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{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
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{{Infobox Ship Image
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
|Ship image=[[Image:No Photo Available.svg|300px]]
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{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Gunnel (SS-253).jpg
|Ship caption=
|Ship caption=
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=
|Ship name=
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| last = Friedman
| last = Friedman
| first = Norman
| first = Norman
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
| title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
| publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
| publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
| date = 1995
| year = 1995
| location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
| location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
| pages = pp. 285-304
| pages = 285–304
| url =
| doi =
| isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
| isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=[[21 July]] [[1941]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship laid down=21 July 1941<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=[[17 May]] [[1942]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=17 May 1942<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Ben Morell
|Ship acquired=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=[[20 August]] [[1942]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship commissioned=20 August 1942<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
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|Ship decommissioned=18 May 1946<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
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|Ship struck=1 September 1958<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship reinstated=
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|Ship fate=Sold for scrap, December 1959<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap, December 1959<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship status=
}}
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{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Hide header=
|Header caption=
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| last = Bauer
| last = Bauer
| first = K. Jack
| first = K. Jack
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|author2=Roberts, Stephen S.
| authorlink =
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| title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants
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| coauthors = Roberts, Stephen S.
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| title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants
| publisher = Greenwood Press
| publisher = Greenwood Press
| date = 1991
| year = 1991
| location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
| location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
| pages = pp. 271–273
| pages = 271–273
| url =
| doi =
| isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
| isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
|Ship displacement=1,525&nbsp;[[long ton|ton]]s (1,549&nbsp;[[tonne|t]]) surfaced<ref name="Register"/><br />2,424&nbsp;tons (2,460&nbsp;t) submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1525|LT|t|abbr=on}} surfaced<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length={{convert|311|ft|9|in|abbr=on|lk=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|2424|LT|t|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length={{convert|311|ft|9|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|0|in|abbr=on}} maximum<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|0|in|abbr=on}} maximum<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-HOR-4-GE}}
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-HOR-4-GE}}
|Ship speed={{convert|21|kn|km/h|lk=on}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305-311</ref><br />{{convert|9|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|21|kn|km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305–311</ref>
*{{convert|9|kn|km/h|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range=11,000&nbsp;[[nautical mile|nmi]] (20,000&nbsp;km) surfaced at {{convert|10|kn|km/h|0}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|km|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced at {{convert|10|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship endurance=48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><br />75 days on patrol
|Ship endurance=*48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h|0|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*75 days on patrol
|Ship test depth={{convert|300|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship test depth={{convert|300|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
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|}


'''USS ''Gunnel'' (SS-253)''', a [[Gato class submarine|''Gato''-class submarine]], was the only ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the [[gunnel (fish)|gunnel]].
⚫
'''USS ''Gunnel'' (SS-253)''' was launched [[17 May]] [[1942]] by the [[Electric Boat Company]], [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]], [[Connecticut]]; sponsored by Mrs. Ben Morell, wife of the Chief of the [[Bureau of Yards and Docks]]; and commissioned [[20 August]] [[1942]], Lt. Cmdr. [[John S. McCain, Jr.|John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr.]] in command. A [[gunnel]] is a blennoid fish of the north Atlantic ranging south as far as Cape Cod.


==Construction and commissioning==
⚫
''Gunnel''s first war patrol ([[19 October]] – [[7 December]] [[1942]]) covered a passage from the United States to the United Kingdom, during which she participated in [[Operation Torch|Operation "Torch"]], the Allied invasion of [[North Africa]]. One of six submarines assigned to [[Admiral]] [[Henry Kent Hewitt|Henry K. Hewitt]]'s Western Naval Task Force, ''Gunnel'' did reconnaissance off [[Fedhala]] [[6 November]] [[1942]], 2 days before the invasion, and on D-day ([[8 November]]) made infrared signals to guide the approaching fleet to the beachheads. Missions well accomplished, the submarine departed for [[Rosneath]], [[Scotland]], [[7 December]] to terminate her first patrol. ''En route'' home, the drive gears of her HOR engines failed, forcing her to complete the final 1800&nbsp;km (1000&nbsp;nm) on her auxiliary diesel, leading to a major overhaul at [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] in [[Kittery, Maine]].
⚫
''Gunnel''′s [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] by the [[Electric Boat Company]], [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]], [[Connecticut]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 17 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Ben Morell, wife of the Chief of the [[Bureau of Yards and Docks]], and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 20 August 1942, with [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[John S. McCain, Jr.|John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr.]] <!-- ([[United States Naval Academy]] Class of 19xx) --> in command.


==Atlantic patrol==
⚫
Subsequently assigned to the [[Pacific Fleet]], ''Gunnel'' sailed to [[Pearl Harbor]], then to her second patrol ([[28 May]] – [[3 July]] [[1943]]) in waters west of [[Kyūshū]] Island in the [[East China Sea]]. Success crowned her efforts when cargo ship ''Kayo Maru'' (6,300&nbsp;tons) was sunk [[15 June]], ''Gunnel''s first kill, and 4 days later when another cargo ship, ''Tokiwa Maru'' (7,000&nbsp;tons), was sent under. (Both were confirmed by [[JANAC]] postwar.)
⚫
''Gunnel''s first war patrol (19 October – 7 December 1942) covered a passage from the United States to the United Kingdom, during which she participated in [[Operation Torch]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] invasion of [[French North Africa]]. One of six submarines assigned to [[Admiral]] [[Henry Kent Hewitt|Henry K. Hewitt]]'s Western Naval Task Force, ''Gunnel'' did reconnaissance off [[Fedhala]], [[French Morocco]], on 6 November 1942, two days before the invasion, and on D-day, 8 November 1942, made [[infrared]] signals to guide the approaching fleet to the beachheads. She was off [[Casablanca]], French Morocco, on the morning of 8 November when a [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|P-40 Warhawk]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] mistakenly [[Strafing|strafed]] her, forcing her to [[Crash dive|crash-dive]].<ref name=hinmanpp9596>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 95–96.</ref> At 12:03, an aircraft ''Gunnel''′s crew identified as an American [[bomber]] began an attack run against her, forcing her to crash-dive again.<ref name=hinmanpp9596/> Her crew heard an explosion as she passed through a depth of {{convert|150|ft|0}}.<ref name=hinmanpp9596/> ''Gunnel'' suffered no damage or casualties in either attack.<ref name=hinmanpp9596/>


With her missions accomplished, ''Gunnel'' departed the waters off French North Africafor [[Rosneath]], [[Scotland]], on 7 December 1942 to terminate her first patrol. ''En route'' home, the drive gears of her HOR engines failed, forcing her to complete the final {{convert|1000|nmi|sigfig=2}} on her auxiliary [[diesel engine]], leading to a major overhaul at [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] in [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], [[Maine]].
⚫
After overhaul at [[Mare Island, California|Mare Island]], [[California]], the submarine accomplished a third war patrol ([[17 November]] [[1943]]-[[7 January]] [[1944]]) in home waters of Japan off [[Honshū]]. This, too, was successful; on [[4 December]] ''Gunnel'' sent passenger-cargo ship ''Hiyoshi Maru'' to the bottom.


==Pacific patrols==
The fourth war patrol ([[5 February]] – [[6 April]]) took the boat from [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] to [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]] and in the [[South China Sea|South China]], [[Sulu Sea|Sulu]], and [[Celebes Sea]]s. Bad luck dogged ''Gunnel'' and she was forced to return to port having made no further kills. Her fifth and sixth patrols, ([[3 May]] – [[4 July]]) and ([[29 July]] – [[22 September]] [[1944]]) found her again in the southern approaches of the [[Sunda Straits]] and cruising in the Sulu Sea-[[Manila]] area but failed to add sunken ships to ''Gunnel''s score. During her seventh patrol ([[21 October]] – [[28 December]]) in the South China and Sulu Seas, she sank the motor torpedo boat ''Sagi'' (600&nbsp;tons); passenger-cargo ship ''Shunten Maru'' (5,600&nbsp;tons); and torpedo boat ''Hiyodori'' (600&nbsp;tons). On this same patrol ''Gunnel'' evacuated 11 naval aviators at [[Palawan]] [[1 December]] to [[2 December]] after the fliers had been protected by friendly guerrilla forces for some 2 months. She conducted her eighth patrol ([[13 June]] – [[24 July]] [[1945]]) in the [[Bungo Suido]] area. She attacked an unescorted Japanese submarine [[9 July]]. The great range and speed of the enemy, however, caused ''Gunnel'''s torpedoes to miss. She returned from the patrol after duty as a lifeguard ship for [[B-29]]s flying toward Japan on bombing missions.


===Second and third patrols===
⚫
''Gunnel'' was refitting at [[Pearl Harbor]] and at war's end she was ordered to [[New London, Connecticut]], where she decommissioned [[18 May]] [[1946]]. Her name was struck from the Navy List [[1 September]] [[1958]] and she was sold for scrapping in August 1959.
⚫
Subsequently, assigned to the [[United States Pacific Fleet]], ''Gunnel'' proceeded to [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], then to her second war patrol (28 May – 3 July 1943) in waters west of [[Kyūshū]] in the [[East China Sea]]. Success crowned her efforts when she sank the [[cargo ship]] ''Kayo Maru'' (6,300&nbsp;[[gross register ton]]s) on 15 June 1943, giving ''Gunnel'' her first kill, and four days later when another cargo ship, ''Tokiwa Maru'' (7,000&nbsp;gross register tons), was sent under. Both sinkings were confirmed by [[Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee]] (JANAC) postwar.


⚫
After overhaul at [[Mare Island, California|Mare Island]], [[California]], the submarine accomplished a third war patrol (17 November 1943 – 7 January 1944) in Japanese home waters off [[Honshū]]. This, too, was successful; on 4 December 1943 ''Gunnel'' sent [[Cargo liner|passenger-cargo ship]] ''Hiyoshi Maru'' to the bottom.
⚫
''Gunnel'' received five battle stars for World War II service. Her first, second, third, and seventh war patrols were designated successful. In the (unreliable) [[JANAC]] accounting postwar, she was credited with six ships sunk for 24,624&nbsp;tons.<ref>valoratsea.com</ref>

===Fourth, fifth, sixth patrols===
The fourth war patrol (5 February – 6 April 1944) took ''Gunnel'' from [[Midway Atoll]] to [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]], [[Australia]], and in the [[South China Sea|South China]], [[Sulu Sea|Sulu]], and [[Celebes Sea]]s. Bad luck dogged ''Gunnel'' and she was forced to return to port having made no further kills. On 29 March 1944, during her return voyage, a [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Fifth Air Force]] [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberator]] mistakenly attacked her off Australia, dropping a [[Aerial bomb|bomb]] as she crash-dived.<ref name=hinmanpp9597>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 95–97.</ref> She suffered no damage or casualties. After an overnight stop at [[Darwin, Australia|Darwin]], Australia,<ref name=hinmanpp9597/> she proceeded to Fremantle, where she concluded her patrol on 6 April 1944.

''Gunnel''′s fifth and sixth patrols, 3 May – 4 July 1944 and 29 July – 22 September 1944, found her again in the southern approaches of the [[Sunda Strait]] and cruising in the Sulu Sea-[[Manila]] area but failed to add to her score.

===Seventh and eighth patrols===
During her seventh patrol (21 October – 28 December 1944) in the South China and Sulu Seas, she sank the Torpedo Boat ''Sagi'' (600&nbsp;tons) between 4–8 November;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/sagi_t.htm |title=long Lancers |publisher=Combinedfleet.com |access-date=25 July 2018}}</ref> passenger-cargo ship ''Shunten Maru'' (5,600&nbsp;tons); and Torpedo Boat ''Hiyodori'' (600&nbsp;tons) between 10 and 17 November.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/hiyodo_t.htm |title=long Lancers |publisher=Combinedfleet.com |access-date=25 July 2018}}</ref> On this same patrol ''Gunnel'' evacuated 11 naval aviators at [[Palawan]] 1 to 2 December after the fliers had been protected by friendly guerrilla forces for some 2 months.<ref name="Moore">{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=Stephen |title=As Good As Dead: The Daring Escape of American POWs From A Japanese Death Camp |date=2016 |publisher=Caliber |location=New York |isbn=9780399583551 |pages=143–144}}</ref>

She conducted her eighth patrol (13 June – 24 July 1945) in the [[Bungo Suido]] area. She attacked an unescorted Japanese submarine 9 July. The great range and speed of the enemy, however, caused ''Gunnel'''s torpedoes to miss. She returned from the patrol after duty as a lifeguard ship for [[B-29]]s flying toward Japan on bombing missions.

==Postwar==
⚫
''Gunnel'' was refitting at Pearl Harbor at war's end in August 1945. She was ordered to [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], [[Connecticut]], where she [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] 18 May 1946. Her name was struck from the [[Navy List]] 1 September 1958 and she was sold for scrapping in August 1959.

==Honors and awards==
* {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]] with one [[battle star]]
* {{ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with four battle stars

⚫
''Gunnel''′s first, second, third, and seventh war patrols were designated "successful." In the <!-- (unreliable) --> [[Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee]] (JANAC) accounting postwar, she was credited with six ships sunk totaling 24,624&nbsp;[[gross register ton]]s.<ref>valoratsea.com</ref>


==References==
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g9/gunnel.htm}}
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gunnel.html}}
===Bibliography===
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=hkupDwAAQBAJ&dq=LApon+raton&pg=PA181 Hinman, Charles R., and Douglas E. Campbell. ''The Submarine Has No Friends: Friendly Fire Incidents Involving U.S. Submarines During World War II''. Syneca Research Group, Inc., 2019.] {{ISBN|978-0-359-76906-3}}.
*{{cite journal |last1=Wright |first1=C. C. |title=Question 17/03: Replacement of US Submarine Diesel Engines |journal=Warship International |date=2005 |volume=XLII |issue=4 |pages=431–434 |issn=0043-0374}}

==External links==
* [http://www.jmlavelle.com/gunnel/ Gunnel tribute website]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08253.htm USS ''Gunnel''] at Navsource.org

{{Gato_class_submarine}}
{{Gato_class_submarine}}
{{November 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{March 1944 shipwrecks}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnel (SS-253)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnel (SS-253)}}
[[Category:Gato class submarines]]
[[Category:Gato-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]

[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1942]]

[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1944]]
[[ja:ガンネル (潜水艦)]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]

Latest revision as of 14:47, 17 March 2023

History
United States
BuilderElectric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1]
Laid down21 July 1941[1]
Launched17 May 1942[1]
Sponsored byMrs. Ben Morell
Commissioned20 August 1942[1]
Decommissioned18 May 1946[1]
Stricken1 September 1958[1]
FateSold for scrap, December 1959[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeGato-class diesel-electric submarine[3]
Displacement
  • 1,525 long tons (1,549 t) surfaced[3]
  • 2,424 long tons (2,463 t) submerged[3]
Length311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[3]
Beam27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[3]
Draft17 ft 0 in (5.18 m) maximum[3]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 21 kn (39 km/h) surfaced[2]
  • 9 kn (17 km/h) submerged[2]
Range11,000 nmi (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (19 km/h)[2]
Endurance
  • 48 hours at 2 kn (4 km/h) submerged[2]
  • 75 days on patrol
Test depth300 ft (90 m)[2]
Complement6 officers, 54 enlisted[2]
Armament

USS Gunnel (SS-253), a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gunnel.

Construction and commissioning[edit]

Gunnel′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 17 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Ben Morell, wife of the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, and commissioned on 20 August 1942, with Lieutenant Commander John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr. in command.

Atlantic patrol[edit]

Gunnels first war patrol (19 October – 7 December 1942) covered a passage from the United States to the United Kingdom, during which she participated in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. One of six submarines assigned to Admiral Henry K. Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, Gunnel did reconnaissance off Fedhala, French Morocco, on 6 November 1942, two days before the invasion, and on D-day, 8 November 1942, made infrared signals to guide the approaching fleet to the beachheads. She was off Casablanca, French Morocco, on the morning of 8 November when a United States Army Air Forces P-40 Warhawk fighter mistakenly strafed her, forcing her to crash-dive.[6] At 12:03, an aircraft Gunnel′s crew identified as an American bomber began an attack run against her, forcing her to crash-dive again.[6] Her crew heard an explosion as she passed through a depth of 150 feet (46 m).[6] Gunnel suffered no damage or casualties in either attack.[6]

With her missions accomplished, Gunnel departed the waters off French North Africafor Rosneath, Scotland, on 7 December 1942 to terminate her first patrol. En route home, the drive gears of her HOR engines failed, forcing her to complete the final 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) on her auxiliary diesel engine, leading to a major overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

Pacific patrols[edit]

Second and third patrols[edit]

Subsequently, assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet, Gunnel proceeded to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then to her second war patrol (28 May – 3 July 1943) in waters west of Kyūshū in the East China Sea. Success crowned her efforts when she sank the cargo ship Kayo Maru (6,300 gross register tons) on 15 June 1943, giving Gunnel her first kill, and four days later when another cargo ship, Tokiwa Maru (7,000 gross register tons), was sent under. Both sinkings were confirmed by Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) postwar.

After overhaul at Mare Island, California, the submarine accomplished a third war patrol (17 November 1943 – 7 January 1944) in Japanese home waters off Honshū. This, too, was successful; on 4 December 1943 Gunnel sent passenger-cargo ship Hiyoshi Maru to the bottom.

Fourth, fifth, sixth patrols[edit]

The fourth war patrol (5 February – 6 April 1944) took Gunnel from Midway Atoll to Fremantle, Australia, and in the South China, Sulu, and Celebes Seas. Bad luck dogged Gunnel and she was forced to return to port having made no further kills. On 29 March 1944, during her return voyage, a United States Army Air Forces Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberator mistakenly attacked her off Australia, dropping a bomb as she crash-dived.[7] She suffered no damage or casualties. After an overnight stop at Darwin, Australia,[7] she proceeded to Fremantle, where she concluded her patrol on 6 April 1944.

Gunnel′s fifth and sixth patrols, 3 May – 4 July 1944 and 29 July – 22 September 1944, found her again in the southern approaches of the Sunda Strait and cruising in the Sulu Sea-Manila area but failed to add to her score.

Seventh and eighth patrols[edit]

During her seventh patrol (21 October – 28 December 1944) in the South China and Sulu Seas, she sank the Torpedo Boat Sagi (600 tons) between 4–8 November;[8] passenger-cargo ship Shunten Maru (5,600 tons); and Torpedo Boat Hiyodori (600 tons) between 10 and 17 November.[9] On this same patrol Gunnel evacuated 11 naval aviators at Palawan 1 to 2 December after the fliers had been protected by friendly guerrilla forces for some 2 months.[10]

She conducted her eighth patrol (13 June – 24 July 1945) in the Bungo Suido area. She attacked an unescorted Japanese submarine 9 July. The great range and speed of the enemy, however, caused Gunnel's torpedoes to miss. She returned from the patrol after duty as a lifeguard ship for B-29s flying toward Japan on bombing missions.

Postwar[edit]

Gunnel was refitting at Pearl Harbor at war's end in August 1945. She was ordered to New London, Connecticut, where she decommissioned 18 May 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy List 1 September 1958 and she was sold for scrapping in August 1959.

Honors and awards[edit]

Gunnel′s first, second, third, and seventh war patrols were designated "successful." In the Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) accounting postwar, she was credited with six ships sunk totaling 24,624 gross register tons.[11]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 271–273. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
  5. ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
  6. ^ a b c d Hinman & Campbell, pp. 95–96.
  7. ^ a b Hinman & Campbell, pp. 95–97.
  8. ^ "long Lancers". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  9. ^ "long Lancers". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  10. ^ Moore, Stephen (2016). As Good As Dead: The Daring Escape of American POWs From A Japanese Death Camp. New York: Caliber. pp. 143–144. ISBN 9780399583551.
  11. ^ valoratsea.com

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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