USS ''Muskallunge'' (SS-262), a ''Gato''-class

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, was a ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

named for the muskallunge.

Construction and commissioning

''Muskallunge''′s was

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 7 April 1942 by the Electric Boat Company at Groton,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. She was launched on 13 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Merritt D. Graham, widow of Chief Torpedoman Graham, who was lost aboard the submarine in late July 1942, and commissioned on 15 March 1943, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)

Willard A. Saunders Willard Arthur Saunders (October 25, 1904 – November 2, 1969) was a highly decorated submarine commander in the United States Navy during World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was ...

in command.

First war patrol, September 1943 – January 1944

Following

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

,''Muskallunge'' departed

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New Lon ...

, New London, Connecticut, for the Pacific, arriving at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, on 7 August 1943. Before her first patrol, she was assigned the task of testing the Mark 14 torpedo against the cliffs of Kahoolawe, including the torpedo returned by the

USS Tinosa (SS-283) USS ''Tinosa'' (SS-283), a , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tinosa. Construction The ''Tinosa'' was laid down on 21 February 1942 at Vallejo, California, by the Mare Island Navy Yard; launched on 7 October 1 ...

. Two of the three torpedoes detonated. The third was recovered and inspected, allowing the discovery of a flaw in the contact firing mechanism that had plagued the Mark 14 torpedo for 18 months. She cleared Pearl Harbor 7 September for her first war patrol, taking station off the Palau Islands. ''Muskallunge'' carried the first electric

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es to be fired in the war by an American submarine. She made two attacks on

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese convoys; although handicapped by malfunctioning torpedoes, she managed to damage a passenger freighter and a cargo ship. On 25 October ''Muskallunge'' returned to Pearl Harbor. She sailed 27 November for her second war patrol, which was conducted in the western Carolines area and south of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. During this patrol ''Muskallunge'' scored hits on a tanker and two freighters, sinking one of the ''Noroto Maru'' class, before returning to Pearl Harbor 21 January 1944. From there, she went to the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

for overhaul.

Third, fourth, and fifth war patrols, April – December 1944

After overhaul at Mare Island early in the year, ''Muskallunge'' left Pearl Harbor 30 April on her third war patrol. In June she joined eight other submarines in an operation designed to intercept any enemy forces approaching the

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

which the Navy was invading. In the ensuing Battle of the Philippine Sea two of these submarines landed fatal blows on Japanese carriers and American naval aircraft wiped out the Japanese Fleet's air arm in a one-sided melee known as "the Marianas Turkey Shoot." ''Muskallunge'' ended the patrol at

Fremantle, Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, 4 July. In company with , ''Muskallunge'' got underway 1 August for the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

on her fourth war patrol. On 21 August off French

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

she sank 7,163-ton passenger-cargo ''Durban Maru'' before being severely

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

d. The submarine docked in Fremantle 22 September for refit. Her fifth war patrol, 19 October to 14 December, saw her operating west of

Palawan Passage Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

. She then left Pearl Harbor 16 December for overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, returning 9 April 1945.

Sixth and seventh war patrols, April – August 1945

On 26 April ''Muskallunge'' departed Pearl Harbor for patrol off

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

. She also acted as lifeguard for

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

-based airstrikes on

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and Formosa on her sixth war patrol. She sailed to

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

via

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

to complete the patrol on arrival 15 June. Her seventh and last war patrol started 30 July when ''Muskallunge'' got underway for the Kurile Islands, north of Japan. On 8 August she attacked several small ships through dense fog. Her guns damaged two of the Japanese ships, but enemy fire killed one of the submarine's gunners and wounded two other bluejackets. The news of victory brought orders to

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

for the surrender ceremonies on board the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

2 September. The next day ''Muskallunge'' sailed for New London via Pearl Harbor and the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. After operations with the Atlantic Fleet, she decommissioned and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet there 29 January 1947. ''Muskallunge'' received five

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

service.

''Humaitá'' (S14), 1957–1968

''Muskallunge'' recommissioned 31 August 1956 prior to transfer to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

; decommissioned 18 January 1957, and the same day was loaned under the Military Assistance Program. She served the

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...

as ''Humaitá'' (S14) until returned to the United States in March 1968 and sunk as a target off

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, NY on 9 July 1968.

Discovery

On 26 June 2021

NOAAS Okeanos Explorer NOAAS ''Okeanos Explorer'' (R 337) is a converted United States Navy ship (formerly ), now an exploratory vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), officially launched in 2010. Starting in 2010, NOAA entered into a fi ...

explored the wreckage of ''Muskallunge'' with the ROV Deep Discoverer. The hull was found to have been severed near the forward engine room with the bow and stern falling to the sea floor separately.

References

Bibliography

External links

navsource.org: USS ''Muskallunge''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muskallunge (SS-262) Gato-class submarines Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1942 ships World War II submarines of the United States Gato-class submarines of the Brazilian Navy Ships sunk as targets Maritime incidents in 1968