Allied Warships

Bluegill (SS-242)

Submarine of the Gato class


USS Bluegill during the war.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassGato 
Pennant242 
Built byElectric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) 
Ordered9 Sep 1940 
Laid down17 Dec 1942 
Launched8 Aug 1943 
Commissioned11 Nov 1943 
End service28 Jun 1969 
History

Decommissioned 1 March 1946.
Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned 3 May 1951.
Decommissioned 7 July 1952 for conversion to a Hunter-Killer Submarine.
Recommissioned 2 May 1953.
Decommissioned and stricken 28 June 1969.
Scuttled on 3 December 1970, at Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

 

Commands listed for USS Bluegill (242)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt.Cdr. Eric Lloyd Barr, Jr., USN11 Nov 194321 Jun 1945

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Notable events involving Bluegill include:


3 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill departed New London, Connecticut for Key West, Florida.

10 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill arrived at Key West, Florida for training with the Fleet Sound School.

11 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

12 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

13 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

14 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

15 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

16 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

17 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

18 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

19 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

20 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

28 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill conducted exercises off Key West.

29 Jan 1944
USS Bluegill departed Key West, Florida for Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.

2 Feb 1944
USS Bluegill arrived at Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.

1 Apr 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. Eric Lloyd Barr, Jr.) departed from Milne Bay, New Guinea for her 1st war patrol, and was ordered to patrol to the south-west of the Palau's.

27 Apr 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese light cruiser Yubari (2890 tons) (offsite link) west of the Sonsorol Islands in position 05°38'N, 131°45'E.

2 May 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Asosan Maru (8811 GRT) east of Mindanao, Philippines in position 07°05'N, 130°00'E.

20 May 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese sank Japanese army cargo ship Miyaura Maru (1856 GRT) between Halmahera and Morotai in position 02°14'N, 128°05'E.

7 Jun 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 1st war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.

28 Jun 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) departed from Brisbane for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Mindanao, Philippines.

6 Jul 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. Eric Lloyd Barr, Jr.) refuels at Manus.

7 Aug 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Yamatama Maru (4642 GRT) southwest of Mindanao, Philippines in position 06°05'N, 124°23'E.

13 Aug 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese submarine chaser Ch-12 (290 tons, offsite link), the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Misago Maru (154 GRT) and the Japanese army cargo ship Kojun Maru (1931 GRT) near the entrance to Davao Gulf, Philippines in position 06°17'N, 126°10'E.

13 Aug 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the Moluccas in position 02°35'S, 126°20'E.

18 Aug 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 2nd war patrol at Darwin, Australia.

15 Sep 1944
HMAS Adelaide (A/Capt. L.E. Tozer, RAN) conducted gunnery exercises off Fremantle. On completion of which she joined USS Isabel (Lt. E.G. Zacher, USNR) for conducted exercises with the submarines USS Cod (T/Cdr. J.A. Adkins, USN), USS Bluegill (T/Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr., USN) and USS Hoe (T/Cdr. V.B. McCrea, USN). (1)

18 Sep 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) departed from Fremantle for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Sulu and South China Sea.

21 Sep 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. Eric Lloyd Barr, Jr.) refuels at Exmouth Bay.

18 Oct 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ships Arabia Maru (9480 GRT) and Chinzei Maru (1999 GRT), and the Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakushika Maru (8152 GRT) in the South China Sea, west-south-west of Manila, Philippines in position 14°06'N, 119°40'E.

25 Nov 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.

19 Dec 1944
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) departed from Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

10 Feb 1945
USS Bluegill (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 4th war patrol when she returns to Fremantle.

12 Mar 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) departed from Fremantle for her 5th war patrol. Once again she was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

15 Mar 1945
USS Bluegill (Cmdr Eric Lloyd Barr, Jr.) refuels at Exmouth Gulf.

29 Mar 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese tanker Honan Maru (5542 GRT, former British fleet tanker War Sirdar) off Cape Varella, French Indo-China in position 12°39'N, 109°27'E.

5 Apr 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) lands a boarding party on the beached and abandoned Japanese tanker Honan Maru (5542 GRT). They scuttle the Japanese ship with demolition charges and incendiaries.

18 Apr 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 5th war patrol at Subic Bay, Philippines.

11 May 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) departed from Subic Bay for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

12 Jun 1945
USS Bluegill (Cdr. E.L. Barr, Jr.) ended her 6th war patrol at Saipan. She was now ordered to the Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

Media links


U. S. Submarines in World War II

Kimmett, Larry and Regis, Margaret


U.S. Submarines Through 1945

Friedman, Norman


amazon.co.uk
(£ 56.95)

Sources

  1. Report of proceedings of HMAS Adelaide for September 1944

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