Allied Warships

Skate (SS-305)

Submarine of the Balao class

USS Skate during the Second World War.

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Balao
Pennant	305
Built by	Mare Island Navy Yard (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.)
Ordered	15 Dec 1941
Laid down	1 Aug 1942
Launched	4 Mar 1943
Commissioned	15 Apr 1943
End service	11 Dec 1946
History	Decommissioned 11 December 1946. Stricken 21 October 1948. . Sunk as a target off San Clemente Island, California on 5 October 1948.

Commands listed for USS Skate (305)

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.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. Eugene Bradley McKinney, USN	15 Apr 1943	24 Jan 1944
2	T/Lt.Cdr. William Philip Gruner, Jr., USN	24 Jan 1944	7 Aug 1944

3	T/Cdr. Richard Barr Lynch, USN	7 Sep 1944	4 Jul 1945

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Notable events involving Skate include:

9 Jul 1943
During 9/10 July 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted trials and / or exercises in the San Francisco area.

18 Jul 1943
During 18/19 July 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted trials and / or exercises in the San Francisco area.

29 Jul 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted trials and / or exercises in the San Francisco area.

30 Jul 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted trials and / or exercises in the San Francisco area.

31 Jul 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted trials and / or exercises in the San Francisco area.

1 Aug 1943
Around 0900T/1, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) departed San Francisco for San Diego. She is escorted by USS Lawrence (T/Cdr. T.B. Hutchins, 3rd, USN) until 1930T/1 when USS Crane (T/Cdr. H.N. Coffin, USN) took over.

2 Aug 1943
Around 1500T/2, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) arrived at San Diego from San Francisco.

3 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego.

4 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego.

5 Aug 1943
During 5/6 August 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego during which she was escorted / assisted by USS Williamson (T/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Pridmore, USN).

7 Aug 1943
During 7/8 August 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego during which she was escorted / assisted by USS Williamson (T/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Pridmore, USN).

9 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego.

10 Aug 1943
During 10/11 August 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego during which she was escorted / assisted by USS Williamson (T/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Pridmore, USN).

12 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego.

13 Aug 1943
During 13/14 August 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego during which she was escorted / assisted by USS Williamson (T/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Pridmore, USN).

15 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego.

16 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off San Diego during which she was escorted / assisted by USS Williamson (T/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Pridmore, USN).

18 Aug 1943
Around 0800T/18, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) departed San Diego for San Francisco.

19 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) arrived at the Mare Island Navy Yard from San Diego.

20 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises in the San Francisco area.

30 Aug 1943
USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbour.

5 Sep 1943
Around 1025VW/5, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) arrived at Pearl Harbour from San Francisco.

8 Sep 1943
From 8 to 10 September 1943, USS Cabrilla (T/Cdr. D.T. Hammond, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour during which they were escorted / assisted by USS Litchfield (T/Cdr. J.R. McKnight, Jr., USN).

During 9/10 September exercises were carried out with an incoming convoy. This was convoy 2295 which had departed San Francisco on 31 August and arrived at Pearl Harbour on 10 September. This convoy was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Maliko (American, 6847 GRT, built 1918), Mericos H. Whittier (American (tanker), 6972 GRT, built 1919), Nira Luckenbach (American, 5591 GRT, built 1919), Philippa (American, 9606 GRT, built 1902) and Thomas Ewing (American, 7180 GRT, built 1943). The convoy was escorted by USS Le Hardy (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Prause, USN).

15 Sep 1943
USS Grayback (T/Cdr. J.A. Moore, USN), USS Tinosa (T/Cdr. L.R. Daspit, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with and / or assisted by USS Allen (T/Lt.Cdr. H.H. Nielsen, USN).

16 Sep 1943
During 16/17 September 1943, USS Grayback (T/Cdr. J.A. Moore, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Allen (T/Lt.Cdr. H.H. Nielsen, USN).

On the 16th USS Halford (T/Cdr. G.N. Johansen, USN) and USS Charles R. Greer (Lt.Cdr. W.T. Denton, USNR) also participated in the exercises.

18 Sep 1943
USS Grayback (T/Cdr. J.A. Moore, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Litchfield (T/Cdr. J.R. McKnight, Jr., USN).

19 Sep 1943
USS Seadragon ( T/Cdr. R.L. Rutter, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Allen (T/Lt.Cdr. H.H. Nielsen, USN).

21 Sep 1943
During 21/22 September 1943, USS Skate (T/Cdr. E.B. McKinney, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour.

On 22 September she was joined by USS Cero (T/Cdr. D.C. White, USN) and USS Allen (T/Lt.Cdr. H.H. Nielsen, USN).

25 Sep 1943
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. Eugene Bradley McKinney) departed from Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol, and was ordered to patrol off Wake Island.

29 Oct 1943
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. E.B. McKinney) ended her first war patrol, during which not a single enemy ship was sighted, at Midway.

15 Nov 1943
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. E.B. McKinney) departed from Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Truk.

21 Dec 1943
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. E.B. McKinney) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fleet tanker Terukawa Maru (6433 GRT) north-west of Truk, Caroline Islands in position 09°45'N, 151°56'E.

25 Dec 1943
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. E.B. McKinney) torpedoed and damaged the battleship Yamato (offsite link) northeast of Truk, Caroline Islands in position 10°05'N, 150°32'E.

7 Jan 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. E.B. McKinney) ended her 2nd war patrol at Midway.

5 Feb 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. William Philip Gruner, Jr.) departed from Midway for her 3rd war patrol, and again was ordered to patrol off Truk.

16 Feb 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese light cruiser Agano (6650 tons, offsite link) about 170 nautical miles north of Dublon Island, Truk, Caroline Islands in position 10°11'N, 151°42'E.

17 Mar 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) ended her 3rd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

11 Apr 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Bonin Islands.

19 May 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) sank the Japanese guard boat Meisho Maru (31 GRT) with gunfire off Ogasawara-Gunto in position 28°56'N, 141°38'E.

31 May 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) ended her 4th war patrol at Midway.

23 Jun 1944
USS Skate (Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) departed from Midway for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Kuril Islands.

7 Jul 1944
USS Skate (Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Usugumo (2000 tons, offsite link) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese cargo vessel Kasado Maru about 160 nautical miles north of Etorofu Jima in position 47°43'N, 147°55'E.

15 Jul 1944
USS Skate (Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fishing vessel Miho Maru (515 GRT, built 1913) off Cape Shiretoko, northern Karafuto, Kuril Islands in position 48°08'N, 148°06'E.

16 Jul 1944
USS Skate (Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Nippo Maru (1942 GRT, built 1944) and the Japanese tanker Nikkaku Maru (1937 GRT, built 1943) east of South Sakhalin, Kuril Islands in position 48°29'N, 147°36'E.

7 Aug 1944
USS Skate (Cdr. W.P. Gruner, Jr.) ended her 5th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

8 Sep 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. Richard Barr Lynch) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 6th war patrol, and was ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.

29 Sep 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. R.B. Lynch) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Hoei Maru (219 GRT) and the Japanese army cargo ship Ekisan Maru (3690 GRT) off Yoron Jima in position 27°14'N, 128°25'E.

2 Nov 1944
USS Skate (Lt.Cdr. R.B. Lynch) ended her 6th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She is now sent to the Hunters Point Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

11 Apr 1945
With her overhaul completed USS Skate (Cdr. R.B. Lynch) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Sea of Japan.

9 May 1945
USS Steelhead (Lt.Cdr. R.B. Byrnes, USN), USS Manta (T/Lt.Cdr. E.P. Madley, USN) and USS Skate (T/Cdr. R.B. Lynch, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Pruitt (Lt. D.B. Harby, USNR), USS Coolbaugh (Lt.Cdr. S.T. Hotchkiss, USNR) and USS Loeser (Lt.Cdr. J. Proctor, USNR).

10 Jun 1945
USS Skate (Cdr. R.B. Lynch) torpedoed and sank the Japanese submarine I-122 (1142 tons, offsite link) in the Sea of Japan, 6 nautical miles from the Cape Rokugo lighthouse in position 37?29'N, 137?25'E.

12 Jun 1945
USS Skate (Cdr. R.B. Lynch) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ships Yozan Maru (1227 GRT), Kenjo Maru (3142 GRT) and Zuiko Maru (887 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese merchant cargo ship Kankyo Maru in Togi harbour, northern Honshu, Japan in position 37°08'N, 136°42'E.

4 Jul 1945
USS Skate (Cdr. R.B. Lynch) ended her 7th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.