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Allied Warships

Grunion (SS-216)

Submarine of the Gato class


USS Grunion as completed

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassGato 
Pennant216 
Built byElectric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down1 Mar, 1941 
Launched22 Dec, 1941 
Commissioned11 Apr, 1942 
Lost31 Jul, 1942 
Loss position
 
HistoryUSS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) was lost under mysterious circumstances on 31 July 1942 during operations off Kiska Island.
She sent her last message on 30 July and was ordered back to Dutch Harbour. 

Noteable events involving Grunion include:

24 May, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) departs New London bound for Pearl Harbour.

31 May, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) picks up 16 survivors from the American merchant Jack that was torpedoed and sunk on 27 May 1942 by the German submarine U-558 about 100 nautical miles south-west of Port Salut, Haiti in position 17º36'N, 74º42'W.

3 Jun, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) arrives at Coco Solo, Panama.

20 Jun, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) arrives at Pearl Harbour.

30 Jun, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) departs Pearl Harbour for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Kiska, Aleutians.

15 Jul, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) reports that she had attacked an enemy destroyer but that all three torpedoes fired missed the target.

Shortly after this report Grunion torpedoes and sinks the Japanese submarine chasers Ch 25 and Ch 27 (both 460 tons) west of Sredni Point, Kiska, Aleutians in position 52º02'N, 177º42'E. She reports these result immediately. (see map)

28 Jul, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) reports an attack on unidentified enemy ships six miles southeast of Sirius Point, Kiska. She was depth charged after this attack but sustained no damage.

30 Jul, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) reported heavy antisubmarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that she had ten torpedoes remaining. She was ordered to return to base at Dutch Harbour.

31 Jul, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) possibly torpedoes and damages the Japanese transport ship Kano Maru (8572 GRT) off Kiska, Aleutians. Grunion might be sunk by gunfire from her quarry some 10 nautical miles north of Segula Island.

The Kano Maru was finally sunk on 8 August 1942 north-east of Kiska by US Bombers and gunfire from US warships.

16 Aug, 1942
USS Grunion (Lt.Cdr. M.L. Abele) was reported overdue.

Aug, 2006
During the summer of 2006 a side scan side scan sonar search is undertaken to try and find the wreck of the Grunion.

Go check out this site(offsite link).


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