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USS Hoe (SS-258)
Encyclopedia
, a Gato-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the hoe
, one of various sharks, especially the dogfish
.
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company, Groton
, Connecticut
on 2 January 1942. She was launched
17 September 1942 (sponsored by Miss Helen Hess), and commissioned
16 December 1942, Lieutenant Commander
B. C. Folger in command.
to Pearl Harbor
, where she arrived 15 May. She departed on her first combat war patrol 27 May, and patrolled the Guam
-Palau
s area. Hoe damaged two freighters before returning 11 July to Pearl Harbor via Ulithi
and Midway Atoll
.
Hoes second patrol, conducted west of Truk, was marred by considerable engine trouble. The submarine departed 21 August, damaged one tanker
, and eluded several depth charge
attacks before returning to Pearl Harbor 18 October 1943. She also took part in the search for downed aviators off Wake Island
, 8–9 October.
and Halmahera
, the submarine made an attack 16 February which damaged one ship. Although shadowed by escort vessels, Hoe detected another convoy 25 February and in two separate attacks sank tanker Nissho Maru. She returned to Fremantle, Australia, 5 March for refit and training.
Hoe began her fourth war patrol from Fremantle 4 April, and operated in the South China Sea
, the vital Japan
ese sea supply line. She attacked a convoy 8 May, but scored no hits. Two more attacks 17 May and 19 May resulted in several damaged freighters and severe retaliatory depth charge attacks on Hoe. She returned to Fremantle 2 June 1944. Her fifth war patrol, in the same area, was conducted between 29 June and 23 August 1944.
, the submarines accounted for some 38,000 tons of valuable Japanese shipping in five night surface attacks. Hoe was credited with the sinking of passenger-cargo ship Kohoko Maru 8 October, and returned to Fremantle 22 October.
Her seventh patrol, 23 November 1944 to 3 January 1945, resulted in no sinkings. Part of this cruise was conducted in coordination with and .
. By this time the vigorous American submarine offensive had taken its toll and little Japanese shipping could be found. The submarine did detect a tanker with an escort 25 February and in a well-conducted submerged attack sank the escort, Shinan.
Two days before, while patrolling off Indochina
, she and had been involved in one of the most unusual accidents of the war. While steaming at a depth of 60 feet (18 m) Hoe struck an object and broached, sustaining only light damage. Subsequent analysis proved that she had actually collided with Flounder, one of the few submerged collisions on record. Ending her last patrol at Pearl Harbor
6 March, Hoe returned to the United States for overhaul and repairs.
, Guam
, when the war ended. A few days later she sailed for the East Coast via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal, arriving New York
29 September 1945.
Hoe decommissioned 7 August 1946 at New London, Conn., and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. In September 1956 she was taken out of reserve to act as a Naval Reserve Training Ship in a noncommissioned status in the 3rd Naval District. She was subsequently sold 23 August 1960 to Laneett Inc., Boston, Massachusetts.
Hoe received seven battle stars for World War II
service. Her first, third, fourth, sixth, and eighth patrols were designated successful.
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...
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 hoe
Squaliformes
Squaliformes is an order of sharks that includes about 97 species in seven families.Members of the order have two dorsal fins, which usually possess spines, no anal fin or nictitating membrane, and five gill slits. In most other respects, however, they are quite variable in form and size...
, one of various sharks, especially the dogfish
Spiny dogfish
The spiny dogfish, spurdog, mud shark, or piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias, is one of the best known of the dogfish which are members of the family Squalidae in the order Squaliformes. While these common names may apply to several species, Squalus acanthias is distinguished by having two spines ...
.
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...
on 2 January 1942. 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 September 1942 (sponsored by Miss Helen Hess), 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...
16 December 1942, 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...
B. C. Folger in command.
First and second war patrols, May – October 1943
After shakedown, Hoe sailed 19 April 1943 via the Panama CanalPanama 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...
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...
, where she arrived 15 May. She departed on her first combat war patrol 27 May, and patrolled the 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...
-Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
s area. Hoe damaged two freighters before returning 11 July to Pearl Harbor via Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
and Midway Atoll
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...
.
Hoes second patrol, conducted west of Truk, was marred by considerable engine trouble. The submarine departed 21 August, damaged one tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
, and eluded several 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...
attacks before returning to Pearl Harbor 18 October 1943. She also took part in the search for downed aviators off Wake Island
Wake 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...
, 8–9 October.
Third, fourth, and fifth war patrols, January – August 1944
Following extensive repairs, Hoe set out on her third patrol 26 January 1944]]. Patrolling between MindanaoMindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
and Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
, the submarine made an attack 16 February which damaged one ship. Although shadowed by escort vessels, Hoe detected another convoy 25 February and in two separate attacks sank tanker Nissho Maru. She returned to Fremantle, Australia, 5 March for refit and training.
Hoe began her fourth war patrol from Fremantle 4 April, and operated in the South China Sea
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...
, the vital 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 sea supply line. She attacked a convoy 8 May, but scored no hits. Two more attacks 17 May and 19 May resulted in several damaged freighters and severe retaliatory depth charge attacks on Hoe. She returned to Fremantle 2 June 1944. Her fifth war patrol, in the same area, was conducted between 29 June and 23 August 1944.
Sixth and seventh war patrols, September 1944 – January 1945
The veteran submarine sailed on her sixth patrol 15 September as leader of a coordinated attack group consisting of Hoe, , and . Operating southwest of Lingayen GulfLingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
, the submarines accounted for some 38,000 tons of valuable Japanese shipping in five night surface attacks. Hoe was credited with the sinking of passenger-cargo ship Kohoko Maru 8 October, and returned to Fremantle 22 October.
Her seventh patrol, 23 November 1944 to 3 January 1945, resulted in no sinkings. Part of this cruise was conducted in coordination with and .
Eighth war patrol, February – March 1945
Hoes final war patrol began 8 February 1945, when she again headed for 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...
. By this time the vigorous American submarine offensive had taken its toll and little Japanese shipping could be found. The submarine did detect a tanker with an escort 25 February and in a well-conducted submerged attack sank the escort, Shinan.
Two days before, while patrolling off 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...
, she and had been involved in one of the most unusual accidents of the war. While steaming at a depth of 60 feet (18 m) Hoe struck an object and broached, sustaining only light damage. Subsequent analysis proved that she had actually collided with Flounder, one of the few submerged collisions on record. Ending her last patrol 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...
6 March, Hoe returned to the United States for overhaul and repairs.
Post-war service
She sailed again for the Western Pacific 5 July 1945 and was just entering Apra HarborApra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, 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...
, when the war ended. A few days later she sailed for the East Coast via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal, arriving New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
29 September 1945.
Hoe decommissioned 7 August 1946 at New London, Conn., and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. In September 1956 she was taken out of reserve to act as a Naval Reserve Training Ship in a noncommissioned status in the 3rd Naval District. She was subsequently sold 23 August 1960 to Laneett Inc., Boston, Massachusetts.
Hoe received seven 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. Her first, third, fourth, sixth, and eighth patrols were designated successful.