Allied Warships
Flasher (SS-249)
Submarine of the Gato class
USS Flasher off Cuba on 23 November 1943.
| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Gato |
| Pennant | 249 |
| Built by | Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 30 Sep 1942 |
| Launched | 20 Jun 1943 |
| Commissioned | 25 Sep 1943 |
| End service | 16 Mar 1946 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Decommissioned 16 March 1946. |
Commands listed for USS Flasher (249)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Reuben Thornton Whitaker, USN | 25 Sep 1943 | 31 Oct 1944 |
| 2 | Cdr. George William Grider, USN | 31 Oct 1944 | Mar 1946 |
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Noteable events involving Flasher include:
15 Dec 1943
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. Reuben Thornton Whitaker) arrives at Pearl Harbor from New London.
6 Jan 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departs Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Mindoro, Philippines.
18 Jan 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese oiler Yoshida Maru (2920 GRT) about 140 nautical miles west-south-west of Marcus Island in position 23º50'N, 151º28'E. (see map)
5 Feb 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Taishin Maru (1722 GRT) about 60 nautical miles west of Mindoro, Philippines in position 13º09'N, 120º24'E. She also sinks a Japanese sampam with gunfire in position 13º12'N, 120º22'E. (see map)
14 Feb 1944
While operation off Cape Santiago, Luzon, Philippines USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Minryo Maru (2224 GRT) in position 13º43'N, 120º39'E and the Japanese tanker Hokuan Maru (3712 GRT) in position 13º44'N, 120º29'E. (see map)
29 Feb 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ends her 1st war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
4 Apr 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departs Fremantle for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea along the coast of French Indochina.
29 Apr 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and damages the Vichy French cargo ship Song Giang Go (1065 GRT) in the South China Sea some 5 miles off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13º02'N, 109º28'E. The damaged freighter sinks the next day. (see map)
30 Apr 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Vichy French gunboat Tahure (644 tons) in the South China Sea off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13º02'N, 109º28'E. (see map)
3 May 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Teisen Maru (5050 GRT) in the South China Sea about 300 nautical miles east of Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 12º54'N, 114º07'E. (see map)
28 May 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ends her 2nd war patrol at Fremantle.
19 Jun 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departs Fremantle for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patol in the South China Sea.
29 Jun 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Niho Maru (6079 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the Japanese fleet oiler Notoro (14050 GRT, offsite link) about 125 nautical miles south-east of Singapore in position 00º44'N, 105º45'E. (see map)
7 Jul 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Koto Maru No.2 (3557 GRT) off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13º08'N, 109º28'E. (see map)
19 Jul 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese light cruiser Oi (5100 tons) (offsite link) in the South China Sea anout 280 nautical miles east of Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13º12'N, 114º52'E. (see map)
26 Jul 1944
While attacking a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant tanker Otorisan Maru (5280 GRT) in position 17º56'N, 118º07'E, and teams with USS Crevalle to sink the Japanese army cargo ship Tosan Maru (8666 GRT) in position 18º24'N, 118º02'E, the submarine shared this 'kill'.
The US submarines USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. F.G. Hess), USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) and USS Crevalle (Lt.Cdr. F.D. Walker), attack a convoy in the South China Sea, east of Luzon. Based on the firing sequences of the 3 subs, it is believed Angler scored a torpedo hit on the seaplane carrier Kiyokawa Maru (6863 GRT, offsite link) in position 18º30'N, 117º57'E. The ship made port with moderate damage. The matter is conjectural, since there is no possible way of determining actual hits obtained. A mere 10 seconds error in the logbook recordkeeping would necessitate a complete reassessment of the credits. (see map)
7 Aug 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ends her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.
30 Aug 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departs Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Philippines.
18 Sep 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Saigon Maru (5350 GRT, offsite link) off Manila Bay, Philippines in position 14º20'N, 120º05'E. (see map)
27 Sep 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army transport Ural Maru (6374 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the Japanese merchant tanker Tachibana Maru (6521 GRT) in the South China Sea west of Luzon, Philippines in position 15º45'N, 117º20'E. (see map)
4 Oct 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Taibin Maru (6886 GRT) in the South China Sea north of Luzon, Philippines in position 15º22'N, 119º51'E. (see map)
20 Oct 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ends her 4th war patrol at Fremantle.
15 Nov 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Grider) departs Fremantle for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea off Camranh Bay, French Indo-China.
4 Dec 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Grider) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer Kishinami (offsite link) and damages the Japanese merchant tanker Hakko Maru (10022 GRT) in the South China Sea about 275 nautical miles south-west of Manila in position 12º54'N, 116º27'E. Hakko Maru is later scuttled in position 13º12'N, 116º35'E. (see map)
22 Dec 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Grider) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Omurosan Maru (9204 GRT) and the Japanese merchant tankers Otowasan Maru (9204 GRT) and Arita Maru (10238 GRT) in the South China Sea about 250 nautical miles north of Camranh Bay, French Indochina in position 15º07'N, 109º05'E. (see map)
2 Jan 1945
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Grider) ends her 5th war patrol at Fremantle.
29 Jan 1945
USS Flasher (Cdr. G.W. Grider) departs Fremantle for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.
25 Feb 1945
USS Flasher (Cdr. G.W. Grider) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo vessel Koho Maru (850 GRT) near Hainan in position 20º01'N, 111º19'E. (see map)
3 Apr 1945
USS Flasher (Cdr. G.W. Grider) ends her 6th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She was now sent to the US west coast for a major overhaul.
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