USS Albacore (SS-218)

USS Albacore (SS-218) was a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy that served with distinction in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Commissioned in mid-1942, she conducted eleven successful war patrols, sinking numerous Japanese vessels and earning a formidable reputation. Her career was tragically cut short when she was lost with all hands off northern Hokkaido in late 1944, likely to a naval mine.

Construction and commissioning

The vessel's keel was laid down on 21 April 1941 at the Electric Boat Company shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 17 February 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Elise R. Cutts, and officially entered service with the United States Navy on 1 June 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Richard C. Lake. As a member of the early Gato class, she was part of a crucial building program that provided the Pacific Fleet with long-range, fleet-type submarines essential for conducting the commerce raiding campaign against the Empire of Japan.

Service history

Following her shakedown cruise in the Atlantic Ocean, Albacore transited the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Her first war patrol, conducted near the Aleutian Islands, was uneventful, but her subsequent patrols established her as a highly effective predator. On her second patrol, she damaged the Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyō near Truk Lagoon. Her third patrol, in the contentious waters around New Guinea and New Britain, resulted in several sinkings, including the destroyer Oite.

Her most famous action occurred on her fifth patrol in April 1943, when she torpedoed and sank the brand-new Japanese light cruiser Yūbari off Shortland Islands. Later patrols took her to the South China Sea, the Philippines, and the waters off Formosa. On her tenth patrol, she sank the Japanese destroyer Sazanami and the important fleet oiler Akebono Maru. Her eleventh and final patrol began in October 1944, operating off northern Japan. On 7 November 1944, she reported sinking the Japanese destroyer Akikaze. She was never heard from again; postwar analysis of Imperial Japanese Navy records confirmed she was lost that day, likely after striking a naval mine near the coast of Hokkaido.

Awards and legacy

For her outstanding service, USS Albacore was awarded nine battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. Her commanding officer during her most successful patrols, Commander James W. Blanchard, was awarded the Navy Cross for his leadership. The submarine's name was carried forward by the experimental vessel USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which pioneered the revolutionary teardrop hull design that influenced all subsequent American submarines. The wreck of USS Albacore (SS-218) was located and identified off the coast of Hokkaido in May 2023 by the Naval History and Heritage Command and a team from the University of Tokyo.

See also

* List of most successful American submarines in World War II * Gato-class submarine * United States Pacific Fleet * Commerce raiding * Naval History and Heritage Command

Category:Gato-class submarines Category:World War II submarines of the United States Category:Ships built in Connecticut Category:1942 ships