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USS Hackleback (SS-295)
Encyclopedia
USS Hackleback (SS-295), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named after the hackleback, a freshwater fish of the sturgeon
family.
Hackleback was launched 30 May 1943 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; sponsored by Mrs. W. L. Wright; and commissioned 7 November 1944, Lt. Comdr. Frederick E. Janney in command.
After training out of New London
, Hackleback reported to the Fleet Sonar School at Key West
24 December. Two weeks training there were followed by further training at Balboa
, Canal Zone
, and Hackleback sailed for Pearl Harbor
25 January 1945. The new submarine participated in still more training exercises at Pearl Harbor before departing for her first war patrol 6 March.
Japan
ese merchant shipping had been decimated by the Pacific submarine fleet, and Hackleback was to encounter no suitable targets in any of her patrols. But on this first patrol, she played a key role in the sinking of the last of Japan's super-battleship
s, the Yamato
.
Patrolling the Bungo Suido area late in the night of 6 April, Hackleback made radar
contact on a fast group of ships at about 25000 yards (22,860 m). She sent a steady stream of location reports back to Pearl Harbor, at the same time attempting to close with the task group. Hackleback three times came to within 13000 yards (11,887.2 m) of the Yamato force, but destroyer
s forced her out of range before she could get in position to fire torpedo
es.
Yamato was not to escape, however. The following morning, 7 April, planes from Admiral Mitscher
's famous TF 58
, guided by Hacklebacks contact location reports, struck the Yamato group. In four successive waves, the carrier
planes accounted for the destruction of Yamato, the light cruiser
Yahagi, and two destroyers, leaving only six destroyers of the Japanese task force to escape.
During the rest of her first patrol, Hackleback made two gun attacks on small ships, but discontinued the engagements when it appeared they were trying to lure her in close to shore. Returning to Midway
26 April, she prepared for a second patrol and on 21 May sailed.
This time Hacklebacks primary mission was lifeguard duty off Saki Shima Gunto as the carriers pounded the Japanese home islands. On 22 June she picked up a downed carrier pilot, Lt. Comdr. C. P. Smith. Hackleback also engaged in some shore bombardment. After an air strike on Shokoto Sho 7 July, the submarine closed the island and fired 73 rounds of 5 inches (127 mm) shells. No surface contacts were made on this patrol. Hackleback returned to Guam
12 July.
Sailing for her third war patrol 14 August, the submarine received an unofficial flash "Tokyo
accepts" that same day, and on 16 August headed for Midway. The long Pacific war had ended. Hackleback spent 2 weeks at Midway and then sailed for home, reaching San Francisco 11 September.
Hackleback decommissioned there 20 March 1946 and was placed in reserve at Mare Island
. Hacklebacks classification was changed to AGSS-295 on 6 November 1962. Her name was struck from the Navy List
1 March 1967 and was sold for scrapping, 4 December 1968 to Zidell Explorations, Portland, Ore.
Balao class submarine
The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 122 units built, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences...
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...
, was a 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...
named after the hackleback, a freshwater fish of the sturgeon
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
family.
Hackleback was launched 30 May 1943 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; sponsored by Mrs. W. L. Wright; and commissioned 7 November 1944, Lt. Comdr. Frederick E. Janney in command.
After training out of New London
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
, Hackleback reported to the Fleet Sonar School at Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
24 December. Two weeks training there were followed by further training at Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, and Hackleback sailed 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...
25 January 1945. The new submarine participated in still more training exercises at Pearl Harbor before departing for her first war patrol 6 March.
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese merchant shipping had been decimated by the Pacific submarine fleet, and Hackleback was to encounter no suitable targets in any of her patrols. But on this first patrol, she played a key role in the sinking of the last of Japan's super-battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s, the Yamato
Japanese battleship Yamato
, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
.
Patrolling the Bungo Suido area late in the night of 6 April, Hackleback made radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
contact on a fast group of ships at about 25000 yards (22,860 m). She sent a steady stream of location reports back to Pearl Harbor, at the same time attempting to close with the task group. Hackleback three times came to within 13000 yards (11,887.2 m) of the Yamato force, but 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 forced her out of range before she could get in position to fire torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es.
Yamato was not to escape, however. The following morning, 7 April, planes from Admiral Mitscher
Marc Mitscher
Admiral Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific in the latter half of World War II.-Early life and career:...
's famous TF 58
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
, guided by Hacklebacks contact location reports, struck the Yamato group. In four successive waves, the 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...
planes accounted for the destruction of Yamato, the light cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
Yahagi, and two destroyers, leaving only six destroyers of the Japanese task force to escape.
During the rest of her first patrol, Hackleback made two gun attacks on small ships, but discontinued the engagements when it appeared they were trying to lure her in close to shore. Returning 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...
26 April, she prepared for a second patrol and on 21 May sailed.
This time Hacklebacks primary mission was lifeguard duty off Saki Shima Gunto as the carriers pounded the Japanese home islands. On 22 June she picked up a downed carrier pilot, Lt. Comdr. C. P. Smith. Hackleback also engaged in some shore bombardment. After an air strike on Shokoto Sho 7 July, the submarine closed the island and fired 73 rounds of 5 inches (127 mm) shells. No surface contacts were made on this patrol. Hackleback 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...
12 July.
Sailing for her third war patrol 14 August, the submarine received an unofficial flash "Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
accepts" that same day, and on 16 August headed for Midway. The long Pacific war had ended. Hackleback spent 2 weeks at Midway and then sailed for home, reaching San Francisco 11 September.
Hackleback decommissioned there 20 March 1946 and was placed in reserve at Mare Island
Mare 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...
. Hacklebacks classification was changed to AGSS-295 on 6 November 1962. Her name was struck from the Navy List
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...
1 March 1967 and was sold for scrapping, 4 December 1968 to Zidell Explorations, Portland, Ore.