USS SWORDFISH SS 193

USS SWORDFISH SS 193 Sargo Class

January 12, 1945. Sunk by unknown causes. 89 men lost.

From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Swordfish
A large fish with a long, swordlike beak and a high dorsal fin.

(SS-193: dp. 1,450 (surf.), 2,350 (subm.), l. 310'6" b. 27'1", dr. 13'8"; s. 20 k. (surf.), 8.75 k. (subm.); cpl. 55; a. 1 3", 8 21" tt.; cl. Sargo)

On 22 December 1944, Swordfish departed Pearl Harbor to conduct her thirteenth war patrol, in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. On 2 January 1945, she was ordered to patrol clear of the Nansei Shoto area until completion of scheduled air strikes. She acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January. No further communication was received from the submarine. On 15 February, after repeated attempts to contact her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost, the victim of unknown causes. It is believed Swordfish may have been lost on the morning of January 12, 1945. USS Kete (SS-369) reported possible contact with a near-by submersible while she was on patrol in the Okinawa area on that date. Swordfish was due in that area at the time. Later that morning, Kete heard prolonged depth-charging.

Swordfish (SS-193) earned eight battle stars for World War II service. She is credited with sinking the Atsutasan Maru, the first Japanese ship sunk by a U.S. submarine in the Pacific War. In total, the Swordfish sank 47,928 tons in 12 Japanese vessels in her distinguished 13-patrol career.