Allied Warships

Gunnel (SS-253)

Submarine of the Gato class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassGato 
Pennant253 
Built byElectric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down21 Jul 1941 
Launched17 May 1942 
Commissioned20 Aug 1942 
End service18 May 1946 
Loss position
 
History

Decommissioned 18 May 1946.
Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Stricken 1 August 1958.
Sold 1 December 1959 to be broken up for scrap.

For more on USS Gunnel see also this website (offsite link).

 

Commands listed for USS Gunnel (253)

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CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. John Sidney McCain, Jr., USN20 Aug 194214 Jul 1944
2Lt.Cdr. Guy Edward O'Neil, Jr., USN14 Jul 194424 Jul 1945

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Noteable events involving Gunnel include:


19 Oct 1942
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) departs New London for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to participate in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.

7 Dec 1942
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) ends her 1st war patrol at Rosneath, Scotland.

22 Jan 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) arrives back at New London. She is sent to the Portsmouth Navy yard for an overhaul before she is sent to the Pacific.

18 May 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) arrives at Pearl Harbor from New London.

28 May 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) departs Pearl Harbor for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China Sea.

15 Jun 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship Koyo Maru (6426 GRT) in Tsushima Straits in position 33º55'N, 127º38'E. (see map)

19 Jun 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Hong Kong Maru (2797 GRT) and merchant cargo ship Tokiwa Maru (6971 GRT) off Shirase, Japan in position 32º40'N, 126º37'E, and damages the Japanese coastal minelayer Tsubame (450 tons, offsite link) in position 32º31'N, 126º17'E. (see map)

3 Jul 1943
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) ends her 2nd war patrol at Midway. She is sent to the Mare Island Navy Yard for general overhaul and re-engineering, due to continous problems with her main-engines.

17 Nov 1943
With her overhaul completed USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) departs Pearl Harbor for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Honshu in Japanese home waters.

4 Dec 1943
USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Hiyoshi Maru (4046 GRT) northeast of Haha Jima in position 29º43'N, 145º54'E. (see map)

5 Feb 1944
USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) departs Midway for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China, Sulu, and Celebes Seas.

6 Apr 1944
USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) ends her 4th war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.

3 May 1944
USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) departs Fremantle for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

4 Jul 1944
USS Gunnel (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr.) ends her 5th war patrol at Fremantle.

29 Jul 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) departs Fremantle for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the the Sibuyan Sea area and off the west coasts of Southern Luzon and Mindoro.

22 Sep 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) ends her 6th war patrol at Fremantle.

21 Oct 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) departs Fremantle for her 7th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the the South China and Sulu Seas.

8 Nov 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese torpedo boat Sagi (offsite link) about 60 nautical miles west of Lingayen Gulf, Philippines in position 16º09'N, 118º56'E. (see map)

17 Nov 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese torpedo boat < b>Hiyodori (offsite link) and the Japanese merchant tanker Shunten Maru (5623 GRT) about 130 nautical miles east of Tourane, French Indochina in position 16º56'N, 110º30'E. (see map)

2 Dec 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) lands supplies and evacuates Allied aviators from Palawan, Philippines.

28 Dec 1944
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) ends her 7th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. she is now ordered to the Hunters Point Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

11 May 1945
With her overhaul completed USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) arrives back at Pearl Harbor.

28 May 1945
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) departs Pearl Harbor for Guam.

9 Jun 1945
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) arrives at Guam.

13 Jun 1945
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) departs Guam for her 8th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Bungo Suido area.

24 Jul 1945
USS Gunnel (Lt.Cdr. G.E. O'Neil, Jr.) ends her 8th war patrol at Guam.

Media links


U. S. Submarines in World War II

Kimmett, Larry and Regis, Margaret


U.S. Submarines Through 1945

Friedman, Norman

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