Allied Warships

Scabbardfish (SS-397)

Submarine of the Balao class


USS Scabbardfish as completed.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassBalao 
Pennant397 
Built byPortsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered8 Jun 1942 
Laid down27 Sep 1943 
Launched27 Jan 1944 
Commissioned29 Apr 1944 
End service26 Feb 1965 
History

Decommissioned in February 1948.
Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned in 1964.
Decommissioned and transferred to Greece 26 February 1965 being renamed Trianina (S-86).
Stricken by the Greek navy in 1980.

 

Commands listed for USS Scabbardfish (397)

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. Frederick Arthur Gunn, USN29 Apr 194425 Aug 1945

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Notable events involving Scabbardfish include:


24 Jul 1944
With her trials and initial training completed USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. Frederick Arthur Gunn) arrived at Pearl Harbor.

17 Aug 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.

19 Sep 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese submarine tender Jingei (5160 tons, offsite link) about 80 nautical miles north-west of Okinawa in position 27°35'N, 127°07'E.

12 Oct 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.

11 Nov 1944
Around 1330I/11, USS Pampanito (T/Capt. F.W. Fenno, Jr., USN), USS Pipefish (T/Cdr. W.N. Deragon, USN) and USS Sea Cat (T/Cdr. R.R. McGregor, USN) and USS Searaven (T/Lt.Cdr. R. Berthrong, USN), which were to operate as a coordinated attack group, departed Saipan to proceed to their patrol area in the northern part of the South China Sea.

With them were also USS Archerfish (T/Cdr. J.F. Enright, USN) and USS Scabbardfish (T/Cdr. F.A. Gunn, USN). These two submarines parted company with the others around 1900I/12.

On leaving Saipan these six submarines were escorted by USS Candid (Lt. C.B. Hinton, USNR). (1)

12 Nov 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) departed from Saipan for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Honshu in Japanese home waters.

16 Nov 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Kisaragi Maru (873 GRT) north-west of Chichi Jima in position 29°04'N, 142°12'E.

21 Nov 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) torpedoed and sank the Japanese stores ship Hokkai Maru (407 GRT) about 200 nautical miles south of Tokyo, Japan in position 33°20'N, 142°00'E.

22 Nov 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese frigate Oki (870 tons, offsite link) south of Honshu, Japan in position 33°20'N, 142°00'E.

29 Nov 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) torpedoed and sank the Japanese submarine I-365 (1440 tons, offsite link) off Honshu, Japan about 75 nautical miles south-east of Yokusaka in position 34°44'N, 141°01'E.

20 Dec 1944
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) ended her 2nd war patrol at Guam.

23 Jan 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) departed from Saipan for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Formosa.

27 Feb 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) sank the Japanese guard boat Kikaku Maru No.6 (137 GRT) with gunfire about 100 nautical miles north-east of Keelung, Formosa in position 25°45'N, 123°20'E.

6 Mar 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Lt.Cdr. F.A. Gunn) ended her 3rd war patrol at Saipan.

29 Apr 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Cdr. F.A. Gunn) departed from Guam for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.

11 Jun 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Cdr. F.A. Gunn) ended her 4th war patrol at Guam.

1 Jul 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Cdr. F.A. Gunn) departed from Guam for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol to the south of Japan.

1 Jul 1945
USS Dragonet (T/Lt.Cdr. G.G. Hinman, USN) and USS Scabbardfish (T/Cdr. F.A. Gunn, USN) conducted exercises off Guam with USS Greenlet (T/Lt. R.B. Willhoite, USN), USS Crouter (Lt. C.F. Braught, USNR), USS Seid (Lt. A.F. Craft, USNR) and USS PC-620 (Lt.(jg). M.E. Wiemers, USNR).

On completion of the day exercises USS Scabbardfish returned to Guam escorted by USS PC-620.

The other ships remained at sea for night exercises and returned to Guam on 2 July.

15 Aug 1945
USS Scabbardfish (Cdr. F.A. Gunn) ended her 5th war patrol at Saipan.

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. Patrol report of USS Searaven for her 13th war patrol

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