USS Besugo (SS-321)
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USS ''Besugo'' (SS-321, later AGSS-321), a ''Balao''-class
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
, was a ship of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
in commission from 1944 to 1958. She was named for the besugo. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, ''Besugo'' made five war patrols between 26 September 1944 and 25 July 1945, operating in the
Bungo Channel The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Philippine Sea and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait. In the English-speaking world, ...
,
Makassar Strait Makassar Strait () is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea. To the northeast, it forms the Sangkulirang Bay south of the Mangkalihat P ...
,
Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...
, and
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
. During these patrols, ''Besugo'' sank the German submarine , becoming one of a very few U.S. submarines to sink a German naval vessel during the war. She also sank the 10,020- gross register ton tanker ''Nichei Maru'', one
landing ship An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crud ...
, one
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
, and a
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
. After post-World War II
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
and
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
U.S. Navy service, ''Besugo'' was decommissioned. She was loaned to the
Italian Navy The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...
in 1966, in which she served until 1973 as ''Francesco Morosini'' (S 508).


Construction and commissioning

''Besugo''′s
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
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 ...
on 27 May 1943 at Groton,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, by the
Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...
Company. She was launched on 27 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Perry Homer, an employee in the Outside Machinist's Department of the Electric Boat Company and wife of Peter J. Homer, also an employee of the company. ''Besugo'' was commissioned at
Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...
in Groton on 19 June 1944 with
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
Thomas L. Wogan in command.


Service history


United States Navy


World War II


=June–September 1944

= ''Besugo'' completed
shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down 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 ...
training in the waters off New London, Connecticut, before heading south on 25 July 1944. Arriving at
Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, on 1 August 1944, she conducted another two weeks of training with the Key West Sound School before setting out for the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
on 13 August. She transited the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
on 17 August and, after five days of repairs at Balboa in the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
, continued on to
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 Reci ...
in the
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...
, arriving there on 7 September 1944. She spent the next two weeks training in the waters of the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
.


=First war patrol

= ''Besugo'' put to sea from Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol on 26 September 1944, escorted until dark by the
submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...
. In company with the submarine , ''Besugo'' headed west and stopped at
Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquialism, colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an Insular area#Unorganized unincorporated territories, unorganized and unincorpo ...
in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands also known as the Leeward Hawaiian Islands, are a series of islands and atolls located northwest of Kauai and Niihau, Niihau in the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian island chain. Politically, these islands are part of ...
to refuel on 30 September. Departing Midway the same day, the two submarines rendezvoused with the submarine before heading northwest to the
Bungo Channel The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Philippine Sea and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait. In the English-speaking world, ...
entrance to
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's
Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...
. While en route on 6 October 1944, the submarines spotted a picket boat — a small Japanese
patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...
— lying to northwest of
Marcus Island sometimes Minami-Tori-shima or Minami-Torishima, also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located some southeast of Tokyo and east of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the ...
. As ''Besugo'' closed to destroy the patrol boat, ''Gabilan'' and ''Ronquil'' continued on course. At 21:02, ''Besugo'' fired three torpedoes at the target. All missed, probably because of the shallow
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
of the patrol boat. After waiting for night to fall, ''Besugo'' circled the target, surfaced, and closed for a gun attack at 22:28. Although the combination of light swells and insufficient moonlight made gunfire ineffective, the two 20-millimeter guns scored some hits. The Japanese patrol boat responded with sporadic bursts of light machine-gun fire. Just as the patrol boat closed the range, both of ''Besugo''′s 20-millimeter guns jammed. The Japanese picket boat then opened fire with a heavy machine gun. Bullets began striking the water around ''Besugo'', and several struck her
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...
and
periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
shears. Splinters from these hits wounded the
gunnery officer The gunnery officer of a warship was the officer responsible for operation and maintenance of the ship's guns and for safe storage of the ship's ammunition inventory. Background The gunnery officer was usually the line officer next in rank to the ...
and a lookout. Unable to return fire effectively, ''Besugo'' withdrew, leading her
commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...
to remark, "Not an auspicious beginning to our fighting career." On 8 October 1944, ''Besugo'' spotted an
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
Mitsubishi G4M The Mitsubishi G4M is a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber formerly manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Air Service (IJNAS) of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to ...
Type 1
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
( Allied reporting name "Betty") and submerged for the remainder of the day. On the morning of 9 October, a patrolling Japanese
armed trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some, known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers", were purpose-built to na ...
forced her to submerge, further delaying her progress. Then, at 03:29 on 10 October, her
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
indicated a Japanese patrol plane was pursuing her. As put by her war diarist, it took half an hour of "nerve-wracking" maneuvering to shake off the Japanese plane. At dawn on 10 October 1944, ''Besugo'' reached her patrol station and began a submerged daylight patrol in the eastern approaches to the Bungo Channel. Owing to the upcoming U.S. landings on
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 been ...
in the
Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, scheduled for 20 October, ''Besugo'' had orders to spot any Japanese heavy fleet units departing the Bungo Channel and to refrain from firing at any targets until after sending in a contact report. On the morning of 15 October 1944, she watched as five Japanese
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
s and a
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
steamed by her position before she radioed in a contact report that evening. On the evening of 16 October 1944, ''Besugo''′s radar picked up two targets transiting the Bungo Channel. Believing they were
heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...
s, ''Besugo'' maneuvered into firing position and loosed six
bow BOW as an acronym may refer to: * Bag of waters, amniotic sac * Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States * Basic operating weight of an aircraft * BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...
torpedoes at the nearest target. Two minutes later, at 22:12, one torpedo hit one of the Japanese
warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...
s just abaft the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
. The Japanese ships "milled about," according to ''Besugo''′s war diary, for a few minutes, during which time ''Besugo'' retired to reload, but the Japanese quickly skirted the coast of
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
and turned for home. ''Besugo'' tracked them for almost two hours but was unable to close for another attack. A postwar review of records indicated that the damaged ship actually was the destroyer . On 18 October 1944, ''Besugo'' spotted two more warships, this time entering the Bungo Channel rather than leaving it, and noted the contacts in accordance with her orders. Although Japanese air patrols increased noticeably over the next few days, including one radar-equipped search plane that kept ''Besugo'' pinned down on 22 October, ''Besugo'' and ''Ronquil'' did manage to find a Japanese formation early on 24 October 1944. At 03:49 that morning, ''Besugo'' closed a Japanese tanker, protected by two coast defense
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
s and a destroyer, intending to sneak between two of the escorts for a shot at the tanker. However, two rapid Japanese
zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...
s away put the tanker out of reach, so ''Besugo'' turned on the port-quarter escort instead. She fired three torpedoes at the escort, the frigate ''Coast Defense Vessel No. 132'', and, at 04:15, at least one torpedo hit the target. In a blinding flash, the frigate suddenly blew up, illuminating the entire area and silhouetting ''Besugo'' on the surface. She crash-dived, expecting to be depth-charged by the rear escort, but no counterattack attack materialized. Over the next week, ''Besugo'' and up to six other U.S. submarines patrolled the approaches to
Van Diemen Strait A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or p ...
(also known as Ōsumi Strait) and the east coast of Kyushu, hoping to catch some of the Japanese warships retiring north from their defeat in the waters around the Philippine Islands in the
Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, 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. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...
. The only things ''Besugo'' spotted were three Japanese patrol planes, a Japanese submarine′s periscope, and a drifting
contact mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are deposited and left to ...
, all of which she evaded with some difficulty. Retiring to the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
on 1 November 1944, ''Besugo'' concluded her patrol by mooring alongside the
submarine tender A submarine tender, in British English a submarine depot ship, is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of foo ...
at
Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...
on 5 November 1944.


=Second war patrol

= Following minor repairs and a torpedo reload, ''Besugo'' departed
Tanapag Harbor Tanapag Harbor () is the primary harbor of Saipan, and is located on the western side of the island in the city of Tanapag. It is separated from the Philippine Sea by a Coral reef, barrier reef, located about 3 km (2 miles) off the shore. Thi ...
at Saipan to begin her second war patrol on 10 November 1944. Transiting the
Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Luzon and Taiwan. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an important strait for shipp ...
on 16 November 1944, she entered the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, and she took up a position off Linapacan Island in the Philippine Islands on 20 November. At 04:55 on 22 November, ''Besugo'' picked up a radar contact while operating off the northern tip of
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
. Owing to the approaching dawn, she attacked the target quickly, firing four torpedoes at what she believed was a Japanese tanker. One torpedo hit amidships, starting an enormous fire that eventually sank what turned out to be the Japanese
landing ship An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crud ...
''T.151''. A few minutes later, she spotted a
barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
nearby, probably a tow abandoned by the stricken landing ship, and sank it with two torpedoes. Returning to her patrol station that evening, ''Besugo'' encountered rough weather, and the heavy swells interfered with her surface search radar. At 21:38, she closed her only good contact and fired four bow torpedoes at a large vessel. All missed, possibly because they grounded in the shallow water. Over the next 10 minutes, she fired eight more torpedoes, one of which finally hit and brought to a stop what turned out to be a cargo ship. ''Besugo'' then fired her last four torpedoes into the target. Two of them demolished the midships section and the ship settled to the bottom in of water, leaving the
superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...
still visible above the surface. A postwar records review, however, did not indicate any Japanese losses in that area, and ''Besugo'' did not receive credit for a sinking. With her torpedoes gone, ''Besugo'' headed south, passed through the
Lombok Strait The Lombok Strait () is a strait of the Bali Sea connecting to the Indian Ocean, and is located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side. Its narrowest point is at its southern opening, with a ...
, and arrived at
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, on 4 December 1944, bringing her patrol to an end.


=Third war patrol

= After a refit alongside the submarine tender , ''Besugo'' got underway for her third war patrol on 24 December 1944. She passed through Lombok Strait late on 30 December and entered the
Celebes Sea The Celebes Sea ( ; ) or Sulawesi Sea (; ) of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawes ...
. On 31 December 1944 she sighted a small Japanese
merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
emerging from a rain
squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
. ''Besugo'' dove and attacked with three torpedoes, but all missed, and the target escaped and disappeared from view. It probably radioed in a contact report, because searching Japanese aircraft later forced ''Besugo'' to submerge four times. Clearing
Karimata Strait The Karimata Strait (alternatively, Carimata or Caramata; ) is a wide strait that connects the South China Sea to the Java Sea, separating the Indonesian islands of Belitung to the west and Borneo (Kalimantan) to the east. It is the widest stra ...
on 2 January 1945, ''Besugo'' took up a patrol station off the southern tip of Japanese-occupied
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
on 4 January. At 18:40 on 6 January, her lookouts sighted the heavily laden Japanese 10,020-gross register ton tanker ''Nichei Maru'' escorted by a destroyer and two coast defense frigates. She closed undetected and at 21:18 fired six torpedoes at ''Nichei Maru''. Three of the torpedoes hit home, and ''Nichei Maru'' burst into flame and sank. As ''Besugo'' cleared the area, the escorts dropped seven depth charges in desultory and ineffective attacks. Joined by the submarines , , and later , ''Besugo'' spent the next two weeks fruitlessly patrolling a scouting line south of the
Cà Mau Peninsula The Peninsula () makes up the southern tip of Vietnam. It is in Cà Mau province, and lies between the Gulf of Thailand to the west and the South China Sea to the east. Cà Mau is a triangular stretch of land, with a maximum length of 130 miles ...
. Finally, at 05:30 on 24 January 1945, she received a contact report from ''Blackfin''. As ''Besugo'' closed the three Japanese ships (destroyer , the tanker ''Sarawak Maru'', and a small
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
) ''Blackfin'' reported, her crew heard ''Blackfin'' send one torpedo into the tanker. Shortly thereafter, the Japanese escorts drove ''Besugo'' off with gunfire and depth charges. Twenty minutes later, ''Besugo'' tried approaching again and, despite
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
searches and a close depth-charge attack by the escorts, she fired six torpedoes at the tanker. The torpedo tracks attracted the attention of the escorts, and ''Besugo'' endured a furious pounding from the two escorts, who dropped a total of 22 depth charges over the next half hour. Later that afternoon, ''Besugo''′s crew heard Japanese escorts drop another 32 depth charges. A postwar records review determined the tanker to have been damaged in the attack. A week later, ''Besugo'' discovered four Japanese
antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...
vessels conducting a sound sweep off Cape Laguan on the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
. After calling in ''Blackfin'' and ''Hardhead'' for help, ''Besugo'' crept under the right-flank ship and took up a firing position. At 02:27 on 2 February 1945, she fired four torpedoes at the right-center ship, and one of them hit and sank the frigate ''Coast Defense Vessel No. 144''. ''Besugo'' easily evaded the ensuing counterattack and withdrew from the area. As no further contacts developed, she set a course for Australia on 5 February 1945, transited Lombok Strait on 8 February, and moored alongside the submarine tender in the harbor at Fremantle on 15 February 1945.


=Fourth war patrol

= As the port at Fremantle was very busy, ''Besugo''′s refit was delayed for two weeks, and she was not ready for operations until 24 March 1945. Underway that same day to begin her fourth war patrol, ''Besugo'' proceeded to a patrol area in the eastern
Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...
. Passing through Lombok Strait on 31 March, she joined the submarines ''Gabilan'' and and took up a position near
Bangka Island Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is administered under the province of the Bangka Belitung Islands, being one of its namesakes alongside the smaller island of Belitung across the Gaspar Strait. The 9th largest island in ...
off
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
on 3 April 1945. On 4 April 1945, while patrolling submerged, ''Besugo'' contacted an enemy group consisting of a cruiser, three
torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
s, and a minesweeper. After they passed over the horizon, she surfaced, radioed a contact report, and set out in pursuit of the Japanese force. During the afternoon and evening, she tried to work around the Japanese task group, but Japanese aircraft forced her to dive four times. Finally, at 03:58 on 5 April, after a long night of maneuvering, she fired six torpedoes at the cruiser, but all of them missed. A nearby escort then forced ''Besugo'' to dive and dropped 13 depth charges in the area before ''Besugo'' escaped. Later on the morning of 5 April 1945, ''Besugo'' received orders to patrol the
Sumba Strait Sumba Strait (Indonesian: Selat Sumba) is a strait in Indonesia. It separates the island of Sumba from the major islands of Flores and Sumbawa, as well as minor islands including Komodo and Rinca. It connects the Indian Ocean to the Savu Sea ...
while
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
aircraft from Australia attempted to sink the elusive Japanese task group. ''Besugo''′s crew hoped that at the very least, the air attacks might force the Japanese warships to retire past ''Besugo''′s position, and on 6 April 1945 sighted the Japanese ships doing exactly that. Unfortunately for ''Besugo'', the cruiser's high speed and haze gray
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
allowed her to surprise ''Besugo'', quickly slipping by her and evading all nine torpedoes ''Besugo'' fired hastily. Despite the appearance of Japanese patrol planes, ''Besugo'' was better prepared for the trailing Japanese escorts, and she blew the minesweeper ''W.12'' in half with one of four torpedoes fired. Although ''W.12''′s bow sank immediately, her
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
remained afloat in a sea filled with Japanese sailors abandoning ship. Before ''Besugo'' could fire a torpedo at ''W.12''′s stern section, a sudden attack by a Japanese patrol plane forced ''Besugo'' to break off the attack and dive to safety. ''Besugo'' spent the next two hours dodging Japanese air attacks; she was bombed once and
strafed Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...
twice, before finally sinking ''W.12''′s stern section with her last torpedo. ''Besugo'' then returned to Fremantle on 11 April 1945 for another load of torpedoes, before putting to sea on 16 April to continue her patrol. Transiting Lombok Strait on 21 April, she took up a patrol station in the Java Sea in company with the submarines and . On 23 April, she spotted unusual prey, the German submarine painted with Japanese colors, and sank her with a torpedo at , becoming one of only a very few American submarines to sink a German warship. Quickly surfacing, ''Besugo'' recovered ''U-183''′s only survivor, a badly wounded German
warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
. ''Besugo'' sighted nothing of interest again until 28 April 1945, when she began tracking a Japanese guard boat. Surfacing at 02:20 on 29 April, she quickly sank ''Otome Maru'' with gunfire. On the evening of 29 April, after closing with an immense pillar of fire spotted over the horizon, ''Besugo'' rescued a badly burned sailor, most likely from the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
tanker ''Yuno Maru'', recently sunk by a
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...
. From then until 12 May 1945, ''Besugo'' patrolled off
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
between
Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
and Batavia, scouting for any Japanese warships responding to the Allied landings on
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
. After swinging through the
Gulf of Siam The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...
, ''Besugo'' concluded her patrol, arriving at
Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
on
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
in the Philippine Islands on 20 May 1945.


=Fifth war patrol

= Following a refit alongside ''Anthedon'', ''Besugo'' got underway for her fifth war patrol on 13 June 1945. proceeding southeast to French Indochina, ''Besugo'' spent close to three uneventful weeks on a lifeguard station off Camranh Bay in support of Allied airstrikes. Then, on 5 July 1945, she moved to the south coast of Borneo but again made no contacts with Japanese ships. After transiting Lombok Strait, she arrived at Fremantle on 25 July 1945 and received a refit alongside the submarine tender . ''Besugo'' was at Fremantle when hostilities with Japan ended on 15 August 1945, bringing
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to an end.


Post-World War II


=1946–1949

= ''Besugo'' departed Fremantle on 29 August 1945, when she proceed south and east to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia, which she reached on 5 September 1945. She got back underway on 7 September 1945 to proceed to
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, where she arrived on 26 September 1945. She had an extended period of
shore leave Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the ...
and upkeep at San Diego, she proceeded to Vallejo, California, where on 31 October 1945 she entered the Mare Island Navy Yard (renamed the
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...
in November 1945 — on
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
for an overhaul. Upon completion of her overhaul on 8 February 1946, ''Besugo'' headed to Pearl Harbor for duty with the
United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
. She made a cruise to
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
in the Mariana Islands. then returned to Pearl Harbor on 6 May 1946. She then operated locally in Hawaiian waters, included training at the
French Frigate Shoals The French Frigate Shoals (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: Kānemilohai) is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, located about northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu. Its name commemorates France, French explorer Jean-Fran ...
in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in December 1946 and a simulated attack exercise against the
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
in January 1947. Between 3 February and 5 May 1947, she received another overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard before returning to Pearl Harbor on 13 May 1947. With the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
beginning amid growing tensions between the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, the U.S. Navy began planning for possible confrontations with the
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
. One training measure, devised to give submarine crews experience was the "simulated war patrol," a mission upon which'' Besugo'' embarked on 7 June 1947. Heading west from Hawaii, she avoided numerous air and surface contacts in an attempt to avoid detection by U.S. forces en route to the
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...
. Arriving off
Majuro Atoll 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 at ...
on 18 June 1947, she conducted a
photographic reconnaissance Imagery intelligence (IMINT), pronounced as either as ''Im-Int'' or ''I-Mint'', is an intelligence gathering discipline wherein imagery is analyzed (or "exploited") to identify information of intelligence value. Imagery used for defense intell ...
of the area before heading on to the Philippines. After a stop at Subic Bay from 4 to 7 July 1947, where she provided target services to
Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine American Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and Consolidated PB2Y Coronado, PB2Y C ...
and
Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer is an American World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 L ...
patrol aircraft of Fleet Air Wing 1, proceeded to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
on 8 July. There, the crew enjoyed shore leave under the "care" of the British light cruiser . ''Besugo'' moved on to
Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, where she arrived on 18 July 1947 and began a six-week series of exercises with
United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the ...
units in the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
. These included radar tracking drills with the submarine , salvage drills with the
submarine rescue vessel A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea Marine salvage, salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations. Lis ...
, and, in company with the submarine , a simulated attack exercise against a
task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...
. During the latter, aircraft contacts plagued the two submarines, which failed to make any successful attacks. After stops to refuel at
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
and Midway Atoll, ''Besugo'' arrived at Pearl Harbor on 21 September 1947. ''Besugo'' remained in Hawaiian waters until July 1948, conducting routine upkeep and local training operations. Then, following a visit to
Hilo Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
, Hawaii, from 3 and 8 July 1948, she got underway on 9 July 1948 for a reconnaissance mission to the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
. Arriving at
Adak Adak may refer to: Places *Adak Island, one of the Aleutian Islands **Adak, Alaska, a town on the above island ** Adak Airport, airport serving the town *** Adak Army Airfield, original name of the airport (1942–c.1943) *** Davis Army Airfield, ...
in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
on 16 July 1948, she headed east and rendezvoused with the submarine on 18 July. After exchanging information with ''Diodon'', ''Besugo'' moved to St. Lawrence Island on 19 July and began three weeks of photo reconnaissance operations off Cape Navarin on the coast of the Soviet Union at the southern extremity of the
Gulf of Anadyr The Gulf of Anadyr, or Anadyr Bay (), is a large bay on the Bering Sea in far northeast Siberia. It has a total surface area of Location The bay is roughly rectangular and opens to the southeast. The corners are (clockwise from the south) Cape ...
. During this time, she sighted three Soviet warships — a
destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
, a
patrol frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
, and a minesweeper — and six cargo ships, all without being detected. After a rendezvous with the submarine ''Blower'' on 10 August 1948, ''Besugo'' proceeded to Adak and Kodiak,
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, before returning to Pearl Harbor on 20 July 1948. She remained in Hawaiian waters for the next 18 months, conducting independent ship's drills,
antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...
exercises, and other local operations from Pearl Harbor.


=1950–1958

= Despite the outbreak of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
on 25 June 1950, ''Besugo'' entered the
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 148 acres. It is one of just four public shipyards operated by the United States Navy. The shipyard is phys ...
for an overhaul not long thereafter. Completing the overhaul on 28 September 1950, she departed Pearl Harbor on 19 October 1950 bound for
Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, which she reached on 31 October 1950. After four weeks of training, including target services for U.S. antisubmarine warfare planes and warships, she began the first of her two Korean War reconnaissance patrols. Leaving Japan on 6 December 1950, she passed through the
Tsugaru Strait The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles ...
and took up a patrol station off
La Perouse Strait LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
north of
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
on 9 December. There, in spite of rough seas and a succession of
snowstorm A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, Rain and snow mixed, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In Continental cl ...
s, she spent two weeks tracking Soviet shipping moving between the
Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...
and the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
. Returning to Yokosuka in late December 1950, she remained in Japanese waters for the next three months, conducting local operations and twice visiting Okinawa. During her first visit to Okinawa, she proceeded to Naze Ko on Omami o Shima on 12 January 1951 to rescue six survivors of a PBM Mariner
flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...
that had crashed. Departing the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
on 11 April 1951, she returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 April 1951. Following nine months of local operations in Hawaiian waters and two
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
periods, during which new sonar equipment and mine clearing cables were installed, ''Besugo'' got underway from Pearl Harbor on 7 January 1952 bound for Subic Bay in the Philippines. Arriving there on 24 January 1952, ''Besugo'' embarked on her second special mission the following day. Ordered to conduct a photographic reconnaissance of
Hainan Island Hainan is an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea ...
, she took up a submerged patrol station off Yulin Bay on 28 January 1952. Frequent contacts with fishing
sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed wooden boat found in East, Southeast, and South Asia. It is possibly of Chinese or Austronesian origin. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on in ...
s, and even with entire fishing fleets on a half-dozen occasions, made surveillance and photographic operations very difficult. In addition, the sampans constituted an even greater hazard at night, since they had no running lights and registered poorly on radar. As a result, the mission produced limited results. ''Besugo'' returned to Subic Bay on 28 February 1952, and then to Pearl Harbor in March 1952, after which ''Besugo''′s crew received a two-month leave and upkeep period. After the two-month leave-and-upkeep period, ''Besugo'' entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a three-month overhaul in July 1952. The shipyard work was complete in September 1952, but a small electrical fire on 23 October 1952 delayed her return to service until December 1952. Departing Pearl Harbor on 31 January 1953, she headed northeast for a visit to
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, and its environs. Between 9 February and 22 March 1953, she visited
Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington, before conducting a training exercise off
Cape Flattery Cape Flattery () is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, a ...
, Washington. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 March 1953, and her only other movement later in the spring of 1953 was a mid-May visit in Hawaiian waters to
Nawiliwili Bay Nawiliwili Beach Park is a beach park and port on the south-east coast of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in ...
on
Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. Assigned to training duty for
United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...
personnel, ''Besugo'' departed Pearl Harbor on 2 August 1953 and arrived at her new
home port A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull. In the cruise industry the term "home port" is also oft ...
of San Diego, California, on 9 August. She conducted local operations in nearby waters for the next five years, including the provision of target services to local fleet units, and made occasional operational and Naval Reserve training cruises. Her first training cruise took place in the autumn of 1954, when she proceeded from San Diego to
Lahaina Roads Lahaina Roads, also called the Lahaina Roadstead, is an anchorage in the ʻAuʻau Channel lying off the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago and U.S. state of Hawaii. It lies in the lee of the West Maui Mountains, ...
in Hawaii and laid a drill minefield on 21 October 1954. In the autumn of 1955, ''Besugo'' visited the Puget Sound area again for antisubmarine warfare exercises with
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
warships and a U.S. Naval Reserve training cruise. She received an overhaul in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California, during the spring of 1956. In January 1957, in company with the submarine , she made a cruise sto
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
which included a port visit at Mazatlan. She carried out Naval Reserve reserve training duties in Puget Sound in February 1957. In August 1957, she proceeded to San Francisco for antisubmarine warfare exercises, and in November 1957 she again visited Mazatlan.


=1958–1966

= Never having been modernized, ''Besugo'' was scheduled for inactivation in 1958. She departed San Diego for the last time on 6 January 1958 and entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to commence deactivation procedures on 8 January 1958. She was decommissioned on 21 March 1958 and laid up in the
Pacific Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...
. While in
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...
, she was reclsassified an "
auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of some kind to a military se ...
research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
submarine" and given the
hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...
AGSS-321 in 1962. ''Besugo'' was recommissioned on 15 June 1965. She was converted to a
Fleet Snorkel The Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY) was initiated by the United States Navy after World War II to improve the submerged speed, maneuverability, and endurance of its submarines. (The "Y" in the acronym was added for pronouncea ...
submarine in 1966.


Italian Navy

After the completion of her Fleet Snorkel conversion, ''Besugo'' was decommissioned on 31 March 1966 and transferred on loan to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
the same day. The
Italian Navy The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...
commissioned her as ''Francesco Morosini'' (S 508), named for
Francesco Morosini Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the Venetian noble Morosini family.Encyclopæd ...
(1619–1694), who was
Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ) – in Italian, was the doge or highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The word derives from the Latin , meaning 'leader', and Venetian Italian dialect for 'duke', highest official of the ...
from 1688 to 1694. The Italian Navy decommissioned ''Francesco Morosini'' on 30 November 1973. It struck her from its naval vessel register on 15 November 1975 and returned her to U.S. Navy custody on the same day.


Disposal

The submarine was struck from the U.S.
Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
on 15 November 1975, the day Italy returned her to the United States. She was sold either on 16 April 1976 or 20 June 1977 (according to different sources) for scrapping.


Honors and awards

*
Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast ...
* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four
battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star 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 service period. T ...
s for
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
service *
World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...
*
Navy Occupation Service Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal was a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the United St ...
with "ASIA" clasp *
China Service Medal The China Service Medal was a service medal awarded to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. The medal was instituted by Navy Department General Order No. 176 on 1 July 1942. The medal recognized service in and around China befo ...
*
National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...
with star *
Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal (KSM) was a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950, by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for ...
with one battle star for
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
service *
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation () is a military unit award of the government of Republic of Korea that may be presented to South Korean and foreign military units for outstanding performance in defense of the Republic of Korea. In recognition of a ...
(
Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
) *
United Nations Korea Medal The United Nations Service Medal Korea (UNSMK) is an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950 as the United Nations Service Medal. The decoration was the first international award ever created by the ...
(
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
) *
Korean War Service Medal The Korean War Service Medal (KWSM, , ), also known as the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (ROKWSM), is a military award of South Korea which was first authorized in December 1950. History 6.25 Incident Participation Medal Originally and te ...
(Republic of Korea)


References

*


External links

*
Kill record USS ''Besugo''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besugo (SS-321) Balao-class submarines Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1944 ships World War II submarines of the United States Cold War submarines of the United States Korean War submarines of the United States Balao-class submarines of the Italian Navy