USS Pargo (SS-264)

History
United States
Builder	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	21 May 1942
Launched	24 January 1943
Commissioned	26 April 1943
Decommissioned	12 June 1946
Stricken	1 December 1960
Fate	Sold for scrap, 16 May 1961
General characteristics
Class and type	Gato-class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement	1,525 tons (1,549 t) surfaced; 2,424 tons (2,460 t) submerged;
Length	311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)
Beam	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m) maximum
Propulsion	4 × Hooven-Owens-Rentschler (H.O.R.) diesel engines driving electric generators ; 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries ; 4 × high-speed Allis-Chalmers electric motors with reduction gears ; two propellers; 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced; 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged;
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h) surfaced; 9 knots (17 km/h) submerged;
Range	11,000 NM (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance	48 hours at 2 knots (4 km/h) submerged; 75 days on patrol;
Test depth	300 ft (90 m)
Complement	6 officers, 54 enlisted
Armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 forward, 4 aft; 24 torpedoes; 1 × 3-inch (76 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun; Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon;

Last updated June 13, 2022

USS Pargo (SS-264), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pargo, a fish of the genus Lutjanus found in the West Indies.

Construction and commissioning

Pargo was laid down on 21 May 1942 by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut; launched 24 January 1943, sponsored by Miss Belle W. Baruch; and commissioned on 26 April 1943, Lieutenant Commander Ian C. Eddy in command.

First and second war patrols, August – December 1943

Following shakedown and training Pargo sailed via the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor, arriving 23 July 1943. The first of her eight war patrols began 18 August and took her into the East China Sea where she twice attacked the enemy, inflicting undetermined damage to several ships before returning to Pearl Harbor 6 October.

After refitting Pargo sailed 30 October in company with Snook and Harder in a wolf-pack. The efforts of the three were well directed against the open sea area northwest of the Marianas where Pargo sank two freighters, Manju Maru and Shoko Maru totaling 7,810 tons, on 29 and 30 November.

Third, fourth, and fifth war patrols, March – October 1944

Pargo next underwent overhaul and received a new engine at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. On 5 March 1944 she was underway for Pearl Harbor and 25 March began her third war patrol. Her mission, to destroy enemy ships in the Philippine and Celebes Seas areas was carried out with several attacks, one of which sank an ex-net tender. Pargo began refitting at Fremantle, Australia 24 May.

Underway 13 June for the Celebes Sea, Pargo noted fewer ships present in the area. She scored well again, however, damaging several and sinking a 5,236 ton cargo ship, Yamagibu Maru.

Griffin (AS-13) refitted Pargo at Fremantle to prepare her for her next patrol. From 3 September to 7 October she ranged the South China Sea, pressing her attacks to damage several Japanese ships and to sink two more, including a minelayer.

24 August 1944 LCDR David B. Bell took command of the USS Pargo over from CDR Ian C. Eddy.

Sixth and seventh war patrols, October 1944 – March 1945

On 28 October Pargo sailed from western Australian waters in company with Haddo for her sixth patrol. From Exmouth Gulf she continued alone into the South China Sea where she found that increased allied air activity had further diminished use of the shipping lanes. She sank tanker Yuho Maru off Brunei Bay 26 November. Following this action she received from escorts the worst depth charging of her career, but escaped without serious damage, and returned to Australia 21 December.

Replenishment and retraining ensued, and on 15 January 1945 Pargo got underway for the Indo-China coast. Six days out she launched a night torpedo attack that damaged several ships. On 10 February she again engaged the enemy and ten days later blew up destroyer Nokaze. Pargo then sailed via Saipan and Pearl Harbor to Mare Island for a modernization overhaul which lasted from 25 March to 17 June.

Eighth war patrol, July – September 1945

The submarine's eighth and final patrol spanned the 42-day interval from 14 July to 9 September. Transiting the minefields of Tsushima Straits, she entered the Sea of Japan where she attacked a six-ship convoy. She made her last sinking on 8 August, the passenger-cargo ship Rashin Maru, to total nine for the war. After Japanese capitulation, Pargo remained in the mine-filled waters until after the peace terms were signed and then sailed for Guam.

Returning to Pearl Harbor with the knowledge that she had contributed materially to the victory in the Pacific, Pargo assumed post-war duties as part of the squadron based there. She was decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was assigned to train Naval Reservists in the 13th Naval District where she remained until 1 June 1960 when her name was struck from the Navy List. Pargo was sold 17 April 1961.

Pargo received eight battle stars for World War II service. All eight of her war patrols were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 27,983 tons of enemy shipping.

See USS Pargo for other ships of the same name.

Related Research Articles

USS Seawolf (SS-197), a Sargo-class submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy named for the seawolf.

USS Swordfish (SS-193), a Sargo-class submarine, was the first submarine of the United States Navy named for the swordfish, a large fish with a long, swordlike beak and a high dorsal fin. She was the first American submarine to sink a Japanese ship during World War II.

USS Bonefish (SS-223) was a Gato-class submarine, the first United States Navy ship to be named for the bonefish.

USS Growler (SS-215), a Gato-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy named for the growler.

USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), is a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the bowfin fish. Since 1981, she has been open to public tours at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.

USS Searaven (SS-196), a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sea raven, a sculpin of the northern Atlantic coast of America.

USS Silversides (SS/AGSS-236) is a Gato-class submarine, the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the silversides.

USS Drum (SS-228) is a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship named after the drum, a type of fish. Drum is a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, at Battleship Memorial Park.

USS Finback (SS-230), a Gato-class submarine was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the finback.

USS Skipjack (SS-184), a Salmon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after the fish. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, on 22 July 1936. She was launched on 23 October 1937 sponsored by Miss Frances Cuthbert Van Keuren, daughter of Captain Alexander H. Van Keuren, Superintending Constructor, New York Navy Yard. The boat was commissioned on 30 June 1938. She earned multiple battle stars during World War II and then was sunk, remarkably, by an atomic bomb during post-war testing. Among the most "thoroughly sunk" ships, she was refloated and then sunk a second time as a target ship two years later.

USS Sand Lance (SS-381), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sand lance, a member of the family Ammodytidae.

USS Flying Fish (SS/AGSS-229), a Gato-class submarine, was the first submarine and second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flying fish. Flying Fish is credited with having sunk a total of 58,306 tons of Japanese shipping and received 12 battle stars for World War II service.

USS Kingfish (SS-234), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the kingfish.

USS Gurnard (SS-254), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gurnard.

USS Lapon (SS-260), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after the lapon, a scorpionfish of the Pacific coast of the United States.

USS Paddle (SS-263), a Gato-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the paddlefish.

USS Pogy (SS-266), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pogy, or menhaden. She was credited with sinking 16 ships totaling 62,633 gross register tons during World War II.

USS Puffer (SS-268), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the puffer.

USS Sawfish (SS-276), a Gato-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the sawfish, a viviparous ray which has a long flat snout with a row of toothlike structures along each edge. It is found principally in the mouths of tropical American and African rivers.

USS Sunfish (SS-281), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, a plectognath marine fish, having a deep body truncated behind, and high dorsal and anal fins.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 271–280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
1 2 U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311

Bibliography

Wright, C. C. (2005). "Question 17/03: Replacement of US Submarine Diesel Engines". Warship International. XLII (4): 431–434. ISSN 0043-0374.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

External links

navsource.org: USS Pargo

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FriedmanSubs1-dates-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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.

[Register-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 271–280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.

[FriedmanSubs1-specs-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311

[FriedmanSubs1-specs_305–311-4] 1 2 U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]