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USS Growler (SS-215)
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USS Growler (SS-215)
USS Growler (hull number SS-215), a Gato-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy named for the growler.
Commissioned in March 1942, Growler carried out ten successful war patrols in the Pacific theater, earning eight battle stars in the process. During her eleventh patrol, Growler attacked a Japanese ship convoy alongside USS Hake and USS Hardhead, and during the attack an underwater explosion was heard; neither Growler nor anyone aboard her were ever seen or heard from again.
USS Growler is listed as lost with all hands on 8 November 1944, presumably due to a Japanese depth charge.
Growler′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 2 November 1941, sponsored by Mrs. Lucile E. Ghormley, wife of Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Special Naval Observer to the United Kingdom. Growler was commissioned on 20 March 1942 with Lieutenant Commander Howard W. Gilmore in command.
Growler’s first war patrol began 29 June 1942 as she cleared Pearl Harbor for her assigned patrol area around Dutch Harbor, Alaska; stopping off at Midway Island on 24 June she entered her area on 30 June. Five days later she saw her first action; sighting three destroyers, Growler closed them submerged, launched her torpedoes and then surfaced. Her torpedoes struck the first two targets amidships putting them out of action, and hit the third in the bow but not before that target had launched two torpedoes at Growler. As the Japanese torpedoes "swished down each side", Growler dived deep, but no depth charges followed. The Japanese destroyer Arare was sunk, and the other two, Kasumi and Shiranui, were severely damaged. Growler completed her patrol without finding any more targets, and on 17 July berthed at Pearl Harbor.
On 5 August 1942 Growler began her second and most successful war patrol, entering her area near Taiwan on 21 August. Two days later she conducted a submerged night attack on a freighter, surfacing to give chase when both torpedoes ran under the target and failed to explode; the freighter's quick exit into shallow waters prevented Growler's gun attack. Patrolling amidst a large fishing fleet on 25 August, Growler sighted and fired at a large passenger freighter but all three torpedoes missed; after a three-hour depth charge attack, in which some 53 "ash cans" were dropped, Growler surfaced and almost immediately spotted a convoy. After two hours of maneuvering, she failed to catch up with the main body of the convoy but did fire at and sink an ex-gunboat, Senyo Maru. No more ships appeared in this immediate area for three days, so Growler shifted to the east side of the island. First to fall victim was Eifuku Maru, a 5,866 ton cargo ship, which Growler sank within 40 minutes of first sighting her 31 August. On 4 September Growler sank Kashino, a 10,360 ton supply ship; three days later she sent two torpedoes into the 2,204 ton cargo ship Taika Maru, which broke in half and sank in two minutes. On 15 September Growler cleared her patrol area, and arrived back at Pearl 30 September.
During refitting, new surface radar was installed, as well as a new 20 mm gun; thus equipped, Growler sailed from Hawaii for her new patrol area in the Solomon Islands across the key Truk-Rabaul shipping lanes. Her patrol area in these days of bitter fighting over Guadalcanal was almost continually covered by enemy planes and only eight enemy ships were sighted with no chance for attack. Growler cleared the area 3 December and arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on 10 December.
1 January 1943 saw Growler sail from Brisbane. Entering her patrol area, again athwart the Truk-Rabaul shipping lanes, on 11 January, she waited only five days before sighting an enemy convoy. Maneuvering inside the escorts, Growler launched two torpedoes and saw them hit; then, as her war diary reports, she was in the unfortunate predicament of being about 400 yards (370 m) from the destroyer and had to dive without being able to continue the attack. She was credited with sinking Chifuku Maru, a 5,857 ton passenger/cargo ship.
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USS Growler (SS-215)
USS Growler (hull number SS-215), a Gato-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy named for the growler.
Commissioned in March 1942, Growler carried out ten successful war patrols in the Pacific theater, earning eight battle stars in the process. During her eleventh patrol, Growler attacked a Japanese ship convoy alongside USS Hake and USS Hardhead, and during the attack an underwater explosion was heard; neither Growler nor anyone aboard her were ever seen or heard from again.
USS Growler is listed as lost with all hands on 8 November 1944, presumably due to a Japanese depth charge.
Growler′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 2 November 1941, sponsored by Mrs. Lucile E. Ghormley, wife of Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Special Naval Observer to the United Kingdom. Growler was commissioned on 20 March 1942 with Lieutenant Commander Howard W. Gilmore in command.
Growler’s first war patrol began 29 June 1942 as she cleared Pearl Harbor for her assigned patrol area around Dutch Harbor, Alaska; stopping off at Midway Island on 24 June she entered her area on 30 June. Five days later she saw her first action; sighting three destroyers, Growler closed them submerged, launched her torpedoes and then surfaced. Her torpedoes struck the first two targets amidships putting them out of action, and hit the third in the bow but not before that target had launched two torpedoes at Growler. As the Japanese torpedoes "swished down each side", Growler dived deep, but no depth charges followed. The Japanese destroyer Arare was sunk, and the other two, Kasumi and Shiranui, were severely damaged. Growler completed her patrol without finding any more targets, and on 17 July berthed at Pearl Harbor.
On 5 August 1942 Growler began her second and most successful war patrol, entering her area near Taiwan on 21 August. Two days later she conducted a submerged night attack on a freighter, surfacing to give chase when both torpedoes ran under the target and failed to explode; the freighter's quick exit into shallow waters prevented Growler's gun attack. Patrolling amidst a large fishing fleet on 25 August, Growler sighted and fired at a large passenger freighter but all three torpedoes missed; after a three-hour depth charge attack, in which some 53 "ash cans" were dropped, Growler surfaced and almost immediately spotted a convoy. After two hours of maneuvering, she failed to catch up with the main body of the convoy but did fire at and sink an ex-gunboat, Senyo Maru. No more ships appeared in this immediate area for three days, so Growler shifted to the east side of the island. First to fall victim was Eifuku Maru, a 5,866 ton cargo ship, which Growler sank within 40 minutes of first sighting her 31 August. On 4 September Growler sank Kashino, a 10,360 ton supply ship; three days later she sent two torpedoes into the 2,204 ton cargo ship Taika Maru, which broke in half and sank in two minutes. On 15 September Growler cleared her patrol area, and arrived back at Pearl 30 September.
During refitting, new surface radar was installed, as well as a new 20 mm gun; thus equipped, Growler sailed from Hawaii for her new patrol area in the Solomon Islands across the key Truk-Rabaul shipping lanes. Her patrol area in these days of bitter fighting over Guadalcanal was almost continually covered by enemy planes and only eight enemy ships were sighted with no chance for attack. Growler cleared the area 3 December and arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on 10 December.
1 January 1943 saw Growler sail from Brisbane. Entering her patrol area, again athwart the Truk-Rabaul shipping lanes, on 11 January, she waited only five days before sighting an enemy convoy. Maneuvering inside the escorts, Growler launched two torpedoes and saw them hit; then, as her war diary reports, she was in the unfortunate predicament of being about 400 yards (370 m) from the destroyer and had to dive without being able to continue the attack. She was credited with sinking Chifuku Maru, a 5,857 ton passenger/cargo ship.
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