| In 1940 the United States was at peace while war was raging throughout Europe. The Gato class submarines were approved for construction. The original program called for 6 boats and by August, a total of 71 Gato class boats had been ordered, including the USS Croaker (SS-246). |
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(Click on picture for larger view) |
Displacement: 1475 tons (surfaced),
2370 tons (submerged) Length: 307'; Beam 27' Speed: 20k (surfaced), 8.75k (submerged) Test depth:300' Armament. (1)-3"/50 deck-mounted gun (6)-21" torpedo tubes (fwd) (4)-21" torpedo tubes (aft) Complement (6) officers (54) enlisted men Class "GATO" |
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Keel laid: 01APR43; by
the Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT |
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| USS CROAKER (SS-246) arrived at Pearl Harbor from New London 26 June 1944, and on 19 July put to sea on her first war patrol, sailing to the East China and Yellow Seas. In a series of brilliantly successful attacks which won her the Navy Unit Commendation, she sank a light cruiser on 7 August, and two freighters, one on 14 August and one on 17 August. During this patrol, she served as lifeguard during air strikes on the Bonins. |
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| She refitted at Midway between 31 August and 23 September, when she sailed in a wolfpack for the same area on her second war patrol. Again successful, she sank a freighter on 9 October, and another on 23 October. She shadowed a convoy on 24 October, sank one freighter, and damaged another with her last torpedo. Tubes empty, she returned to Midway to refuel, and pushed on to Pearl Harbor, arriving for refit 10 November 1944. | |
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CROAKER's third war patrol, in the Luzon Straits and South China Sea from 13 December 1944 to 12 February 1945, found her making no contacts with enemy shipping, but providing essential lifeguard service during strikes on Luzon preparatory to the invasion landings in Lingayen Gulf. |
| She refitted at Fremantle, Australia, and on 12 March sailed for a patrol off the coast of Indo-China, twice interrupted by the need to return to Australia for repairs. She refitted at Subic Bay, PI, between 22 April and 15 May, then sailed for her fifth war patrol, in the Java Sea. On 30 May, she attacked a convoy of three small oilers guarded by an escort, with unconfirmed results, and 5 June returned to Fremantle. Her sixth and final war patrol, between 1 July and 13 August, found her assigned to lifeguard duties in the South China Sea and off Hong Kong as the final series of air attacks on Japan were carried out. | |
| Returning to Subic Bay, CROAKER sailed for Saipan and continued on to Galveston, TX, and then to New London, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 15 May 1946. Recommissioned 7 May 1951, she served as schoolship out of New London until 18 March 1953, when she was again decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for conversion to a hunter-killer submarine. |
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| She was reclassified SSK-246 on 9 April 1953, and was recommissioned 11 December 1953. Returning to active duty in February 1954, she operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean, visiting ports in England while taking part in NATO exercises in 1957 and 1958. Special submarine exercises took her to England once more in February 1960, after which she resumed local operations out of New London. In September 1960, CROAKER departed on a cruise which saw her sailing through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal to call at various Near Eastern ports and Karachi, Pakistan. She returned to New London in mid-December, retracing her outward track. | |
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Along with the Navy United Commendation, CROAKER received three battle stars for her service during WWII. Stricken from the Navy Register on 20 December 1971, CROAKER now serves as a Museum Ship at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, NY. |
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