World War II Database

Contributor: Alan Chanter

ww2dbaseThe keel of the Balao-class submarine, USS Archerfish, was laid at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Maine, United States, on 22 January 1943 and launched on 28 May. Commissioned on 4 September 1943 the Archerfish, with Lieutenant Commander George W. Kehl in command, commenced extensive trials and crew training before sailing to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, to begin her operational career.

ww2dbaseHer first war patrol, which commenced on 23 December 1943, was plagued by heavy weather when they reached the assigned patrol area in the vicinity of Taiwan (unofficially known as Formosa) on 8 January 1944. On 22 January a radar contact was made with a convoy of four large and three smaller ships hugging the coastline off Taiwan. Closing on the target, Archerfish fired four torpedoes and hit a 9,000-ton passenger-freighter which was probably sent to the bottom. The rest of this patrol proved uneventful and Archerfish returned to Midway Island after 53 days at sea.

ww2dbaseThe second patrol to Palau, ended at Pearl Harbor without a single enemy contact. Lieutenant Commander Kehl was now replaced in command by Lieutenant Commander William H. Wright. Under her new skipper Archerfish left Pearl Harbor for her third war patrol on 28 May 1944, and reached her assigned lifeguard station on 14 June, Archerfish patrolled this area for about two weeks and on 28 June fired four torpedoes at a Japanese warship in the full view of Iwo Jima beach. Two torpedoes hit and sank the 740-ton escort vessel No. 24 (the type of warship being rushed into service to combat the US submarine offensive). A week later, Archerfish attacked a convoy and probably hit a 10,000-ton transport with troops and equipment on board. The patrol ended at Midway after 48 days.

ww2dbaseThe fourth war patrol was conducted around Japan's home islands, east of Kyushu and south of Shikoku. This uneventful mission was only notable for a gun duel with a Japanese patrol boat on 13 August 1944. Archerfish scored several hits but after two hours Lieutenant Commander Wright broke off the engagement. After 53 days on patrol, Archerfish returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 September, where Lieutenant Commander Wright was relieved as commanding officer and was replaced with Commander Joseph F. Enright. Enright, who had made his first patrol in the USS Dace, had later asked to be relieved of that command because he lacked confidence. He did shore duty for nearly a year before taking command of the Archerfish. It would befall this reticent officer to famously sink the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine in either of the World Wars.

ww2dbaseOn 30 October 1944, Archerfish left Pearl Harbor to patrol off the Japanese coast near Tokyo Bay. On 9 November she moored alongside the submarine tender Fulton at Saipan to carry out some minor repairs. Archerfish left Saipan on 11 November in company with the submarine Wolf Pack "Fennomonts" (consisting of Pampanito, Seacat, Searaven, and Scabbardfish). She parted company with her companions on the following day to commence a lifeguard role to rescue any downed US airmen. On 14 November Commander Enright was ordered to be a lifeguard for US bombers from the Marianas. But the planned raid on Tokyo, Japan was delayed so that for the next days Archerfish had no guard duties to perform. When the B-29 Superfortress bombers made the first bombing runs over the Japanese mainland USS Scabbardfish and Archerfish, which were patrolling off Tokyo Bay, were once again ordered to provide lifeguard service, although neither submarine was actually called upon to rescue any aircrew from the sea, Archerfish was therefore released again and ordered to conduct her regular anti-shipping operation near Tokyo Bay. No enemy ships were sighted as Enright made his way closer to Honshu, except some small escorts or patrol boats which Enright avoided because they were too small for torpedoes.

ww2dbaseThe Sinking of the Shinano

ww2dbaseAt 1718 hours on 28 November, 1944, Archerfish surfaced and at 2034 hours sighted Inamba Shima, an islet about 90 miles south of the entrance to Tokyo Bay. That evening the visibility had decreased to such an extent that Enright decided to conduct a surface patrol. At 2048 hours Archerfish's radar detected a contact approaching from the north at a distance of about 24,700 yards. The American submarine immediately turned towards the contact and stopped to allow the plotting party to get an indication of the direction of the target's movement. Then Archerfish increased speed to 18 knots and set a course to intercept the unknown object. At 2140 hours Enright identified the contact to be an aircraft carrier and three escorting destroyers. He determined its course as roughly 210 degrees and speed of 20 knots. Little did Enright realise at the time, but this was Japan's newest 70,755-ton aircraft carrier Shinano, which had been converted from the third Yamato-class battleship, and was now rushed away from Yokosuka, Japan to keep the incomplete vessel safe from American B-29 air raids while work on her completion could be finished at Kure Naval Base. The workmen were still on board when the carrier left Tokyo Bay at 1800 hours that evening.

ww2dbaseEven though the Shinano was zigzagging at 20 knots the Archerfish was hard pressed to reach a suitable firing position. Enright gave orders to make all speed to doggedly trail the Japanese carrier. At 2330 hours Enright sent a contact message to Pearl Harbor which was immediately delivered to COMSUBPAC (Commander Submarines Pacific), Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood. He got the message early on the next morning and, with his operations officer laid the necessary plans to eliminate the Japanese carrier. All US submarines which might be in a position to intercept were ordered to strategic points and to lie in wait.

ww2dbaseBy 0241 on the morning of 29 November 1944 there seemed little chance of reaching a firing position. By now the relentless chase had lasted for about seven hours. Then, at 0300 hours, another radar plot indicated that the enemy had changed its course again. The range closed to about 11,700 yards until finally they had the target perfectly placed for a submerged torpedo attack. Enright sighted the carrier in the periscope at a distance of 7,000 yards, but had to change course because it looked as if the target would pass too close for a good shot. Indeed, at 0316 hours the carrier zigged about 30 degrees to the left. Prospects were improving for Archerfish. She had been too close to the carrier, but was now in an excellent firing position; the distance was now about 1,400 yards. One minute after the carrier's change of course Archerfish fired six torpedoes from her bow tubes.

ww2dbaseThe first hit was observed and heard near the propellers and the rudder of the huge target 47 seconds later. A large ball of fire shot into the air. Ten seconds later Enright spotted the second hit about 50 yards forward of the first. One of the carrier's escorting destroyers was now seen approaching from about 500 yards off Archerfish's quarter so Enright ordered the submarine to submerge. On her way down four more hits were heard. The destroyer dropped 14 depth charges in all and the closest exploded 30 yards from Archerfish. No damage was sustained. Breaking up noises could be heard from the carrier for about 47 minutes and Enright believed his submarine had sunk a carrier similar to the Hayatake-class. At 0405 the last of the noises was heard, Archerfish came to periscope depth at 0610 hours. Nothing was in sight. Enright presumed the carrier had sunk immediately. He sent news of his attack to Pearl Harbor and continued on his patrol. On 9 December 1944 the submarine sighted two destroyers and fired four torpedoes, but no hits were obtained. They did not know it at the time but the Archerfish had set a record for tonnage in a single kill by a submarine.

ww2dbasePost War

ww2dbaseArcherfish would make two more war patrols before, early in August 1945, two mushroom clouds at Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to Japan's Imperial ambitions. After a refit at Guam Archerfish sailed on 19 January 1945 to the South China Sea, Hong Kong and the southern tip of Taiwan. She damaged one unidentified target and claimed a submarine on 14 February 1945 before heading home to San Francisco, California, United States (via Saipan and Pearl Harbor) for a much needed overhaul. The final war patrol got underway from Pearl Harbor on 10 July and took Archerfish to the east coast of Honshu to provide lifeguard services for Superfortresses striking the Japanese home islands. She was off Hokkaido on 15 August when word of the Japanese capitulation arrived. Archerfish was one of twelve Allied submarines that entered Tokyo Bay on 31 August. After the formal Japanese surrender on 2 September, Archerfish returned to Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 12 September. After the war Commander Enright would be awarded the Navy Cross for his outstanding success. Archerfish received seven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service.

ww2dbaseUSS Archerfish was decommissioned in 1946 and placed in the Pacific Reserve Group berthed at Mare Island, California. Recommissioned at the time of the Korean War the submarine operated out of Key West, Florida, United States, until decommissioned for a second time in 1955. Reactivated in July 1957, Archerfish served with the Fleet Training Command at Key West and Guantánamo Bay. In early 1960, Archerfish was chosen to participate in a scientific study of marine weather conditions, water composition, ocean depths, and temperature ranges. Embarking a team of scientists, she carried a series of cruises in the Atlantic and (later) Western Pacific oceans. In early 1968, Archerfish was declared unfit for further naval service and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 May 1968. She was towed to a target position off San Diego and sunk by a torpedo fired from the submarine USS Snook on 19 October 1968.

Submarine Archerfish (SS-311) Interactive Map

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Archerfish Operational Timeline

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