Remarks: Location not known, cause not known, date of loss not known. That employment continued until 8 June 1982, when Bonefish departed San Diego on her way to the east coast. She operated out of that port until 16 September, when she embarked upon her first deployment to the western Pacific. But the fire onboard the Bonefish remains arguably the most important asterisk to the Navys impressive submarine safety record. Then she moved on to her new homeportPearl Harbor, Hawaii. She resumed active service in the western Atlantic and West Indian operating areas on 5 April 1984 and remained so engaged through the end of the year. with the loss of 19 crew when it was sunk after collision with USS F-3 loss of 80 crew when it was sunk within shore battery range of Point Tagan, On 10 October, in her last action of the patrol, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at two ships of a convoy off Indochina, sending both the 4,212ton cargo ship Isuzugawa and the 10,086ton transport Teibi Maru to the bottom. USS BONEFISH (SS-582) USS Bonefish (SS-582) was a Barbel-class submarine in the United States Navy. SFLM state correctly that eight men survived and were rescued by USS Redfin on 30 August USS Barbel (SS-316) was lost on or after 4-Feb-1945 USS Gudgeon (SS-211) was lost on 18 April-1944 with On 23 May, the submarine reported for duty with Submarine Division 33 (SubDiv33) at Naval Station San Diego, California. A civilian submarine expert said the 30-year-old Bonefish, one of the Navys last remaining diesel-electric subs, was probably full of toxic chlorine gas created by fire in the shipss forward battery compartment. WDR states 7-30-42 to 8-6-42 Experts on the research. She cleared the area and arrived at Fremantle on 19 December. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR The heat was so intense that it melted the soles of the shoes of the crewmembers in the space above. Sources: R, D, SFLM, USS S-5 (SS-110) was lost on 1-Sep-1920 when it foundered off Deleware Capes Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR A Barbel could last just over four days underwater creeping at 3 knots (ie. SFLM: Submarine Force Library and Museum Boat Books Japanese records of anti-submarine attacks mention an attack made on 19 June 1945 [Editor's Note: Date corrected from 18 June 1945], at 3718'N, 137 25'E in Toyama Wan. the loss of 79 crew when it was sunk in or near La Perouse Strait. With escorts charging her, the boat suddenly lost depth control and ducked her periscope below the water. USS Bonefish (SS 582) - A crewmembers recollection of the fire in 1988 A Crewmember's recollection of the fire in 1988 The report below was contributed by QM2/SS Richard (Rick) Neault, U.S. Navy Ret. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Remarks: Depth 400 feet. Sources: R, D, SFLM USS S-39 (SS-144) was lost on 14-Aug-1942 when it was destroyed after The Navy anticipates towing the vessel to its homeport of Charleston, S.C., said Chief Petty Officer Joseph C. Mowery, another fleet spokesman. made after leaving Darwin around 17 Novemeber 1943. See also Ed Howard's Final Patrol page on USS Bonefish (external link). In total, this vessel sank 31 enemy vessels, for a total tonnage of 158,500, and damaged 7, for 42,000 tons. The USS Bonefish was lost in the Sea of Japan on June 18, 1945, with its crew of 85. After a four-week standdown and a brief period of operations, Bonefish entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on 26 July. At the end of the South American deployment, she resumed normal operations out of San Diego, and that employment occupied her time for the remainder of 1979 and during 11 of the 12 months of 1980. I will never forget, after two days on station. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Remarks: Loss declared 15 Feb 45. USS Seawolf (SS-197) was lost on 3-Oct-1944 with the Remarks: Sunk by IJN submarine. The voyage took her through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean Sea. Operational history [ edit] This coordinated attack group under Commander G. W. Pierce inTunny, which was one of three groups then penetrating the Japan Sea, was ordered to transit Tsushima Strait on 5 June 1945, and to conduct offensive patrol in the Sea of Japan off the . The USS Bonefish then completed a "special mission". The wreck of the USS Bugara (OET/Nautilus Live). This vessel's fifth patrol was in the same area as her fourth, and she sank two small freighters, a large tanker and five miscellaneous small craft, while she damaged a second tanker. On the afternoon of April 24, 1988, all was not well in the USS Bonefish amongst the last remaining diesel-electric submarines in the U.S. Navy. Wilson ordered emergency surfacing. and also a reported sighting by Bonefish of a US sub on 2 December. She transited the Panama Canal on 23 June and arrived in Naval Station Charleston, South Carolina, her new home port, on 6 July. (United Fruit) off Panama Canal. Bonefish was not technically destroyed by the firebut she was effectively done. Reportely the wreck has been located and dived. During that two..day time at sea with BONEFISH there were several realizations that convinced me of the irrefutable wisdom of the way we run todays submarine force. After transiting Balabac Strait on 22 September, Bonefish continued on to her patrol area in the central part of the South China Sea. The Seawolf, as well as the Balao class submarine USS Sea Owl (SS-405), had been called to the area after voice communications with the Thresher were originally lost and the two submarines arrived . WDR gives date spread as 11-9-44 to 11-16-44, USS F-1 [ex-CARP] (SS-20) was lost on 17-Dec-1917 But new to Bonefish, he wasnt aware that the hatch suffered from a defect in her lugs, long reported but ignored, and required a reverse quarter-turn to open. During the summer of 1963, she made a two-month cruise to the western Pacific, returning to Pearl Harbor in August. Sources: R, D,SFLM Fortunately, most of Bonefishs crew miraculously escaped the calamity with their livesbut that doesnt lessen the tragedy of the three crew members who were not so fortunate. the loss of 40 crew when it was sunk north of Groluk Island near Truk. You may recall that BONEFISH, the last diesel submarine in the Atlantic, was in the vicinity of the Bahamas three years ago, when a fire in the battery area caused the captain to abandon ship and left us with the problem of recovering and bringing her back to Charleston. Minesweeper W.12 picked up the Japanese survivors although recently released documents state that W.12 machine-gunned the surviving POWs (a minimum of 250) in the water,[7]. Despite thorough coverage of the waters assigned her, she made few contacts and each of these was a small antisubmarine vessel. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR 2: Tabular Record of Movement", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Bonefish_(SS-223)&oldid=1139586503, 11,000 nautical miles (20,000km) surfaced at 10kn (19km/h), This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 21:52. Their ability to enter the submarine with seven minutes on an air pack, get to remote areas, operate required valves, establish valve lineups and get the submarine in a condition where we could salvage it were feats only a submariner could appreciate. with the loss of 19 crew when it foundered off Honolulu Harbor. Sources: R, D, SFLM Seventy-five years after a U.S. Navy submarine sank in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, the family members of its 80 lost sailors are finally getting closure as to where their loved ones. It was a very harrowing experience we went through out there, he said upon arrival Tuesday in Charleston, S.C., his ships home port. She spent the first 20 weeks of 1978 conducting various training exercises out of San Diego. Less than two months later she was on her way to her new homeport in Brisbane, Australia; her first war patrol began on 16 September. According to fellow crewmember William Baker, Everts was likely dead set on one thing: verifying on the periscope that Bonefish was clear to surface so she didnt accidentally collide with the Carr nearby. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE. The escort ships pursued Bonefish, but she was able to dive and elude her attackers. No written report seen. She gained fame as an aggressive and highly successful submarine after Lieutenant Commander Dudley Walker "Mush" Morton became her skipper. Once again, she made the usual port visits and conducted exercises with units of friendly navies. and utterly contaminated atmosphere, were the factors that resulted in saving the ship. On Friday, 13 April, she attempted to sink a patrol vessel, but the target's radical maneuvers enabled it to escape. On her second war patrol, conducted in the Celebes sea and near Borneo, BONEFISH sank two freighters and an escort vessel, and damaged a minelayer. Conditions on BONEFISH were absolutely temble, the air in the submarine was totally contaminated, having been filled with the residue from various laminated formica installations, burned cables, various fluids, hydraulic oil, and battery chlorine. Two of the four one hit amidships and another struck the freighter under her mainmast sent the 4,646ton cargo ship Suez Maru down rapidly by the stern. To be sure there have been bumps along the wayquite literally, given multiple collisions with Russian submarines, a Japanese fishing ship, and the seafloor. with the loss of 79 crew when it was sunk near 22 40N; 131 45 E, middle of Three of 22 injured crewmen remain hospitalized. The day of the wooden ship was over, wit. } Repairs occupied her until June 1969, and post-overhaul trials and refresher training followed. At the conclusion of her sixth patrol in October of 1944, BONEFISH departed Australia and steamed to San Francisco for an overhaul at the Bethlehem Steel Submarine Repair Basin. Unknown to Bonefish, Suez Maru was carrying 414 British and 133 Dutch POWs. Unfortunately, several seemingly minor long-running problems were either accepted or went undetectedand these combined in tragic fashion while Bonefish was submerged. On 24 April 1988, a fire on board USS Bonefish (SS-582) off the coast of Florida killed three crewmen. Naval History and Heritage Command) As far as Lockwood was concerned, Operation Barney had been a . Naval authorities deemed the damage to Bonefish to be too extensive to warrant repair and thus decided to decommission and scrap her. Everts sister, Cynthia Williams, said the Navy had sent someone to their house this morning to announce that Everts body had been found. In two separate attacks, the submarine scored a hit on a large passenger/cargo ship Nichiryo Maru which later sank and another on a destroyer escort which apparently survived. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM That tour of duty ended with her return to Oahu in July. USS S-28 (SS-133) was lost on 4-Jul-1944 with the Post war information also reveals that on 14 May 1944, while firing at the large tanker, which she sank, BONEFISH hit and sank the Japanese destroyer INAZUMI. She was sunk in June 1945 after sinking a ship on its eighth cruise. In April 1966, Bonefish deployed to the western Pacific for the fourth time. We meet on the 4th Saturday of each month at Zacatecas Caf, 3767 Iowa Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507. The safety procedure, now essential for survival, was to don an Emergency Air Breather (EAB)an enclosed face mask with an air hose that could be hastily plugged into fittings across the ship as pictured here. In company with Tunny and Skate, Bonefish (SS-223), commanded by Commander L.L. USS Runner (SS-275) was declared lost 1-Jul-1943 The submarine next trained her torpedo tubes on a convoy of 13 ships which she contacted on 9 February in Camranh Bay. I explained the situation and asked if there were any volunteers to go to BONEFISH, drive the boats and operate the auxiliary equipment topside, recognizing the very difficult situation that existed on the submarine. She was commissioned on 9 July 1959 with Lieutenant Commander Elmer H. Kiehl in command. All the crew escaped through a hole cut in hull in the tiller The salvage crew entered the vessel shortly after midnight to test for toxic gases left by the fire in the diesel-electric subs forward battery compartment. Remarks: WDR gives date spread as 9-9 to 9-12-43 USS Stickleback (SS-415) was lost on 30-May-1958 when it sank off Hawaii Remarks: The Wahoo has been found and verified by the US Navy. She set course for Fremantle the next day, ending her patrol there on 13 August. She then conducted type training and other exercises along the California coast for the remainder of the year and into 1979. She returned to Hawaii on 10 August and, after post deployment standdown, resumed operations in the Hawaii operating area. By 1988 the aging submarine was bedeviled by increasing mechanical problems, but her last operational skipper Mike Wilson lobbied for two months of additional maintenance to try to address them. Unable to open the hatch, Everts climbed back down and collapsed on the command centers floor, whereupon Wilson noticed and placed an EAB on his face. The usual calls to Far Eastern ports punctuated her periods at sea engaged in training missions. Hull raised and used for study in submarine escape. The captain of the frigate gathered the crew on the fantail of the ship. It was dark on the ship, sea state was five, the ship was taking 30 degree rolls and pitching about 10 degrees, and it was extremely difficult to get back and forth from the frigate to the submarine. On 10 October, in her last action of the patrol, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at two ships of a convoy off Indochina, sending both the 4,212-ton cargo ship Isuzugawa and the 10,086-ton transport Teibi Maru to the bottom. It has been located at a depth of 6,895 meters (22,621 feet) in the Philippine Sea -- more than . The crew was able to surface the Bonefish and Wilson ordered the evacuation. took place on 25 December. In November, the warship voyaged back to the western Pacific, and the normal round of exercises and port visits ensued. USS S-44 (SS-155) was lost on 7-Oct-1943 with the BONEFISH, in accordance with the operation order, was to rendezvous with the other eight submarines of the three groups, at 46 50'N, 140 00'E at sunset on 23 June 1945, in preparation for the transit on 24 June of La Perouse Strait. May 25, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The importance of this effort was not only because of the salvage value of the submarine which was perhaps as high as 40 million dollars, and the recovery of the three fellows who had died in the fire, but also because of the obvious ramifications for the rest of the submarine force. Bonefish concluded her first war patrol back at Fremantle,Western Australia on 21 October. The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during the Battle Off Samar. The first survivor, in a panic, knocked off Grossman's mask and Grossman gave up his own life preserver to calm the sailor down. U.S. Damage was Bonefish made a submerged approach and launched four torpedoes. Grossman later received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal from the President for his extraordinary heroism. After four months of operations in the Hawaiian Islands, the submarine headed for the Far East again in January 1964. The interaction between the saltwater and the exposed electrical cables ultimately led to the overheating and explosion of the forward battery well as described at the beginning of the article. Return expeditions have not relocated hull. The escort increased speed and headed for Bonefish, but the sub went deep and escaped the barrage of depth charges. Power cables in Bonefishs forward battery well were sparking and glowing cherry red, small flames and electrical arcs licking across the battery bus. The ship, the USS Johnston, is at a depth of 21,180 feet (about 6,500. Pictures captured by an undersea drone show the wreck of World War II-era submarine USS Bugara in stunning detail. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Dived. Four men trapped in torpedo room survived for possibly 60 hours. Remarks: No known reports of wreckage being salvaged or sighted. in knowing those 5,000 valves and switches. grounding on Taka Bakang Reef in Makassar Strait, Indonesia, Near Makassar City, the crew were all rescued. For a brief history of the boat, please see The Loss of USS Bonefish. She also damaged two medium freighters. Remarks: R states sinking off Southern Formosa. The rest of the 92-man crew escaped serious injury when they abandoned the 219-foot, 30-year-old vessel, which was drifting alongside two salvage ships 160 miles east of Port Canaveral, Fla. Remarks: No losses in the scuttling operation, all crew rescued by Japanese forces. Lt. Michael Langston, chaplain at the Asheville Naval Reserve Center in Asheville, N.C., said he was told to notify Lindgrens mother and brother in nearby Pisgah Forest. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR She remained in port for three weeks to allow crewmen to settle into the new home port. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Petty Officer Grossman swam thousands of yards in the choppy waters and received credit for having saved 19 lives. Click here The vessel sank, but its five escorts mounted a vicious counterattack that soon covered the oceans surface with oil and debris. She fired six torpedoes and scored four hits. Henney said he did not know what type of gases were in the vessel. . Remarks: All but 4 men died within hours in engineroom and motor room due to USS Harder (SS-257) was lost on 24-Aug-1944 with the On 6 February, the submarine sighted a convoy composed of at least 17 ships. Bonefish was one of three Barbel-class submarines commissioned in 1959, incorporating new design features such as a sleek tear-drops-shaped hull and a consolidated layout situating the command and fire control centers under the bridge/conning tower. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. A private dive team has found the last American warship sunk off the US east coast in WWII - solving a 75-year-old naval cold case. On the afternoon of April 24, 1988, all was not well in the USS Bonefishamongst the last remaining diesel-electric submarines in the U.S. Navy. On 18 October, the submarine rescued two naval aviators. Remarks: Ship not found and demise is speculated as either being caused by an unknown That structure in the final analysis gave me the room to do what was necessary to oversee the salvage of the ship with the knowledge that every effort would be made to send help if I needed it. difference. Hokkaido. Even though the emergency lights were on, he couldnt see them. No declared lost date found. While on lifeguard duty off Korea's southern coast on 16 April, Bonefish rescued two Japanese aviators who had been shot down by a Navy plane. First, Admiral Dan Cooper as SUBLANT had sent me with the authority to do whatever was necessary to save the submarine and he was there to buffer me from the rest of the world I had only to make reports to him in the interim. As the vessel began to sink, Japanese troops emerged from below decks; Bonefish counted 39 men going over the side. USS Escolar (SS-294) was lost on or after Thereafter, Bonefish stopped in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. The submarine maneuvered into a position suitable to attack Tokiwa Maru, launched four torpedoes, and then turned to evade the escorts. Ros: Roscoe, Theodore, Submarine Operations of WWII On 6 October, the boat approached a third convoy and scored hits on two heavily laden cargo vessels. USS Bonefish (SS-223) was lost on 18-Jun-1945 with I will always remember, with Admiral Cooper, that memorial service in Charleston when we remembered the crew, their efforts and the three shipmates who died in the ship. Bonefish returned to Pearl Harbor from that routine deployment on 7 November and began 13 months of local operations. R: Roberts, Stephen, et al, Registry of US Warships Two years earlier, in October 1943, the USS Wahoo had been patrolling in the Sea of Japan when enemy forces attacked and sank it with all hands, including its commander, the legendary Dudley W. "Mush" Morton. A submersible has dived to the world's deepest-known shipwreck. The Navy said the first explosion hit the Bonefish on Sunday afternoon as it was running at periscope depth, engaged in training exercises with surface vessels 160 miles off Florida. loss of 34 crew when it was sunk after ramming by USCG Paulding. USS Pickerel (SS-177) was lost on 3-Apr-1943 with Under the command of Lt. Cmdr. the loss of 82 crew when it was sunk just south of Truk; (Attack at 151 10E; She was the second to last United States Submarine lost in the war, with Bullhead(SS-332) being lost in August 1945. USS Sculpin (SS-191) was lost on 19-Nov-1943 with She moved to the northern approach to Basilan Strait. Causey said he himself was blinded by the smoke and was only able to escape because a wave washing over the ship guided him to an open hatch. the loss of 59 crew when it was sunk East of Menado, Celebes Sbastien Roblin holds a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. On the submarines slippery deck, the crew struggled to keep their balance and several fell overboard. While in the Far East, the warship participated in various 7th Fleet exercises and visited ports in Japan, the Philippines, the Marianas, and at Hong Kong. In moments, jet black smoke poured across the ship, blinding the crew and making breathing poison. Others were lost when the sea Normal operations out of Charleston occupied Bonefish for the remainder of 1982 and during the first three weeks of 1983. : R-85 Kriegsmarine The Type R-41 minesweeper was sunk in a collision at Altenbruch. The boat sustained minor damage and surfaced to make repairs, but two Japanese ships began to close in on her. USS Cisco (SS-290) was lost on 28-Sep-1943 with the the loss of 76 crew when it was sunk in or near Tablas Strait, PI. That deployment lasted until 7 February 1972 when she began another regular overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. A Navy salvage crew boarded the submarine Tuesday but had to pump out toxic gases swirling through the hull before they could enter the ship, which had been adrift since Sunday. USS O-9 (SS-70) was lost on 20-Jun-1941 with the She attacked a convoy in those waters on 7 May, firing four torpedoes at an escort vessel, but could not observe the results. On 14 May, Bonefish approached a convoy of three tankers and three escorting destroyers, steaming off Tawitawi in the Philippines and headed for Sibutu Passage. loss of 78 crew when it was sunk in Western Atlantic, possibly near Cuba This touching experience cemented forever my bond to the finest submarine force in the world. If you served in USS Bonefish (SS-223), Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. After three days there without encountering any enemy ships, she departed those waters on 24 September. Following refit and training, the submarine sailed from Fremantle on 12 January 1944 to conduct her third war patrol. A five-man salvage crew aboard the Bonefish waited for strong winds and rough seas to subside Tuesday afternoon, then conducted tests that found high concentrations of toxic gases inside, said Lt. Fred Henney, a spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk. Remarks: Hulk raised and reburied off Serria 13 north of Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor. WDR: War Damage Report. Repairs occupied her time during the remainder of 1964, and local operations in the Hawaiian operating area took up the entire year of 1965. She emerged from the shipyard on 25 June 1977 to begin post-overhaul refresher training. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. 44N; 127 33E; heading for 33 44N; 124 06E. There can be little doubt that Bonefish was sunk in this action. USS Bullhead (SS-332) was lost on 6-Aug-1945 with Kachidoki Maru, sunk by USS Pampanito on 12 September 1944: 431 British POWs lost out of 950 onboard. She entered the Flores Sea on 28 November and, the next day, intercepted two enemy ships. On 24 April 1988 Bonefish was submerged, during an exercise with guided-missile frigate USS Carr, about 160 mi (260 km) off the Atlantic coast of Florida, when seawater began leaking onto cables and electric buses in a battery-supply cableway. Ros states an attack was made by IJN on 23 Nov Readers interested in this incident would be well-served by reading the Navys report investigating the incident, as well as personal accounts shared by Bonefishs crew, including her executive officer. loss of 34 crew when it foundered off Isle of Shoals, 15 miles from Portsmouth USS Trout (SS-202) was lost on or after 29-Feb-1944 loss of 32 crew when it was sunk after collision with SS City of Rome Remarks: One secondary source stated 8 men survived and were taken prisoner. At roughly 3:40 PM on April 24, however, Bonefish had just completed recharging her batteries when her engineers noticed one of her batteries had groundedbut couldnt determine which due to an operator error. USS H-1 (SS-28) was lost on 12-Mar-1920 with the the loss of 80 crew when it was sunk off Saipan near Maug Island. On 30 July, Bonefish was presumed lost. When Bonefish opened fire with her machine guns, the natives leaped overboard. [Note: The above USS BONEFISH (SS-582) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS BONEFISH (SS-582) or by other non . On 24 October 1944, USS Darter (SS-227) ran aground while pursuing the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao in Palawan Passage, Philippines. All the crew were rescued by USS Dace. USS Scorpion (SS-278) was lost on 1-Feb-1944 with At the end of those operations, she visited Hamburg, West Germany, and Portsmouth, England, before returning to Charleston on 9 October. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR On 24 May 1974, she stood out of Pearl Harbor for yet another assignment with the 7th Fleet in Far Eastern waters. "On Eternal Patrol - Marshal Todd Lindgren", "Investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fire onboard USS Bonefish (SS-582)", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Bonefish_(SS-582)&oldid=1145324892, This page was last edited on 18 March 2023, at 14:44.
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