USS Darter (SS-227)
|
|
| Missing image USS_Darter;227launch.jpg Darter (SS-227), "Down the Ways," June 6th, 1943. | |
| Career | 
|
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | 6 June 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 7 September 1943 |
| Fate: | Lost by grounding |
| Stricken: | |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1526 tons |
| Length: | 311 ft 9 in (95 m) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 3 in (8.3 m) |
| Draft: | 15 ft 3 in (4.6 m) |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement: | 60 officers and men |
| Armament: | 1 x 3 in (76 mm) gun, 10 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Darter (SS-227), a Gato class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the darter, any of many small American fresh-water fishes, closely related to the perch family. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 6 June 1943 sponsored by Mrs. E. B. Wheeler, and commissioned on 7 September 1943 with Commander W. S. Stovall, Jr, in command.
| Contents |
Patrols in the Pacific
Darter put out from New London, Connecticut, on 31 October 1943 for Pearl Harbor, arriving 26 November. On 21 December, she cleared on her first war patrol, bound for the heavily traveled shipping lanes south and west of Truk. This patrol was twice interrupted for repairs, at Pearl Harbor from 29 December to 3 January 1944, and at Tulagi and Milne Bay from 30 January to 8 February. She performed a reconnaissance of Eniwetok on 12 January, and on 13 January scored a torpedo hit on a large ship, only to receive a severe depth-charging from her target’s escorts. She stood by on patrol during the carrier air strikes on Truk of 16 February and 17 February, then fueled at Milne Bay on her way to refit at Brisbane between 29 February and 17 March.
On her way to her second war patrol north of Western New Guinea and south of Davao, Darter topped off fuel at Milne Bay 21 March and 22 March 1944. On 30 March she sent a cargo ship to the bottom, then patrolled off New Guinea during Allied landings on its coast. She put in to Darwin to refuel on 29 April and 30 April, then returned to her patrol area until 23 May when she arrived at Manus. Refitted, she put out for action waters once more 21 June on her third war patrol off Halmahera and Mindanao. She sank Tsugaru, a large minelayer, off Morotai on 29 June, and again endured a heavy depth charge barrage as a result of her attack.
Fourth and last War patrol
Returning to Brisbane on 8 August 1944, Darter cleared on her fourth and last war patrol. She searched the Celebes Sea and South China Sea, returned to Darwin to fuel and make minor repairs 10 September, and put back to the Celebes Sea. She put in to Mios Woendi on 27 September for additional fuel, and sailed on 1 October with Dace (SS-247) to patrol the South China Sea in coordination with the forthcoming invasion of Leyte. She attacked a tanker convoy on 12 October and on 21 October headed with Dace for Balabac Strait to watch for Japanese shipping moving to reinforce the Philippines or attack the landing forces.
In the outstanding performance of duty which was to bring both submarines the Navy Unit Commendation, Darter and Dace made contact with the Japanese Center Force approaching Palawan Passage on 23 October 1944. Immediately, Darter flashed the contact report, one of the most important of the war, since the location of this Japanese task force had been unknown for some days. The two submarines closed the task force, and initiated the Battle of Surigao Strait phase of the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf with attacks on the cruisers. Darter sank Admiral Takeo Kurita’s flagship Atago, then seriously damaged another cruiser, Takao. With Dace, she tracked the damaged cruiser through the tortuous channels of Palawan Passage until just after midnight of 24 October when she grounded on Bombay Shoal.
As efforts to get the submarine off began, a Japanese destroyer closed apparently to investigate, but sailed on. With the tide receding, all Dace’s and Darter’s efforts to get her off failed. All confidential papers and equipment were destroyed, and the entire crew taken off to Dace. When the demolition charges planted in Darter failed to destroy her, Dace fired torpedoes which exploded on the reef due to the shallow water. Dace did, however, score 21 hits with her four-inch (104 mm) gun. Rock (SS-274) was called in and fired ten torpedoes at Darter with similar lack of success. Finally, Nautilus (SS-168) arrived on 31 October and scored 55 hits with her six-inch (152 mm) guns. Her report states, "It is doubtful that any equipment in DARTER at 1130 this date would be of any value to Japan - except as scrap. Estimated draft of DARTER - 4 feet." Apparently the Japanese got no use out of her, for her hulk was still remarkably intact in 1962.
Dace reached Fremantle safely with Darter’s men on 6 November. In order to retain their high esprit d'corps, the entire Darter crew was ordered to take over the submarine Menhaden (SS-377), then building at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
In addition to the Navy Unit Commendation, Darter received four battle stars earned during her four war patrols, the last three of which were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 19,429 tons of Japanese shipping.
See USS Darter for other ships of the same name. See also List of U.S. Navy losses in World War II.
References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
- history.navy.mil: USS Darter (http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d1/darter-i.htm)
- hazegray.org: USS Darter (http://hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss227.htm)
- navsource.org: USS Darter (http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08227.htm)
- Sinkings by boat: USS Darter (http://www.rddesigns.com/ww2/darter.html)
| Gato-class submarine |
|
Gato | Greenling | Grouper | Growler | Grunion | Guardfish | Albacore | Amberjack | Barb | Blackfish | Bluefish | Bonefish | Cod | Cero | Corvina | Darter | Drum | Flying Fish | Finback | Haddock | Halibut | Herring | Kingfish | Shad | Silversides | Trigger | Wahoo | Whale | Angler | Bashaw | Bluegill | Bream | Cavalla | Cobia | Croaker | Dace | Dorado | Flasher | Flier | Flounder | Gabilan | Gunnel | Gurnard | Haddo | Hake | Harder | Hoe | Jack | Lapon | Mingo | Muskallunge | Paddle | Pargo | Peto | Pogy | Pompon | Puffer | Rasher | Raton | Ray | Redfin | Robalo | Rock | Runner | Sawfish | Scamp | Scorpion | Snook | Steelhead | Sunfish | Tunny | Tinosa | Tullibee |
| List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes of the United States Navy |