| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Gato |
| Pennant | 281 |
| Built by | Mare Island Navy Yard (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 26 Sep 1941 |
| Launched | 2 May 1942 |
| Commissioned | 15 Jul 1942 |
| End service | 26 Dec 1945 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Decommissioned 26 December 1945. |
Commands listed for USS Sunfish (281)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Richard Ward Peterson, USN | 15 Jul 1942 | 16 Dec 1943 |
| 2 | Edward Ellis Shelby, USN | 16 Dec 1943 | 6 Mar 1945 |
| 3 | Cdr. John Ward Reed, USN | 6 Mar 1945 | 1 May 1945 |
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Noteable events involving Sunfish include:
26 Oct 1942
With her trials and initial training completed USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs San Francisco bound for Pearl Harbor.
1 Nov 1942
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) arrives at Pearl Harbor.
23 Nov 1942
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japanese home waters.
14 Dec 1942
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) lays mines in entrance to Iseno Umi Bay, Japan. She continues to lay mines on the 15th, 16th and 17th December.
18 Dec 1942
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) torpedoes and damages the Japanese Kyowa Maru (1917 GRT) off the south coast of Honshu, Japan in position 34º10'N, 136º52'E. (see map)
14 Jan 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) ends her 1st war patrol at Midway.
4 Feb 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China Sea.
20 Feb 1943
The Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Yoshida Maru (2920 GRT) is damaged by a mine in position 34º28'N, 137º20'E. The mine was most likely laid by USS Sunfish between 14 / 17 December 1942. (see map)
13 Mar 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Kosei Maru (3262 GRT) near Tokara Jima, Ryukyu Islands in position 29º04'N, 129º17'E. (see map)
3 Apr 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) ends her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
4 May 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs Pearl Harbor for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Caroline Islands area.
24 Jun 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) ends her 3rd war patrol.
28 Jul 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Formosa.
13 Aug 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Edo Maru (1299 GRT) about 180 nautical miles from Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands in position 24º04'N, 142º21'E. (see map)
4 Sep 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kozan Maru (4180 GRT) off the Bonin Islands in position 22º06'N, 119º50'E. (see map)
25 Sep 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) ends her 4th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
16 Oct 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) departs Pearl Harbor for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol north-east of Formosa.
14 Dec 1943
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Peterson) ends her 5th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
14 Jan 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) departs Pearl Harbor for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Caroline and Mariana Islands area.
23 Feb 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese collier Shinyubari Maru (5354 GRT) about 40 nautical miles west of Saipan in position 15º23'N, 145º03'E. (see map)
7 Mar 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) ends her 6th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She was now sent to US west coast for a major overhaul.
22 Jun 1944
With her overhaul completed USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) departs Pearl Harbor for her 7th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol of the Kuril Islands.
5 Jul 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Shinmei Maru (2577 GRT) off Paramushiro, Kuril Islands in position 51º28'N, 156º28'E. (see map)
7 Jul 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) sinks the Japanese fishing vessels Hokuyo Maru No.105, Kannon Maru No.5, Ebisu Maru, and Kinei Maru with gunfire off the Kuril Islands in position 47º29'E, 152º29'E.
Note; Some sources, based on the sub's patrol report, give that Sunfish sank 13 fishing vessels on this day, but this can't be confirmed. (see map)
9 Jul 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Taihei Maru (6284 GRT) north of Araito Island in position 51º19'N, 155º43'E. (see map)
1 Aug 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) ends her 7th war patrol at Midway.
20 Aug 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) departs Midway for her 8th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Yellow Sea.
10 Sep 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant tanker Chihaya Maru (4701 GRT) east of Quelpart Island in position 33º47'N, 127º37'E. (see map)
13 Sep 1944
While operating in the Yellow Sea USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and damages the Japanese army cargo ship Gyoku Maru (6854 GRT) in position 34º32'N, 124º44'E, and torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Etajima Maru (6933 GRT) in position 35º04'N, 24º49'E. (see map)
27 Sep 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) ends her 8th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
23 Oct 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) departs Pearl Harbor for her 9th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.
17 Nov 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and damages the Japanese army transport Edogawa Maru (6968 GRT) west of Quelpart Island in position 33º40'N, 124º30'E. The badly damaged Japanese ship sinks the next day. (see map)
18 Nov 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Seisho Maru (5463 GRT) in the East China Sea west of Saishu Island in position 33º36'N, 124º18'E. (see map)
30 Nov 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Dairen Maru (3748 GRT) off western Korea in position 38º08'N, 124º35'E.
19 Dec 1944
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) ends her 9th war patrol at Majuro.
15 Jan 1945
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) departs Majuro for her 10th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.
20 Feb 1945
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) has to abort her 10th war patrol when a collision with an unsighted ice floe bent both periscopes.
27 Feb 1945
USS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby) ends her 10th war patrol at Guam.
31 Mar 1945
USS Sunfish (Cdr. J.W. Reed) departs Guam for her 11th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Honshu and Hokkaido in Japanese home waters.
16 Apr 1945
USS Sunfish (Cdr. J.W. Reed) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese corvette Kaibokan 73 (745 tons, built 1945) and the Japanese troop transport Manryu Maru (1630 GRT, former Norwegian Bordvik, offsite link) off Yamado harbor, Honshu, Japan in position 39º36'N, 142º05'E. (see map)
19 Apr 1945
While operating off Shizunai, Hokkaido, Japan USS Sunfish (Cdr. J.W. Reed) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese sinking auxiliary gunboat Kaiho Maru (1093 GRT) in position 42º22'N, 142º16'E, and the Japanese merchant cargo ship Taisei Maru (1948 GRT) in position 42º22'N, 142º13'E. (see map)
28 Apr 1945
USS Sunfish (Cdr. J.W. Reed) ends her 11th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
30 Apr 1945
USS Sunfish departs Pearl Harbor bound for the Mare Island Navy Yard where she is to receive a major overhaul.
7 May 1945
USS Sunfish arrives at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
31 Jul 1945
With her overhaul completed USS Sunfish departs the Mare Island Navy Yard bound for Pearl Harbor.
9 Aug 1945
USS Sunfish departs arrives at Pearl Harbor.
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