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USS Gunnel (SS-253)
Encyclopedia
, a Gato-class submarine
, was the only ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the gunnel
, a blennoid fish of the north Atlantic ranging south as far as Cape Cod
.
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company, Groton
, Connecticut
. She was launched
17 May 1942 (sponsored by Mrs. Ben Morell, wife of the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks
), and commissioned
20 August 1942, with Lieutenant Commander
John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr.
in command.
, the Allied invasion of North Africa
. One of six submarines assigned to Admiral
Henry K. Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, Gunnel did reconnaissance off Fedhala 6 November 1942, 2 days before the invasion, and on D-day (8 November) made infrared signals to guide the approaching fleet to the beachheads. Missions well accomplished, the submarine departed for Rosneath
, Scotland
, 7 December to terminate her first patrol. En route home, the drive gears of her HOR engines failed, forcing her to complete the final 1000 nautical miles (1,852 km) on her auxiliary diesel, leading to a major overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
in Kittery, Maine
.
, Gunnel sailed to Pearl Harbor
, then to her second patrol (28 May – 3 July 1943) in waters west of Kyūshū
in the East China Sea
. Success crowned her efforts when cargo ship Kayo Maru (6,300 tons) was sunk 15 June, giving Gunnel her first kill, and four days later when another cargo ship, Tokiwa Maru (7,000 tons), was sent under. Both sinkings were confirmed by JANAC postwar.
After overhaul at Mare Island, California
, the submarine accomplished a third war patrol (17 November 1943-7 January 1944) in Japanese home waters off Honshū
. This, too, was successful; on 4 December Gunnel sent passenger-cargo ship Hiyoshi Maru to the bottom.
to Fremantle
and in the South China
, Sulu
, and Celebes Sea
s. Bad luck dogged Gunnel and she was forced to return to port having made no further kills.
Her fifth and sixth patrols, (3 May – 4 July) and (29 July – 22 September 1944) found her again in the southern approaches of the Sunda Straits and cruising in the Sulu Sea-Manila
area but failed to add to her score.
1 December to 2 December after the fliers had been protected by friendly guerrilla forces for some 2 months.
She conducted her eighth patrol (13 June – 24 July 1945) in the Bungo Suido area. She attacked an unescorted Japanese submarine 9 July. The great range and speed of the enemy, however, caused Gunnels torpedoes to miss. She returned from the patrol after duty as a lifeguard ship for B-29s flying toward Japan on bombing missions.
and at war's end she was ordered to New London, Connecticut
, where she decommissioned 18 May 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy List 1 September 1958 and she was sold for scrapping in August 1959.
Gunnel received five battle stars for World War II service. Her first, second, third, and seventh war patrols were designated successful. In the JANAC accounting postwar, she was credited with six ships sunk for 24,624 tons.
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...
, 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 gunnel
Gunnel
Gunnel may refer to:* Gunnel , a family of elongated fish* Gunnel , the top edge of the side of a boat* USS Gunnel , a Gato-class submarinePeople with the given name Gunnel:...
, a blennoid fish of the north Atlantic ranging south as far as Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
.
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company, Groton
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....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. 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...
17 May 1942 (sponsored by Mrs. Ben Morell, wife of the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks
Bureau of Yards and Docks
The Bureau of Yards and Docks was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair....
), 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...
20 August 1942, with Lieutenant Commander
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...
John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr.
John S. McCain, Jr.
John Sidney "Jack" McCain Jr. was a United States Navy admiral, who served in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the Commander, United States Pacific Command....
in command.
Atlantic patrol
Gunnels first war patrol (19 October – 7 December 1942) covered a passage from the United States to the United Kingdom, during which she participated in Operation "Torch"Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, the Allied invasion of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. One of six submarines assigned to Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Henry K. Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, Gunnel did reconnaissance off Fedhala 6 November 1942, 2 days before the invasion, and on D-day (8 November) made infrared signals to guide the approaching fleet to the beachheads. Missions well accomplished, the submarine departed for Rosneath
Rosneath
Rosneath is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch near to the tip of the Rosneath peninsula which projects south to the Firth of Clyde between the Gare Loch and Loch Long to the west, and about 2 miles from the village of Kilcreggan which is sited...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 7 December to terminate her first patrol. En route home, the drive gears of her HOR engines failed, forcing her to complete the final 1000 nautical miles (1,852 km) on her auxiliary diesel, leading to a major overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...
in Kittery, Maine
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
.
Second and third patrols
Subsequently assigned to the Pacific FleetUnited States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
, Gunnel sailed 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...
, then to her second patrol (28 May – 3 July 1943) in waters west of 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....
in 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:...
. Success crowned her efforts when cargo ship Kayo Maru (6,300 tons) was sunk 15 June, giving Gunnel her first kill, and four days later when another cargo ship, Tokiwa Maru (7,000 tons), was sent under. Both sinkings were confirmed by JANAC postwar.
After overhaul at Mare Island, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the submarine accomplished a third war patrol (17 November 1943-7 January 1944) in Japanese home waters 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...
. This, too, was successful; on 4 December Gunnel sent passenger-cargo ship Hiyoshi Maru to the bottom.
Fourth, fifth, sixth patrols
The fourth war patrol (5 February – 6 April) took the boat from MidwayMidway 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...
to Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
and in the South China
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, Sulu
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
, and Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
s. Bad luck dogged Gunnel and she was forced to return to port having made no further kills.
Her fifth and sixth patrols, (3 May – 4 July) and (29 July – 22 September 1944) found her again in the southern approaches of the Sunda Straits and cruising in the Sulu Sea-Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
area but failed to add to her score.
Seventh and eighth patrols
During her seventh patrol (21 October – 28 December) in the South China and Sulu Seas, she sank the motor torpedo boat Sagi (600 tons); passenger-cargo ship Shunten Maru (5,600 tons); and torpedo boat Hiyodori (600 tons). On this same patrol Gunnel evacuated 11 naval aviators at PalawanPalawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
1 December to 2 December after the fliers had been protected by friendly guerrilla forces for some 2 months.
She conducted her eighth patrol (13 June – 24 July 1945) in the Bungo Suido area. She attacked an unescorted Japanese submarine 9 July. The great range and speed of the enemy, however, caused Gunnels torpedoes to miss. She returned from the patrol after duty as a lifeguard ship for B-29s flying toward Japan on bombing missions.
Postwar
Gunnel was refitting 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...
and at war's end she was ordered to New London, Connecticut
New 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....
, where she decommissioned 18 May 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy List 1 September 1958 and she was sold for scrapping in August 1959.
Gunnel received five battle stars for World War II service. Her first, second, third, and seventh war patrols were designated successful. In the JANAC accounting postwar, she was credited with six ships sunk for 24,624 tons.
External links
- Gunnel tribute website
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org