The USS Shark (SS-314) was a Balao Class World War II era submarine.
The namesake of the USS Shark is any of the usually ferocious cartilaginous fishes, typically marine, with a long body, two dorsal fins, rows of sharp teeth, and between five and seven gill slits on each side of the head.
The radio call sign of the USS Shark was NAN-ZEBRA-FOXTROT-OBOE.
On September 23, 1944, the Shark, captained by Commander Edward N. Blakely, left Pearl Harbor and proceeded to the submarine base at Saipan to rendezvous with the USS Seadragon (SS-194) and the USS Blackfish (SS-221). On October 3, 1944, the three boats left Saipan to form a coordinated attack group under Blakely's command in the Luzon Strait. Their assigned area of operations was along the 20th parallel, covering an area about midway between Hainan Island and the western end of Bashi Channel. This departure marked the beginning of the Shark's third and final war patrol. 1
On October 24, 1944, at 1730, the Shark torpedoed and sank the 6,886-ton enemy freighter Arisan Maru, at 20°-00'N, 118°-44'E. Blakely did not know the freighter was transporting 1,782 American prisoners of war from Manila to Japan. The escorting Japanese destroyers Take and Harukaze counterattacked the Shark with depth charges, bringing bubbles, oil, clothes, cork, and other items to the surface, at 20°-41'N, 118°-27'E. This position is shown by the green marker in the chart below. The Shark could not be contacted by radio afterwards. Only nine of the American prisoners survived the sinking. Blakely had informed the Seadragon that he was closing the Arisan Maru to attack it. Neither the Seadragon nor the Blackfish had closed or torpedoed the Arisan Maru. 2
The Shark was listed as presumed lost due to unknown causes on November 27, 1944.
The Shark's loss was made public on February 28, 1945:
Navy Department Communiqué No. 581, February 28, 1945
1. The submarines USS Escolar and USS Shark are overdue from patrol and presumed lost.
2. Next of kin of officers and crew have been notified.
The Shark received one battle star for her World War II service. Her JANAC score is 21,672 tons of Japanese shipping sunk in four vessels. Her Alden-McDonald score is five vessels sunk for 28,558 tons. The SORG score for the Shark is four vessels sunk for 32,200 tons and two vessels damaged for 9,900 tons. According to the Alden-McDonald analysis, JANAC had incorrectly credited the sinking of the Arisan Maru to the USS Snook. 3
A list of the personnel lost with Shark is maintained at http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-shark-314.htm.
Patrol Data and Captains for the USS Shark (SS-314)
| Patrol No. |
Patrol Area |
Patrol Duration DD-MM-YY |
Captain's Rank & Name |
Sailed From |
| 1 | Area west of Marianas; ended patrol at Midway |
16-May-44 to 17-Jun-44 | CDR Edward N. Blakely | Pearl ⇒ Midway |
| 2 | Bonin & Volcano Islands; ended patrol at Pearl |
10-Jul-44 to 29-Aug-44 | Same | Midway ⇒ Pearl |
| 3 | Luzon Strait | 03-Oct-44 to Lost | Same | Pearl |
JANAC Score for the USS Shark (SS-314)
| Patrol No. |
Date DD-MM-YY |
Vessel Name |
Vessel Type |
Tonnage Sunk |
Location Sunk |
| 1 | 02-Jun-44 | Chiyo Maru | Cargo | 4,700 | 20-53N, 140-17E |
| 1 | 04-Jun-44 | Katsukawa Maru | Cargo | 6,886 | 19-35N, 138-43E |
| 1 | 05-Jun-44 | Tamahime Maru | Cargo | 3,080 | 17-37N, 140-32E |
| 1 | 05-Jun-44 | Takaoka Maru | Passenger- Cargo |
7,006 | 17-37N, 140-32E |
| TOTALS | 4 vessels | 21,672 tons | |||
Alden-McDonald Score for the USS Shark (SS-314)
| Patrol No. |
Date DD-MM-YY |
Vessel Name |
Vessel Type |
Tonnage Sunk |
Tonnage Damaged |
| 1 | 02-Jun-44 | Chiyo Maru | Cargo | 4,700 | |
| 1 | 04-Jun-44 | Katsukawa Maru | Cargo | 6,886 | |
| 1 | 05-Jun-44 | Takaoka Maru | Cargo | 7,006 | |
| 1 | 05-Jun-44 | Tamahime Maru | Cargo | 3,080 | |
| 3 | 24-Oct-44 | Arisan Maru | Cargo | 6,886 | |
| TOTALS | 5 vessels sunk 0 vessels damaged |
Tons sunk 28,558 |
Tons damaged 0 |
||
SORG Score for the USS Shark (SS-314)
SORG totals for Shark
4 vessels sunk for 32,200 tons
2 vessels damaged for 9,900 tons
Updated Sunday, 23-Oct-2011 11:38:31 EDT
1. United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 114.
2. Ibid.; Nevitt, Allyn D., "IJN Take: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at http://www.combinedfleet.com/take_t.htm (accessed on October 11, 2011); Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 57.
3. 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 Shark (SS-314), Attack Nos. 2043, 2044, 2052, 2057, 2058, 2320, 2914, and 2921; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Shark (SS-314), 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 Shark (SS-314), published online at http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-6.html#shark (accessed September 29, 2011).
