Submarine USS Finback (SS-230) | World War II Database

USS Finback

Country	United States
Ship Class	Gato-class Submarine
Hull Number	SS-230
Builder	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, United States
Laid Down	5 Feb 1941
Launched	25 Aug 1941
Commissioned	31 Jan 1942
Decommissioned	21 Apr 1950
Displacement	1549 tons standard; 2424 tons submerged
Length	312 feet
Beam	27 feet
Draft	17 feet
Machinery	Four Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-? 9-cylinder diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed Elliott electric motors (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers
Speed	21 knots
Range	11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged
Crew	60
Armament	6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm gun
Submerged Speed	9 knots

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

USS Finback was commissioned into United States Navy service early in the Pacific War. She arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States on 29 May 1942, and on 31 May she was dispatched to the Midway area in anticipation of a Japanese attack. Between mid-1942 and the end of the war, she embarked on 12 war patrols, 9 of which were designated successful. She sank a total of 69,383 tons of enemy shipping during the war, and rescued, among other downed aviators, future President of the United States George Bush. After the war, she served as a training submarine and participated in exercises in the Caribbean Sea. She was decommissioned from service in 1950 and was placed in reserve at New London, Connecticut, United States. She was sold for scrap in 1959.

Source: Wikipedia

USS Finback Operational Timeline

5 Feb 1941	The keel of submarine Finback was laid down.
25 Aug 1941	Submarine Finback was launched, sponsored by Mrs. A. E. Watson.
31 Jan 1942	USS Finback was commissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander Jesse L. Hull in command.
29 May 1942	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
31 May 1942	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for the anticipated Japanese attack on Midway Atoll.
9 Jun 1942	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
25 Jun 1942	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
5 Jul 1942	USS Finback attacked two Japanese destroyers in the Central Pacific, firing six torpedoes and claimed one hit. She was counterattacked with depth charges.
11 Jul 1942	USS Finback conducted a reconnaissance mission in Vega Bay, Kiska, US Territory of Alaska.
11 Aug 1942	USS Finback conducted a survey mission in Tanaga Bay, Tanaga, US Territory of Alaska.
12 Aug 1942	USS Finback arrived at Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska, ending her first war patrol.
23 Aug 1942	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
23 Sep 1942	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her second war patrol.
14 Oct 1942	USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy of four transports and a patrol vessel east of Taiwan, damaging one transport with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired.
18 Oct 1942	USS Finback damaged a large Japanese freighter east of Taiwan, hitting her with 2 of torpedoes fired.
20 Oct 1942	USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy off China, firing 9 torpedoes and claiming 3 hits and claiming two sinkings.
25 Oct 1942	USS Finback attacked a Japanese transport with three torpedoes east of Taiwan; all torpedoes missed.
3 Nov 1942	USS Finback sank a small vessel east of Taiwan with gunfire.
20 Nov 1942	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
16 Dec 1942	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her third war patrol. The first phase of this war patrol would be to escort a carrier force rather than to hunt for enemy shipping.
17 Jan 1943	USS Finback sank a Japanese patrol boat south of Japan with her deck gun.
6 Feb 1943	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her third war patrol.
27 Feb 1943	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fourth war patrol.
21 Mar 1943	USS Finback damaged a Japanese cargo ship in the Southwestern Pacific, hitting her with two of three torpedoes fired.
24 Mar 1943	USS Finback spotted a Japanese convoy and began to shadow it.
26 Mar 1943	USS Finback attacked the Japanese convoy which she initially intercepted on 24 Mar 1943 north of New Guinea, Dutch East Indies. She damged two transports with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired and was counterattacked with depth charges.
5 Apr 1943	USS Finback hit a damaged and beached Japanese merchant ship off Wake Island with 1 of 2 torpedoes fired.
13 Apr 1943	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fourth war patrol.
12 May 1943	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol.
27 May 1943	USS Finback sank a Japanese cargo ship east of Philippine Islands, hitting her with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired.
2 Jun 1943	USS Finback damaged a Japanese ship east of Philippine Islands, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
8 Jun 1943	USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy east of Philippine Islands and claimed two transports sunk and another ship damaged, hitting them with 4 of 8 torpedoes fired.
11 Jun 1943	USS Finback sank a Japanese cargo ship east of Philippine Islands, hitting her with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired.
15 Jun 1943	USS Finback fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship east of Philippine Islands; all torpedoes missed.
26 Jun 1943	USS Finback arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
18 Jul 1943	USS Finback completed refitting at Fremantle, Australia and departed for her sixth war patrol.
30 Jul 1943	USS Finback sank a Japanese freighter in the South China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
1 Aug 1943	USS Finback damaged a Japanese transport in the South China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
3 Aug 1943	USS Finback sank a Japanese cargo ship in the South China Sea, hitting her with 2 of 5 torpedoes fired.
11 Aug 1943	USS Finback damaged a Japanese ship in the South China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 7 torpedoes fired.
19 Aug 1943	USS Finback attacked several Japanese surface ships with gunfire east of Borneo, sinking one small patrol vessel.
25 Aug 1943	USS Finback fired two torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Dutch East Indies; all torpedoes missed.
12 Sep 1943	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her sixth war patrol.
15 Dec 1943	USS Finback completed overhaul at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and departed for her seventh war patrol.
1 Jan 1944	USS Finback sank a Japanese tanker in the East China Sea, hitting her with 5 of 6 torpedoes fired.
30 Jan 1944	USS Finback damaged a fishing trawler with gunfire in the East China Sea.
31 Jan 1944	USS Finback sank a fishing trawler with gunfire in the East China Sea.
11 Feb 1944	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her seventh war patrol.
6 Mar 1944	USS Finback completed refitting at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and departed for her eighth war patrol.
12 Apr 1944	USS Finback attacked a six-ship Japanese convoy escorted by three patrol vessels east of Philippine Islands, firing 9 torpedoes and reporting 5 hits; she was then counterattacked with depth charges.
16 Apr 1944	USS Finback conducted a reconnaissance mission at Oroluk Atoll, Caroline Islands, firing on a damaged ship and a tower on land during the mission.
19 Apr 1944	USS Finback sank a small Japanese vessel in the Pacific Ocean with her deck gun.
1 May 1944	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her eighth war patrol.
30 May 1944	USS Finback completed refitting at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and departed for her ninth war patrol.
21 Jul 1944	USS Finback arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her ninth war patrol.
16 Aug 1944	USS Finback, with the new commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Robert Russell Williams, Jr., departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her tenth war patrol.
2 Sep 1944	USS Finback rescued downed aviator and future President of the United States George Bush off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.
10 Sep 1944	USS Finback fired 6 torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer escort in the Western Pacific; all torpedoes missed. She would continue to shadow the convoy the warship was escorting.
11 Sep 1944	USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy in the Western Pacific, sinking a tanker and a transport, hitting them with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired.
16 Dec 1944	USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy in the Western Pacific, firing a total of 20 torpedoes but making only 2 hits, sinking a transport.
24 Dec 1944	USS Finback arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her eleventh war patrol.
20 Jan 1945	USS Finback departed for her twelfth and final war patrol in the East China Sea.
25 Mar 1945	USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her twelfth and final war patrol.
29 Aug 1945	USS Finback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for New London, Connecticut, United States.
21 Apr 1950	USS Finback was decommissioned from service.
1 Sep 1958	Submarine Finback was struck from the US Naval Register.
15 Jul 1959	Submarine Finback was sold for scrap.