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USS Pompon (SS-267)
Encyclopedia
USS Pompon (SS/SSR-267), a Gato-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the pompon, an American fish of the Anisot family.
Pompon (SS-267) was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.
, Manitowoc, Wisc.
26 November 1941; launched 15 August 1942; sponsored by Miss Katherine Mary Wolleson; and commissioned 17 March 1943, Lt. Comdr. E. C. Hawk in command.
On 5 April 1943 Pompon began her voyage down the Mississippi River
to New Orleans
in a floating drydock. Stores were loaded at New Orleans and she sailed for the Pacific
.
ese submarine fired two torpedo
es at her, both passing ahead. Besides patrolling off Truk, Pompon formed a scouting line with other submarines to cover 7th Fleet operations. On 25 July she seized the opportunity and torpedoed 5,871 ton cargo ship Thames Maru. In the same action two more attacks damaged a second transport and also a smaller transport. Numerous patrol boats and another enemy submarine were evaded, and Pompon returned to Brisbane 22 August.
north of Singapore
, she was fired on by a "friendly" liberty ship
. Luckily the range was too great for damage. After several unsuccessful attacks and a near miss by a Japanese submarine, Pompon returned to Fremantle, Australia on 5 November for supplies.
, where two radio-equipped Japanese motor sampan
s were sunk by gunfire, Pompon mined
waters southwest of Cochin China. After a five day sortie into the Celebes Sea
, Pompon returned to Darwin
for fuel, ending her patrol on 28 January 1944.
On 22 February, Pompon departed on her fourth patrol, and operated in the vicinity of Halmahera
Island. She launched four torpedoes at three small Japanese escort vessels, but they ran under their targets due to the escorts' shallow draft. A contact was made in Roeang Passage, but upon closing, it proved to be a hospital ship. She made no further contacts and proceeded to Pearl Harbor
via Ascension and Midway
, arriving 10 April.
, Shikoku
, and Honshū
. On 30 May she contacted a 742-ton cargo ship off Muroto Zaki. A submerged attack resulted in a hit directly under the rising sun flag amidships, breaking the ship in two. The Shiga Maru immediately sank. For the next seven hours Pompon was the target for five Japanese escorts and a portion of the air force, but she managed to crawl away from the scene at deep submergence. After covering the Tokyo Bay
approaches for the Battle for Saipan, Pompon returned to Midway 25 June.
, she sank a 300-ton armed trawler
with gunfire. Then on 12 August she spotted a Japanese convoy
off the coast of Russian Sakhalin
. In the wild night surface action which followed an 8,000-ton tanker
was badly damaged by two torpedoes, 2,718-ton transport Mikage Maru No. 20 was sunk, and a hit was possibly obtained on one of two hotly pursuing escort vessels. During this melee Pompon was almost sunk by one of her own torpedoes. While she was surfaced, with the enemy bearing down, one of her own "fish" perversely circled and just missed the stern. She was driven down by gunfire and then depth charge
d, but managed to escape without damage. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 September for onward routing to San Francisco Bay
for modernization and overhaul conducted at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
she picked up a Filipino who had been drifting in a broken down motor launch for 45 days. On 6 January 1945 she departed Majuro as a part of a wolf pack, for a patrol in the Yellow Sea
. On 28 January she contacted a three ship convoy with four escorts off Kokuzan To. With in contact, the Pompon made two submerged night approaches only to have the alert escorts drive her off each time. While two escorts pinned her down astern of the convoy, Spadefish slipped in on the disengaged side and sank two of the ships and one of the escorts. Pompon surfaced in time to watch the sinkings and gave chase to the one remaining ship. Again she was deterred from attack by gunfire and a trailing escort.
The next morning, while making a morning trim dive, the conning tower
hatch failed. Before the dive could be halted the ship had reached a depth of 44 feet (13.4 m), partially flooding the conning tower and control room, and completely flooding the pump room. Pompon crept homeward, having to run awash until the blower could be partially restored. While struggling along in this condition, she blundered into an enemy convoy and was sighted. The escorts forced her to dive despite her dangerous condition, but she miraculously escaped. found her one day out of Midway and led her in on 11 February.
and Formosa
. Her only contacts, a motor sampan, a hospital ship, and 106 planes, provided excellent diving experience, but poor hunting. Ten survivors from a downed PBM were taken from for transportation to Guam
, where Pompon arrived 24 May.
During her ninth, and last, war patrol from 18 June to 22 July, she operated as a lifeguard in the Truk area. There were no ship contacts and few plane contacts. She was at Guam when the news of the war's end came. On 22 August she began her homeward voyage, arriving at New Orleans on 19 September.
After a shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
, she reported to her new home port at Norfolk, Va.
In November she departed for the Mediterranean
where she operated with the 6th Fleet until 4 February 1954. In January 1955 she again left the Virginia Capes
area, this time for the Caribbean
, returning in March. Pompon returned to the Caribbean in February 1956. From 6 July to 3 October she operated in the Mediterranean.
During September and October 1957 Pompon participated in the large scale NATO exercise "Strikeback"
, visiting the Clyde River
, Scotland
; Le Havre
, France
; and Portland
, England
. She continued to operate in the Atlantic
and Caribbean until 17 June 1958 when she entered the Mediterranean, remaining there until September. Returning to Norfolk, she then operated off the east coast until placed in commission in reserve at Charleston 2 February 1959. Following decommissioning Pompon was struck from the Navy List
1 April 1960, and was sold to Commercial Metals Co. 25 November 1960.
Pompon earned 4 battle stars for World War II
service.
One of Pompon's screws (propellers) can be seen today on the river walk in Old Town Alexandria Virginia. It is 1 block north of the Torpedo Factory, on a concrete slab, in the water of the Potomac River.
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 pompon, an American fish of the Anisot family.
Pompon (SS-267) was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.
Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company
Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was a major shipbuilder for the Great Lakes. It was founded in 1902, and made mainly steel ferries and ore haulers. During World War II, it built submarines, tank landing craft , and self-propelled fuel barges called "YOs". Employment...
, Manitowoc, Wisc.
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
26 November 1941; launched 15 August 1942; sponsored by Miss Katherine Mary Wolleson; and commissioned 17 March 1943, Lt. Comdr. E. C. Hawk in command.
On 5 April 1943 Pompon began her voyage 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...
to New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in a floating drydock. Stores were loaded at New Orleans and she sailed for the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
First war patrol, July – August 1943
Pompon steamed from Brisbane, Australia on 10 July to conduct her first war patrol in the Truk area. Only a few days out, a JapanJapan
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 submarine fired two 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...
es at her, both passing ahead. Besides patrolling off Truk, Pompon formed a scouting line with other submarines to cover 7th Fleet operations. On 25 July she seized the opportunity and torpedoed 5,871 ton cargo ship Thames Maru. In the same action two more attacks damaged a second transport and also a smaller transport. Numerous patrol boats and another enemy submarine were evaded, and Pompon returned to Brisbane 22 August.
Second war patrol, September – November 1943
She departed Brisbane on 12 September for the second patrol. En route to her area in 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...
north of 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...
, she was fired on by a "friendly" liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
. Luckily the range was too great for damage. After several unsuccessful attacks and a near miss by a Japanese submarine, Pompon returned to Fremantle, Australia on 5 November for supplies.
Third and fourth war patrols, November 1943 – April 1944
The third patrol began on 29 November and again took her to the China Sea area off French Indo-China. After running Balabac StraitBalabac Strait
Balabac Strait is a strait in the South China Sea, at . It separates the Balabac island , Philippines from the Banggi Island north of Borneo that are a part of Malaysia's Sabah state....
, where two radio-equipped Japanese motor sampan
Sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers, and are often used as traditional fishing boats...
s were sunk by gunfire, Pompon mined
Naval 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...
waters southwest of Cochin China. After a five day sortie into the 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...
, Pompon returned to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
for fuel, ending her patrol on 28 January 1944.
On 22 February, Pompon departed on her fourth patrol, and operated in the vicinity of 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...
Island. She launched four torpedoes at three small Japanese escort vessels, but they ran under their targets due to the escorts' shallow draft. A contact was made in Roeang Passage, but upon closing, it proved to be a hospital ship. She made no further contacts and proceeded 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...
via Ascension and 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 10 April.
Fifth war patrol, May – June 1944
After a refit and four days training, Pompon was again ready for sea. She departed Pearl Harbor on 6 May 1944 for a patrol off the coasts of KyūshūKyushu
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....
, 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 Honshū
Honshu
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...
. On 30 May she contacted a 742-ton cargo ship off Muroto Zaki. A submerged attack resulted in a hit directly under the rising sun flag amidships, breaking the ship in two. The Shiga Maru immediately sank. For the next seven hours Pompon was the target for five Japanese escorts and a portion of the air force, but she managed to crawl away from the scene at deep submergence. After covering the Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
approaches for the Battle for Saipan, Pompon returned to Midway 25 June.
Sixth war patrol, July – September 1944
On 19 July Pompon departed on her sixth and most successful patrol. Operating from the eastern coast of Honshū to the Sea of OkhotskSea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, she sank a 300-ton armed trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
with gunfire. Then on 12 August she spotted a Japanese 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...
off the coast of Russian Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
. In the wild night surface action which followed an 8,000-ton 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:...
was badly damaged by two torpedoes, 2,718-ton transport Mikage Maru No. 20 was sunk, and a hit was possibly obtained on one of two hotly pursuing escort vessels. During this melee Pompon was almost sunk by one of her own torpedoes. While she was surfaced, with the enemy bearing down, one of her own "fish" perversely circled and just missed the stern. She was driven down by gunfire and then 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...
d, but managed to escape without damage. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 September for onward routing to San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
for modernization and overhaul conducted at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
Seventh war patrol, December 1944 – February 1945
By 13 December the veteran submarine was again at sea. En route to MajuroMajuro
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...
she picked up a Filipino who had been drifting in a broken down motor launch for 45 days. On 6 January 1945 she departed Majuro as a part of a wolf pack, for a patrol in the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. On 28 January she contacted a three ship convoy with four escorts off Kokuzan To. With in contact, the Pompon made two submerged night approaches only to have the alert escorts drive her off each time. While two escorts pinned her down astern of the convoy, Spadefish slipped in on the disengaged side and sank two of the ships and one of the escorts. Pompon surfaced in time to watch the sinkings and gave chase to the one remaining ship. Again she was deterred from attack by gunfire and a trailing escort.
The next morning, while making a morning trim dive, the conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
hatch failed. Before the dive could be halted the ship had reached a depth of 44 feet (13.4 m), partially flooding the conning tower and control room, and completely flooding the pump room. Pompon crept homeward, having to run awash until the blower could be partially restored. While struggling along in this condition, she blundered into an enemy convoy and was sighted. The escorts forced her to dive despite her dangerous condition, but she miraculously escaped. found her one day out of Midway and led her in on 11 February.
Eighth and ninth war patrols, March – July 1945
Repairs completed, Pompon departed Midway 30 March for her eighth patrol area along the coasts of ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and 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...
. Her only contacts, a motor sampan, a hospital ship, and 106 planes, provided excellent diving experience, but poor hunting. Ten survivors from a downed PBM were taken from for transportation to 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...
, where Pompon arrived 24 May.
During her ninth, and last, war patrol from 18 June to 22 July, she operated as a lifeguard in the Truk area. There were no ship contacts and few plane contacts. She was at Guam when the news of the war's end came. On 22 August she began her homeward voyage, arriving at New Orleans on 19 September.
Post-war service as radar picket
On 11 May 1946 Pompon was decommissioned and placed in the U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet, New London Group. On 15 June 1953 she recommissioned as SSR-267, after being converted to the latest type radar picket submarine.After a shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, she reported to her new home port at Norfolk, Va.
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
In November she departed for the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
where she operated with the 6th Fleet until 4 February 1954. In January 1955 she again left the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
area, this time for the Caribbean
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, returning in March. Pompon returned to the Caribbean in February 1956. From 6 July to 3 October she operated in the Mediterranean.
During September and October 1957 Pompon participated in the large scale NATO exercise "Strikeback"
Operation Strikeback
Operation Strikeback was a major naval exercise of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that took place over a ten-day period in September 1957....
, visiting the Clyde River
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; and Portland
Portland Harbour
Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. It is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. Grid reference: .-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She continued to operate in the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Caribbean until 17 June 1958 when she entered the Mediterranean, remaining there until September. Returning to Norfolk, she then operated off the east coast until placed in commission in reserve at Charleston 2 February 1959. Following decommissioning Pompon 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...
1 April 1960, and was sold to Commercial Metals Co. 25 November 1960.
Pompon earned 4 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.
One of Pompon's screws (propellers) can be seen today on the river walk in Old Town Alexandria Virginia. It is 1 block north of the Torpedo Factory, on a concrete slab, in the water of the Potomac River.