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USS Lizardfish (SS-373)
Encyclopedia
USS Lizardfish (SS-373), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the lizardfish, a slender marine fish having a scaly lizardlike head and large mouth.
Lizardfish (SS-373) was laid down 14 March 1944 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 16 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lansdale G. Sasscer; wife of Congressman Sasscer of Maryland
; and commissioned 30 December 1944, Comdr. Ovid M. Butler in command.
Lizardfish departed the Manitowoc River
20 January 1945 for Lockport, Ill.
, where she was loaded on a floating drydock and towed down the Mississippi River
. She arrived at Algiers, La.
, 1 February and put to sea 5 days later for the Panama Canal
and Pearl Harbor
, arriving 23 March.
Lizardfish left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 9 April 1945. Topping off with fuel at Saipan
on the 21st, she set course for the South China Sea
. The submarine maintained a thorough close-in patrol of Indochina
between 30 April and 18 May but contacted no enemy traffic. From 23 May to 28 May a similar painstaking patrol in the Java Sea
produced no enemy contacts. Completing this arduous patrol, Lizardfish arrived Fremantle
, Australia
, 2 June.
Lizardfish got underway 28 June 1945 on her second patrol in the Java
and South China Seas. Throughout this well-planned and aggressive patrol the submarine sought out targets and carried destruction to the enemy in confined harbors, straits, and anchorages. After careful submerged reconnaissance, she made two daring daylight gun attacks within range of shore batteries.
On 5 July she entered the coral
-fringed bay of Chelukan Bawang, Bali
, discovering four landing barges, a 250-ton sea truck, and a 100-ton submarine chaser, all heavily camouflaged. She made a submerged run and sank Submarine Chaser Alo. 37, then battle-surfaced and opened her deck guns. Her 5 inches (127 mm) salvos started a gasoline fire which destroyed a nest of four landing barges. She then demolished a boat shed and ripped apart the bow of a sea truck inside. Leaving this target in a flaming mass, she headed out to sea.
On 19 July near Sunda Strait
she was patrolling southward along the western shore when she sighted a convoy of sea trucks. The submarine surfaced and commenced firing at the closest target, started a brisk fire, and shifted targets. Meanwhile a shore battery opened up and was lobbing shells close by. When ammunition was expended, Lizardfish submerged, leaving behind three ships burning fiercely. She surfaced that night and headed for lifeguard station off Singapore
in support of Army B-24Liberator bomber strikes. The submarine arrived Subic Bay
, Philippines
, 6 August and was there when Japan
capitulated 9 days later.
Lizardfish received one battle star for World War II
service.
Lizardfish cleared Subic Bay 31 August and set course for the West Coast, touched Pearl Harbor, and arrived San Francisco 22 September. At Eureka, Calif.
, 24 October for Navy Day
celebrations, Lizardfish 5 days later tied-up at Tiburon, Calif.
, remaining there until 2 January 1946 when she got underway to act as schoolship for the Sonar School at San Diego, Calif. She completed her training services 5 March and reported for inactivation at San Francisco. After operations off the California coast, she decommissioned, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island Navy Yard, 24 June 1946.
9 January 1960 and served the Italian Navy
under the name Evangelista Torricelli (S-512). She was discarded by the Italian Navy in 1976.
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 lizardfish, a slender marine fish having a scaly lizardlike head and large mouth.
Lizardfish (SS-373) was laid down 14 March 1944 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc.; launched 16 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lansdale G. Sasscer; wife of Congressman Sasscer of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
; and commissioned 30 December 1944, Comdr. Ovid M. Butler in command.
Lizardfish departed the Manitowoc River
Manitowoc River
The Manitowoc River is a river, about 40 mi long, in eastern Wisconsin in the United States. It flows into Lake Michigan at the city of Manitowoc.-Course:The Manitowoc River is formed in eastern Calumet County by its north and south branches:...
20 January 1945 for 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...
, where she was loaded on a floating drydock and towed down the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. She arrived at 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:...
, 1 February and put to sea 5 days later for the Panama Canal
Panama 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...
and 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 23 March.
Lizardfish left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 9 April 1945. Topping off with fuel at Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on the 21st, she set course for 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 submarine maintained a thorough close-in patrol of 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...
between 30 April and 18 May but contacted no enemy traffic. From 23 May to 28 May a similar painstaking patrol in the Java Sea
Java 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...
produced no enemy contacts. Completing this arduous patrol, Lizardfish 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...
, 2 June.
Lizardfish got underway 28 June 1945 on her second patrol in the Java
Java 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...
and South China Seas. Throughout this well-planned and aggressive patrol the submarine sought out targets and carried destruction to the enemy in confined harbors, straits, and anchorages. After careful submerged reconnaissance, she made two daring daylight gun attacks within range of shore batteries.
On 5 July she entered the coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
-fringed bay of Chelukan Bawang, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, discovering four landing barges, a 250-ton sea truck, and a 100-ton submarine chaser, all heavily camouflaged. She made a submerged run and sank Submarine Chaser Alo. 37, then battle-surfaced and opened her deck guns. Her 5 inches (127 mm) salvos started a gasoline fire which destroyed a nest of four landing barges. She then demolished a boat shed and ripped apart the bow of a sea truck inside. Leaving this target in a flaming mass, she headed out to sea.
On 19 July near Sunda Strait
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean...
she was patrolling southward along the western shore when she sighted a convoy of sea trucks. The submarine surfaced and commenced firing at the closest target, started a brisk fire, and shifted targets. Meanwhile a shore battery opened up and was lobbing shells close by. When ammunition was expended, Lizardfish submerged, leaving behind three ships burning fiercely. She surfaced that night and headed for lifeguard station off 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...
in support of Army B-24Liberator bomber strikes. The submarine arrived 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...
, Philippines
Philippines
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...
, 6 August and was there when 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...
capitulated 9 days later.
Lizardfish 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.
Lizardfish cleared Subic Bay 31 August and set course for the West Coast, touched Pearl Harbor, and arrived San Francisco 22 September. At Eureka, Calif.
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
, 24 October for Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
celebrations, Lizardfish 5 days later tied-up at Tiburon, Calif.
Tiburon, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It occupies most of the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-east part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon...
, remaining there until 2 January 1946 when she got underway to act as schoolship for the Sonar School at San Diego, Calif. She completed her training services 5 March and reported for inactivation at San Francisco. After operations off the California coast, she decommissioned, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island Navy Yard, 24 June 1946.
Evangelista Torricelli (S-512)
Lizardfish remained in reserve until 16 March 1959 when she departed for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for Fleet Snorkel conversion and fitting out. She was transferred to the Government of ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
9 January 1960 and served the Italian Navy
Marina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
under the name Evangelista Torricelli (S-512). She was discarded by the Italian Navy in 1976.