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 pollack, a food fish resembling the true
cod
Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
, but with the lower jaw projecting and without the
barbel
Barbel may refer to:
*Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles
*Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish
**''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...
.
Construction and commissioning
The first ''Pollack'' was laid down 1 October 1935 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 ...
; launched 15 September 1936; sponsored by Miss Anne Carter Lauman; and commissioned 15 January 1937.
Service history
1937–1941
''Pollack'' stood out of
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 ...
7 June 1937 for a Caribbean
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 ...
. She returned from this cruise to Portsmouth 4 September and was underway 29 November for the West Coast of the United States. She reached her new base at
San Diego, California
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 ...
, 19 December and spent the next 11 months in a rigorous schedule of maneuvers along the western seaboard with Submarine Division 13, Scouting Force. ''Pollack'' shifted 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 ...
28 October 1939. Except for periods of 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 ...
, she remained in Hawaiian waters until the outbreak of World War II. She was underway from San Francisco to
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 ...
when the Japanese attacked on 7 December, and she entered Pearl Harbor two days later.
1942
''Pollack'' (commanded by Stanley P. Moseley, Class of 1925), and departed Pearl Harbor on 13 December and were off the coast of
Honshū
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
, Japan, a few hours before midnight on 31 December, the first American warships to reach Japanese waters in World War II. ''Pollack'' damaged the 2,700-ton cargo ship ''Heijo Maru'' on 5 January 1942 and two days later sent the 2,250-ton cargo ship ''Unkai Maru No. 1'' to the bottom, the first officially confirmed victim of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. On 9 January she sank the 5,387-ton freighter ''Teian Maru'' by a night surface attack, and ended her first war patrol at Pearl Harbor on 21 January.
''Pollack'' got underway from Pearl Harbor on 18 February to intercept enemy cargo ships carrying war material to
Nagasaki
, officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
by way of the Formosa Channel. On 11 March she torpedoed and sank the 1,454-ton cargo ship ''Fukushu Maru''. After midnight on 11 March she sank two
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 with gunfire;."History of Ships Named Pollack" (PDF). ''NavSource Naval History''. She sank a second cargo ship, the 5,266-ton ''Baikal Maru'' with gunfire before returning to Pearl Harbor on 8 April.
''Pollack'' departed Pearl Harbor on 2 May and was in waters of the Japanese home islands on 12 May when she battle-surfaced to riddle a 600-ton patrol vessel with and .50 cal (12.7 mm) fire. This target settled by the stern and burned furiously at every point above the waterline.NavSource /ref> ''Pollack'' returned from her third war patrol to Pearl Harbor on 16 June.
Following four months of overhaul at Pearl Harbor, ''Pollack'' put to sea for her fourth war patrol on 10 October. Before she reached her assigned area she was ordered back to Midway, arriving on 23 October. She fueled to capacity and stood out of the Midway channel that same day to patrol the approaches to Truk in an attempt to intercept crippled enemy ships believed en route to that enemy stronghold from sea battles in the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
. There were no contacts with enemy shipping during the entire patrol and ''Pollack'' returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 November.
1943
''Pollack''s fifth war patrol was again spent in waters off the Japanese home islands. After departing Pearl Harbor on 31 December, she sighted only one target on 21 January 1943 which fired three shells at the submarine; ''Pollack'' fired four torpedoes at a range of -results were "undetermined" before terminating her fifth war patrol at Pearl Harbor on 10 February 1943.
''Pollack'' spent her sixth war patrol between the Gilbert and
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 ...
. She put to sea from Pearl Harbor 6 March and intercepted a freighter in the sealane between
Jaluit
Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with a ...
and
Makin Atoll
Butaritari is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. The atoll is roughly four-sided. The south and southeast portion of the atoll comprises a nearly continuous islet. The atoll reef is continuous but almost without islets alo ...
s on the afternoon of 20 March, damaging her with one of three torpedoes. ''Pollack'' ended her sixth war patrol at Midway on 18 April.
Underway for her seventh war patrol, ''Pollack'' departed Midway on 10 May to reconnoiter
Ailuk Atoll
Ailuk Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is an inhabited coral atoll of 57 islets in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands.
Geography
It is located approximately north from Wotje and south of ...
and
Wotje Atoll
Wotje Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands.
Geography
Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Ma ...
, then patrolled to the south and west towards Schischmarev Strait. On 18 May she torpedoed and sank the 3,110-ton ex-
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
''Terushima Maru''. Off Jaluit Atoll the next afternoon, she torpedoed and sank the 5,350-ton converted
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 ...
''Bangkok Maru'', which was carrying 1,200 Japanese troops intending to reinforce the garrison at
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
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 ...
attack and was lightly damaged. The timing of this attack was important in reducing the number of Japanese troops garrisoned on Tarawa, which was attacked by American forces several months later in the
Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Am ...
. ''Pollack'' returned to Pearl Harbor on 25 June.
Sailing on 20 July, ''Pollack'' spent her eighth war patrol off the east coast of
Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...
, Japan. On 6 August she scored a torpedo hit on one ship in a
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
. Early on 27 August 1943, ''Pollack'' picked out one of five merchant ships off the coast of Kyūshū and pressed home an attack which sank the 3,520-ton passenger/cargo ship ''Taifuku Maru''. On 3 September she sank the 3,521-ton cargo ship ''Tagonoura Maru''. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 September.
1944
''Pollack'' got underway from Pearl Harbor on 28 February 1944 and battled heavy seas as she entered the assigned area of her ninth war patrol off
Nanpō Islands
The is a collective term for the groups of islands that are located to the south of the Japanese archipelago. They extend from the Izu Peninsula west of Tokyo Bay southward for about , to within of the Mariana Islands. The Nanpō Islands are all ...
18 March. Two days later she made a night surface attack and watched two torpedo hits blow the 1,327-ton
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 ...
'' Hakuyo Maru'' to pieces. On 25 March she sank the 300-ton ''No. 13-class'' ''Submarine Chaser No. 54'', and damaged two freighters. On 3 April she sank passenger-cargo ship ''Tosei Maru''. She returned to Midway on 11 April.
''Pollack''s tenth war patrol was conducted off the Nanpō Islands. She cleared Midway on 6 May and was sixteen days out to sea when she moved in on about ten merchant ships with several escorts. She scored torpedo hits which sank the 1,270-ton but was held down by a fierce counter-attack while the remaining ships of the convoy escaped. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 June.
''Pollack'' departed Pearl Harbor for her eleventh war patrol on 15 July. She touched at
Majuro
Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, 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 Chain, Ratak ( ...
, Marshall Islands, and then steamed on lifeguard station in support of the air strikes made on
Woleai
Woleai (), also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, and located approximately west-northwest ...
island on 1 August. She was off
Yap Island
Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated ...
from 4–5 August for similar duty, then patrolled in the Yap-
Palau
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
area, taking time out to shell the
phosphate
Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus.
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...
plant on
Fais Island
Fais Island is a raised coral island in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Fais Island is located approximately east of Ulithi and northeast o ...
on 27 August and 30 August. On 27 August, a
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
B-24 Liberator
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 desi ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
off
Yap
Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...
in the
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...
in the vicinity of , but ''Pollack'' suffered no damage or casuatties.Hinman & Campbell, pp. 146–147. She returned 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 ...
, Australia, on 12 September 1944.
''Pollack'' underwent a refit period at Brisbane, then got underway on 6 October for exercises with until 10 October. She then steamed by way of Mios Woendi,
Schouten Islands
The Biak Islands (, also Schouten Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Southwest Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea. Th ...
, to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 18 November for training operations off
Oahu
Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
She was underway from Oahu 25 January 1945, in company with to the East Coast of the United States, reaching the Sub Base at
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...
, 24 February. The remainder of her career was spent as a training ship for men of the Submarine School at that base. She entered the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 14 June for inactivation and was decommissioned there on 21 September 1945. Her name 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 29 October 1946 and she was sold for scrapping on 2 February 1947 to Ship-Shape, Inc. of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
battle stars
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 ...
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 ...