USS Grayling (SS-209)

The USS Grayling (SS-209) was a Gar class World War II era submarine.

The namesake of the USS Grayling is any freshwater fish of the genus Thymallus, related to the trouts, but having a longer and higher, brilliantly colored dorsal fin.

The radio call sign for the USS Grayling was NAN-EASY-KING-MIKE.

The Grayling returned to Fremantle from her seventh war patrol on July 6, 1943.  Her captain, Lieutenant Commander John Elwood Lee, had been ordered to return to the States for new construction.  For her eighth patrol, Rear Admiral Ralph Christie gave command of the Grayling to Lieutenant Commander Robert M. Brinker. 1

Following rest, refit, repairs, and drills, on July 30, 1943, the Grayling, captained by Lieutenant Commander Brinker, departed Fremantle for her eighth and final war patrol.  On August 19, 1943, Brinker reported damaging a 6,000-ton freighter near Balikpapan.  The next day he reported sinking a small tanker of the Taki Maru type in the Sibutu Passage with the Grayling's deck gun and taking one prisoner.  This was the last report received directly from the Grayling. 2

Filipino guerrilla fighters reported by radio that on August 23, 1943, the Grayling had made a scheduled supply drop at Pandan Bay on Panay Island. 3

Upon completion of the supply drop, Brinker's patrol orders directed the Grayling to patrol the Tablas Strait through September 2, 1943, and then to patrol the approaches to Manila Bay until September 10, 1943, after which the Grayling would proceed to Pearl Harbor for a navy yard refit.  Japanese records made available after the war confirmed that the Grayling sank the 5,480-ton passenger-cargo ship Meizan Maru off northeastern Mindoro Island on August 27, 1943.  The evidence supporting this sinking was sufficient for JANAC's award of full credit to the Grayling for it.  However, she did not receive credit for the other two ships reported sunk by Brinker before the Grayling went missing. 4

Japanese records reviewed after the war also disclosed that on August 27, 1943 a torpedo attack was witnessed by enemy personnel and that on the following day a submarine was observed running on the surface.  Both of these events occurred near the Tablas Strait off the southeastern coast of Mindoro Island.  Japanese records also disclosed that an American submarine was seen on the surface in the Lingayen Gulf on September 9, 1943.  However, the Grayling had received specific orders to patrol the approaches to Manila Bay through September 10, 1943.  The Lingayen Gulf is considerably north of that area; it is unlikely the Grayling would have been there at the time of the reported sighting. 5  Harry Holmes wrote that on September 9, 1943, the Japanese passenger-cargo vessel Hokuan Maru reported sighting a submarine in shallow water west of Luzon Island.  The Japanese merchant sailed over the area where the submarine had been sighted and noted an impact with a submerged object.  Holmes wrote the submerged object "...was, no doubt, Grayling."  In typical Harry Holmes style, there is absolutely no attribution or source for these statements.  I checked with my friends over at Tully's Port to see if they could shed any light on the Hokuan Maru's whereabouts during this time period.  According to Peter Cundall, she arrived at Manila on 4 September 1943 and departed there on 7 September 1943 in convoy 866 en route to Takao on Formosa, where she arrived on 12 September 1943, two days after the other convoy vessels got there.  The Grayling should have been patrolling the approaches to Manila Bay until September 10, 1943, so it is possible that that their paths crossed.  The problem is there is no conclusive evidence to prove there was an encounter between the Hokuan Maru and the Grayling.  Thus the circumstances of the Grayling's loss remain a mystery.  All that can be said with certitude is that the Grayling disappeared sometime after she sank the Meizan Maru on August 27, 1943. 6

On September 12, 1943, the Commander Task Force 71 requested a radio transmission from the Grayling.  A response was never received.  On September 30, 1943, the Grayling was listed as lost in action with all hands. 7

The Grayling's loss was made public on December 24, 1943:

Navy Department Communiqué No. 491, December 24, 1943

1. The U. S. Submarine Grayling is overdue and must be presumed to be lost.

2. The next of kin of personnel in the Grayling have been so informed.

The Grayling received six battle stars for World War II service.  The JANAC score for the Grayling is 20,575 tons of Japanese shipping sunk in five vessels, including the 5,480-ton passenger-cargo ship Meizan Maru.  The Alden-McDonald score for the Grayling is nine vessels sunk for 22,272 tons and ten vessels damaged for 32,164 tons.  The SORG score for the Grayling is 61,400 tons sunk in eleven vessels and five vessels damaged worth 36,600 tons.  In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Chester Nimitz, the new commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, made the submarine base at Pearl Harbor his temporary headquarters and declared the submarine USS Grayling his flagship. 8

A list of the personnel lost with the Grayling is maintained at http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-grayling-209.htm.

It is important to note that the Grayling has become the victim of erroneous reporting in many books and online sources.  It is the type of error that grows ever bigger in its telling in new articles and books using the misinformation.  It concerns what the Grayling did on her last patrol.  A prime example is served up in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.  The online version of this publication states "Grayling began her eighth and last war patrol in July from Fremantle.  She made two visits to the coast of the Philippines delivering supplies and equipment to guerrillas at Pucio Point, Pandan Bay, Panay, 31 July and 23 August 1943." 9  This is incorrect information because we know the Grayling departed Fremantle for her eighth and final war patrol on July 30, 1943; there is no way she could have made a supply drop at Pucio Point on July 31, 1943, nor was it a part of her orders to make more than one supply drop at that location.  She would make one supply drop at Pucio Point on August 23, 1943.  Her patrol route and areas of operation had been carefully planned prior to her departure with her new captain, Lieutenant Commander Robert M. Brinker, in command.  It was standard operating procedure for Ralph Christie's staff to carefully plan for the safe and coordinated use of all submarines at their disposal, right down to the route to be traveled and possible targets of opportunity in open sea areas. 10  In addition, a Spyron submarine would never be sent to the same location twice in a two-week period.  It would be too dangerous for the crew and the guerrilla operatives.  Supply drop locations and rendezvous points were changed regularly to keep the Japanese off balance and protect the submarines, their crews, and the shore-based operatives.

The Grayling had returned to Fremantle on July 6, 1943, completing her seventh and last patrol with Lieutenant Commander John Elwood Lee as her captain.  Lee was being sent to the States for new construction.  In the cover memo to his last patrol report Lee wrote that the Grayling was "...currently being refitted by Pelias in preparation for the Eighth War Patrol and no extension beyond the normal refit period is foreseen."  The last such "normal refit period," at the conclusion of her sixth war patrol, lasted for twenty-three days.  Twenty-four days elapsed between July 6th and the final departure of the Grayling on July 30, 1943, so Lee was spot on. 11

I believe the original source for the misinformation came from an addendum to United States Submarine Operations in World War II by Theodore Roscoe.  The addendum states that on July 31, 1943, the USS Grayling, captained by "Lieutenant Commander J. E. Leo" (sic.), "Delivered 2 tons of supplies and equipment at Pucio Pt., Pandan Bay, Panay, P.I."  The same addendum states that on August 23, 1943, the USS Grayling, captained by Lieutenant Commander E. Olsen, "Delivered 2 tons of cargo at Pucio Pt., Pandan Bay, Panay, P.I." 12.  The first entry was a mistake which was never corrected.  I note that the second entry lists the wrong captain.  Overall it serves as an example of how careful one has to be when using the data in Roscoe's book.  Surprisingly, the error is perpetuated in Clay Blair's Silent Victory: The U. S. Submarine War Against Japan.  However, Wilfred Jay Holmes got it right in his book Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific.

During my review of the Grayling's patrol reports, I noted the following information in her seventh war patrol report concerning problems with one of the boat's main generators.  The issue was discussed in John Lee's covering memo and in section nine of the report, which dealt with major defects experienced during the patrol.

The following text is quoted from section nine.

(a) Main Generators - Megger reading on No. 4 Main Generator at beginning of patrol varied between 175,000 and 50,000 ohms.  Reading is now steady at 50,000.  This generator is considered unsafe except in an emergency. 13

The following text is quoted from Lee's covering memo.

GRAYLING returned from the patrol in a generally excellent material condition.  Cleanliness of machinery and equipment was above even the usual high standard maintained by the submarines of this squadron.  The GRAYLING is currently being refitted by Pelias in preparation for the Eighth War Patrol and no extension beyond the normal refit period is foreseen.  Following the next patrol GRAYLING will be given a Navy Yard overhaul.  All items listed by the Commanding Officer as major defects in paragraph 9 of basic report can be remedied by the tender force with the possible exception of number 4 main generator.  The low ground reading described is caused by the accumulation of carbon dust mixed with oil which resists all efforts to remove it short of complete disassembly of the main generators. Complete disassembly is not considered practicable during tender refit periods but such cleaning as is possible without disassembly has to date maintained the grounds within safe limits even though they become lower on each successive patrol.  Disassembly and cleaning of main generators should be accomplished during each Navy Yard period and if this is done it is considered that the tender can control the situation between Navy Yard overhauls.  It is believed probable that the ground reading on number four generator of GRAYLING can be sufficiently increased during the current refit to enable safe operation of the generator during the next patrol. 14

I am not an engineer or an electrician, so I am not qualified to make a judgment as to what effect the "unsafe" generator might have had on the Grayling during her final patrol.  In his memo, John Lee sounded fairly confident that the generator issue would not present a problem.  However, it was listed as a "major defect," and I would be irresponsible if I did not disclose it as a possible issue.  I am hopeful that someone with more knowledge about the main generators will contact me with their thoughts on this issue.  My address is listed in my Contact Me Web page.

Patrol Data and Captains for the USS Grayling (SS-209)

Patrol No.	Patrol Area	Patrol Duration DD-MM-YY	Captain's Rank & Name	Sailed From
1	Caroline Islands	05-Jan-42 to 06-Mar-42	LCDR Eliot Olsen	Pearl
2	Empire	26-Mar-42 to May 16, 1942	Same	Pearl
3	Truk	14-Jul-42 to 26-Aug-42	Same	Pearl
4	Truk	19-Oct-42 to 13-Dec-42	LCDR John Elwood Lee	Pearl ⇒ Fremantle 15
5	Manila	07-Jan-43 to 24-Feb-43	Same	Fremantle
6	Manila	18-Mar-43 to 25-Apr-43	Same	Fremantle
7	South China Sea	18-May-43 to 06-Jul-43	Same	Fremantle
8	Philippines	30-Jul-43 to Lost	LCDR Robert M. Brinker	Fremantle

JANAC Score for the USS Grayling (SS-209)

Patrol No.	Date DD-MM-YY	Vessel Name	Vessel Type	Tonnage Sunk	Location Sunk
2	13-Apr-42	Ryujin Maru	Cargo	6,243	31-51N, 132-50E
4	10-Nov-42	Unknown Maru	Cargo	4,000 e	7-12N, 150-47E
5	26-Jan-43	Ushio Maru	Cargo	749	13-26N, 121-16E
6	09-Apr-43	Shanghai Maru	Cargo	4,103	13-11N, 121-45E
8	27-Aug-43	Meizan Maru	Passenger- Cargo	5,480	13-13N, 121-23E
TOTALS			5 Vessels	20,575 Tons
Note: e is estimated tonnage

Alden-McDonald Score for the USS Grayling (SS-209)

Patrol No.	Date DD-MM-YY	Vessel Name	Vessel Type	Tonnage Sunk	Tonnage Damaged
2	11-Apr-42	Tsushin Maru	Sampan		24
2	13-Apr-42	Ryujin Maru	Cargo	6,243
3	13-Aug-42	Unknown	Cargo		10,000
4	10-Nov-42	Sendai Maru	Supply Ship	472
4	04-Dec-42	Unknown	Schooner		150
5	26-Jan-43	Ushio Maru	Cargo	749
5	27-Jan-43	Unknown	Passenger- Cargo	4,500
5	11-Feb-43	Hoeizan Maru	Cargo		6,032
6	25-Mar-43	Unknown	Schooner		120
6	07-Apr-43	Unknown	Cargo		1,500
6	09-Apr-43	Shanghai Maru	Cargo	4,111
6	13-Apr-43	Hisso Maru	Cargo	367
6	18-Apr-43	Unknown	Schooner	100
7	17-Jun-43	Unknown	Sampan		40
7	22-Jun-43	Eiyo Maru	Tanker		8,673
7	25-Jun-43	Unknown	Junk		75
8	19-Aug-43	Unknown	Cargo		6,000
8	20-Aug-43	Unknown	Pocket Tanker	250
8	27-Aug-43	Meizan Maru	Cargo	5,480
	TOTALS	9 vessels sunk 10 vessels damaged		Tons sunk 22,272	Tons damaged 32,164

SORG Score for the USS Grayling (SS-209)

11 vessels sunk for 61,400 tons
5 vessels damaged for 36,600 tons

Updated Saturday, 31-Dec-2011 22:21:45 EST

1.  Blair, Clay, Jr., Silent Victory: The U. S. Submarine War Against Japan, p. 397.  Also see Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Grayling (SS-209), Report of Seventh War Patrol, p. 117.

2.  See USS Grayling (SS-209) in United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 52.

3.  Ibid.

4.  Ibid.

5.  Ibid.

6.  Holmes, Harry, The Last Patrol, p. 54; also see Peter Cundall's comments online at http://propnturret.com/tully/viewforum.php?f=8, in the topic "TROM for Hokuan Maru" (accessed on September 26, 2011).

7.  See USS Grayling (SS-209) in United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 52.

8.  Sturma, Michael, Surface and Destroy: The Submarine Gun War in the Pacific, p. 16; Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, see USS Grayling (SS-209), Attack Nos. 120, 122, 274, 416, 427, 448, 579, 586, 607, 704, 709, 731, 732, 735, 736, 747, 755, 862, 891, 905, 910, 1032, 1039, and 1059; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Grayling (SS-209), data collected by the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG) in the report "Results of U. S. Submarine War Patrols Listed Alphabetically by Name of Submarine"; Japanese Naval And Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II By All Causes, Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, USS Grayling (SS-209), published online at http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-6.html#grayling (accessed September 29, 2011).

9.  Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Grayling," published online at http://www.history.navy.mil/DANFS/g7/grayling-iv.htm (accessed on September 4, 2011).

10.  Campbell, Douglas A.  Eight Survived: The Harrowing Story of the USS Flier and the Only Downed World War II Submariners to Survive and Evade Capture, p. 123-124.

11.  See Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Grayling (SS-209), Report of Seventh War Patrol, p. 137.

12.  Roscoe, Theodore.  United States Submarine Operations in World War II, p. 512-513.

13.  See Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Grayling (SS-209), Report of Seventh War Patrol, p. 135.

14.  Ibid., p. 137.

15.  The Grayling's fourth war patrol was made incident to her transfer from ComSubPac to ComSubSoWesPac.  The patrol covered a period of fifty-six days and included a twenty-eight day patrol off Truk.