USS Picuda (SS-382)

USS ''Picuda'' (SS-382), a , was originally named ''Obispo'', making her the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the obispo, a spotted sting ray.

Construction and launching

''Obispo''′s keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 15 March 1943. She was launched on 12 July 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. English. On 24 September 1943, she was renamed ''Picuda'', making her the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the picuda, a great barracuda, up to long, of the Caribbean Sea and the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, known for its ferocious voracity. She was commissioned on 16 October 1943.

''Picuda'' remained in the Portsmouth Navy Yard to complete fitting out until 18 November 1943, when she commenced underway trials. She completed torpedo tube trials off Newport, Rhode Island from 14 December through 16 December 1943, and she shifted to the submarine base at New London, Connecticut, for final training exercises. She put to sea from New London on 1 January 1944, reported for duty with the United States Pacific Fleet at Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, on 13 January 1944, arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 27 January 1944, and joined the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force as a unit of Submarine Division 201, Submarine Squadron 20.

Pacific War

''Picuda'' got underway from Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol on 17 February, setting course for waters off the Caroline Islands, and entering her designated patrol area on 29 February. In an area not far from Truk, she sank 2,672-ton ex-gunboat ''Shinyo Maru'' on 2 March, going deep to evade a string of 15 depth charges dropped by searching corvettes. On 18 March, ''Picuda'' changed course to patrol along the Saipan-Palau shipping lanes. She scored hits on a large enemy tanker that afternoon but was held down by two destroyers while the target escaped. She was off Yap Island a few minutes after midnight of 19 March, and sank 1,504-ton cargo ship ''Hoko Maru'' with two torpedoes.

Eleven days later she closed two cargo ship under escort of two destroyers off the west coast of Yap Island and let go five torpedoes at the largest merchantman. The first hit stopped the target dead in the water and a second torpedo tore off the port quarter capsized the 5,873-ton cargo ship ''Atlantic Maru''. Two destroyers came down the torpedo tracks to hover over ''Picuda'' and she was shaken by 26 exploding depth charges before she escaped. With only one torpedo worth firing she returned to Midway Island on 5 April. Upon completion of her refit, she took aboard student officers and men for indoctrination training exercises off Midway, from 28 to 30 April. Three days later she formed a wolf-pack with submarines and .

''Picuda'' put to sea from Midway with the wolf-pack 4 May to conduct her second war patrol in waters off Formosa. On 22 May, she sent four bow shots streaking to sink 1,200-ton river gunboat ''Hashidate''. She also severely damaged 3,172-ton cargo ship ''Tsukauba Maru'' with the same salvo. The latter enemy was polished off by land-based aircraft from the United States Army Air Corps the following day. On 2 June, ''Picuda'' closed a convoy of twelve ships hugging the coast of Formosa. After sending her contact report to the other submarines of her wolf-pack, she slipped between two of the three leading escorts and pressed home an attack on a large tanker. Three hits were heard as all escorts made for ''Picuda''. She maneuvered clear and sustained no damage from the many depth charges which exploded on all sides and above from eight enemy vessels during the next hour. She continued to patrol the Formosa coast until 4 June then passed off Batan Island and eastward of the Nansei Shoto to a point northward of Chichi Jima by 14 June. Two days later she pointed her bow for Midway where she arrived 22 June. She put to sea the next day to arrive at Pearl Harbor 27 June. After the end of the second war patrol, Raborn was replaced as skipper of ''Picuda'' by Commander Glynn R. Donaho.

''Picuda'', in wolf-pack with sister ships and , departed Pearl Harbor for her third war patrol 23 July in waters of the Luzon Strait between Formosa and Luzon. On 25 August, ''Picuda'' spotted ten ships hugging the coast some off the beach of Luzon. Slipping past five escorts, and with three enemy patrol planes overhead, she fired six torpedoes to sink 1,943-ton tanker ''Kotoku Maru'', and then sank the 1,270 ton pursuing . ''Picuda'' probed deeper in the interior of Luzon Strait on 16 September, for a bold daylight attack on an eight-ship convoy, guarded by three destroyers and air cover. She sank 5,975-ton cargo ship ''Tokushima Maru'' and scored hits for unknown damage to two other cargo ships. Searching the southern border of her assigned patrol area, ''Picuda'' found another convoy hugging the north coast of Luzon on 21 September and sank the 1,948-ton cargo ship ''Awaji Maru''. ''Picuda'' made rendezvous with and , then set course in company with these two submarines to terminate her third war patrol in the lagoon of Majuro Atoll on 3 October.

At Majuro, ''Picuda,'' now commanded by Evan T. Shepard, her final wartime skipper, formed a new wolf-pack with ''Queenfish'' and ''Barb'', and departed 27 October. Topping off with fuel at Saipan, 1 November and 2 November, the wolf pack set course to range over the northern waters of the East China Sea, westward of Kyūshū. ''Picuda'' sank the 9,433-ton passenger-cargo ship '' Mayasan Maru'' on 17 November in the area southwest of Nagasaki. On 23 November, closing a convoy off the Korean Archipelago and stealing between two lead escorts, ''Picuda'' sank 6,933-ton cargo ship ''Shuyo Maru'' and 5,296-ton passenger-cargo ship ''Fukuju Maru''. She departed her patrol area six days later and returned from her fourth patrol to moor in Apra Harbor, Guam, on 2 December.

On 29 December, ''Picuda'' put to sea for her fifth war patrol in the Formosa Straits and the East China Sea off the east coast of China from Shanghai to Kam Kit. On 7 January 1945, ''Picuda'' received a contact report from ''Barb'' and closed a convoy in the straits of Formosa to inflict severe damage with four torpedo hits on 10,045-ton tanker ''Munakata Maru''. On the afternoon of 8 January, she again received a convoy contact report from ''Barb'' and slipped between two escorts of the starboard screen about four hours before midnight to pick out two large passenger-cargo ships. Three bow tubes fired at each target resulted in one hit on each. She swung and fired stern shots at a tanker, then discovered an escort dead ahead, range, and was forced to clear the area. The 2,854-ton coastal tanker ''Hikoshima Maru'', hit by both ''Picuda'' and ''Barb'', was disabled and ran aground. The cargo ship ''Meiho Maru'' had a similar experience, and severe damage was inflicted on 6,600-ton cargo ship ''Hisagawa Maru'' as well as 6,516-ton coastal tanker ''Manju Maru''. ''Picuda'' having flashed a contact report as she cleared the area, set course for lifeguard station in support of the Third Fleet airstrikes on Formosa. In the early morning darkness of 29 January, ''Picuda'' made out at least three large ships in the rain and commenced tracking. The rain slackened as she approached dead ahead of a troop transport, overlapped by a cargo ship. One hit on the transport and two hits on the cargo ship were observed by ''Picudas officer of the deck. The transport, almost dead in the water, commenced shrill whistle blasts and the mist dropped down to reveal the cargo ship enveloped in a huge cloud of steam and smoke. An enemy float plane forced ''Picuda'' to abandon the attack. The victim sunk in this attack was the 5,497-ton passenger-cargo ship ''Clyde Maru''. ''Picuda'' reached Tanapag Harbor, Saipan 5–6 February and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 15 February.

''Picuda'' spent much of her sixth war patrol on lifeguard station off the coast of China. She got underway from Pearl Harbor 15 March and cleared the replenishment base of Apra Harbor, Guam on 29 March. She entered her patrol area off Kii Suido on 2 April for uneventful lifeguard duty in support of B-29 Superfortress strikes. On 6 May, ''Picuda'' made rendezvous with sister ship off the Nansei Shoto and received five crewmen from an Army B-29 bomber and debarked these survivors at Tanapag Harbor on 10 May, transferring them to the Headquarters of the Twenty-First Bomber Command. After voyage repairs alongside submarine tender , she departed 11 May for the East Coast of the United States. She stopped at Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, California, and transited the Panama Canal to arrive at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, on 22 June.

''Picuda'' received six battle stars for World War II service.

Post-war

''Picuda'' was assigned to Submarine Division 201, Squadron 20, US Atlantic Fleet. She remained in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for major overhaul until 18 October. She shifted to the Submarine Base at New London on 31 October for duty as a training ship for the Submarine School. ''Picuda'' put to sea from New London 12 November for a training cruise which included visits to Key West, Florida, and Havana

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases