USS Pickerel (SS-177)

The USS Pickerel (SS-177) was a Perch class World War II era submarine.

The namesake of the USS Pickerel is any of several small species of pike, such as Esox niger (chain pickerel) and E. americanus americanus (redfin pickerel), of eastern North America.

The radio call sign of the USS Pickerel was NAN-ABLE-QUEEN-MIKE.

On March 18, 1943, the Pickerel, captained by Lieutenant Commander Augustus H. Alston, Jr., sailed from Pearl Harbor on her seventh and final war patrol.  On March 22, 1943, she stopped at Midway Island to refuel, and then headed to her assigned patrol area along the eastern coast of northern Honshu.  She was never heard from again and was listed as missing in action on May 12, 1943. 1

The public announcement was made on August 15, 1943:

Navy Department Communiqué No. 458, August 15, 1943

1. The U. S. Submarine Pickerel has failed to return from patrol operations and must be presumed to be lost.  The next of kin of personnel in the Pickerel have been so informed.

The Pickerel was struck from the Navy List on August 19, 1943.  She was the first submarine lost in the Central Pacific area.

Loss Possibilities

1.  The Pickerel was possibly depth charged and sunk on April 3, 1943, off northeastern Honshu, by aircraft, the Japanese minelayer Shirakami, and the auxiliary submarine chaser Bunzan Maru.  The Japanese reported that on April 4, 1943, one of their aircraft covering a convoy detected the Pickerel and directed the Shirakami and the Bunzan Maru to the submarine's location.  The aircraft also requested additional air support.  The Shirikami and the Bunzan Maru dropped twenty-six depth charges.  Records of the Ominato Guard District indicate that a total of fifty-three depth charges and twenty-three aerial bombs were dropped during this antisubmarine action.  It was reported that a large quantity of oil rose to the surface.  The Pickerel had sunk the Japanese submarine chaser Ch-13 at the geographic position 41°-03'N, 141°-58'E just prior to these attacks.  No other submarine was near the area of the attacks.  However, both JANAC and John D. Alden credit the Pickerel with sinking the Japanese cargo vessel Fukuei Maru on April 7, 1943, at the geographic position 41°-00'N, 142°-00'E.  If JANAC and Alden are correct, then the Pickerel was lost due to a different cause.  It is also possible that the dates reported by the Japanese are wrong; perhaps the antisubmarine action occurred after the Pickerel sank the Fukuei Maru. 2

2.  The Pickerel was possibly sunk by contact with a mine off northeast Honshu.  According to Wilfred J. Holmes, the Japanese had heavily sewed that area with mines.

"There were two mine lines in her area, however, laid off shore in deep water the previous October, after Guardfish's field day off northeast Honshu.  American submarines did not know about these mines, although in deference to the possible existence of such a field they were directed to stay in water deeper than 60 fathoms.  These Japanese mines had been laid in 250 fathoms, deeper than any American submarines expected to encounter moored mines, and Pickerel may have run into this field.

"Japanese mine lines were often laid to present a 10 per cent threat; that is, a submarine crossing a single line once had only a 10 per cent chance of hitting a mine, but of course if Pickerel operated very long in the area she may have crossed either or both of these mine lines many times.  Moored mines at the end of 250 fathoms of cable, dipped and swung at the end of their long tether in a wholly unpredictable fashion, and might rarely watch at the depth they were set to operate, but even with the probabilities in favor of Pickerel she may well have hit a mine." 3

The bottom line is no one knows for sure what happened to the Pickerel.  The reason for her loss remains a mystery.

The Pickerel received three battle stars for World War II service.  Her JANAC score is four Japanese vessels sunk for 6,472 tons, including the two vessels sunk on her last patrol.  Her Alden-McDonald score is six vessels sunk for 6,592 tons and three vessels damaged for 12,710 tons.  The Pickerel's SORG score is three vessels sunk for 16,100 tons and two vessels damaged for 9,100 tons. 4

A list of the personnel lost with the Pickerel is maintained at http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-pickerel-177.htm.

Patrol Data and Captains for the USS Pickerel (SS-177)

Patrol No.	Patrol Area	Patrol Duration DD-MM-YY	Captain's Rank & Name	Sailed From
1	Indochina	08-Dec-41 to 29-Dec-41	LCDR Barton E. Bacon, Jr.	Manila
2	Celebes	31-Dec-41 to 29-Jan-42	Same	Manila 5
3	Barrier	07-Feb-42 to 19-Mar-42	same	Java 6
4	Philippines	15-Apr-42 to 06-Jun-42	Same	Fremantle 7
5	Guam-Saipan Area	10-Jul-42 to 26-Aug-42	Same	Brisbane ⇒ Pearl 8
6	Empire	22-Jan-43 to 03-Mar-43	LCDR Augustus H. Alston, Jr.	Pearl
7	Empire	18-Mar-43 to Lost	Same	Pearl

JANAC Score for the USS Pickerel (SS-177) 8

Patrol No.	Date DD-MM-YY	Vessel Name	Vessel Type	Tonnage Sunk	Location Sunk
2	10-Jan-42	Kanko Maru	Ex-Gunboat	2,929	6-12N, 125-55E
6	15-Feb-43	Tateyama Maru	Cargo	1,990	39-18N, 142-08E
7	03-Apr-43	CH-13	Submarine Chaser	440	40-00N, 142-00E
7	07-Apr-43	Fukuei Maru	Cargo	1,113	41-00N, 142-00E
TOTALS			4 vessels	6,472 tons

Alden-McDonald Score for the USS Pickerel (SS-177) 9

Patrol No.	Date DD-MM-YY	Vessel Name	Vessel Type	Tonnage Sunk	Tonnage Damaged
2	09-Jan-42	Kanko Maru	Auxiliary Gunboat	2,929
4	26-Apr-42	Takasago Maru	Transport		9,347
6	12-Feb-43	Unknown	Sampan		280
6	15-Feb-43	Tateyama Maru	Cargo	1,990
6	20-Feb-43	Unknown	Sampan	50
6	20-Feb-43	Unknown	Sampan	50
7	03-Apr-43	CH-13	Submarine Chaser	460
7	04-Apr-43	Shoei Maru	Cargo		3,083
7	07-Apr-43	Fukuei Maru	Cargo	1,113
	TOTALS	6 vessels sunk 3 vessels damaged		Tons sunk 6,592	Tons damaged 12,710

SORG Score for the USS Pickerel (SS-177) 10

3 vessels sunk for 16,100 tons
2 vessels damaged for 9,100 tons

Updated Monday, 16-Jan-2012 15:58:09 EST

1.  United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 44.

2.  Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 45-46; Hackett, Bob, and Sander Kingsepp and Erich Muehlthaler, "IJN Minelayer Shirakami: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at http://www.combinedfleet.com/Shirakami_t.htm (accessed on January 16, 2012).

3.  Holmes, Wilfred J.  Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific, p. 221-222.

4.  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 Pickerel (SS-177), Attack Nos. 33, 34, 131, 255, 609, 615, 623, 629, 630, 724, 728, and 734; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, Pickerel (SS-177), 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 Pickerel (SS-177), published online at http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-6.html#pickerel (accessed September 29, 2011).

5.  Returned to Java.

6.  Returned to Australia.

7.  Returned to Brisbane.

8.  Sent to Mare Island Navy Yard via Pearl Harbor for a complete overhaul.