USS BONEFISH SS 223

USS BONEFISH SS 223 Gato Class

June 18, 1945. Sunk by enemy surface craft. 85 men lost.

From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Bonefish
A fish of the Florida Keys and southern California. The bonefish has bright silvery sides with faint dark stripes and often reaches a weight of about 15 pounds. It feeds on bottom matter in shallow waters.

(SS-223: dp. 1,525 (surf.), 2,415 (subm.); l. 311'9"; b. 27'3"; dr. 15'3"; s. 20.25 k. (surf.), 8.75 (subm.); cpl. 60; a. 10 21" tt., 1 3", 2 .50 cal. mg., 2 .30 cal. mg.; cl. Gato)

On May 28, 1945, Bonefish departed Guam on her eigth and final war patrol in company with other members of Pierce's Polecats, USS Tunny (SS-282) and USS Skate (SS-305). The group was part of the American wolf pack Hydeman's Hellcats, which consisted of nine boats divided into groups of three. The other two groups were Hydeman's Hepcats (Sea Dog, Spadefish, Crevalle) and Bob's Bobcats (Flying Fish, Bowfin, Tinosa). The boats' common objective was to penetrate the Sea of Japan and destroy merchant shipping. To do this required making safe passage through enemy minefields blocking access to the "Emperor's private pond." The boats had been fitted with the new mine-detecting FM sonar. Bonefish made the passage sucessfully, and during a rendezvous with Tunny on June 16, reported sinking a 6,892-ton cargo ship. In a second rendezvous on June 18, she requested and received permission to conduct a daylight submerged patrol of Toyama Wan, a bay farther up the Honshu coast. The attack group was scheduled to depart the Sea of Japan via La Perouse Strait on the night of June 24. Bonefish did not make the scheduled pre-transit rendezvous. Tunny waited in vain off Hokkaido until the 27th. On July 30, Bonefish was presumed lost.

Post war Japanese records reveal that the 5,488-ton cargo ship Konzan Maru was torpedoed and sunk in Toyama Wan on June 19 and that an ensuing severe counterattack by Japanese escorts brought debris and a major oil slick to the water's surface. There can be little doubt that Bonefish was sunk in this action.

Bonefish earned Navy Unit Commendations for her first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth war patrols, and seven battle stars for her World War II service. She is credited with sinking 61,345 tons in 12 enemy vessels.