USS Tautog (SS-199)
USS Tautog (SS-199) on 29 May 1945
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History | |
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United States | |
Builder | Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1] |
Laid down | 1 March 1939[1] |
Launched | 27 January 1940[1] |
Commissioned | 3 July 1940[1] |
Decommissioned | 8 December 1945[1] |
Stricken | 1 September 1959[1] |
Honors and awards | 14 battle stars, Navy Unit Commendation |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 1 July 1960[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | |
Displacement | |
Length | 307 ft 2 in (93.62 m)[2] |
Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
Draft | 14 ft 7+1⁄2 in (4.458 m)[2] |
Propulsion |
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Speed | |
Range | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)[2] |
Endurance | 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged[2] |
Test depth | 250 to 300 ft (76 to 91 m) Crush Depth 500 ft (150 m)[2] |
Complement | 6 officers, 54 enlisted[2] |
Armament |
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USS Tautog (SS-199), the second Tambor-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tautog, a small edible sport fish, which is also called a blackfish. She was one of the most successful submarines of World War II. Tautog was credited with sinking 26 Japanese ships,[7] for a total of 72,606 tons, scoring second by number of ships and eleventh by tonnage[8] earning her the nickname "The Terrible T." Of the twelve Tambor-class submarines, she was one of only five to survive the war.
Tautog's first patrol, into the
Following an overhaul at
Assigned to training duty in February 1945, Tautog spent the rest of World War II in that role and supporting developmental work off Hawaii and the West Coast. She transferred to the Atlantic in November 1945, a few months after
Construction and commissioning
The submarine's
Operational history
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1940–1941
Following a short training period in Long Island Sound, Tautog departed for the Caribbean Sea on her shakedown cruise which lasted from 6 September 1940 to 11 November 1940. She returned to New London, Connecticut and operated from that base until early February 1941 when she was ordered to the Virgin Islands.
Late in April, she returned to
Two days later, on Sunday, 7 December, Tautog was at the submarine base when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Shortly after the attack began on Ford Island, Tautog's gun crews, with the help of Narwhal and a destroyer, shot down a Japanese torpedo bomber as it came over Merry Point.
First patrol
Tautog's first war patrol began on 26 December 1941 and took her to the
Second patrol
On 9 April 1942, Tautog headed westward toward Hawaii and started her next war patrol upon leaving Pearl Harbor 15 days later. Her assigned area was again in the Marshall Islands. Around 10:00 on 26 April near
Shortly after her arrival in the Marshalls, Tautog was ordered to
Tautog sighted two ships departing Truk on 22 May and made a submerged sound attack on the larger. The American submarine's crew thought they had sunk the target, but the 5,461-ton cargo ship Sanko Maru had been only damaged. Three days later, Tautog made an attack from periscope depth against a cargo ship. Her spread of torpedoes sent Shoka Maru to the bottom. The patrol ended at
Third patrol
Her third war patrol, conducted from 17 July to 10 September 1942, took Tautog to the coast of
Fourth patrol
Tautog was refitted by Holland (AS-3) at Albany, south of Fremantle. Again loaded with mines, the submarine put to sea 8 October 1942. On 20 October, her lookouts spotted the dim outline of a ship through a rain squall. Quickly submerging, the submarine determined that the ship was a 75-ton fishing schooner. Tautog prepared for battle, surfaced, closed the range, and fired a shot from her deck gun across the schooner's bow; the target hove to. The stranger broke the Japanese colors and hoisted a signal flag. Investigation revealed a Japanese crew and four Filipinos on board. The Filipinos swam over to the submarine and later enlisted in the United States Navy. The Japanese were ordered to take to their boats but refused to do so. Three shells fired in the schooner's stern disabled her rudder and propeller. The Japanese then launched a boat, were given water, and directed to the nearest land. When Tautog opened fire to sink the ship, several more Japanese emerged and scrambled into the boat. Ten more rounds left the schooner a burning hulk.
On 27 October, Tautog tracked a passenger-cargo ship until dark and launched two torpedoes into her. A fire started in the target aft, her bow rose into the air, and the unidentified ship sank within a few minutes (tentatively identified as the Hokuango Maru formerly Chinese vessel Pei An )
Fifth patrol
Her fifth war patrol, from 15 December 1942 to 30 January 1943, took Tautog to the
That night, Tautog was headed for
Later in the patrol, in the Salajar Strait, Tautog spotted a second cruiser (again thanks to ULTRA), and launched four torpedoes in heavy seas; all missed.[24] She sighted a freighter on 22 January in the Banda Sea, and three of the submarine's torpedoes sent her to the bottom. The victim was later identified as Hasshu Maru, a former Dutch passenger-cargo ship which had been taken over by the Japanese. Tautog then headed for Fremantle, where she was greeted warmly for her "extreme aggressiveness."[25] She was credited with two ships sunk for 6,900 tons; postwar, this was limited to two of 2,900.[26]
Sixth patrol
Tautog's next patrol was conducted in
Seventh patrol
Tautog stood out of Fremantle on 11 May 1943 and headed for a patrol area that included the
Eighth patrol
On 7 October 1943, Tautog departed Pearl Harbor to patrol in waters near the
Ninth patrol
Tautog's ninth war patrol began on 12 December 1943 and took her to Japanese home waters, southeast of
The next day, Tautog made radar contact with a ship and tracked the target while working toward a good firing position. A profligate spread of six torpedoes produced four hits which broke Usa Maru in half. When last seen, the cargoman's bow and stern were both in the air. On 11 January, Tautog intercepted two freighters and launched three torpedoes at the first and larger, and one at the second. Escorts forced the submarine deep, but timed explosions indicated a hit on each ship. Tautog was later credited with inflicting medium damage to Kogyo Maru. She returned to Pearl Harbor for a refit by Bushnell (AS-15) on 30 January, credited with two ships for 9,700 tons (postwar, 6,000).[32]
Tenth patrol
Tautog's assignment for her tenth war patrol took her to the cold waters of the northern Pacific near the
On 13 March, Tautog tracked a freighter until she reached a good position for an attack and then launched three torpedoes from 1,500 yards (1,400 m), of which two hit and stopped Ryua Maru. The target refused to sink, even after Tautog fired four more torpedoes into "the rubber ship".
Eleventh patrol
During her next patrol, from 17 April to 21 May 1944, Tautog returned to the
Twelfth patrol
On 23 June 1944, Tautog departed Pearl Harbor for Japanese waters to patrol the east coasts of
On 2 August, Tautog sighted several ships off Miki Saki. She launched three torpedoes at a freighter from a range of 800 yards (730 m). The first hit caused a secondary explosion which obscured the target, and the second raised a column of black smoke. When the air cleared, the cargo ship Konei Maru had sunk. The submarine was briefly attacked by escorts but evaded them and set her course for Midway. Tautog arrived there on 10 August, credited with a disappointing two ships for 4,300 tons (postwar reduced to 2,800);[38] she was routed to the United States for overhaul.
Thirteenth patrol
Tautog was back in Pearl Harbor in early December and, on 17 December 1944, began her 13th and last war patrol. She called at Midway and Saipan before taking her patrol station (in company with
Tautog completed her patrol at Midway on 1 February 1945 and was assigned to training duty. On 2 March, the submarine shifted her operations to Pearl Harbor to assist aircraft in anti-submarine warfare for one month before heading for the United States. She reached San Diego on 9 April and operated in conjunction with the University of California's Department of War Research in experimenting with new equipment which it had developed to improve submarine safety. On 7 September, she headed for San Francisco to join the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Her orders were subsequently modified, and she got underway on 31 October for the East Coast. Tautog arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 18 November and was decommissioned on 8 December 1945.
Fate
Plans to use Tautog as a target during
Tautog was placed out of service and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 September 1959. On 15 November 1959, she was sold to the Bultema Dock and Dredge Company of Manistee, Michigan, for scrap.
Awards
- Navy Unit Commendation for a combined seven war patrols
- American Defense Service Medal with "FLEET" clasp
- battle stars
- World War II Victory Medal
Notes
- ^ Tautog was officially credited with sinking Ro-30 by JANAC, but Ro-30 had been in 4th Reserve since December 1938 and was converted into a training hulk on 1 April 1942. She survived the war at the Ōtake submarine school and was subsequently scrapped.[10] Fitzsimons does not confirm sinking Ro-30, the Japanese report no submarines going missing around April 1942 in any theater,[11] and as of 2023 the only confirmed occasion of one submarine sinking another in wartime while both were submerged is HMS Venturer sinking U-864.[12]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
- ^ OCLC 24010356.
- ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 p. 261
- ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
- ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
- ^ Beating even Dick O'Kane's record. Blair, Silent Victory (Lippincott, 1975), p.989.
- ^ a b Blair, p.990.
- ^ a b Blair, p.229.
- ^ "RO-30 ex No-69". iijnsubsite.info. 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Japanese Monograph 116 Part IX Chronological Summation of Japanese Submarine Losses" (PDF). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "U-864". Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ Blair, p.230.
- ^ a b c d e f Blair, p.231.
- ^ Blair, p.231. He makes no mention of a hospital ship.
- ^ a b Gill (1968). p.61
- ^ It was a bad day for Japanese submarines: the same day, C. C. Kirkpatrick's Triton sank I-64. Blair, p.233.
- ^ Blair, p.908.
- ^ Blair, p.910.
- ^ Listed as a "unknown Maru" but see [1]
- ^ Blair, p.352. This was the first confirmed dud in a litany of problems with the Mark XIV, which became a cacophony before the Bureau of Ordnance belatedly cured the ailments, in September 1943.
- ^ Blair, p.922
- ^ Blair, p.352.
- ^ Blair, p.352-3.
- ^ Blair, p.353.
- ^ Blair, p.922.
- PT-109. Blair, p.392.
- ^ a b c d e Blair, p.392.
- ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 10, p.1040, "Fubuki".
- ^ a b Blair, p.925.
- ^ Blair, p.939, records only one confirmed ship, of 100 tons.
- ^ Blair, p.941.
- ^ Blair, p.595.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Blair, p.596.
- ^ Fitzsimons, Volume 10, p.1040, "Fubuki".
- ^ Blair, p.943.
- ^ Blair, p.945.
- ^ Blair, p.952.
- ^ commanded by John C. Nichols, a survivor of the sinking of the Squalus. Blair, p.807.
- ^ Blair, p.807.
- ^ Blair, p.965.
References
- Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. London: Phoebus Publishing, 1978. Volume 20, pp. 2214–8 passim.
- __________. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 10, p. 1040, "Fubuki".
- Lenton, H.T. American Submarines. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1973.
- Gill, G. Hermon (1968). Royal Australian Navy, 1942-1945.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Tautog (SS-199).- Gill, G. Hermon. "Australia's Coast Raided". Royal Australian Navy 1942-1945 (PDF). Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 2, Volume II. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. pp. 61–62. NLA registry number Aus 68-1798. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2007-05-14.