USS Swordfish (SS-193)

USS Swordfish (SS-193). Bowfin Park. , CDR K.E. Montross, USN, Commanding Officer; Launched 1 April 1939; Lost at sea, January 1945. , , Less than two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Swordfish sank her first ship. So began the career of a submarine that not only sank many more Japanese vessels before the war’s end but also proved the usefulness of submarines in a variety of wartime operations. In addition to carrying out her routine offensive war patrols, Swordfish conducted close-range reconnaissance photography and evacuated military and civilian personnel from dangerous areas. During one such mission, she transported the Philippines President and his family, along with several other high ranking government and army officials, to safety. Swordfish earned the Navy unit commendation for three of her patrols, as well as eight battle stars. However, her thirteenth patrol proved to be unlucky. Swordfish set out from Pearl Harbor on 22 December 1944 on a special mission. She was to photograph the beaches and defense installations of the Japanese stronghold on Okinawa in order to prepare for the allied invasion of that island. Swordfish never returned from the patrol. The exact cause of her loss remains unknown. The submarine Kete reported hearing prolonged depth charging in Swordfish’s area on 12 January 1945, and Japanese records obtained after the war revealed that the waters off Okinawa were heavily mined. Eighty-nine valiant men perished with Swordfish.