World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS Bugara was commissioned into service late in the war with Commander A. F. Schade in command. Her first two uneventful war patrols took her to the Flores Sea and the Java Sea. During her third war patrol to the Gulf of Siam and South China Sea, she sank 57 small boats and ships totaling 5,284 tons with her deck gun between 24 Jul and 7 Aug 1945. In one episode, she came across a Malaysian pirate ship in process of raiding a Chinese-manned Japanese merchant ship; the Chinese crew was rescued, and then both the pirate and the merchant ship were sunk by gunfire. Her third war patrol ended in Fremantle, Australia on 15 Aug 1945, and she went on to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. In Jan 1946, she set sail for San Diego, California, United States. In May 1946, she arrived at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, United States for a scheduled overhaul. In the fall of 1946, she made a training cruise in the Bering Sea. Between 20 Nov 1947 and 19 Mar 1948, she was in California. Between Jul and Aug 1948, she made a trip across the Pacific Ocean. Between Aug and Dec 1949, she was at San Francisco, California, United States for an overhaul. In the early 1950s, she made two tours of duty off Korea during the Korean War. She was decommissioned from service in Oct 1970.

Submarine Bugara (SS-331) Interactive Map

Photographs

Bugara Operational Timeline