Growler escaped the area after surviving a gauntlet of depth charges and bombs from the convoy’s destroyers and aircraft patrolling the area.Īfter several near misses and subsequent enemy attacks, Growler sighted a small enemy ship on 7 February near the Bismarck Islands. After torpedoes ripped into the cargo ship, it listed heavily to port before going down by her stern. On 16 January, Growler scored two hits on the lead ship of an enemy convoy-the 5,857-ton cargo ship Chifuki Maru. On New Year’s Day 1943, Growler was on the move again for her fourth war patrol, this time off Rabaul. The boat ended the patrol due to a broken crankshaft that was subsequently replaced in Brisbane, Australia. Despite coming into close proximity with multiple enemy ships, Growler came up empty-handed. Upon arrival, Gilmore was commended in a letter from Commander, Submarine Squadron, on “a very aggressive second war patrol.”Īfter refit at Pearl Harbor, Growler was underway on her third war patrol in late November. The submarine left the patrol area a few days later and arrived at Midway on 23 September. Choosing not to engage in a deadly surface fight, Growler dove to periscope depth to avoid her foes. The boat fired four torpedoes at the convoy, and although the crew heard explosions, could not verify damage to the ships due to enemy patrol boats in the area. On 13 September, Growler spotted a scattered convoy consisting of seven freighters and one destroyer. Gilmore had already ordered the submarine underway to patrol the Pescadores Channel off Taiwan. Over the next few days, in an effort to stop Growler’s continued assault on Japanese shipping, the enemy dispatched multiple patrols to locate Growler, but their efforts were fruitless. In the early morning of 4 September, Growler put a sampan out of action with her machine guns, and then just four hours later, broke 2,204-ton cargo ship Taika Maru in half with her torpedoes. A few days later, Growler sent Eifuku Maru, a 5,866-ton cargo ship, below the waves. After having endured an intense depth-charge attack while hunting a 10,000-ton passenger freighter a few days earlier, Gilmore ordered four torpedoes deployed on 2,904-ton ex-gunboat Senyo Maru and scored two hits, sinking the ship by the bow. In August 1942, Growler was underway for her second war patrol in waters off Taiwan. The badly damaged Shiranui managed to rescue Arare’s commanding officer and 42 survivors as the ship went down. Then, Growler fired two more torpedoes on the third destroyer, Arare. The first torpedo missed, but the second sent the enemy ship to the ocean’s floor. Both destroyers suffered heavy damage that left them unable to fight. Growler fired a spread of torpedoes, scoring hits on Asashio-class Kasumi and Kagero-class Shiranui. As Growler approached the convoy to attack, she surfaced to discover the enemy ships were actually destroyers. On 5 July, Gilmore spotted what he thought were three Japanese escorts departing Kiska. The boat arrived off the waters of Kiska Harbor the next day. Growler’s first war patrol began on 29 June after Task Force 8 ordered her to patrol in the area of the Aleutians. After almost three weeks of training and special availability, Growler steamed for Midway, conducting daily training dives and drills while en route to her assigned area of operations. On, Growler was underway for Pacific waters, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 31 May. For the first couple of months, Growler conducted intensive training off the Connecticut coast that was hampered by continuous mechanical problems and subsequent repairs. Gato-class submarine USS Growler (SS-215) was commissioned on 20 March 1942 with Lieutenant Commander Howard W.
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