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USS Hardhead (SS-365)
Encyclopedia
USS Hardhead (SS-365), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the hardhead
, a fish of the croaker
family. Hardhead received six battle stars for World War II
service. All six of her combat patrols were "successful".
Hardhead was launched
by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc., 12 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. E. F. McDonald; and commissioned
18 April 1944, Commander Fitzhugh McMaster in command.
Following shakedown training in Lake Michigan
the submarine entered a floating dry dock at Lockport, Ill.
, and was towed to New Orleans
, where she arrived 16 May 1944. Hardhead got underway from Algiers, La.
, 22 May, and arrived Balboa
, Canal Zone
, 5 days later. There she took part in additional training exercises before her arrival at Pearl Harbor
7 July 1944.
. Early 18 August she detected Japan
ese cruiser
Natori
east of San Bernardino Strait
, and closed for a surface attack. The first well-directed salvo stopped the cruiser dead in the water; a second sent her to the bottom.
During the remainder of her first patrol Hardhead rendered lifeguard services during strikes by fleet aircraft on the Philippines and operated with a reconnaissance line during the Palaus operation. She arrived Fremantle
, Australia
, 26 September 1944.
October she discovered a life raft adrift. In it was Commander Bakutis, fighter squadron commander of , who had been in the water for 6 days after being shot down during America's smashing victory in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
.
Operating in a coordinated group with and , the submarine sighted a large cargo ship with escorts 8 November. After being driven off in one attack, Hardhead aggressively gained an ahead position and sank Manei Maru. It was during this attack that Growler was lost.
Hardhead performed lifeguard duty off Subic Bay
in November and on 25 November came upon an escorted merchant ship. She sank a coast defense vessel, damaged the merchantman, and evaded a retaliatory depth charge
attack. Soon afterward, the submarine returned to Fremantle, ending another skillful and effective patrol 5 December.
. Operating with and , Hardhead damaged several ships before sinking Nanshin Maru 2 February 1945. Following lifeguard duty for the B-29
strikes on Singapore
she returned to Fremantle 15 February.
Hardheads fourth war patrol included a special mine
-laying mission. She sailed 20 March 1945 and laid mines off French Indochina
during the night of 2 April. The submarine then entered the Gulf of Siam, where after several attacks she sank cargo ship Araosan Maru 6 April. Following a visit to Subic Bay to reload 11 April – 15 April she patrolled the South China Sea, but found few contacts. American submarines had by this time reduced Japanese merchant activity to a trickle. The island nation was doomed. Hardhead returned to Fremantle 16 May.
. She severely damaged a freighter with her deck guns 22 June, and next day sank four coastal defense craft during an attack on Ambat Roads with . Illness of her Commanding Officer forced Hardhead to end her fifth patrol 17 July at Onslow, Australia
.
The submarine departed Onslow on her sixth and last patrol 18 July, and headed back into the Java Sea. She forced a merchant ship to beach 27 July but found few targets and returned to Subic Bay 10 August. Soon afterward the Pacific war, in which the submarine had played an aggressive and important part, ended. Hardhead sailed 31 August and arrived San Francisco via Pearl Harbor 22 September 1945. She decommissioned 10 May 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island
.
for conversion was placed out of commission. Following her GUPPY IIA conversion, including streamlining, installation of a snorkel
breathing apparatus, and larger storage batteries, the submarine recommissioned 24 March 1953. She joined the Atlantic Fleet for training exercises and tactical drills in the years that followed, operating mainly in the Caribbean
and off the East Coast of the United States. She sailed for the Mediterranean
7 September 1956 to strengthen the 6th Fleet during the Suez Crisis
.
In July 1958 Hardhead, joined Submarine Development Group 2, turning her attention from fleet operations to research and testing of equipment and tactical doctrine. She operated off the East Coast and in the north Atlantic, and by 1961 had won four consecutive "E" awards for her performance. Hardhead continued through 1972 to perform this vital work in maintaining the technical superiority and readiness of the fleet.
, 26 July 1972. She was commissioned into the Hellenic Navy
as HS Papanikolis (S-114)
She was struck from the Greek Naval rolls in 1993.
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 for the hardhead
Mylopharodon conocephalus
The hardhead, Mylopharodon conocephalus, is a cyprinid fish native to California, it is the sole member of its genus. Hardhead are found in both small to large streams in low to mid-elevations. Hardhead may also inhabit reservoirs and lakes. Hardhead are omnivores at all ages although the juvenile...
, a fish of the croaker
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae is a family of fish commonly called drums, croakers, or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make...
family. Hardhead received six battle stars 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. All six of her combat patrols were "successful".
Hardhead 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...
by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc., 12 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. E. F. McDonald; 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...
18 April 1944, Commander Fitzhugh McMaster in command.
Following shakedown training in Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
the submarine entered a floating dry dock at Lockport, Ill.
Lockport, Illinois
Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, that incorporated in 1853. Lockport is located in northeastern Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, and north of Joliet, at locks connecting Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with the Des Plaines River via the Lockport...
, and was towed to New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, where she arrived 16 May 1944. Hardhead got underway from Algiers, La.
Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers is a neighborhood within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River.Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-History:...
, 22 May, and arrived 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...
, 5 days later. There she took part in additional training exercises before her arrival at 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...
7 July 1944.
First war patrol, July – September 1944
Hardhead, departed on her first war patrol 27 July and proceeded to her patrol area off the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Early 18 August she detected 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 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...
Natori
Japanese cruiser Natori
was a Nagara-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after the Natori River in Miyagi prefecture, Japan.-Background:Natori was the fourth vessel completed in the Nagara-class of light cruisers...
east of San Bernardino Strait
San Bernardino Strait
The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south.-Filipinos and San Bernardino Strait:...
, and closed for a surface attack. The first well-directed salvo stopped the cruiser dead in the water; a second sent her to the bottom.
During the remainder of her first patrol Hardhead rendered lifeguard services during strikes by fleet aircraft on the Philippines and operated with a reconnaissance line during the Palaus operation. She arrived 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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 26 September 1944.
Second war patrol, October – December 1944
Hardheads second patrol began as she departed Fremantle 24 October and set course for the Philippines. While steaming on the surface through the Sulu SeaSulu 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...
October she discovered a life raft adrift. In it was Commander Bakutis, fighter squadron commander of , who had been in the water for 6 days after being shot down during America's smashing victory in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
Operating in a coordinated group with and , the submarine sighted a large cargo ship with escorts 8 November. After being driven off in one attack, Hardhead aggressively gained an ahead position and sank Manei Maru. It was during this attack that Growler was lost.
Hardhead performed lifeguard duty off Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
in November and on 25 November came upon an escorted merchant ship. She sank a coast defense vessel, damaged the merchantman, and evaded a retaliatory 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...
attack. Soon afterward, the submarine returned to Fremantle, ending another skillful and effective patrol 5 December.
Third and fourth war patrols, December 1944 – May 1945
Putting to sea again 24 December, Hardhead began her third war patrol in the South China SeaSouth 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...
. Operating with and , Hardhead damaged several ships before sinking Nanshin Maru 2 February 1945. Following lifeguard duty for the B-29
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
strikes on Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
she returned to Fremantle 15 February.
Hardheads fourth war patrol included a special mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
-laying mission. She sailed 20 March 1945 and laid mines off French Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
during the night of 2 April. The submarine then entered the Gulf of Siam, where after several attacks she sank cargo ship Araosan Maru 6 April. Following a visit to Subic Bay to reload 11 April – 15 April she patrolled the South China Sea, but found few contacts. American submarines had by this time reduced Japanese merchant activity to a trickle. The island nation was doomed. Hardhead returned to Fremantle 16 May.
Fifth and sixth war patrols, June – August 1945
Sailing from Fremantle 18 June, Hardhead began her fifth war patrol, to be conducted in the Java SeaJava Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
. She severely damaged a freighter with her deck guns 22 June, and next day sank four coastal defense craft during an attack on Ambat Roads with . Illness of her Commanding Officer forced Hardhead to end her fifth patrol 17 July at Onslow, Australia
Onslow, Western Australia
Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north of Perth. It currently has a population of around 573 people and is in the Shire of Ashburton Local Government Area....
.
The submarine departed Onslow on her sixth and last patrol 18 July, and headed back into the Java Sea. She forced a merchant ship to beach 27 July but found few targets and returned to Subic Bay 10 August. Soon afterward the Pacific war, in which the submarine had played an aggressive and important part, ended. Hardhead sailed 31 August and arrived San Francisco via Pearl Harbor 22 September 1945. She decommissioned 10 May 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
.
Post-war service, 1952–1972
Hardhead was placed in commission in reserve 6 February 1952 and upon her arrival at New LondonNaval 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:...
for conversion was placed out of commission. Following her GUPPY IIA conversion, including streamlining, installation of a snorkel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
breathing apparatus, and larger storage batteries, the submarine recommissioned 24 March 1953. She joined the Atlantic Fleet for training exercises and tactical drills in the years that followed, operating mainly in the Caribbean
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....
and off the East Coast of the United States. She sailed for the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
7 September 1956 to strengthen the 6th Fleet during the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
.
In July 1958 Hardhead, joined Submarine Development Group 2, turning her attention from fleet operations to research and testing of equipment and tactical doctrine. She operated off the East Coast and in the north Atlantic, and by 1961 had won four consecutive "E" awards for her performance. Hardhead continued through 1972 to perform this vital work in maintaining the technical superiority and readiness of the fleet.
HS Papanikolis (S-114)
Hardhead was decommissioned, struck from the Naval Register, and transferred (sold) under the terms of the Security Assistance Program to GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, 26 July 1972. She was commissioned into the Hellenic Navy
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
as HS Papanikolis (S-114)
She was struck from the Greek Naval rolls in 1993.