USS Grunion (SS-216)
Encyclopedia
was a Gato-class submarine
that was sunk at Kiska, Alaska, during World War II. She was the only ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the grunion
, a small fish of the silversides
family, indigenous to the western American coast.
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut
on 1 March 1941. She was launched
on 22 December 1941, (sponsored by Mrs. Stanford C. Hooper, wife of Rear Admiral Hooper), and commissioned
on 11 April 1942 with Lieutenant Commander (Lt. Cmdr.)
Mannert L. Abele
, USNA class of 1926
in command.
After shakedown out of New London, Grunion sailed for the Pacific on 24 May. A week later, as she transited the Caribbean Sea
for Panama
, she rescued 16 survivors of USAT Jack, which had been torpedoed by the German
U-boat
U-558
, and she conducted a fruitless search for 13 other survivors presumed in the vicinity. Arriving at Coco Solo
on 3 June, Grunion deposited her shipload of survivors and continued to Pearl Harbor
, arriving 20 June.
Departing Hawaii
on 30 June after ten days of intensive training, Grunion touched Midway Island before heading toward the Aleutian Islands for her first war patrol. Her first report, made as she patrolled north of Kiska Island, stated she had been attacked by a Japanese destroyer
and had fired at her with inconclusive results. She operated off Kiska throughout July and sank two enemy patrol boats while in search for enemy shipping. On 30 July the submarine reported intensive antisubmarine activity, and she was ordered back to Dutch Harbor.
Grunion was never heard from nor seen again. Air searches off Kiska were fruitless; and on 5 October Grunion was reported overdue from patrol and assumed lost with all hands. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 2 November 1942. Captured Japanese records show no antisubmarine attacks in the Kiska area, and the fate of Grunion remained a mystery for 65 years until discovery in the Bering Sea
in August 2007 of a wreck believed to be the boat. In October 2008, the U.S. Navy verified that the wreck is the Grunion. The reason for her sinking is still not known, though there are two possible explanations.
Grunion received one battle star for World War II
service.
, founder of Boston Scientific
, who began funding it personally after discussion with Robert Ballard
(who declined to take part). The search was conducted mostly around the Aleutian Islands, an extremely volatile part of the sea.
A web site maintained by the Public Affairs Office of Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) stated that Yutaka Iwasaki, "a gentleman in Japan," had a Web site with information about Japanese ships sunk during World War II.
According to a Japanese sailor and survivor of the Aleutian campaign, Yutaka Iwasaki, it is possible that on the morning of 31 July 1942 a troop transport, Kano Maru was attacked by Grunion. Only one of the sub's four torpedoes hit and detonated, and Grunion surfaced to finish her target by gunfire. However, Kano Maru returned fire with her own three-inch deck gun and .50-caliber machine guns. Allegedly, a single shell hit on Grunions conning tower sank her. The cargo ship was later beached and abandoned. Investigators believe, however, that Grunion may have been damaged by one of its own torpedoes and then was trapped in an emergency dive configuration until it hit the ocean floor and imploded.
In 2002, with Iwasaki's translation in hand, the search took on a new vigor, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of Japanese officials and veterans, the Abele brothers also began to search for several lost Japanese subchasers, CH-25 and CH-27, and the destroyer Arare
, all of which sank in the same area.
In August 2006, an expedition led by Williamson & Associates onboard the ship Aquila, relayed sonar
images to Bruce Abele. The images depicted a "smooth, oblong object with features that could be a conning tower and periscope mast". Subsequent imaging passes have revealed more detail about the object that could be the long-lost USS Grunion.
On 22 August 2007 was found by the search team in the Bering Sea
off the coast of the Aleutians in about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) of water. The findings were confirmed by the U.S. Navy on 3 October 2008. A memorial service was held in Cleveland, Ohio at the USS Cod on Saturday, 11 October 2008.
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...
that was sunk at Kiska, Alaska, during World War II. She was the only 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 grunion
Grunion
Grunion are two fish species of the genus Leuresthes: the California grunion, L. tenuis, and the Gulf grunion L. sardinas...
, a small fish of the silversides
Silverside (fish)
The Old World silversides are a family, Atherinidae, of fish in the order Atheriniformes. They occur worldwide in tropical and temperate waters...
family, indigenous to the western American coast.
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in 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....
on 1 March 1941. 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...
on 22 December 1941, (sponsored by Mrs. Stanford C. Hooper, wife of Rear Admiral Hooper), 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...
on 11 April 1942 with Lieutenant Commander (Lt. Cmdr.)
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Mannert L. Abele
Mannert L. Abele
Lieutenant Commander Mannert Lincoln Abele, USN was a World War II submarine commander who posthumously received the Navy Cross for his heroism in the Pacific Theater.-Biography:...
, USNA class of 1926
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in command.
After shakedown out of New London, Grunion sailed for the Pacific on 24 May. A week later, as she transited the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, she rescued 16 survivors of USAT Jack, which had been torpedoed by the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-558
German submarine U-558
The German submarine U-558 was a Type VIIC U-boat in the service of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She sank 19 shipping and military vessels totalling nearly 100,000 tons before being sunk by bombers in July 1943....
, and she conducted a fruitless search for 13 other survivors presumed in the vicinity. Arriving at Coco Solo
Coco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base established in 1918 on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama....
on 3 June, Grunion deposited her shipload of survivors and continued to 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...
, arriving 20 June.
Departing Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
on 30 June after ten days of intensive training, Grunion touched Midway Island before heading toward the Aleutian Islands for her first war patrol. Her first report, made as she patrolled north of Kiska Island, stated she had been attacked by a Japanese 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...
and had fired at her with inconclusive results. She operated off Kiska throughout July and sank two enemy patrol boats while in search for enemy shipping. On 30 July the submarine reported intensive antisubmarine activity, and she was ordered back to Dutch Harbor.
Grunion was never heard from nor seen again. Air searches off Kiska were fruitless; and on 5 October Grunion was reported overdue from patrol and assumed lost with all hands. 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 2 November 1942. Captured Japanese records show no antisubmarine attacks in the Kiska area, and the fate of Grunion remained a mystery for 65 years until discovery in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
in August 2007 of a wreck believed to be the boat. In October 2008, the U.S. Navy verified that the wreck is the Grunion. The reason for her sinking is still not known, though there are two possible explanations.
Grunion received one battle star 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.
The search for the Grunion
Lt. Cmdr Abele left behind three sons, Bruce, John, and Brad, when the Grunion disappeared in 1942. For years, they engaged in a search for the final resting place of the ship. The search had been mostly funded by John AbeleJohn Abele
John Abele is an American businessman and the co-founder and a director of Boston Scientific, a medical device company.His father, LCDR Mannert Lincoln Abele, USN was Commanding Officer of the submarine USS Grunion when the vessel was lost in the Aleutians on July 31, 1942 presumably to enemy action...
, founder of Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific
The Boston Scientific Corporation , is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a range of interventional medical specialties, including interventional cardiology, peripheral interventions, neuromodulation, neurovascular intervention,...
, who began funding it personally after discussion with Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard
Robert Duane Ballard is a former United States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989,...
(who declined to take part). The search was conducted mostly around the Aleutian Islands, an extremely volatile part of the sea.
A web site maintained by the Public Affairs Office of Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) stated that Yutaka Iwasaki, "a gentleman in Japan," had a Web site with information about Japanese ships sunk during World War II.
According to a Japanese sailor and survivor of the Aleutian campaign, Yutaka Iwasaki, it is possible that on the morning of 31 July 1942 a troop transport, Kano Maru was attacked by Grunion. Only one of the sub's four torpedoes hit and detonated, and Grunion surfaced to finish her target by gunfire. However, Kano Maru returned fire with her own three-inch deck gun and .50-caliber machine guns. Allegedly, a single shell hit on Grunions conning tower sank her. The cargo ship was later beached and abandoned. Investigators believe, however, that Grunion may have been damaged by one of its own torpedoes and then was trapped in an emergency dive configuration until it hit the ocean floor and imploded.
In 2002, with Iwasaki's translation in hand, the search took on a new vigor, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of Japanese officials and veterans, the Abele brothers also began to search for several lost Japanese subchasers, CH-25 and CH-27, and the destroyer Arare
Japanese destroyer Arare
was the tenth and last of the destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the mid-1930s under the Circle Two Supplementary Naval Expansion Program .-History:...
, all of which sank in the same area.
In August 2006, an expedition led by Williamson & Associates onboard the ship Aquila, relayed sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
images to Bruce Abele. The images depicted a "smooth, oblong object with features that could be a conning tower and periscope mast". Subsequent imaging passes have revealed more detail about the object that could be the long-lost USS Grunion.
On 22 August 2007 was found by the search team in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
off the coast of the Aleutians in about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) of water. The findings were confirmed by the U.S. Navy on 3 October 2008. A memorial service was held in Cleveland, Ohio at the USS Cod on Saturday, 11 October 2008.
External links
- navsource.org: USS Grunion
- hazegray.org: USS Grunion
- On Eternal Patrol: USS Grunion
- Search for the Grunion - ussgrunion.com- A team organized by LCDR Abele's three sons search the ocean floor for the lost submarine near Kiska, Alaska.
- The USS Grunion may have been Found a story at NPR.org
- ABCNews.com, 10/3/2006."Object Off Alaska Coast May Be WWII Sub" viewed 10/3/2006.
- After 64 years, relatives may have answers in sub sinking viewed 10/05/2006 Defunct site prior to 1/11
- Detroit sailor only one of WWII crew whose relatives can't be located Detroit News from August 24, 2007
- Wreckage of WWII submarine found off Aleutian Islands dated August 24, 2007