Sunfish file photo [19939]

Sunfish (Gato-class)

CountryUnited States
Ship ClassGato-class Submarine
Hull NumberSS-281
BuilderMare Island Navy Yard
Laid Down25 Sep 1941
Launched2 May 1942
Commissioned15 Jul 1942
Decommissioned26 Dec 1945
Displacement1,549 tons standard; 2,463 tons submerged
Length312 feet
Beam27 feet
Draft17 feet
MachineryFour Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-1/8 9-cyl diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers
Bunkerage116,000gal fuel oil
Speed21 knots
Range11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged
Crew60
Armament6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm 50cal gun, 2x .50cal machine guns, 2x .30cal machine guns
Submerged Speed9 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseUSS Sunfish entered service in Jul 1942. Upon completing her shakedown cruise in the San Diego Bay area in southern California, United States and her post-shakedown repairs at San Francisco, California, she headed out to the US Territory of Hawaii on 26 Oct, arriving five days later at Pearl Harbor. Her first war patrol took her to waters off the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan, where she laid a minefield at the entrance of Iseno Imi. Although this first war patrol would result in only damaging one single Japanese transport, she would go on to have nine successful war patrols during the Pacific War, including a wolfpack attack with USS Peto and USS Spadefish on 17 Nov 1944 that saw the sinking of six ships, including escort carrier Jinyo (credit of which was given to USS Spadefish). At the end of the war, she was decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California, United States. She would remain a classroom submarine for US Naval Reserve sailors until she was struck and sold for scrap in 1960.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Dec 2013

Submarine Sunfish (Gato-class) (SS-281) Interactive Map

Photographs

Launching of Trigger, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, 22 Oct 1941; note submarine Sunfish and submarine tender Sperry in backgroundLaunch party of Sunfish, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, 2 May 1942Launching of submarine Sunfish, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, 2 May 1942Stern of Sunfish, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, 2 May 1942
See all 28 photographs of Submarine Sunfish (Gato-class) (SS-281)

Sunfish (Gato-class) Operational Timeline

25 Sep 1941 The keel of submarine Sunfish was laid down at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States.
2 May 1942 Sunfish was launched at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, sponsored by Mrs. J. W. Fowler.
15 Jul 1942 USS Sunfish was commissioned into service at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States with Commander R. W. Peterson in command.
26 Oct 1942 USS Sunfish departed San Francisco, California, United States.
1 Nov 1942 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
23 Nov 1942 USS Sunfish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
12 Dec 1942 USS Sunfish fired two torpedoes at a Japanese warship in the Pacific Ocean; both torpedoes missed.
16 Dec 1942 After dark, USS Sunfish laid mines at the entrance of Iseno Imi off Japan.
18 Dec 1942 USS Sunfish fired three torpedoes at Japanese transport Kyowa Maru off Japan in the Pacific Ocean, causing damage.
14 Jan 1943 USS Sunfish arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her first war patrol.
4 Feb 1943 USS Sunfish began her second war patrol.
4 Mar 1943 USS Sunfish sanked a Japanese ships in the East China Sea, hitting her with 3 torpedoes.
6 Mar 1943 USS Sunfish hit a Japanese ship in the East China Sea with 3 of 7 torpedoes fired; she was lightly damaged by the subsequent depth charging.27,122.5
9 Mar 1943 USS Sunfish damaged a Japanese transport in the East China Sea with 3 of 4 torpedoes fired.
13 Mar 1943 USS Sunfish sank Japanese cargo ship Kosei Maru off Tokara Islands, Japan in the East China Sea, hitting her with 3 torpedoes.
3 Apr 1943 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
4 May 1943 USS Sunfish departed for her third war patrol.
23 May 1943 USS Sunfish conducted a reonnaissance mission at Anguar, Palau Islands.
28 May 1943 USS Sunfish shelled a Japanese oil refinery at Fais, Caroline Islands.
24 Jun 1943 USS Sunfish ended her third war patrol.
28 Jul 1943 USS Sunfish began her fourth war patrol.
13 Aug 1943 USS Sunfish sanked Japanese converted gunboat Edo Maru and damaged another ship off Taiwan, hitting them with 6 of 10 torpedoes fired.
23 Aug 1943 USS Sunfish damaged a Japanese transport in the South China Sea, hitting her with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired.
4 Sep 1943 USS Sunfish sank Japanese ship Kozon Maru off Taiwan, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired.
18 Sep 1943 USS Sunfish damaged a Japanese transport in the Pacific Ocean, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
25 Sep 1943 USS Sunfish ended her fourth war patrol.
16 Oct 1943 USS Sunfish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol.
14 Dec 1943 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifth war patrol.
14 Jan 1944 USS Sunfish began her sixth war patrol.
23 Feb 1944 USS Sunfish attacked a Japanese convoy off the Mariana Islands, sinking transports Kunishima Maru and Shinyubari Maru, hitting them with 7 of 13 torpedoes fired.
7 Mar 1944 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her sixth war patrol.
22 Jun 1944 USS Sunfish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her seventh war patrol.
5 Jul 1944 USS Sunfish sank Japanese passenger-cargo ship Shanmai Maru off the Kurile Islands, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
6 Jul 1944 USS Sunfish sank Soviet merchant ship Ob in the Kurile Islands, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
7 Jul 1944 USS Sunfish sank 13 Japanese sampans and a small patrol vessel with her deck gun in the Kurile Islands.
9 Jul 1944 USS Sunfish sank Japanese cargo ship Taihei Maru in the Kurile Islands, hitting her with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
1 Aug 1944 USS Sunfish arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her seventh war patrol.
19 Aug 1944 USS Sunfish completed her refit at Midway Atoll.
22 Aug 1944 USS Sunfish departed Midway Atoll for her eighth war patrol.
31 Aug 1944 USS Sunfish fired a torpedo a small Japanese vessel south of Japan; the torpedo missed.
10 Sep 1944 USS Sunfish attacked a Japanese convoy in the Tsushima Strait, sinking Chihaya Maru and damaging two others, hitting them with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
13 Sep 1944 USS Sunfish attacked a Japanese convoy in the Yellow Sea, sinking Etajima Maru and damaging another, hitting them with 5 of 13 torpedoes fired.
14 Sep 1944 USS Sunfish fired 4 torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Yellow Sea; all torpedoes missed.
27 Sep 1944 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her eighth war patrol.
23 Oct 1944 USS Sunfish arrived at the Yellow Sea.
17 Nov 1944 USS Sunfish attacked a Japanese convoy in the Yellow Sea, sinking Edogawa Maru and Seisho Maru, hitting them with 6 of 16 torpedoes fired; her wolfpack mates USS Peto and USS Spadefish claimed several other ships.
29 Nov 1944 USS Sunfish sank Japanese ship Daiboshi Maru in the Yellow Sea.
30 Nov 1944 USS Sunfish sank Japanese transport Dairen Maru in the Yellow Sea, hitting her with 1 of 5 torpedoes fired.
19 Dec 1944 USS Sunfish arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her ninth war patrol.
15 Jan 1945 USS Sunfish departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her tenth war patrol.
20 Feb 1945 USS Sunfish collided with a piece of ice floe, bending both of her periscopes. She set sail for Guam, Mariana Islands to receive repairs.
27 Feb 1945 USS Sunfish arrived at Apra, Guam, Mariana Islands, ending her tenth war patrol.
31 Mar 1945 USS Sunfish departed Apra, Guam, Mariana Islands for her eleventh war patrol.
9 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish damaged a Japanese ship off Mutsu harbor (Ominato Guard District naval base), Japan, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
14 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship off Japan; all three torpedoes missed.
16 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish sank Japanese transport Manryu Maru and Coast Defense Vessel No. 73 off Miyako, Japan, hitting them with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
19 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish sank Japanese ships Kaiko Maru and Taisei Maru south of Hokkaido, Japan, hitting them with 3 of 11 torpedoes fired; she expended all of her torpedoes in this attack.
28 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her eleventh war patrol.
30 Apr 1945 USS Sunfish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
7 May 1945 USS Sunfish entered Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States for a scheduled overhaul.
31 Jul 1945 USS Sunfish completed her scheduled overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States.
9 Aug 1945 USS Sunfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
29 Aug 1945 USS Sunfish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
5 Sep 1945 USS Sunfish arrived at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States.
26 Dec 1945 USS Sunfish was decommissioned from service at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States.
1 May 1960 Sunfish was struck from the US Naval Register.
15 Dec 1960 Sunfish was sold for scrap.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. JB says:
28 Oct 2017 06:20:24 PM

The correct engine model installed in many WWII Gato class diesel submarines is a Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D 8-⅛ 9-cylinder. It is often shown as Model 38D8-? 9-cylinder in your records shown on the Internet ww2db.
2. Commenter identity confirmed C. Peter Chen says:
30 Oct 2017 10:43:27 AM

Thank you for filling in the incomplete data, JB.

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Submarine Sunfish (Gato-class) (SS-281) Photo Gallery
Launching of Trigger, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, United States, 22 Oct 1941; note submarine Sunfish and submarine tender Sperry in background
See all 28 photographs of Submarine Sunfish (Gato-class) (SS-281)


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