Allied Warships

Cavalla (SS-244)

Submarine of the Gato class


USS Cavalla during or shortly after the war.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassGato 
Pennant244 
Built byElectric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) 
Ordered9 Sep 1940 
Laid down4 Mar 1943 
Launched14 Nov 1943 
Commissioned29 Feb 1944 
End service30 Dec 1969 
History

USS Cavalla was called "The Luckiest Ship in the Submarine Service" because of her outstanding performance during her short time in service before the end of World War II. She logged 90,000 miles, made 570 dives, and sank 34,180 tons of Japanese shipping. Her greatest sinking, during six war patrols, was the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku that had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was present in Tokyo Bay in September 1945 for the surrender signing aboard Missouri.

Decommissioned 16 March 1946.
Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned 10 April 1951.
Decommissioned 3 September 1952 for conversion to a Hunter-Killer Submarine.
Recommissioned 15 July 1953.
Decommissioned and stricken 30 December 1969.
Donated on 21 January 1971 to be put on display as a permanent submarine museum at Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas.

For more on this ship see this website (offsite link).

 

Commands listed for USS Cavalla (244)

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/Cdr. Herman Joseph Kossler, USN29 Feb 194412 Sep 1945

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Notable events involving Cavalla include:


11 Apr 1944
With her trials and initial training completed USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. Herman Joseph Kossler) departed from New London bound for Pearl Harbor.

9 May 1944
USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Kossler) arrived at Pearl Harbor.

31 May 1944
USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Kossler) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the eastern Philippines

19 Jun 1944
USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Kossler) torpedoed and sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku (25675 tons, offsite link) about 140 nautical miles north of Yap Island in position 11°50'N, 137°57'E.

25 Nov 1944
While on her 3rd war patrol USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Kossler) torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Shimotsuki (3700 tons, offsite link) west of Borneo in position 02°21'N, 107°20'E.

5 Jan 1945
While on her 3rd war patrol USS Cavalla (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Kossler) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary net layers Kanko Maru (909 GRT) and Shunsen Maru (971 GRT) in the Java Sea in position 05°00'S, 112°16'E.

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)

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