USS AMBERJACK SS 219

USS AMBERJACK SS 219 Gato Class

January 5, 1944. Sunk by surface craft and aerial bombs. 74 men lost.

From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Amberjack
A large vigorous sport fish found in the western Atlantic from New England to Brazil.

((SS-219: dp. 1,526 (surf.), 2,424 (subm.)l 1. 311'9"; b. 27'3"; dr. 19'3"; s. 20.25 k. (surf.), 8.75 k. (subm.); cpl. 60; a. 1 3", 4mg., 1021" tt; cl. Gato)

On February 1 , 1943, while on her third patrol, Amberjack was ordered to move north and patrol the western approaches to Buka Passage. She complied with these directions and made her first radio report on February 3, 1943. Amberjack had made contact on February 1st with a Japanese submarine 14 miles southeast of the Treasury Islands. She also claimed to have sunk a two-masted schooner by gunfire at a position 20 miles from Buka on the afternoon of the 3rd. At the time of this report, the submarine was ordered to move south along the Buka-to-Shorland shipping lane and to also patrol east of Vella Lavella.

In a second radio transmission on February 4th, Amberjack reported having sunk a 5,000-ton freighter laden with explosives in a two-hour night surface attack on the 4th. During this engagement, one crew member was killed by machine gun fire, and one officer was wounded in the hand. On the 8th, the submarine was directed to move to the west side of Ganongga Island. Two days later, she moved south to cover the traffic routes from Rabaul and Buka to Shortland Island.

The last transmission was received from Amberjack on February 14, 1942. She reported having been forced down on the 13th by two destroyers, and that she had recovered an enemy aviator from the water and taken him prisoner. All further messages to the vessel remained unanswered. The submarine was reported as presumed lost on March 22, 1943. Her name was struck from the Navy list on June 21, 1943.

Post war Japanese records document that on February 16, 1943, the torpedo boat Hiyodori and sub chaser Number 18 attacked a U.S. submarine with nine depth charges. An escorting patrol plane had also previously attacked the submarine. A large amount of heavy oil and "parts of the hull" came to the surface. This attack is believed to have sunk Amberjack. However, no final conclusions can be drawn, since Grampus was lost in the same area at about the same time. From the evidence available, it is considered most likely that the attack of February 16th sank Amberjack, but if she did survive this attack, any one of the attacks and sightings thought to have been made on Grampus might have been made on Amberjack.

Amberjack won three battle stars for her World War II service. She is credited with sinking 5,225 tons in two enemy vessels.