USS ''Hawkbill'' (SS-366), a ''Balao''-class submarine, was the first ship 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 ...

to be named for the hawksbill, a large

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

(the "-s-" was inadvertently dropped at commissioning.).

Construction and commissioning

''Hawkbill'' (SS-366) was launched by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

,on 9 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. F. W. Scanland, Jr., and commissioned on 17 May 1944.

Operational history

Following a period of training on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...

, ''Hawksbill'' departed 1 June 1944 from Manitowoc to begin the long journey down the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the ...

and finally by barge down the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

. She arrived

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Balboa,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

. On 18 June 1944, the 5,433- gross register ton

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

manian

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 ar ...

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 opened gunfire on her in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

about south of Cape San Antonio,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, at , firing six rounds.Hinman & Campbell, p. 104. ''Hawkbill'' signaled ''White Clover'' to cease firing and suffered no casualties or damage. After completing her training from Balboa, ''Hawkbill'' arrived 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 ...

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 ...

, on 28 July 1944 for final preparations before her first war patrol.

First and Second War Patrols

Departing 23 August, the submarine steamed via

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 est ...

to her patrol area in the

Philippine Islands 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 ...

in company with and . In October Hawkbill shifted patrol 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 Phil ...

and, while approaching two carriers 7 October, was forced down by violent depth charging by Japanese destroyers. Two days later she attacked a 12-ship convoy with ''Becuna'', damaging several of the ships. ''Hawkbill'' transited heavily patrolled

Lombok Strait The Lombok Strait ( id, Selat Lombok), is a strait connecting the Java Sea 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 souther ...

14 October, and terminated her first patrol at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Australia on 17 October. In company with ''Becuna'' and , the submarine departed for her second patrol 15 November bound for the area north of the

Malay Barrier The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allies of World War II, Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consists of ...

. She encountered a convoy 15 December and sank destroyer ''Momo'' with six well-placed torpedoes during a night attack. Finding few contacts—a testament to the effectiveness of the American submarines—''Hawkbill'' headed once more for Lombok Strait. This time she was sighted by a patrol craft, but cleverly maneuvered into a rain squall. The submarine was then fired-upon by shore batteries before passing out of range. Hawkbill returned to Fremantle 5 January 1945.

Third and Fourth War Patrols

On her third war patrol beginning 5 February, the submarine returned to Lombok Strait to turn the tables on her former pursuers. Her torpedoes sank two submarine chasers 14 February, and she added some small craft before turning for the South China Sea. ''Hawkbill'' detected a convoy 20 February; after engaging one escort with gunfire, she sank 5,400-ton cargo ship ''Daizen Maru'' with a spread of torpedoes. The rest of her patrol brought no targets; she arrived Fremantle 6 April 1945. Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka 1939

Departing on her fourth patrol 5 May, ''Hawkbill'' served on lifeguard station for a

B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models d ...

strike on the

Kangean Islands The Kangean Islands or simply Kangean (Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Kangean'') is a collective name referred to the area of Kangean (the main island) and its surrounding islands lie in the north of Bali in northern Bali Sea, northwest of the L ...

north of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

. She arrived 16 May on her patrol station off the coast of Malaya, and soon afterward encountered

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing contro ...

''Hatsutaka'' heading south along the coast. She attacked and obtained two hits, causing severe damage. The ship was observed next morning being towed to the beach. At a range of almost , ''Hawkbill'' fired three more torpedoes into the shallow waters and broke the ship in half, sinking a familiar enemy of submarines operating on the Malayan coast. After further patrol off Malaya and in the Gulf of Siam, she arrived

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 Sub ...

18 June 1945.

Fifth War Patrol and Japanese Surrender

''Hawkbill'' departed for her fifth and last war patrol 12 July. Returning to the coast of Malaya, she attacked a convoy 18 July. Her first torpedoes missed, and an hour later a

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use ...

attack of unusual accuracy and intensity began from the destroyer

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to ...

. ''Hawkbill'' was blown partially out of the water by a perfectly placed pattern and damaged considerably; but by hugging the bottom with all machinery secured, she eluded the attacking destroyer. After a stay at Subic Bay for repairs, she steamed to

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

to rendezvous with

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

officers for a special mission. ''Hawkbill'' destroyed two radio stations with her deck guns, landed

commando 40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...

s at Terampha Town, and destroyed shore installations. After reconnaissance of the

Anambas Islands Anambas Islands Regency ( id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Anambas) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located northeast of Batam Island in the North Natuna Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geograph ...

, also in the South China Sea, the versatile submarine returned to Borneo 13 August. Following the surrender of Japan, ''Hawkbill'' sailed to Pearl Harbor, departing 22 September 1945 for

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. She decommissioned at

Mare Island Mare Island ( 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 juncture with the ...

30 September 1946 and joined the

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; ...

. Brought out of reserve in 1952, ''Hawkbill'' was given a GUPPY IB conversion and loaned to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

under the Military Assistance Program 21 April 1953.

HNLMS ''Zeeleeuw'' (S803)

The submarine was commissioned in the Royal Netherlands Navy as HNLMS ''Zeeleeuw'' (S803), the first Dutch naval ship to be named for the sealion. ''Zeeleeuw'' reached

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

11 June, in time to participate successfully in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

summer exercises, 'beating' the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

as well as the U.S. Navy. On 24 November 1970, ''Zeeleeuw'' was sold for scrap.

Honors and awards

''Hawkbill'' received six

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 se ...

s for

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

service. All five of her war patrols were designated "successful," and she received a

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Cor ...

for her outstanding performance on patrols 1, 3, and 4.

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

* *http://www.usshawkbill.com/366/index.htm *http://dutchsubmarines.com/boats/boat_zeeleeuw1.htm *http://www.zeeleeuw-1962.nl/index.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkbill (SS-366) Balao-class submarines Ships built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin 1944 ships World War II submarines of the United States Maritime incidents in June 1944 Friendly fire incidents of World War II Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Netherlands Navy Walrus-class submarines (1953)