USS Dorado (SS-248)
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USS ''Dorado'' (SS-248), a ''Gato''-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 the first submarine 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 ...
to be named for the
dorado Dorado (, ) is a constellation in the Southern Sky. It was named in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the mahi-mahi (''Coryphaena hippurus''), which is known as ''dorado'' ("golden") in Sp ...
.


Construction and commissioning

''Dorado''′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 August 1942 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 of
Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
. She was launched on 23 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Ezra G. Allen, wife of
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
Ezra G. Allen, Budget Officer of the
United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...
, and commissioned on 28 August 1943.


Service history

''Dorado''s
sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...
proved the readiness of the crew, and she sailed from
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,
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. ...
, on 6 October 1943 for 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 ...
. She did not arrive. The standard practice of imposing bombing restrictions within an area ahead, astern, and on each side of the scheduled position of an unescorted submarine making passage in friendly waters had been carried out and all concerned had been notified. However, the crew of 210-P-9, a
PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built ...
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 ...
of Patrol Squadron 210 (VP-210) based at
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...
in
Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay (, ) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off from its immediate hint ...
,
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, assigned to provide air coverage on the evening of 12 October 1943 had received an incorrect description of the restriction area, out of place. At 2051 local time, under a moonlit but stormy sky, that plane attacked an unidentified
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 ...
that it believed was outside the restriction area with three Mark-47
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s and a Mark-4 Mod-4 demolition
bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
. The visual sighting had been very short, only just a few seconds, but the aircraft crew were initially confident that it was a German U-boat. The fall of the ordnance was not observed, as it was behind the aircraft upon impact with the water, and the drone of the aircraft engines drowned out any noise from the ordnance detonations. However, the aircraft crew and the subsequent investigation board members were confident that at least two of the depth charges would have detonated. The aircraft commander immediately put the aircraft into a tight left turn with the intent to circle back around and re-attack. They arrived over the attack datum point one minute later and dropped a yellow flare. All that could be seen was a large patch of white disturbed water and bubbles. No wreckage or oil slick was observed. The aircraft took no further action and continued on patrol. At 9:50 pm local the crew of 210-P-9, having earlier reported their attack, received a message warning them that a friendly submarine was in the area. Unbeknownst to anyone, German submarine ''U-214'' was in the same general vicinity and actually sighted the yellow flare ahead and to the left of their position, off in the distance. They noted it in their log and continued on their route back to Germany. At 10:33 pm local time, 210-P-9 gained radar contact on a second
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 ...
. Now cautious, the crew of 210-P-9 attempted to exchange recognition signals. This second submarine fired upon the plane, forcing it to veer off, then immediately dived. This incident is noted in the log of U-214, proving that the second attack was on them. Neither the aircraft nor the U-boat was damaged in this incident. The convoy scheduled to pass through the restricted area surrounding ''Dorado'' on the evening of 12 October 1943 reported no contact.


Mine strike theory

''U-214'' had been on a mission to lay a minefield of 15 type SMA mines off the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. She successfully completed that mission on 08 October 1943 before heading for home. It has been theorized that ''Dorado'' struck one of these mines and sank. However, recent research shows that this is very unlikely. The mine field was laid in a west to east line approximately north of the entrance of the canal. The final navigation
waypoint A waypoint is a point or place on a route or line of travel, a stopping point, an intermediate point, or point at which course is changed, the first use of the term tracing to 1880. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates which spe ...
of ''Dorado'' was to the north of this line. She was to rendezvous with a U.S. warship which was to escort her on the surface beyond that point. Furthermore, the mine field had already been discovered and was in the process of being swept by 14 October, the date of the rendezvous. 10 of the 15 mines were eventually swept or accounted for. The rest either sank without deploying or broke free from their cables. Any mines that may have broken free and drifted would have traveled east-northeast on the prevailing current and out of the path of the submarine. Therefore there were none left for ''Dorado'' to strike. This makes the theory of ''Dorados loss to a mine strike very unlikely.


Aftermath of the 12 October 1943 incident

* 14 October 1943. Dorado does not arrive at her scheduled rendezvous point north of the Cristobal Breakwater. There she was to rendezvous with a U.S. warship and be escorted on the surface into Submarine Base Coco Solo, Panama. Searches all along her plotted track in the Caribbean are launched, but nothing is found. * 15 October 1943. A Board of Investigation (BOI) is initiated at Naval Operating Base Guantanamo, the operating base of VP-210 and aircraft 210-P-9. * 24 October 1943. With no hope remaining that ''Dorado'' would be found, the U.S. Navy officially declares her overdue and presumed lost. * 26 October 1943. On the same day that the BOI is concluded, a full scale formal Court of Inquiry (COI) is launched by the Navy Department in Washington under the auspices of the
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
, Fleet Admiral
Ernest J. King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. Franklin Delano ...
. The two investigative bodies come to different conclusions. The BOI concludes that both submarine sightings on the night of 12 October 1943 were the same submarine and that it was a U-boat. The COI concludes that "it is highly probable that USS DORADO was lost through the attack by plane No. 210-P-9." The COI, while not faulting the actions of the crew of 210-P-9, also found that they had not been properly trained in the identification of German or U.S. submarines, or in submarine sanctuary zone operating doctrine.


Conclusions from information in the official inquiries

* No other U.S. submarine was in the central Caribbean on the night of 12 October 1943, and the only German U-boat within was ''U-214''. * The first attack by 210-P-9 ''was not'' on ''U-214'', but the second certainly was. * ''Dorado'', based on her navigation orders, was in the central Caribbean on the night of 12 October 1943. * ''Dorado'' did not strike one of the mines laid by ''U-214'' near the entrance of the Panama Canal. Therefore it is likely that ''Dorado'' was lost as a result of the attack by 210-P-9 on the night of 12 October 1943 and sank in the vicinity of the attack. There are other possible explanations for ''Dorados loss. Those include weather and a torpedo attack by a German U-boat. Examination of U.S. and German records definitively rule out these two causes. Another explanation is a mechanical failure or an operational accident. While these remain possibilities, their probability is low due to the fact that ''Dorado'' was a brand new submarine at the time. ''Dorado'' was one of only two U.S. Navy submarines lost in the Atlantic theater during World War II. The other was , which sank during a training dive near
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 ...
.


Legacy

A memorial to ''Dorado'' stands on the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
in Veterans Memorial Park in Wichita,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
. A 614-page book entitled ''USS ''Dorado'' (SS-248): On Eternal Patrol'' was published by Douglas E. Campbell in November 2011. Before she was lost, the American painter Thomas Hart Benton sailed aboard ''Dorado'' on her
shakedown cruise Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Generally, shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair, refit or overhaul. The shakedown ...
, using that experience as the basis for his paintings ''Score Another for the Subs, In Slumber Deep'', and ''The Claustrophobic Confines''.


See also

*
French submarine Surcouf ''Surcouf'' was a large French gun-armed cruiser submarine of the mid 20th century. She carried two 203 mm guns as well as anti-aircraft guns and (for most of her career) a floatplane. ''Surcouf'' served in the French Navy and, later, th ...
a French submarine sunk in the same area under similar circumstances


References

*


External links

*The USS Dorado Project website at https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=The_USS_Dorado_Project *The Syneca Research Group's discussion of ''Dorado'' is published at http://www.ussdorado.com
On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Dorado''
*
DETAILS PLAIN LANGUAGE: The Mystery and Loss of Submarine USS Dorado
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorado (Ss-248) Gato-class submarines World War II submarines of the United States Lost submarines of the United States World War II shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1943 ships Maritime incidents in October 1943 Friendly fire incidents of World War II Missing submarines of World War II