USS Narwhal (SS-167)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

USS ''Narwhal'' (SS-167), the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...
of her class of
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 ...
and one of the "
V-boat The V-boats were a group of nine United States Navy submarines built between World War I and World War II from 1921 to 1934 under authorization as the "fleet boat" program. The term "V-boats" as used includes five separate classes of submarines ...
s", was the second 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 ...
to be named for the
narwhal The narwhal (''Monodon monoceros'') is a species of toothed whale native to the Arctic. It is the only member of the genus ''Monodon'' and one of two living representatives of the family Monodontidae. The narwhal is a stocky cetacean with a ...
. She was named ''V-5'' (SC-1) when her
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 on 10 May 1927 by the
Portsmouth Navy Yard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...
in
Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, and the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of ...
.


Design

''V-5'' was generally similar to the preceding submarine minelayer ''V-4'', although slightly smaller and lacking a minelaying system. The configuration of ''V-4'', ''V-5'', and ''V-6'' resulted from an evolving strategic concept that increasingly emphasized the possibility of a naval war with Japan in the far western Pacific. This factor, and the implications of the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting Navy, naval construction. It was negotiated at ...
, suggested the need for long-range submarine "cruisers", or "strategic scouts", as well as long-range minelayers, for which long endurance, not high speed, was most important. The design was possibly influenced by the German "U-cruisers" of the Type U-139 and Type U-151
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
classes, although ''V-4'', ''V-5'', and ''V-6'' were all larger than these. A raised gun platform was provided around the conning tower, and deck stowage for spare torpedoes was included under the platform and in the superstructure. ''V-5'' and her near-sisters ''V-4'' () and ''V-6'' () were initially designed with larger and more powerful MAN-designed diesel engines than the
Busch-Sulzer The Busch-Sulzer Bros. Diesel Engine Company was founded by Adolphus Busch of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in 1911 as a joint venture with Sulzer Brothers of Switzerland. The company manufactured diesel engines until 1946. In 1897, Adolphus ...
engines that propelled earlier V-boats, which were failures. Unfortunately, the specially built engines failed to produce their design power, and some developed dangerous crankcase explosions. The engineering plant was replaced in 1942. The as-built engine specifications were two BuEng-built,
MAN A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
-designed
direct-drive A direct-drive mechanism is a mechanism design where the force or torque from a prime mover is transmitted directly to the effector device (such as the drive wheels of a vehicle) without involving any intermediate couplings such as a gear train o ...
10-
cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...
4-cycle main
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
s, each, with two BuEng MAN 4-cycle 6-cylinder auxiliary diesel engines, each, driving
electric generator In electricity generation, a generator, also called an ''electric generator'', ''electrical generator'', and ''electromagnetic generator'' is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy for use in an externa ...
s. The auxiliary engines were for charging batteries or for increased surface speed via a diesel-electric system providing power to the main
electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...
s. ''V-5'' was built to a partial welded/partial riveted construction method. Welding was used to join the vertical keel plates, and also in other non-critical areas like the superstructure, piping brackets, and support framing. The inner and outer hulls were still entirely riveted.


Construction and commissioning

''V-5'' was launched on 17 December 1929, sponsored by Mrs. Frances Adams (''née'' Lovering), wife of Charles F. Adams,
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
, and commissioned on 15 May 1930, Lieutenant Commander
John H. Brown Jr. John Herbert "Babe" Brown, Jr. (October 12, 1891 – June 10, 1963) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of vice admiral during World War II and an American football player. A graduate of the United States Naval Ac ...
in command.


Interwar period

''V-5'' departed
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
on 11 August 1930 for a cruise to the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, returning to Portsmouth on 11 September. She trained in
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
waters until 31 January 1931, when she sailed for the West Coast via 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 ...
, arriving
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 ...
on 4 April. On 19 February, ''V-5'' was renamed ''Narwhal'' and on 1 July received the new
hull number A hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the Hull Identification Number (HIN) is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varie ...
SS-167. After overhaul at
Mare Island Navy Yard 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 ...
, ''Narwhal'' departed on 2 February 1932 for fleet exercises off
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. She returned to San Diego on 17 March. After patrol duty along the West Coast, the submarine got underway on 12 July 1934 for a cruise with Submarine Division 12 ( SubDiv 12) until her arrival at San Diego on 18 September. For the next three years, she operated as far north as
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 and as far west as
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 ...
, which became her home base for operations through 1941. On a 30 day pre-war training cruise in 1941, ''Narwhal'' lost 20,000 gallons of fuel oil due leakage from her riveted fuel tanks.


World War II

''Narwhal'' was one of four submarines in overhaul caught by the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
in the early morning of 7 December 1941. Within minutes of the first enemy bomb explosions on
Ford Island Ford Island () is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island; its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The island had an area of ...
, ''Narwhal''s gunners were in action to assist in the destruction of two
torpedo plane A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
s.


1st–3rd Patrols and overhaul, February 1942 – April 1943

On her first war patrol – from 2 February to 28 March 1942 – ''Narwhal'', with Lieutenant Commander Charles W. "Weary" Wilkins in command, departed Pearl Harbor to reconnoiter
Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...
on 15–16 February, then continued on to the
Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...
. On 28 February, she made her first torpedo attack of the war, heavily damaging ''Maju Maru''. Six days later, the submarine sank ''Taki Maru'' in the
East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...
. She spent her second war patrol – from 28 May – 13 June – in defense of
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 ...
. As
Task Force 16 Task Force 16 (TF 16) was one of the most storied task forces in the United States Navy, a major participant in a number of the most important battles of the Pacific War. In July 1941, drew the assignment of ferrying army aircraft to Iceland be ...
with the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
s , , and
Task Force 17 Task Force 17 (TF17) was an aircraft carrier task force of the United States Navy during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. TF17 participated in several major carrier battles in the first year of the war. TF17 was initially centered around . ...
with , prepared to meet the Japanese attack, ''Narwhal'' joined and in scouting east of Midway; during the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...
on 3–6 June, these submarines – along with 15 others – accomplished nothing as the Japanese did not move east of Midway. ''Narwhal''s third patrol – from 7 July – 26 August – took her close to
Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...
to stalk Japanese shipping off the
Kurile Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...
. She claimed two small inter-island freighters on 24 and 28 July. One reference credits ''Narwhal'' with ''3'' sinkings on 24 July.HyperWar USN Chronology 1942
/ref> However, it is likely that the gunboat mentioned was too small to be considered in the official tally, and the other two sinkings are the ones that took place around this date. On 1 August, ''Narwhal'' included ''Meiwa Maru'' to her credit despite aircraft bomb and
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 ...
retaliation. One reference credits Narwhal with an additional sinking on 1 August (the tanker ''Koan Maru''). Seven days later, she sank ''Bifuku Maru''. On the morning of 14 August, the submarine raised her periscope to discover three enemy
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 ...
s crossing her stern in column. She waited while the destroyers "were running all over the ocean" dropping depth charges. Only slightly damaged, ''Narwhal'' departed her patrol area the next day. On 8 September, ''Narwhal'' sailed from Pearl Harbor for the West Coast, arriving
Mare Island Navy Yard 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 ...
on 15 September for overhaul. Her aging BuEng MAN engines were replaced at this time with four GM-Winton 16-278As and other upgraded machinery, including more powerful electric motors and new batteries. She also received four external torpedo tubes, two in the bow and two on top of the stern casing, and may have received increased torpedo deck stowage as well. She went on to San Diego on 4 April 1943, arriving two days later to embark a company of the 7th Infantry Division Provisional Scout Battalion (including
Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlin ...
scouts of the
Alaska Territorial Guard The Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG), more commonly known as the Eskimo Scouts, was a military reserve force component of the US Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on United States soil in Hawaii and occupation of parts of Alaska by Emp ...
) for the invasion of
Attu Island Attu (, ) is an island in the Near Islands (part of the Aleutian Islands chain). It is one of the westernmost points of the U.S. state of Alaska. The island became uninhabited in 2010, making it the largest uninhabited island that is part of th ...
. On 18 April, she set course for
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 ...
, arriving at
Dutch Harbor Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June, 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked it just seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. To this day, ...
on 27 April.


4th–8th Patrols, April 1943 – December 1943

The submarine began her fourth war patrol – from 30 April to 25 May – departing Dutch Harbor for the western
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 ...
. She rendezvoused with
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
on 11 May off the northern side of Attu Island, and the two ships debarked Army Scouts in rubber boats for the preliminary landings in the recapture of the island, a venture successfully completed on 29 May. ''Narwhal'' returned to Pearl Harbor with a stopover at Dutch Harbor on 14 and 18 May. 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 ...
Frank D. Latta in command, she again got underway for the
Kurile Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...
on her fifth war patrol, from 26 June – 7 August. Her mission – beginning on 11 July – was to create diversion by bombarding an air base on Matsuwa. , , and ''Plunger'' were about to attempt an exit from the previously impenetrable
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 ...
which they had so daringly invaded. The night of 15 July, ''Narwhal'' drew so much enemy attention to her presence she was forced to dive from the shells, but she accomplished her mission: the other submarines slipped through Etorofu Strait without detection. ''Narwhal'' made her sixth war patrol – from 31 August to 2 October – off 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 ...
. On the morning of 11 September, she torpedoed and sank ''Hokusho Maru'' before a Japanese escort caught up with her. After a severe depth charging, she departed for the
Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...
area. By the end of September, the submarine was en route to Brisbane. Upon arrival, ''Narwhal'' prepared to participate in the campaign to assist the
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
movement in the
Philippines 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 ...
begun in January 1943, when disembarked six Filipinos and a ton of equipment on
Negros Island Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral T ...
. ''Narwhal'' eventually became the leading submarine in supporting the Philippine guerrilla movement with nine secret transport missions to her credit. ''Narwhal'' was loaded down with of ammunition and stores and a party of ten for her seventh patrol, from 23 October – 22 November, supporting Philippine guerrillas. She was in the
Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...
, off
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, the night of 10 November ''en route'' to Puluan Bay when two Japanese ships astern opened fire. The night of 13 November, she entered Ptiluan Bay stealthily to disembark her passengers and half of her cargo while lying off the starboard side of ''Dona Jitana Maru''. By midnight ''Narwhal'' was safely on her way to
Nasipit Nasipit, officially the Municipality of Nasipit (; ), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,822 people. The Port of Nasipit is the major seaport or base port ...
, on Mindanao, where she docked on 15 November to unload the rest of her stores to the tune of "Anchors Aweigh" played by a grateful Filipino band.Wolfert, I., 1945, American Guerrilla in the Philippines, New York: Simon and Schuster She then embarked 32 evacuees, including eight women, two children, and a baby, for Darwin, Australia, and the end of her patrol. Picking up such odd assortments of passengers and secret cargo soon became routine for ''Narwhal''. She departed on her eighth war patrol – from 25 November – 18 December – with the usual cargo and 11 Army operatives bound for
Cabadbaran Cabadbaran, officially the City of Cabadbaran (), is a component city and ''de jure'' capital of the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 80,354 people. Founded in 1894, the city ros ...
, on Mindanao, arriving
Butuan Bay Butuan Bay is a bay and extension of the Bohol Sea or ''Mindanao Sea'', in the northeast section of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its main river source is the Agusan River, which empties into the bay at the coastal city of Butuan. Butuan Bay is co ...
on 2 December for disembarking. With seven evacuees on board, ''Narwhal'' sailed for Majacalar Bay, arriving off
Negros Island Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral T ...
on 3 December. Taking on nine more people, she stood out of Alajacalar Bay on 5 December. Around sunrise that same day, the submarine sank ''Hinteno Maru'' in a blaze of gunfire. On 11 December, she disembarked her passengers at Port Darwin, then continued on to
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 ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.


9th–12th Patrols, January 1944 – July 1944

On her ninth war patrol – from 18 January to 15 February 1944 – the submarine returned to Darwin to embark observer Commander F. Kent Loomis and more stores. Following a nighttime transit of the
Surigao Strait Surigao Strait (Filipino: ''Kipot ng Surigaw'') is a strait in the southern Philippines, between the Bohol Sea and Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea. Geography It is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. It lies between northern ...
, ''Narwhal'' slipped west and north, made a submerged patrol off Naso Point,
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...
, then headed for Pandan Bay to transfer cargo to sailing craft. With six new passengers, she came off Negros Island on 7 February to deposit 45 tons of supplies. ''Narwhal'' then received 28 more evacuees for the trip to Darwin, including Professor Roy Bell and family.Mills, S.A., 2009, Stranded in the Philippines, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, On her tenth war patrol – from 16 February – 20 March – ''Narwhal'' delivered more ammunition to Butuan Bay on 2 March. With 28 new people on board, she departed on 3 March for
Tawi-Tawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( Tausug: ''Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi''; Sinama: ''Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih''; ), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capit ...
. That evening, she damaged ''Karatsu'' (the captured USS ''Luzon'' (PR-7)) and was heavily bombarded with
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 by enemy escorts for her trouble. On the night of 5 March, two small boats – assisted by rubber boats from ''Narwhal'' – put off for shore with cargo. Three Japanese
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 ...
s closed in later; she eluded them and transferred her passengers, now a total of 38, to ''Chinampa'' on 11 March before docking at Fremantle. ''Narwhal'', with Commander Jack C. Titus in command, departed on her 11th war patrol – from 7 May – 9 June – for Alusan Bay,
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
, where she landed 22 men and supplies, including electric lamps, radio parts, and flour for the priests, the night of 24 May. By 1 June, the submarine was unloading 16 men and stores on the southwest coast of
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
. She ended this patrol at Port Darwin.) The twelfth war patrol – from 10 June – 7 July – gave ''Narwhal'' a chance for some action. On 13 June, she submerged for reconnaissance of Bula, Ceram Island, an enemy
fuel depot An oil terminal (also called a tank farm, tankfarm, oil installation or oil depot) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, and from which these products are transported to end users or other stora ...
. That night, the submarine closed the shore and fired 56 rounds of 6-inch (152 mm) projectiles to destroy several gasoline storage tanks and set fires around a power house and pumping station area before she had to retreat from the salvos directed at her. Three minutes before sunset on 20 June, she rendezvoused with native boats to send her cargo ashore during a suspenseful nine and one-half hours. Within 30 minutes she had completed unloading and taking on 14 evacuees, but a
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 ...
was in her wake. ''Narwhal'' evaded him to do some shooting herself the next day at a Japanese motorized sailboat and on 22 June at the tanker ''Itsukushima Maru''. After putting her evacuees ashore at Port Darwin on 29–30 June, she continued to Fremantle.


13th–15th Patrols, Decommissioning, and Scrapping, August 1944 – May 1945

Her 13th war patrol – from 12 August – 10 September – started at Fremantle and ended at Port Darwin. On the night of 30 August, ''Narwhal'' surfaced in Dibut Bay on the east coast of
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 ...
for her usual disembarking procedures, greatly speeded this time by the use of bamboo rafts built by the shore party under the direction of Major
Robert Lapham Robert Lapham (January 1, 1917 – December 18, 2003) was a reserve lieutenant in the US Army in World War II. He served in the Philippines attached to the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), evaded capture in the spring of 1942, and organized and ...
and Lieutenant Commander Charles "Chick" Parsons, a liaison man in the Philippine supply and evacuation missions. Before midnight on 2 September, ''Narwhal'' sent a party and supplies ashore to a beach off the mouth of the Masanga River, and received four evacuees in return to complete the patrol. On her 14th war patrol – from 14 September – 5 October – ''Narwhal'' deposited men and stores on
Cebu Island Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
on 27 September, then took off for Siari Bay, where on 29 September she received 31 liberated
prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POWs) rescued from the sea after sank two Japanese transports off Sindagan Point on 7 September. However, according to a POW survivor's account, ''Narwhal'' picked up 82 POW's, survivors of the ''Shin'yō Maru'' incident, vice 31 at Siari, Mindanao. "Forty-one placed in the forward torpedo room and 41 in the aft torpedo room". ''Narwhal'' found herself in danger the afternoon of 30 September, when she submerged to avoid a Japanese antisubmarine patrol plane, her stern planes locked in a 20° down-angle. Forced to blow her main ballast to stop the steep dive, ''Narwhal'' reversed direction and popped out of the water stern first just two minutes after she went down. Luckily, the patrol plane could not maneuver fast enough to return before she again dove. After a short refit at
Mios Woendi Mios Woendi island is an island in the Schouten Islands of Papua province, eastern Indonesia. It lies in Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) off the northwestern coast of the island nation of Papua New Guinea. Description The island is in a ...
,
Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It contained ...
, ''Narwhal'' conducted her 15th and last war patrol from 11 October – 2 November, with Commander William G. Holman in command. Friday the 13th brought a near attack by a
PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the O ...
. Once the submarine was recognized, the aircraft signaled "GOOD LUCK NARWHAL." The evening of 17 October she was off a Tawi Tawi beach to deliver of cargo. Two days later she unloaded the rest of her cargo and 37 men at
Negros Island Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral T ...
and took on her last passengers, 26 in all, for the trip to
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. ''Narwhal'' departed Brisbane on 6 January 1945 for the east coast via 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 ...
, entering the
Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...
on 21 February, where she was decommissioned on 23 April. She was stricken from the
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 19 May and sold for scrap. ''Narwhal''s two 6-inch (152 mm) guns are permanently enshrined at the
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 ...
, at
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 ...
. There is an oral tradition in the US submarine force that received her hull number as a deliberate re-arrangement of the older ''Narwhal''s hull number of SS-167.


Awards

*
American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a United States service medals of the World Wars, military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recogniz ...
with "FLEET" clasp * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 15
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 ...
''Narwhal''′s 15
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 tied her with for the most battle stars earned by a submarine, placing them amongst the
most decorated US ships of World War II This list catalogs the most honored US Naval vessels of the World War II, Second World War. It is placed in descending order of earned Service star#Navy warships, Battle Stars; descending accorded Presidential Unit Citation (United States), unit r ...
.


Memorial

The town of Nasipit in
Agusan del Norte Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte (; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; ), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its ''de jure'' capital is the city of Cabadbaran with several government o ...
, created a memorial in commemoration of the USS Narwhal's efforts during World War II.


In popular culture

A 1958 episode of the television series ''The Silent Service'' called "Narwhal's Passenger From Mindanao," detailed a rescue operation involving ''Narwhal'' under Titus's command. The opening of the movie
Operation Pacific ''Operation Pacific'' is a 1951 black-and-white World War II submarine war drama from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Louis Edelman, and written as well as directed by George Waggner. John Wayne and Patricia Neal star and Ward Bond and ...
may have been inspired by the ''Narwhal's'' seventh war patrol, where 32 civilians, including 8 children and a baby, were evacuated to Australia.


See also

*
Wendell Fertig Wendell Fertig (December 16, 1900 – March 24, 1975)Brooks 2003, p. 37. was an American civil engineer, in the American-administered Commonwealth of the Philippines, who organized and commanded an American-Filipino guerrilla warfare, guerrilla ...


Notes


References

* * Lenton, H. T. ''American Submarines (Navies of the Second World War)'' (Doubleday, 1973), * Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' (Ian Allan, 1965), * Campbell, John ''Naval Weapons of World War Two'' (Naval Institute Press, 1985),
Whitman, Edward C. "The Navy's Variegated V-Class: Out of One, Many?" ''Undersea Warfare'', Fall 2003, Issue 20
* https://web.archive.org/web/20140322093118/http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/sublist.html * Gardiner, Robert and Chesneau, Roger ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946'', Conway Maritime Press, 1980. . * Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1995, . * Johnston, Davi
"No More Heads or Tails: The Adoption of Welding in U.S. Navy Submarines"
''The Submarine Review'', June 2020, pp. 46–64 * Sneddon, Murray M. "Zero Ward: A Survivors Nightmare", iUniverse, 2000. * Stern, Robert C. "U.S. Subs in Action" Squadron/Signal Publications, 1979. . *
PigBoats.COM V-5/Narwhal page



External links



{{DEFAULTSORT:Narwhal (SS-167) United States Narwhal-class submarines V-boats Ships built in Kittery, Maine 1928 ships Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign World War II submarines of the United States