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USS Plaice (SS-390)
Encyclopedia
USS Plaice (SS-390), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the plaice
, one of the various American flatfish; summer flounder. She participated in the Pacific War
campaign of World War II
, receiving six battle stars for her service. The United States
later transferred her to Brazil
in a joint cooperation program.
on 14 July 1943; launched
on 15 November 1943, sponsored by Miss Eleanor Fazzi; and commissioned
on 12 February 1944, Lieutenant Commander
Clyde B. Stevens in command.
Following shakedown and training, Plaice got underway for the Panama Canal Zone
on 15 April, and arrived Pearl Harbor
on 13 May. She departed on her first war patrol in the Bonin Islands area on 3 June. Plaice torpedoed and sank Hyakufuku Maru on 30 June; Kogi Maru on 5 July; and Submarine Chaser No. 50 on 18 July, before returning to Midway Island.
The submarine was off on her second war patrol on 17 August, this time in the Nansei Shoto area. In the early afternoon on 7 September, Plaice scored one torpedo hit on a Kongō Maru-class liner converted to an auxiliary cruiser
. On 24 September, Plaice launched four torpedoes at a , briefly stopping its screws.
Three days later she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 10., and put three torpedoes into the side of a transport, which blossomed a bright orange flame. The patrol ended as Plaice drew into Midway on 7 October and got underway the following day for Pearl Harbor with .
Plaice departed Pearl Harbor on 9 November for her third patrol in the Southwestern Japanese Empire off the coast of Shikoku
and Kyūshū
. On 9 December, she damaged . She patrolled the traffic lanes east of Van Diemen Strait and pulled into Guam
20 December without having sunk any ships on the patrol.
The undersea raider departed Guam on her fourth patrol in the Luzon Strait
s-Formosa
areas. Plaice was part of a coordinated attack group which included , , , , and . This long patrol in the face of enemy antisubmarine measures resulted in but one contact worthy of torpedo
fire, a convoy
of a small freighter, a medium freighter and three escorts. Three attacks resulted in but one hit. On 23 March 1945, Plaice moored at Midway.
The fifth patrol originated from Midway on 26 April and took Plaice to the Kuril Islands
-Okhotsk Sea area. The first enemy contact was made on 13 May, when the submarine trailed four sea trucks and four small lugger
s until she opened a surface engagement with her 5 in (127 mm) and 40 mm guns, sinking all four sea trucks and two luggers.
When all her larger ammunition had been expended, she drove the remaining two luggers toward the beach and damaged them by 20 mm and small arms fire. On 18 May, seven fishing boats came into view. The staccato of 20 mm and .50 caliber guns tore into two of the boats and damaged them visibly. Plaice ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor 13 June.
The sixth patrol - commencing on 18 July - took Plaice to the East China Sea
area, but she made no enemy contacts. She picked up five survivors from an Army
B-25 Mitchell
, and transferred them to a Navy patrol bomber the following day. On 15 August, Japan
accepted the Potsdam Ultimatum and nine days later Plaice pulled into Midway.
After the war was over, Plaice operated in the Pacific until, by directive dated November 1947, she was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
. Plaice was reactivated 18 May 1963 in preparation for a five-year loan to Brazil
on 7 September 1963 under the Military Assistance Program.
) Abílio Simões Machado of the Brazilian Navy
took command of the submarine at Oear Harbor, Hawaii
, on 7 September 1963. Commissioned in the Brazilian Navy as Bahia (S-12), she was the first Balao-class submarine to undergo alterations st the Brazilian Navy Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro
; her hydrodynamic shape was modified with the installation of a new conning tower and periscope
guide. After the completion of the modifications, Bahias underwater speed increased by one knot and she was quieter when submerged.
Bahia took part in UNITAS
naval exercises and assisted in surveillance in the South Atlantic Ocean during the Cold War
. She logged 140,503 nautical miles (260,212 kilometers), spending 2,863 hours submerged and 836 days at sea. Her loan to Brazil was extended beyond its original five-year term at regular intervals.
Bahia was decommissioned on 19 January 1973. She was sold to the Technology Museum of São Paulo
, which intended to tow her Santos, Brazil, and convert her into a museum ship
. However, these plans were not realzied, and instead Bahia was scrapped following a ceremony on 27 March 1973.
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 plaice
American plaice
The American plaice or sole, Hippoglossoides platessoides, is a flatfish that belongs, along with other right-eyed flounders, to the Pleuronectidae family. American plaice are an Atlantic species. Their range is from southern Labrador to Rhode Island. They spawn in the Gulf of Maine, with peak...
, one of the various American flatfish; summer flounder. She participated in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
campaign of 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...
, receiving six battle stars for her service. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
later transferred her to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in a joint cooperation program.
United States Navy
Plaice was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, MaineKittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
on 14 July 1943; 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...
on 15 November 1943, sponsored by Miss Eleanor Fazzi; 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...
on 12 February 1944, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Clyde B. Stevens in command.
Following shakedown and training, Plaice got underway for the Panama 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...
on 15 April, and arrived 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...
on 13 May. She departed on her first war patrol in the Bonin Islands area on 3 June. Plaice torpedoed and sank Hyakufuku Maru on 30 June; Kogi Maru on 5 July; and Submarine Chaser No. 50 on 18 July, before returning to Midway Island.
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...
. On 24 September, Plaice launched four torpedoes at a , briefly stopping its screws.
Three days later she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 10., and put three torpedoes into the side of a transport, which blossomed a bright orange flame. The patrol ended as Plaice drew into Midway on 7 October and got underway the following day for Pearl Harbor with .
Plaice departed Pearl Harbor on 9 November for her third patrol in the Southwestern Japanese Empire off the coast of Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
and Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. On 9 December, she damaged . She patrolled the traffic lanes east of Van Diemen Strait and pulled into 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...
20 December without having sunk any ships on the patrol.
The undersea raider departed Guam on her fourth patrol in the Luzon Strait
Luzon Strait
The Luzon Strait is the strait between the island country of Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean....
s-Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
areas. Plaice was part of a coordinated attack group which included , , , , and . This long patrol in the face of enemy antisubmarine measures resulted in but one contact worthy of 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...
fire, a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of a small freighter, a medium freighter and three escorts. Three attacks resulted in but one hit. On 23 March 1945, Plaice moored at Midway.
The fifth patrol originated from Midway on 26 April and took Plaice to the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
-Okhotsk Sea area. The first enemy contact was made on 13 May, when the submarine trailed four sea trucks and four small lugger
Lugger
A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
s until she opened a surface engagement with her 5 in (127 mm) and 40 mm guns, sinking all four sea trucks and two luggers.
When all her larger ammunition had been expended, she drove the remaining two luggers toward the beach and damaged them by 20 mm and small arms fire. On 18 May, seven fishing boats came into view. The staccato of 20 mm and .50 caliber guns tore into two of the boats and damaged them visibly. Plaice ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor 13 June.
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:...
area, but she made no enemy contacts. She picked up five survivors from an Army
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, and transferred them to a Navy patrol bomber the following day. On 15 August, 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...
accepted the Potsdam Ultimatum and nine days later Plaice pulled into Midway.
After the war was over, Plaice operated in the Pacific until, by directive dated November 1947, she was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
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...
. Plaice was reactivated 18 May 1963 in preparation for a five-year loan to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on 7 September 1963 under the Military Assistance Program.
Brazilian Navy
Capitão-de-Fragata (CommanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
) Abílio Simões Machado of the Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
took command of the submarine at Oear Harbor, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, on 7 September 1963. Commissioned in the Brazilian Navy as Bahia (S-12), she was the first Balao-class submarine to undergo alterations st the Brazilian Navy Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
; her hydrodynamic shape was modified with the installation of a new conning tower and periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
guide. After the completion of the modifications, Bahias underwater speed increased by one knot and she was quieter when submerged.
UNITAS
UNITAS are sea exercises and in port training involving several countries in North, South and Central America, conducted by the USA since 1959 in support of the U.S. policy.-External links:* * - Globalsecurity.org...
naval exercises and assisted in surveillance in the South Atlantic Ocean during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. She logged 140,503 nautical miles (260,212 kilometers), spending 2,863 hours submerged and 836 days at sea. Her loan to Brazil was extended beyond its original five-year term at regular intervals.
Bahia was decommissioned on 19 January 1973. She was sold to the Technology Museum of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, which intended to tow her Santos, Brazil, and convert her into a museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
. However, these plans were not realzied, and instead Bahia was scrapped following a ceremony on 27 March 1973.