Submarine Grayback (SS-208)

Grayback

Country	United States
Ship Class	Tambor-class Submarine
Hull Number	SS-208
Builder	Electric Boat Company
Laid Down	3 Apr 1940
Launched	31 Jan 1941
Commissioned	30 Jun 1941
Sunk	27 Feb 1944
Displacement	1,499 tons standard; 2,410 tons submerged
Length	307 feet
Beam	27 feet
Draft	15 feet
Machinery	Four General Motors Model 16-248 V16 diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers
Bunkerage	96,365gal fuel oil
Speed	20 knots
Range	11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged
Crew	59
Armament	6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm 50cal deck gun, 2x .50cal machine guns, 2x .30cal machine guns
Submerged Speed	8.75 knots

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS Grayback was commissioned into service several months prior to the US entry into WW2. She held her shakedown cruise in Long Island Sound on the East Coast of the United States, and then proceeded to the Caribbean Sea for patrols. She was undergoing a scheduled overhaul at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States when the war began. She sank her first enemy cargo ship on 17 Mar 1942, and she would go on to sank a total of 14 Japanese ships totaling 63,835 tons. Tragically, her fatal tenth war patrol would also be her most successful. After sinking four Japanese ships and damaging several others, she became missing some time between 25 Feb 1944, on which date she reported the sinking of tanker Nanho Maru, and 7 Mar 1944, the date she was due to arrive at Midway Atoll. A study of Japanese records post war revealed that she sank another freighter, Ceylon Maru, south of Okinawa, Japan on 27 Feb 1944, but was in turn subjected to depth charge attacks by aircraft and by anti-submarine craft. Air bubbles and oil slicks were observed shortly after.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: May 2014

Submarine Grayback (SS-208) Interactive Map

Photographs

Launch of submarine Grayback, Groton, Connecticut, United States, 31 Jan 1941

USS Grayback during her shakedown cruise, Long Island Sound, United States, 6 May 1941

Starboard side view of USS Grayback off Hunter

See all 8 photographs of Submarine Grayback (SS-208)

Grayback Operational Timeline

3 Apr 1940	The keel of submarine Grayback was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, United States.
31 Jan 1941	Submarine Grayback was launched in Groton, Connecticut, United States, sponsored by the wife of Rear Admiral Wilson Brown, who was the Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.
30 Jun 1941	USS Grayback was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Willard Saunders in command.
8 Sep 1941	USS Grayback departed New London, Connecticut, United States.
30 Nov 1941	USS Grayback arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States for a scheduled overhaul.
8 Feb 1942	USS Grayback departed the East Coast of the United States for the Hawaiian Islands.
15 Feb 1942	USS Grayback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
22 Feb 1942	A Japanese submarine fired two torpedoes at USS Grayback in the Pacific Ocean in the morning, both of which missed. The Japanese submarine would pursue Grayback for the next four days.
26 Feb 1942	USS Grayback shook off the Japanese submarine that had been pursuing her in the Pacific Ocean for the past four days.
3 Mar 1942	USS Grayback fired a torpedo at a Japanese transport in the Philippine Sea off Tinian, Mariana Islands; the torpedo missed.
5 Mar 1942	USS Grayback sank a Japanese transport and an escort vessel in the Philippine Sea off Guam, Mariana Islands, hitting them with 2 of 3 torpedoes.
17 Mar 1942	USS Grayback sank Japanese collier Ishikari Maru 20 kilometers south of Kikajima island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
25 Mar 1942	USS Grayback fired a torpedo a Japanese patrol vessel in the Philippine Sea off Ryukyu Islands, Japan; the torpedo missed.
10 Apr 1942	USS Grayback completed her first war patrol.
22 Jun 1942	USS Grayback arrived at Fremantle, Australia.
7 Aug 1942	USS Grayback fired two torpedoes at a Japanese trawler in the South China Sea; both torpedoes missed.
12 Aug 1942	USS Grayback fired three torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all torpedoes missed.
17 Oct 1942	USS Grayback fired four torpedoes at a Japanese transport off New Ireland; all torpedoes missed.
22 Oct 1942	USS Grayback sank a Japanese transport off New Ireland, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes.
31 Oct 1942	USS Grayback sank a Japanese transport off New Ireland, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes.
1 Nov 1942	USS Grayback fired two torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Sea; both torpedoes missed.
4 Nov 1942	USS Grayback damaged a Japanese transport in the Solomon Sea, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes.
8 Nov 1942	USS Grayback attacked a Japanese convoy in the Solomon Sea; all torpedoes missed.
7 Dec 1942	USS Grayback departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
14 Dec 1942	Pharmacist's Mate Harry Roby performed an emergency appendectomy on a sailor aboard USS Grayback while at sea.
25 Dec 1942	USS Grayback sank four Japanese barges in the Solomon Sea with her deck gun.
29 Dec 1942	USS Grayback was attacked by a Japanese submarine in the Pacific Ocean; all torpedoes missed.
3 Jan 1943	USS Grayback sank Japanese submarine I-18 in the Coral Sea, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes; she also fired six torpedoes at other Japanese warships four hours later, all of which missed.
5 Jan 1943	USS Grayback served as beacon ship for the US naval bombardment of Munda Point, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. While on this duty, after nightfall, she picked up six downed airmen from a beach at New Georgia. Commanding officer Edward Stephan would later be awarded a Navy Cross medal for the day's actions.
15 Jan 1943	USS Grayback fired four torpedoes at a Japanese submarine in the Solomon Sea; all torpedoes missed.
16 Jan 1943	USS Grayback fired six torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Solomon Sea; all torpedoes missed.
17 Jan 1943	USS Grayback fired torpedoes at destroyer, which was escorting a freighter, in the Solomon Sea; the torpedoes missed, and Grayback was subjected to 19 depth charges, which caused a serious leak that would force her to cut her patrol short.
3 Feb 1943	USS Grayback arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
16 Feb 1943	USS Grayback departed Brisbane, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
13 Mar 1943	USS Grayback fired six torpedoes at a Japanese transport and a destroyer in the South Pacific, sinking the transport with two hits.
14 Mar 1943	USS Grayback fired three torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the South Pacific; all torpedoes missed.
4 Apr 1943	USS Grayback arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her sixth war patrol.
25 Apr 1943	USS Grayback departed Brisbane, Australia for her seventh war patrol.
11 May 1943	USS Grayback attacked a six-freighter Japanese convoy escorted by three armed vessels after dark in the South Pacific, sinking freighter Yodogawa Maru with 1 of 6 torpedoes.
16 May 1943	USS Grayback damaged a Japanese destroyer in the South Pacific, hitting her with 2 of 6 torpedoes.
17 May 1943	USS Grayback sank freighter England Maru and damaged two others in the South Pacific with four torpedo hits; eight torpedoes were expended in this attack.
30 May 1943	USS Grayback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her seventh war patrol.
12 Sep 1943	USS Grayback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
26 Sep 1943	USS Grayback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her eighth war patrol.
10 Oct 1943	USS Grayback damaged a Japanese transport in the Pacific Ocean, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes.
14 Oct 1943	USS Grayback sank a Japanese passenger-cargo ship in the East China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes.
22 Oct 1943	USS Grayback sank converted light cruiser Awata Maru in the East China Sea, hitting her with 4 of 6 torpedoes.
23 Oct 1943	USS Grayback fired her deck gun at a small boat in the East China Sea, causing no damage.
27 Oct 1943	USS Grayback fired six torpedoes at a Japanese convoy in the East China Sea, sharing credit for one transport sinking.
10 Nov 1943	USS Grayback arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her eighth war patrol.
2 Dec 1943	USS Grayback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her ninth war patrol.
18 Dec 1943	USS Grayback attacked a four-freighter Japanese convoy escorted by three armed vessels in the Philippine Sea after nightfall and into the next date, sinking freighter Gyokurei Maru, sinking escort vessel Numakaze, and damaging several other ships; 6 torpedoes were expended in this attack, 4 of which hit.
19 Dec 1943	USS Grayback sank a Japanese patrol vessel in the Philippine Sea, hitting her with 3 of 4 torpedoes.
20 Dec 1943	USS Grayback attacked a six-freighter Japanese convoy after nightfall, sinking a total of one freighter and damaging another; nine or more torpedoes were expended in this attack.
21 Dec 1943	USS Grayback attacked a Japanese convoy off southwestern Japan, claiming the sinking of four vessels; 14 torpedoes were expended in this attack.
27 Dec 1943	USS Grayback sank a fishing boat with her deck gun off southwestern Japan.
4 Jan 1944	USS Grayback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her ninth war patrol.
28 Jan 1944	USS Grayback departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her tenth war patrol.
19 Feb 1944	USS Grayback sank two small Japanese transports in the South China Sea southwest of Taiwan.
24 Feb 1944	USS Grayback sank cargo ship Taikei Maru, sank cargo ship Toshin Maru, and damaged two others of Japanese convoy Hi-40 in the East China Sea.
25 Feb 1944	USS Grayback sank tanker Nanho Maru and damaged freighter Asama Maru.
27 Feb 1944	USS Grayback sank freighter Ceylon Maru, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes. She was sunk by the subsequent depth charging by aircraft and anti-submarine craft 100 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, Japan.
30 Mar 1944	US Navy listed USS Grayback as missing and presumed lost with all hands.

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