23 December 1942) included operations off KiskaKiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
; then she steamed via Midway and Pearl Harbor to Truk atoll, where her attack 6 December on a convoy was broken off by aerial bombs and a severe depth charge attack by three destroyers. This patrol terminated at Brisbane, Australia, 23 December 1942.
Fourth and fifth war patrols, January – June 1943
During her fourth war patrol (13 January 1943 – 26 February 1943), Gato torpedoed and sank transport Kenkon Maru 21 January; cargo ship Nichiun Maru on 29 January; and cargo ship Suruya Maru on 15 February—all off New GeorgiaNew Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. On her fifth war patrol (19 March – 6 June 1943), she landed an Australian Intelligence party at Toep, Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, 29 March 1943, and evacuated 27 children, nine mothers, and three nuns, transferring them 31 March to SC-531 off Ramos
Ramos
This is a list of people named Ramos:* Alejandra Ramos, Chilean middle distance runner* Ariel Ramos, Cuban sport wrestler* Bartolomeo Ramos, Renaissance music theorist* Edwin Ramos, gang member* Eliana Ramos, Uruguayan model* Fidel V...
, Florida Island. During a submerged radar attack approach 4 April 1943, between Tanga
Tanga Islands
The Tanga Islands are an island group in Papua New Guinea, located northeast of New Ireland and part of the Bismarck Archipelago. The islands are the remnants of a stratovolcano which collapsed to form a caldera...
and Lihir Islands, she was shaken so violently by three exploding depth charges that she returned to Brisbane for temporary repairs 11 April to 20 April. Gato landed more Australian commandos at Toep Harbor 29 May, transported more evacuees to Ramos Island, and then reconnoitered off Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
in the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
before putting in at Pearl Harbor 6 June 1943.
Sixth and seventh war patrols, August 1943 – January 1944
Gato was routed onward to the Mare Island Naval ShipyardMare 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; returned to Pearl Harbor 22 August 1943; and conducted her sixth war patrol (6 September – 28 October) via Truk and Bougainville in the Solomons to Brisbane. En route on 19 October she attacked a convoy, scoring hits for unknown damage to two large cargo ships. Her seventh war patrol (18 November 1943 – 10 January 1944) took her north of the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
. On 30 November she made a coordinated attack with , sinking the cargo ship Columbia Maru. She rescued a Japanese soldier from a life raft on 16 December, then attacked a convoy in the Saipan-Massau traffic lanes four days later to sink cargo ship Tsuneshima Maru and scored damaging hits on another freighter. After two hours of dodging depth charges, she finally evaded her attackers, surfaced, and headed for Tingmon, the most likely port for the damaged cargo ship. Gato discovered a live depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
on her deck at the same time two enemy escorts were sighted headed in her direction. She outran them while disposing of the depth charge by setting it adrift on a rubber raft. Although she did not overtake the cargo ship, she did sight a convoy. On 2 December her chase was foiled by a float plane, which was driven off by Gatos gunners. She concluded the patrol at Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, New Guinea, 10 January 1944.
Eighth, ninth and tenth war patrols, February – September 1944
Gato departed Milne Bay 2 February 1944, her eighth war patrol in the Bismarck-New Guinea-Truk area. She rescued Fred HargesheimerFred Hargesheimer
Captain Fred Hargesheimer was a former pilot of the USAAF who was shot down over Papua New Guinea in June 1943. He later became a philanthropist who helped out the village which had hidden him from the Japanese.-Early life:...
and two other downed airmen on 5 February. She sank a trawler off Truk 15 February, transport Daigen Maru No.3 the 26th, and cargo ship Okinoyama Maru No.3 12 March. Two other trawlers were destroyed by her guns before she returned to Pearl Harbor 1 April 1944.
On her ninth war patrol (30 May 1944 – 2 June 1944) Gato took Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood
Charles A. Lockwood
Charles Andrews Lockwood was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the legendary commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II...
to Midway; completed photographic reconnaissance of Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
Island, served on lifeguard station for air strikes on Truk 11 June to 18 June, and terminated her patrol 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...
atoll. Her 10th war patrol saw her on lifeguard
Lifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
15 July 1944 for the carrier air strike on Chichi Jima, during which she rescued two aviators. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 2 September 1944, proceeded to Mare Island for overhaul and then returned to Pearl Harbor.
Eleventh and twelfth war patrols, January – June 1945
On her 11th war patrol (28 January – 13 March 1945), Gato patrolled the Yellow SeaYellow 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...
as a unit of a coordinated attack group (called a "wolf pack"), with and . She sank a coast defense ship on 14 February and cargo ship Tairiku Maru on 21 February, then returned to 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...
. She departed on her 12th war patrol 12 April 1945, taking lifeguard station in support of the invasion of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. On the night of 22 April – 23 April she had a brief contest with two Japanese submarines and narrowly missed destruction as well-aimed torpedoes came close. Between 27 April and 30 April she rescued 10 Army aviators from shallow water near the beaches of Toi Misaki, 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....
. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 June 1945.
Thirteenth war patrol and postwar
On her 13th war patrol Gato departed 8 July for lifeguard station for air strikes on Wake IslandWake 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...
and then off the eastern coast 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...
. She received word of "Cease Fire" 15 August while making an attack approach on a sea truck
Sea Truck
The Rotork Sea Truck is a flat-hulled, high-speed watercraft, similar to a small landing craft. Made from fibreglass, they may be used to land vehicles without jetties or harbour facilities. They were designed partially by James Dyson in the 1970s, as part of his final year's project at the Royal...
; steamed into Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
the 31st; remained for the signing of surrender documents on board 2 September; and then departed the following day via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal to the New York Naval Shipyard, where she decommissioned 16 March 1946. She served for a number of years as a naval reserve training ship at New York and later at Baltimore, Maryland, until her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
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 March 1960. She was sold for scrapping 25 July 1960, to the Northern Metals Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Awards
Gato received the Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
in recognition of daring exploits during war patrols four through eight and 13 battle stars for service in 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...
.
The Gato is the subject of the series finale of the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
anthology series, The Silent Service
The Silent Service (TV series)
The Silent Service was a 1957–1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The Silent Service was narrated by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in 1949 after twenty-two years of service...
, which aired during the 1957-1958 season.