USS Pargo (SS-264)
Encyclopedia
USS Pargo (SS-264), a Gato-class
submarine
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the pargo, a fish of the genus Lutjanus found in the West Indies.
The first Pargo (SS-264) was laid down 21 May 1942 by Electric Boat Co.
, Groton, CT
; launched 24 January 1943; sponsored by Miss Belle Baruch; and commissioned 26 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. Ian C. Eddy in command.
to Pearl Harbor
, arriving 23 July 1943. The first of her eight war patrols began 18 August and took her into the East China Sea
where she twice attacked the enemy, inflicting undetermined damage to several ships before returning to Pearl Harbor 6 October.
After refitting Pargo sailed 30 October in company with and in a wolf-pack. The efforts of the three were well directed against the open sea area northwest of the Marianas
where Pargo sank two freighters, Manju Maru and Shoko Maru totaling 7,810 tons, on 29 November and 30 November.
Pargo next underwent overhaul and received a new engine at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
. On 5 March 1944 she was underway for Pearl Harbor and 25 March began her third war patrol. Her mission, to destroy enemy ships in the Philippine
and Celebes Sea
s areas was carried out with several attacks, one of which sank an ex-net tender. Pargo began refitting at Fremantle, Australia 24 May.
Underway 13 June for the Celebes Sea, Pargo noted fewer ships present in the area. She scored well again, however, damaging several and sinking a 5,236 ton cargo ship, Yamagibu Maru.
Griffin
(AS-13) refitted Pargo at Fremantle to prepare her for her next patrol. From 3 September to 7 October she ranged the South China Sea
, pressing her attacks to damage several Japan
ese ships and to sink two more, including a minelayer
.
n waters in company with for her sixth patrol. From Exmouth Gulf
she continued alone into the South China Sea where she found that increased allied air activity had further diminished use of the shipping lanes. She sank tanker
Yuho Maru off Brunei Bay
26 November. Following this action she received from escorts the worst depth charging
of her career, but escaped without serious damage, and returned to Australia 21 December.
Replenishment and retraining ensued, and on 15 January 1945 Pargo got underway for the Indo-China coast. Six days out she launched a night torpedo
attack that damaged several ships. On 10 February she again engaged the enemy and ten days later blew up destroyer
Nokaze
. Pargo then sailed via Saipan
and Pearl Harbor to Mare Island for a modernization overhaul which lasted from 25 March to 17 June.
of Tsushima Straits, she entered the Sea of Japan
where she attacked a six-ship convoy. She made her last sinking on 8 August, the passenger-cargo ship Rashin Maru, to total nine for the war. After Japanese capitulation, Pargo remained in the mine-filled waters until after the peace terms were signed and then sailed for Guam
.
Returning to Pearl Harbor with the knowledge that she had contributed materially to the victory in the Pacific, Pargo assumed post-war duties as part of the squadron based there. She decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was assigned to train Naval Reservists in the 13th Naval District where she remained until 1 June 1960 when her name was struck from the Navy List
. Pargo was sold 17 April 1961.
Pargo received eight battle stars for World War II
service. All eight of her war patrols were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 27,983 tons of enemy shipping.
See for other ships of the same name.
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 the first 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 pargo, a fish of the genus Lutjanus found in the West Indies.
The first Pargo (SS-264) was laid down 21 May 1942 by Electric Boat Co.
Electric Boat Corporation
The General Dynamics Electric Boat is a division of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for over 100 years....
, Groton, CT
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....
; launched 24 January 1943; sponsored by Miss Belle Baruch; and commissioned 26 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. Ian C. Eddy in command.
First and second war patrols, August – December 1943
Following shakedown and training Pargo sailed 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...
, arriving 23 July 1943. The first of her eight war patrols began 18 August and took her into 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:...
where she twice attacked the enemy, inflicting undetermined damage to several ships before returning to Pearl Harbor 6 October.
After refitting Pargo sailed 30 October in company with and in a wolf-pack. The efforts of the three were well directed against the open sea area northwest of the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
where Pargo sank two freighters, Manju Maru and Shoko Maru totaling 7,810 tons, on 29 November and 30 November.
Third, fourth, and fifth war patrols, March – October 1944
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...
. On 5 March 1944 she was underway for Pearl Harbor and 25 March began her third war patrol. Her mission, to destroy enemy ships in the Philippine
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
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 areas was carried out with several attacks, one of which sank an ex-net tender. Pargo began refitting at Fremantle, Australia 24 May.
Underway 13 June for the Celebes Sea, Pargo noted fewer ships present in the area. She scored well again, however, damaging several and sinking a 5,236 ton cargo ship, Yamagibu Maru.
Griffin
USS Griffin (AS-13)
USS Griffin , originally Mormacpenn, a United States Maritime Commission Type C3 pre-war cargo ship, was launched by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, Chester, Pennsylvania, 11 October 1939...
(AS-13) refitted Pargo at Fremantle to prepare her for her next patrol. From 3 September to 7 October she ranged 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...
, pressing her attacks to damage several 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 ships and to sink two more, including a minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
.
Sixth and seventh war patrols, October 1944 – March 1945
On 28 October Pargo sailed from western AustraliaAustralia
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...
n waters in company with for her sixth patrol. From Exmouth Gulf
Exmouth Gulf
Exmouth Gulf is a gulf in the north west of Western Australia. It lies between North West Cape and the main coastline of Western Australia. It is considered to be part of the region of the North West Shelf and in the Canning Basin area.-Environment:...
she continued alone into the South China Sea where she found that increased allied air activity had further diminished use of the shipping lanes. She sank 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:...
Yuho Maru off Brunei Bay
Brunei Bay
Brunei Bay is the gateway to Brunei and Borneo. It is located 4°45'-5°02'N, 114°58'-115°10'E; east of Bandar Seri Begawan. The Brunei portion of the bay is in two sections separated by a finger of Sarawak about 6km wide at the coast...
26 November. Following this action she received from escorts the worst depth charging
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...
of her career, but escaped without serious damage, and returned to Australia 21 December.
Replenishment and retraining ensued, and on 15 January 1945 Pargo got underway for the Indo-China coast. Six days out she launched a night 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...
attack that damaged several ships. On 10 February she again engaged the enemy and ten days later blew up 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...
Nokaze
Japanese destroyer Nokaze
was the lead ship of the Nokaze sub-class, an improvement to the 1st class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I...
. Pargo then sailed via 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...
and Pearl Harbor to Mare Island for a modernization overhaul which lasted from 25 March to 17 June.
Eighth war patrol, July – September 1945
The submarine’s eighth and final patrol spanned the 42-day interval from 14 July to 9 September. Transiting the minefieldsNaval 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...
of Tsushima Straits, she entered the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
where she attacked a six-ship convoy. She made her last sinking on 8 August, the passenger-cargo ship Rashin Maru, to total nine for the war. After Japanese capitulation, Pargo remained in the mine-filled waters until after the peace terms were signed and then sailed for 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...
.
Returning to Pearl Harbor with the knowledge that she had contributed materially to the victory in the Pacific, Pargo assumed post-war duties as part of the squadron based there. She decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was assigned to train Naval Reservists in the 13th Naval District where she remained until 1 June 1960 when 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...
. Pargo was sold 17 April 1961.
Pargo received eight 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 eight of her war patrols were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 27,983 tons of enemy shipping.
See for other ships of the same name.