Lost Subs - USS Darter (SS-227)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Compiled July 2, 2008, by David Barth.
USS Darter (SS-227), a Gato class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the darter,
any of many small American fresh-water fishes, closely related to the perch family. Her keel was laid down by the Electric
Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 6 June 1943 sponsored by Mrs. E. B. Wheeler, and commissioned on
7 September 1943 with Commander William Shirley "Gin" Stovall, Jr. (Class of 1929) in command.
Patrols in the Pacific
Darter put out from New London, Connecticut, on 31 October 1943 for Pearl Harbor, arriving 26 November. On 21 December,
she cleared on her first war patrol, bound for the heavily traveled shipping lanes south and west of Truk. This patrol
was twice interrupted for repairs, at Pearl Harbor from 29 December to 3 January 1944, and at Tulagi and Milne Bay from
30 January to 8 February. She performed a reconnaissance of Eniwetok on 12 January, and on 13 January scored a torpedo
hit on a large ship, only to receive a severe depth-charging from her target's escorts. She stood by on patrol during
the carrier air strikes on Truk of 16 February and 17 February, then fueled at Milne Bay on her way to refit at Brisbane
between 29 February and 17 March.
On her way to her second war patrol north of Western New Guinea and south of Davao, Darter topped off fuel at Milne Bay
on 21 March and 22 March 1944. On 30 March she sent a cargo ship to the bottom, then patrolled off New Guinea during
Allied landings on its coast. She put in to Darwin to refuel on 29 April and 30 April, then returned to her patrol area
until 23 May when she arrived at Manus. Refitted, she put out for action waters once more 21 June on her third war
patrol off Halmahera and Mindanao. She sank Tsugaru, a large minelayer, off Morotai on 29 June, and again endured a
heavy depth charge barrage as a result of her attack.
Fourth and last War patrol
Returning to Brisbane on 8 August 1944, Darter cleared on her fourth and last war patrol. She searched the Celebes Sea
and South China Sea, returned to Darwin to fuel and make minor repairs 10 September, and put back to the Celebes Sea.
She put in to Mios Woendi on 27 September for additional fuel, and sailed on 1 October with Dace (SS-247) to patrol the
South China Sea in coordination with the forthcoming invasion of Leyte. She attacked a tanker convoy on 12 October and
on 21 October headed with Dace for Balabac Strait to watch for Japanese shipping moving to reinforce the Philippines or
attack the landing forces.
In the outstanding performance of duty which was to bring both submarines the Navy Unit Commendation, Darter and Dace
made contact with the Japanese Center Force approaching Palawan Passage on 23 October 1944. Immediately, Darter flashed
the contact report, one of the most important of the war, since the location of this Japanese task force had been
unknown for some days. The two submarines closed the task force, and initiated the Battle of Surigao Strait phase of
the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf with attacks on the cruisers. Darter sank Admiral Takeo Kurita's flagship Atago,
then seriously damaged another cruiser, Takao. With Dace, she tracked the damaged cruiser through the tortuous channels
of Palawan Passage until just after midnight of 24 October when she grounded on Bombay Shoal
9 degrees 24 minutes 22 seconds North, 116 degrees 59 minutes 02 seconds East.
As efforts to get the submarine off the shoal began, a Japanese destroyer closed apparently to investigate, but sailed
on. With the tide receding, all Dace's and Darter's efforts to get her off failed. All confidential papers and equipment
were destroyed, and the entire crew taken off to Dace. When the demolition charges planted in Darter failed to destroy
her, Dace fired torpedoes which exploded on the reef due to the shallow water. Dace did, however, score 21 hits with her
four-inch (102 mm) gun. Rock (SS-274) was called in and fired ten torpedoes at Darter with similar lack of
success.
Finally, Nautilus (SS-168) arrived on 31 October and scored 55 hits with her six-inch (152 mm) guns. Her report states,
"It is doubtful that any equipment in DARTER at 1130 this date would be of any value to Japan - except as scrap.
Estimated draft of DARTER - 4 feet." Apparently the Japanese got no use out of her, for her hulk was still remarkably
intact in 1962.
Dace reached Fremantle safely with Darter's men on 6 November. In order to retain their high esprit d'corps, the entire
Darter crew was ordered to take over the submarine Menhaden (SS-377), then building at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
In addition to the Navy Unit Commendation, Darter received four battle stars earned during her four war patrols, the
last three of which were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 19,429 tons of Japanese
shipping.