Most Filipinos have probably heard of the USS Swordfish (SS-193). She is the Sargo-class submarine who evacuated Philippine Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and his family from Corregidor on February 20, 1942... and saved them from the humiliation of Japanese capture.
In view of the anticipated establishment of the Philippine Navy's own diesel-electric attack submarine force, I am presenting the exploits of the USS Swordfish in WWII to give the excited fans of this much-welcomed upgrade in Our Country's naval capabilities, a taste of what wartime attack submarine operations look like:
October 27, 1937 - keel laid down at Vallejo, California
April 3, 1939 - launched
Early 1941 - sailed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
November 3, 1941 - sailed for Manila
November 22, 1941 - arrived in Manila
December 8, 1941 - sailed for combat patrols off the coast of Hainan
December 9, 1941 - damaged a Japanese ship
December 11, 1941 - damaged another Japanese ship
December 14, 1941 - damaged another Japanese ship
December 16, 1941 - became the first US submarine to sink a Japanese ship in WWII
December 27, 1941 - evacuated the Submarine Asiatic Command Staff from Manila to Surabaya, Indonesia
January 7, 1942 - arrived at Surabaya
January 16, 1942 - departed for combat patrols at the Celebes Sea
January 24, 1942 - sank a Japanese ship
February 20, 1942 - evacuated Pres. Quezon and his family to San Jose, Antique (from there, they were subsequently flown to Australia)
March 9, 1942 - arrived at Freemantle, Western Australia after picking up from Manila the High Commisioner of the Philippines
May 15, 1942 - sank a Japanese ship in the South China Sea
June 12, 1942 - sank a Japanese ship in the Gulf of Siam
February 23, 1943 - returned to Pearl Harbor for overhaul
July 29, 1943 - sailed on combat patrol, to Brisbane, Australia
September 5, 1943 - sank a Japanese ship
December 26, 1943 - sailed for combat patrols at Tokyo Bay
January 13, 1944 - sank a Japanese ship but suffered heavy depth charge damage
January 14, 1944 - sank another Japanese ship
January 17, 1944 - fired 4 torpedoes at the carrier Shokaku, all missed
March 13, 1944 - sailed for combat patrols at the Mariana Islands
June 9, 1944 - sank the Japanese destroyer Matsukaze near the Bonin Islands
June 15, 1944 - sank another Japanese ship
June 30, 1944 - returned to Pearl Harbor
December 22, 1944 - sailed for combat patrols at Nansei Shoto
January 2, 1945 - ordered to patrol at coordinates 30N, 132E
January 3, 1945 - sent her last communication acknowledging receipt of the order
Thereafter, the USS Swordfish and her entire crew were never heard or seen again...
She was presumed sunk by Japanese action (either depth charges or sea mines). But Japanese war records never confirmed this...
One of the unsolved mysteries of WWII...
To her crew...
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice boys...
#SubmarineWarfare
#AFPmodernization
#USNavy
#WestPhilippineSea
#ChinaGoHome
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