USS Pomfret (SS-391)

USS Pomfret (SS-391) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the pomfret, a fish of the family Bramidae. Commissioned during World War II, she conducted multiple successful war patrols in the Pacific Theater of Operations, primarily against Japanese shipping. Following the war, *Pomfret* served in various peacetime roles before being transferred to the Turkish Navy in 1960.

Construction and commissioning

The submarine's keel was laid down on 14 July 1943 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 27 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs. John R. Moore, the wife of Captain John R. Moore, and was commissioned on 19 February 1944 with Lieutenant Commander Roswell H. Blair in command. Following commissioning, *Pomfret* conducted her initial shakedown training off the coast of New England before transiting to the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal.

Service history

*Pomfret* arrived at Pearl Harbor in June 1944 to commence her first war patrol. Departing in July, she operated in the waters around the Philippines, the South China Sea, and the Java Sea. On her first patrol, she damaged a large Japanese tanker and sank the freighter *Kashima Maru* off Luzon. Her second patrol, again in the Philippines area, resulted in the sinking of the cargo ship *Hakozaki Maru* and damage to another vessel. During her third patrol, conducted in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea in early 1945, *Pomfret* sank several smaller coastal defense vessels and inflicted damage on enemy shipping lanes.

Her fourth and final war patrol was conducted off the coast of Honshū, Japan, where she performed lifeguard duty for downed Allied aviators from B-29 Superfortress raids. Following the Surrender of Japan, *Pomfret* returned to the United States, arriving at San Francisco in September 1945. After the war, she was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and operated primarily in a training and readiness capacity. She was decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1960.

Awards and legacy

For her World War II service, USS *Pomfret* received four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for her aggressive and successful patrols against enemy shipping. On the day of her decommissioning, 1 July 1960, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy under the Security Assistance Program. She was renamed TCG *Oruçreis* (S 337), honoring the famous Ottoman corsair and bey Oruç Reis. She served the Turkish Naval Forces for over two decades before being decommissioned and scrapped in the early 1980s.

Category:Balao-class submarines Category:Ships built in Maine Category:World War II submarines of the United States