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USS SWORDFISH (SS-193)
Built before
the war, USS SWORDFISH was SARGO class submarine, carrying
a crew of 5 officers and 50 enlisted men. Built at
the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA. she was
commisioned on 22 July 19439 with Lt. Chester C. Smith in
command. Following shakedown and post-shakedown repairs at
Mare Island, USS SWORDFISH (SS-193) operated out of
San Diego, CA until early 1941, when she set sail for
Pearl Harbor. On 3 November, SWORDFISH, in company
with three other U.S. submarines, departed Pearl, and on
22 November, arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands. The
submarine remained at Manila until the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The following day, she
set sail on her first war patrol, conducted off the coast
of Hainan, China. After damaging several enemy vessels on
the 9th, 11th, and 14th, SWORDFISH sank her initial
victim of the war on 16 December. Hit amidships by one of
three torpedoes, the cargo ship erupted in a cloud of
smoke and flames and disappeared beneath the waves. On 27
December, SWORDFISH embarked the organizational
staff of the Submarine Asiatic Command Staff at Manila and
headed for Soerabaja, Java, arriving on 7 January 1942.
SWORDFISH
departed Soerabaja on 16 January for her second war
patrol, conducted in the Celebes Sea and in the
Philippines. On 24 January, she torpedoed and sank a cargo
ship off Kema, Celebes Islands. On 20 February, she
submerged in the entrance of Mariveles, Luzon, only to
surface after dark to take on board the President of the
Philippines and his family. She departed through a
minefield and arrived at Jan Jose, Panay, Philippine
Islands on the 22nd, where the President and his party
were transferred to a motor tender. SWORDFISH then
returned to Manila Bay and embarked the High Commissioner
of the Philippines, arriving Fremantle, Western Australia,
on 9 March.
SWORDFISH
got underway from Fremantle on 1 April for her third war
patrol, with her primary mission being to deliver 40 tons
of provisions tot he besieged island of Corregidor.
However, Corregidor fell to the Japanese before the
mission could be carried out and the submarine was ordered
to patrol in the vicinity of Ambon Island. The only ships
sighted were beyond effective range, and the submarine
returned to Fremantle on 1 May.
Departing
Fremantle for her fourth war patrol on 15 May, SWORDFISH
was in the South China Sea on 29 May where she sank a
1,900-ton cargo ship and was in the Gulf of Siam on 12
June where she torpedoed and sank another cargo ship. The
submarine returned to Fremantle on 4 July.
Although her
fifth war patrol, conducted in the Sulu Sea, and her sixth
was patrol, conducted in the Solomon Islands, were
unproductive, during her seventh war patrol SWORDFISH
sank a 4,122-ton cargo ship on 19 January 1942. Returning
to Pearl Harbor on 23 February, the submarine underwent
overhaul until 29 July, when she got underway for her
eighth war patrol.
On 22
August, she sighted her first target of the patrol, and
quickly sent the cargo ship to the bottom, the victim of
two torpedo hits. A convoy was intercepted on 5 September,
and SWORDFISH damaged a large tanker before sinking
a cargo ship. The submarine concluded this patrol at
Brisbane, Australia, on 20 September.
SWORDFISH's
ninth war patrol lasted only three weeks. Shortly after
reaching her assigned patrol area, material defects were
discovered, and the submarine had to return to port.
On the day
after Christmas 1943, SWORDFISH departed for her
tenth war patrol, conducted in Tokyo Bay. On 14 January
1944, she sank a passenger-cargo ship and two days later
sank a converted gunboat. On 27 January, she fired two
torpedoes at a converted salvage vessel which broke in
half and sank. SWORDFISH terminated her tenth
patrol at Pearl Harbor on 7 February.
SWORDFISH
put to sea on 13 March for her eleventh war patrol,
conducted in the Mariana Islands. Although several enemy
ships were damaged during this patrol, no sinkings could
be confirmed; and the submarine returned to Majure on 29
April.
SWORDFISH's
twelfth war patrol was conducted in the area of the Bonin
Islands. On 9 June, the submarine found a Japanese
destroyer clearly illuminated against the horizon and sank
the enemy ship with two torpedoes from her bow tubes. On
15 June, she torpedoed and sank a cargo ship. The
remainder of the patrol was unproductive, and the
submarine terminated her twelfth patrol at Pearl Harbor on
30 June.
On 22
December, SWORDFISH departed Pearl Harbor to
conduct her thirteenth war patrol, in the vicinity of
Nansei Shoto. She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26
December and left that day for her area. In addition to
her regular patrol, SWORDFISH was to conduct
photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, for preparation of
the Okinawa Campaign.
On 2
January, SWORDFISH was ordered to delay carrying
out her assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the
Nansei Shoto area until completion of carried based air
strikes which were scheduled. She was directed to patrol
the general vicinity of 30!N; 132!E until further orders
were received. In the last communications received from SWORDFISH,
she acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January.
On 9 January
1945, SWORDFISH was directed to proceed to the
vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It
was estimated that the task would not take more than seven
days after arrival on station, which she should have
reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, SWORDFISH
was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was
unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen
her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by
radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost,
victim of unknown causes.
USS
SWORDFISH (SS-193) earned eight battle stars for World War
II service. |
