USS ''Drum'' (SS-228) is a of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, the first Navy ship named after the drum, a type of fish. ''Drum'' is a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, at

Battleship Memorial Park Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. It has a collection of notable aircraft and museum ships including the and . USS ''Alabama'' and USS ''Drum'' are both Nation ...

. ''Drum'' was the twelfth of the ''Gato'' class but was the first completed and the first to enter combat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. She is the oldest of her class still in existence.

Construction and commissioning

''Drum'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 11 September 1940 at

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...

Kittery Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, Maine, Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. She was launched on 12 May 1941, sponsored by Mrs. Beatrice M. Holcomb, wife of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Thomas Holcomb,

Commandant of the United States Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The CMC reports directly to the secr ...

. ''Drum'' was commissioned on 1 November 1941, with Commander Robert H. Rice in command.

Service history

November 1941–April 1942

After

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

training, ''Drum'' set out to join the

war in the Pacific The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, which began with the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

on 7 December 1941. An Allied aircraft mistook her for a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

and attacked her as she made the transit from the

United States East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

to the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

, probably in March 1942. ''Drum'' arrived at Naval Station Pearl Harbor at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, on 1 April 1942. She departed Pearl Harbor on 14 April 1942 and proceeded to Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

First war patrol

''Drum'' departed Midway Atoll to begin her first war patrol. Cruising off the coast of Japan, she sank the Japanese seaplane tender ''Mizuho'' on 2 May and afterwards endured a 16-hour depth charge attack consisting of 31 depth charges. Later that month she sank three cargo ships (first unidentified, second: ''Shonan Maru'' (5000 BRT) third ''Kitakata Maru'' (2300 BRT) ) before returning to Pearl Harbor on 12 June to refit. For her efforts, the crew were awarded the Submarine Combat Patrol insignia.

Second war patrol

''Drum''s second war patrol, which she made in the waters between Truk and

Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...

from 10 July2 September, found her efforts frustrated by poor torpedo performance, but she damaged one freighter before returning to Midway to refit.

Third war patrol

The submarine sailed from Midway on 23 September on her third war patrol, bound for the eastern coast of Kyūshū. On 8 October, she contacted a convoy of four freighters, and defying the air cover guarding the ships, sank the 5652 ton cargo/passenger ship IJA ''Hague Maru'' laden with 4000 tons of wheat, machines, steel, oil, automobiles and captured paper money for the Formosa bank, before aerial bombs forced her deep. The next day, ''Drum'' underwent a severe depth charging from several escorts after she attacked and sank the 2461 ton cargo ship ''Hachimanzan Maru''. On 20 October, she sank the 5106 ton ''Ryunan Maru'', one of three air-escorted cargo ships, and damaged at least two more ships before completing her patrol at Pearl Harbor on 8 November.

Fourth war patrol

On her fourth patrol, 29 November 194224 January 1943, ''Drum'' carried out the demanding task of planting mines in heavily traveled Bungo Suido. On 12 December, she spotted the

Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūhō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was converted from the submarine tender , which had been used in the Second Sino-Japanese War. One of the least successful of the light aircraft carrier conversions due to her sm ...

, which had a full deck-load of planes. Although taking water forward due to faulty valves, ''Drum'' launched torpedoes at this choice target, scoring two hits, and causing the carrier to list so far that her flight deck became completely visible. Also visible was a destroyer bearing down, and splashes that indicated ''Drum''s periscope was under fire. As the submarine dove, she lost depth control and her port shaft stopped turning. As she made emergency repairs, she underwent two waves of depth charging. When she surfaced several hours later to see what had become of her prey, which had escaped, an aircraft forced her down again. During this patrol, ''Drum'' also damaged a large tanker, another choice target.

Fifth and sixth war patrols

After a thorough overhaul at Pearl Harbor, ''Drum'' made her fifth war patrol, 24 March13 May, searching waters south of Truk after she had completed a photographic reconnaissance of Nauru. She sank the cargo vessel ''Yuzan (Oyama) Maru'' of 3809 tons on 9 April, and on 18 April she sank the 6380 ton cargo ship ''Nisshun Maru'', carrying a cargo of ammunition, then refitted at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia. Her sixth war patrol, 7 June26 July, found her north of the Bismarck Archipelago, where on 17 June she found a 3 ship convoy consisting of 2 cargo ships under escort by a destroyer and sank the 5086 ton cargo-passenger ship ''Myoko Maru''.

Seventh war patrol

She returned to Brisbane to replenish, and on 16 August sailed on her seventh war patrol. She damaged the 6439 ton cargo ship ''Yamagiri Maru'', carrying a load of raw materials for the war effort, with two torpedoes on 28 August. Adding to her impressive list of sinkings, she sank the 1334 ton cargo ship ''Hakutetsu Maru 13'' on 8 September, as well and patrolled off

New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the 200th-largest island in the world. Geography New Georgia island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most ...

during the landings there. She put into

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1 ...

from 29 September2 October to repair her

gyrocompass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. The use of a gyroc ...

, then sailed on to Brisbane.

Eighth war patrol

''Drum'' sailed on 2 November for her eighth war patrol, coordinated with the landings at

Cape Torokina Cape Torokina is a promontory at the north end of Empress Augusta Bay, along the central part of the western coast of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea. This cape formed the southern end of the landing zone where I Marine Amphibious Corps perfor ...

. Patrolling between the Carolines and New Ireland, she sank the submarine tender ''

Hie Maru Hie may refer to: * Hie (pronoun), an Old English pronoun * Hie Shrine, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan * Hie Station, in Nishiwaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan * Health information exchange * Highlands and Islands Enterprise * Holiday Inn Expre ...

'' (11,621 tons) on 17 November, and on 22 November attacked a convoy of four freighters. The convoy's escorts delivered three depth charge attacks. ''Drum'' was heavily damaged and ordered to Pearl Harbor. She arrived there on 5 December; inspection revealed that the conning tower needed to be replaced, which required that she sail to the West Coast.

Ninth war patrol

Returning to Pearl Harbor on 29 March 1944, ''Drum'' sailed 11 days later on her ninth war patrol, during which she patrolled the waters around Iwo Jima and other islands in the

Bonin Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic read ...

. No worthy targets were contacted, but a reconnaissance of

Chichi Jima , native_name_link = , image_caption = Map of Chichijima, Anijima and Otoutojima , image_size = , pushpin_map = Japan complete , pushpin_label = Chichijima , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , ...

gained valuable intelligence for bombardment of the island later by surface ships.

Tenth and eleventh war patrols

The submarine refitted at

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

from 31 May24 June, then sailed on her 10th war patrol to give lifeguard service for raids on

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...

and

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...

. She sank a 125-ton '' sampan'' on 29 July, capturing two prisoners whom she brought back to Pearl Harbor on 14 August. For her efforts during the patrol the crew was granted the Submarine Combat Patrol insignia. She sailed for Surigao Strait on 9 September on her 11th war patrol, and after two weeks in the Strait with no contact, she was ordered north to the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

. Here she patrolled during the

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

landings and the decisive

Battle for Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fo ...

, and on 24 October sank the passenger-cargo ship ''Shikisan Maru'' (4725 tons). On 26 October ''Drum'', made contact with a 13 ship convoy (10 merchant with 3 escorts) sinking two passenger-cargo ships, ''Taihaku Maru'' (6886 tons), ''Taisho Maru'' (6886 tons), and one transport ship, ''Tatsura Maru'', (6420 tons), also damaging another passenger-cargo ship, ''Aoki Maru'' (3710 tons), bound for the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

with Japanese reinforcements. While sailing for Majuro for refit, ''Drum'' searched east of

Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an im ...

for downed aviators.

Twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth patrols

''Drum'' replenished and made repairs at Majuro from 8 November7 December, then sailed for the Nansei Shoto on her 12th war patrol. Only one contact was made during this patrol, and she returned to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

on 17 January 1945. During her 13th war patrol, from 11 February2 April, ''Drum'' played a part in the assaults on both Iwo Jima and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, providing lifeguard service for air strikes on the Nansei Shoto and the Japanese home islands as bases were neutralized before both invasions. Returning to Pearl Harbor, ''Drum'' sailed to the U.S. West Coast for another overhaul, and after training at Pearl Harbor, cleared Midway on 9 August for her 14th war patrol. This was cut short by the

Japanese surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

on 15 August. She proceeded to Saipan at the end of hostilities, and from there sailed for Pearl Harbor, the Panama Canal Zone, and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

Post-World War II

''Drum'' was decommissioned on 16 February 1946 and on 18 March 1947, began service at

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to members of the Naval Reserve in the

Potomac River Naval Command Potomac () may refer to: Places in the United States Washington, D.C. area: *The Potomac River, which flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. **The Potomac Highlands, a region of the Potomac River's watershed in West ...

, which continued through 1967. She was in the inactive Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia from 1967 to 1969.

Awards

''Drum'' received a total of 12

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s for her

service. She is credited with sinking 15 ships, a total of 80,580 tons of enemy shipping, eighth highest of all US submarines in total Japanese tonnage sunk.

Museum ship and landmark

''Drum'' was donated to the USS ''Alabama'' Battleship Commission on 14 April 1969. She was towed to Battleship Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama arriving on 18 May 1969. ''Drum'' was dedicated and opened to the public on 4 July 1969. The submarine was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1986. and
''Drum'' was moored in the waters behind ''Alabama'', until she was substantially damaged by the storm surge of

Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges () was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde Category 4 hurricane which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making eight landfalls along its path. Georges was the seve ...

in 1998. As a result, she is now on display on shore. ''Alabama'' and ''Drum'' also sustained damage when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on 29 August 2005. Tours on board ''Drum'' resumed 9 January 2006. Most funding to maintain the submarine comes from a community of American Submarine Vets. , the ''Drums restoration has progressed, including the complete rebuilding of part of the bow and stern sections and the installation of new I-beams inside the ballast tanks to support the submarine's overall weight. Image:USS Drum.jpg, ''Drum'' in 1983, prior to her relocation File:USS Drum SS-228 Tower.jpeg, ''Drum'' Topside File:USS Drum (SS-228) - 6.jpg, Bell File:USS Drum (SS-228) - 5.jpg, Exterior with Mobile skyline in background File:USS Drum (SS-228) - 15.jpg, Interior File:USS Drum SS-228 Forward Torpedo room.jpeg, ''Drum'' Forward Torpedo room File:USS Drum (SS-228) - 24.jpg, Periscope

References

Citations

Bibliography

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.
.

External links

Battleship Memorial ParkDrum228.org: USS ''Drum'' WWII war patrol reports, WWII crew list, historical information, restoration

''The Untold Story'' USS ''Drum'' (SS-228) documentary
* *
hazegray.org: USS ''Drum''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drum (Ss-228) 1941 ships Gato-class submarines Maritime incidents in March 1942 Friendly fire incidents of World War II National Historic Landmarks in Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Mobile, Alabama Ships built in Kittery, Maine Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama World War II submarines of the United States Museum ships in Alabama