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USS Pollack (SS-180)
Encyclopedia
USS Pollack (SS-180), a , was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the pollack
, a food fish resembling the true cod
, but with the lower jaw projecting and without the barbel
.
The first Pollack was laid down 1 October 1935 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, in Kittery, Maine
; launched 15 September 1936; sponsored by Miss Anne Carter Lauman; and commissioned 15 January 1937, Lt. Clarence E. Aldrich in command.
. She returned from this cruise to Portsmouth 4 September and was underway 29 November for the West Coast of the United States. She reached her new base at San Diego, California
, 19 December and spent the next 11 months in a rigorous schedule of maneuvers along the western seaboard with Submarine Division 13, Scouting Force. Pollack shifted to Pearl Harbor
28 October 1939. Except for periods of overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, she remained in Hawaiian waters until the outbreak of World War II She was underway from San Francisco to Hawaii
when the Japanese attacked on 7 December, and she entered Pearl Harbor two days later.
, Japan, a few hours before midnight 31 December, the first American warships to reach Japanese waters in World War II. Pollack damaged 2700-ton cargo ship Heijo Maru 5 January 1942 and two days later sent 2250-ton cargo ship Unkai Maru No. 1 to the bottom, the first officially confirmed victim of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. On 9 January she sank 5387-ton freighter Teian Maru by a night surface attack, and ended her first war patrol at Pearl Harbor 21 January.
Pollack got underway from Pearl Harbor 18 February to intercept enemy cargo ships carrying war material to Nagasaki by way of the Formosa Channel. On 11 March she torpedoed and sank 1454-ton cargo ship Fukushu Maru. She damaged a second cargo ship with gunfire before returning to Pearl Harbor 8 April.
Pollack departed Pearl Harbor 2 May and was in waters of the Japanese home islands 12 May when she battle-surfaced to riddle a 600-ton patrol vessel with 4 inches (10 cm) and .50" (12.7 mm) fire. This target settled by the stern and burned furiously at every point above the waterline. Pollack returned from her third war patrol to Pearl Harbor 16 June.
Following four months of overhaul at Pearl Harbor, Pollack put to sea for her fourth war patrol 10 October. Before she reached her assigned area she was ordered back to Midway
, arriving 23 October. She fueled to capacity and stood out of the Midway channel that same day to patrol the approaches to Truk in an attempt to intercept crippled enemy ships believed en route to that enemy stronghold from sea battles in the Solomon Islands
. There were no contacts with enemy shipping during the entire patrol and Pollack returned to Pearl Harbor 29 November.
Pollack spent her sixth war patrol between the Gilbert
and Marshall Islands
. She put to sea from Pearl Harbor 6 March and intercepted a freighter in the sealane between Jaluit
and Makin Atolls on the afternoon of 20 March, damaging her with one of three torpedoes. Pollack ended her sixth war patrol at Midway 18 April.
Underway for her seventh war patrol, Pollack departed Midway 10 May to reconnoiter Ailuk Atoll
and Wotje Atoll
, then patrolled to the south and west towards Schischmarev Strait. On 18 May she torpedoed and sank 3110-ton ex-gunboat Terushima Maru. Off Jaluit Atoll the next afternoon, she torpedoed and sank 5350-ton converted light cruiser Bangkok Maru. She returned to Pearl Harbor 25 June.
Sailing 20 July, Pollack spent her eighth war patrol off the east coast of Kyūshū
, Japan. On 6 August she scored a torpedo hit on one ship in a convoy
. Early on 27 August 1943, Pollack picked out one of five merchant ships off the coast of Kyūshū and pressed home an attack which sank 3520-ton passenger/cargo ship Taifuku Maru. On 3 September she sank 3,521-ton cargo ship Tagonoura Maru. She returned to Pearl Harbor 16 September.
Pollacks tenth war patrol was conducted off the Nanpō Islands. She cleared Midway 6 May and was sixteen days out to sea when she moved in on about ten merchantmen with several escorts. She scored torpedo hits which sank 1,270-ton Asanagi
but was held down by a fierce counter-attack while the remaining ships of the convoy escaped. She returned to Pearl Harbor 7 June.
Pollack departed Pearl Harbor for her eleventh war patrol 15 July. She touched at Majuro
, Marshall Islands, and then steamed on lifeguard station in support of the air strikes made on Woleai
island 1 August. She was off Yap Island 4 August – 5 August for similar duty, then patrolled in the Yap-Palau
area, taking time out to shell the phosphate
plant on Fais Island
27 August and 30 August. She returned to Brisbane
, Australia, 12 September.
Pollack underwent a refit period at Brisbane, then got underway 6 October for exercises with until the 10th. She then steamed by way of Mios Woendi
, Schouten Islands
, to Pearl Harbor where she arrived 18 November for training operations off Oahu
with units of the Pacific Fleet destroyer force.
at New London, Connecticut
, 24 February. The remainder of her career was spent as a training ship for men of the Submarine School at that base. She entered the Portsmouth Navy Yard 14 June for inactivation and was decommissioned there 21 September 1945. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
29 October 1946 and she was sold for scrapping 2 February 1947 to Ship-Shape, Inc. of Philadelphia
.
Pollack received ten battle stars for World War II service.
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 pollack
Pollack
Pollack is a surname, and may refer to:* Alan W. Pollack, musicologist* Andrea Pollack , swimmer* Ben Pollack , drummer and bandleader* Brittany Pollack, New York City Ballet dancer* David M. Pollack, , American football linebacker...
, a food fish resembling the true cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, but with the lower jaw projecting and without the barbel
Barbel (anatomy)
A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, the zebrafish and some species of shark...
.
The first Pollack was laid down 1 October 1935 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, in Kittery, Maine
Kittery, 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...
; launched 15 September 1936; sponsored by Miss Anne Carter Lauman; and commissioned 15 January 1937, Lt. Clarence E. Aldrich in command.
1937–1941
Pollack stood out of Portsmouth Navy Yard 7 June 1937 for a Caribbean shakedown cruiseShakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
. She returned from this cruise to Portsmouth 4 September and was underway 29 November for the West Coast of the United States. She reached her new base at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, 19 December and spent the next 11 months in a rigorous schedule of maneuvers along the western seaboard with Submarine Division 13, Scouting Force. Pollack shifted 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...
28 October 1939. Except for periods of overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, she remained in Hawaiian waters until the outbreak of World War II She was underway from San Francisco to 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...
when the Japanese attacked on 7 December, and she entered Pearl Harbor two days later.
1942
Pollack (commanded by Stanley P. Moseley, Class of 1925), and departed Pearl Harbor 13 December and were off the coast of HonshūHonshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan, a few hours before midnight 31 December, the first American warships to reach Japanese waters in World War II. Pollack damaged 2700-ton cargo ship Heijo Maru 5 January 1942 and two days later sent 2250-ton cargo ship Unkai Maru No. 1 to the bottom, the first officially confirmed victim of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. On 9 January she sank 5387-ton freighter Teian Maru by a night surface attack, and ended her first war patrol at Pearl Harbor 21 January.
Pollack got underway from Pearl Harbor 18 February to intercept enemy cargo ships carrying war material to Nagasaki by way of the Formosa Channel. On 11 March she torpedoed and sank 1454-ton cargo ship Fukushu Maru. She damaged a second cargo ship with gunfire before returning to Pearl Harbor 8 April.
Pollack departed Pearl Harbor 2 May and was in waters of the Japanese home islands 12 May when she battle-surfaced to riddle a 600-ton patrol vessel with 4 inches (10 cm) and .50" (12.7 mm) fire. This target settled by the stern and burned furiously at every point above the waterline. Pollack returned from her third war patrol to Pearl Harbor 16 June.
Following four months of overhaul at Pearl Harbor, Pollack put to sea for her fourth war patrol 10 October. Before she reached her assigned area she was ordered back to Midway
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...
, arriving 23 October. She fueled to capacity and stood out of the Midway channel that same day to patrol the approaches to Truk in an attempt to intercept crippled enemy ships believed en route to that enemy stronghold from sea battles in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. There were no contacts with enemy shipping during the entire patrol and Pollack returned to Pearl Harbor 29 November.
1943
Pollacks fifth war patrol was again spent in waters off the Japanese home islands. After departing Pearl Harbor 31 December, she sighted only one target before terminating her fifth war patrol at Pearl Harbor, 10 February 1943.Pollack spent her sixth war patrol between the Gilbert
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
and Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. She put to sea from Pearl Harbor 6 March and intercepted a freighter in the sealane between Jaluit
Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Most of the land area is on largest islet of Jaluit . Jaluit is located...
and Makin Atolls on the afternoon of 20 March, damaging her with one of three torpedoes. Pollack ended her sixth war patrol at Midway 18 April.
Underway for her seventh war patrol, Pollack departed Midway 10 May to reconnoiter Ailuk Atoll
Ailuk Atoll
Ailuk Atoll is a coral atoll of 57 islets in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately north from Wotje. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of...
and Wotje Atoll
Wotje Atoll
Wotje Atoll is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Wotje's land area of , is one the largest in the Marshall Islands, and encloses a lagoon of . The atoll is oriented east and west and is at its longest...
, then patrolled to the south and west towards Schischmarev Strait. On 18 May she torpedoed and sank 3110-ton ex-gunboat Terushima Maru. Off Jaluit Atoll the next afternoon, she torpedoed and sank 5350-ton converted light cruiser Bangkok Maru. She returned to Pearl Harbor 25 June.
Sailing 20 July, Pollack spent her eighth war patrol off the east coast of 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....
, Japan. On 6 August she scored a torpedo hit on one ship in 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...
. Early on 27 August 1943, Pollack picked out one of five merchant ships off the coast of Kyūshū and pressed home an attack which sank 3520-ton passenger/cargo ship Taifuku Maru. On 3 September she sank 3,521-ton cargo ship Tagonoura Maru. She returned to Pearl Harbor 16 September.
1944
Pollack got underway from Pearl Harbor 28 February 1944 and battled heavy seas as she entered the assigned area of her ninth war patrol off Nanpō Islands 18 March. Two days later she made a night surface attack and watched two torpedo hits blow 1,327-ton freighter Hakuyo Maru to pieces. On 25 March she sank 300-ton Submarine Chaser No. 54, and damaged two freighters. On 3 April she sank passenger-cargo ship Tosei Maru. She returned to Midway 11 April.Pollacks tenth war patrol was conducted off the Nanpō Islands. She cleared Midway 6 May and was sixteen days out to sea when she moved in on about ten merchantmen with several escorts. She scored torpedo hits which sank 1,270-ton Asanagi
Japanese destroyer Asanagi
was the eighth vessel of the Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:Construction of the...
but was held down by a fierce counter-attack while the remaining ships of the convoy escaped. She returned to Pearl Harbor 7 June.
Pollack departed Pearl Harbor for her eleventh war patrol 15 July. She touched at Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
, Marshall Islands, and then steamed on lifeguard station in support of the air strikes made on Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
island 1 August. She was off Yap Island 4 August – 5 August for similar duty, then patrolled in the Yap-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...
area, taking time out to shell the phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
plant on Fais Island
Fais Island
Fais Island is a raised coral island in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia...
27 August and 30 August. She returned to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia, 12 September.
Pollack underwent a refit period at Brisbane, then got underway 6 October for exercises with until the 10th. She then steamed by way of Mios Woendi
Mios Woendi
Mios Woendi is the name of an island and was a forward base for United States Navy during World War II. The US Navy code word for the base located in Schouten Islands, was Stinker...
, Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands
The Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
, to Pearl Harbor where she arrived 18 November for training operations off Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
with units of the Pacific Fleet destroyer force.
1945
She was underway from Oahu 25 January 1945, in company with to the East Coast of the United States, reaching the Sub BaseNaval 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:...
at New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, 24 February. The remainder of her career was spent as a training ship for men of the Submarine School at that base. She entered the Portsmouth Navy Yard 14 June for inactivation and was decommissioned there 21 September 1945. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
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...
29 October 1946 and she was sold for scrapping 2 February 1947 to Ship-Shape, Inc. of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Pollack received ten battle stars for World War II service.