Guitarro
| Country | United States |
| Ship Class | Gato-class Submarine |
| Hull Number | SS-363 |
| Builder | Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States |
| Laid Down | 7 Apr 1943 |
| Launched | 29 Aug 1943 |
| Commissioned | 26 Jan 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 4 May 1972 |
| Displacement | 1,549 tons standard; 2,463 tons submerged |
| Length | 312 feet |
| Beam | 27 feet |
| Draft | 17 feet |
| Machinery | Four General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers |
| Speed | 21 knots |
| Range | 11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged |
| Crew | 60 |
| Armament | 6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm 50cal deck gun |
| Submerged Speed | 9 knots |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseConstructed in Wisconsin, United States, submarine USS Guitarro was transited to sea down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana, United States in Feb 1944. She operated out of Balboa, Panama Canal Zone in Mar 1944 before heading to the Pacific Theater of Operations. Her first war patrol off Taiwan, Japan (now Republic of China) and second war patrol off Luzon, Philippine Islands were both successful. During the third war patrol, although she was unable to attack the Japanese Center Force which she detected after sundown on 23 Oct 1944, her subsequent tracking of this force contributed to the American preparations to deal with this group. Also on the third war patrol, as a member of a wolfpack, she attacked and damaged the light cruiser Kumano, disabling her and leading to her ultimate destruction by carrier aircraft days later; for this successful attack she was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. Her final two war patrols in WW2 saw no more sinkings. She was placed in reserve in Dec 1945. In 1952, she was recommissioned to perform training duties. In Sep 1953, she was decommissioned again for modernization at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California, United States.
ww2dbaseIn May 1954, she began hosting Turkish sailors to prepare for her transfer to Turkey per the Military Defense Assistance Program. The transfer took place in Aug 1954, and she served with the Turkish Navy as the submarine Preveze until 1972. She was originally designated S 22 in the Turkish Navy, but in 1965 her number changed to S 340. When the submarine's useful life had come to an end, she was officially sold to Turkey on 1 Jan 1972, and Turkey began the process of decommissioning her for scrapping later in the same year.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Feb 2012
Submarine Guitarro (SS-363) Interactive Map
Photographs
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Guitarro Operational Timeline
| 7 Apr 1943 | The keel of submarine Guitarro was laid down. |
| 29 Aug 1943 | Submarine Guitarro was launched, sponsored by the wife of chief of the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Ross T. McIntire. |
| 26 Jan 1944 | USS Guitarro was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Enrique D. Haskins in command. |
| 13 Feb 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States for Chicago, Illinois, United States. |
| 22 Feb 1944 | USS Guitarro completed her transit down the Mississippi River (towed in a drydock by Minnesota) and arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. |
| 1 Mar 1944 | USS Guitarro departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States for Balboa, Panama Canal Zone. |
| 2 Apr 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Balboa, Panama Canal Zone. |
| 17 Apr 1944 | USS Guitarro arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. |
| 7 May 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. |
| 30 May 1944 | USS Guitarro sank the heavily-escorted cargo ship Shisen Maru off Taiwan, hitting her with two of the three torpedoes fired. |
| 2 Jun 1944 | USS Guitarro sank frigate Awaii off Taiwan in the early morning, hitting her with three of the six torpedoes fired. At the end of the day, she claimed sinking a Japanese destroyer, hitting her with one of the two torpedoes fired. |
| 19 Jun 1944 | USS Guitarro arrived at Darwin, Australia. |
| 21 Jun 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Darwin, Australia. |
| 27 Jun 1944 | USS Guitarro arrived at Frementle, Australia, ending her first war patrol. |
| 21 Jul 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Frementle, Australia for her second war patrol. |
| 7 Aug 1944 | USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands in the South China Sea, sinking frigate Kusakaki with three of the six torpedoes fired. |
| 8 Aug 1944 | USS Guitarro sank a small vessel off Luzon, Philippine Islands in the South China Sea with her deck gun. |
| 10 Aug 1944 | USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands and sank tanker Shinei Maru; she expended eight torpedoes in this attack and claimed a total of five hits; Guitarro suffered superficial damage from the subsequent depth charging. |
| 21 Aug 1944 | USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands and sank cargo ship Uga Maru, hitting her with two of the four torpedoes fired. |
| 27 Aug 1944 | USS Guitarro attacked three small Japanese tankers, firing two torpedoes while submerged (both missed) then surfaced to sink Nanshin Maru with the deck gun. |
| 8 Sep 1944 | USS Guitarro arrived at Fremantle, Austrialia, ending her second war patrol. |
| 8 Oct 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Frementle, Australia for her third war patrol. |
| 23 Oct 1944 | After dark, USS Guitarro spotted the Japanese Center Force sailing toward the Philippine Islands and tracked this fleet through the Mindoro Strait. |
| 30 Oct 1944 | USS Guitarro made rendezvous with submarines USS Bream and USS Raton. After sundown, the wolfpack began attacking a Japanese convoy off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, Philippine Islands. |
| 31 Oct 1944 | USS Guitarro fired eight torpedoes at 0847 hours at the Japanese convoy that she had been attacking since the previous day; six torpedoes made contact, and Guitarro claimed three sinkings, although only one sinking was confirmed. |
| 4 Nov 1944 | USS Guitarro and USS Bream shared the credit for the sinking of Japanese cargo ship Kagu Maru off Luzon, Philippine Islands. |
| 6 Nov 1944 | Kumano’s convoy was attacked by a wolfpack of four United States submarines Guitarro, Bream, Raton, and Ray off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, Philippines. Kumano was struck by two torpedoes that blew off her replacement bow section and flooded her engine rooms. Doryo Maru towed Kumano to Dasol Bay, Luzon. |
| 16 Nov 1944 | USS Guitarro arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol. |
| 11 Dec 1944 | USS Guitarro departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol. |
| 17 Dec 1944 | USS Guitarro transited the Lombok Strait between the islands of Bali and Lombok, Dutch East Indies. |
| 17 Jan 1945 | USS Guitarro arrvied at Mios Woendi, Biak Islands, Dutch East Indies and received repairs. |
| 18 Feb 1945 | USS Guitarro sank a Japanese transport, hitting her with all of the three torpedoes fired. |
| 15 Mar 1945 | USS Guitarro arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol. |
| 9 Apr 1945 | USS Guitarro departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth and final war patrol. |
| 27 May 1945 | USS Guitarro arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands. |
| 28 May 1945 | USS Guitarro departed Saipan, Mariana Islands. |
| 8 Jun 1945 | USS Guitarro arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifth and final war patrol. |
| 18 Jun 1945 | USS Guitarro arrived at San Franciso, California, United States. |
| 6 Dec 1945 | USS Guitarro was decommissioned from service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States. |
| 6 Feb 1952 | USS Guitarro was recommissioned into service. |
| 10 Sep 1953 | USS Guitarro completed her training duties. |
| 22 Sep 1953 | USS Guitarro was decommissioned from service. |
| 15 May 1954 | USS Guitarro was recommissioned into service to train Turkish sailors. |
| 7 Aug 1954 | USS Guitarro was decommissioned from service; on the same day, she was transferred to Turkey as submarine Preveze (S 22). |
| 1 Jan 1972 | Submarine Guitarro was struck from the US Naval Register as she was sold to Turkey, with which country she had been operating since 1954. |
| 4 May 1972 | Submarine Preveze (S 340) was decommissioned from service. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
14 Jan 2017 05:23:57 AM
My dad served on the USS Guitarro. He was radioman second class. He was a proud Navy man
20 Mar 2019 10:00:52 AM
My father also served on this boat as a torpedoman. He passed in 1982, but was very honored to have served with the men on this boat.
21 May 2020 05:33:49 PM
My Dad served on this submarine during WW2 His name was Andrew T. Zona and he was a torpedoman.
I would be very interested in any info about the crew or him if available.
Thank you
David Stubblebine says:21 May 2020 07:34:32 PM
W. Zona (above):
Guitarro Muster Rolls indicate Seaman 1st-class Andrew Thomas Zona reported aboard on 1 Dec 1944 in Fremantle, Australia just before starting her 4th war patrol. That patrol took her to the South China Sea where she damaged one freighter. Her 5th patrol was also to the South China Sea where she laid mines but engaged no shipping. Guitarro then crossed to ocean and was prepared for decommissioning at Mare Island. Zona transferred to sub-tender Bushnell where he served until 1 Apr 1946 at Boston and was presumably discharged.
23 May 2020 11:09:00 AM
Thank you for info Mr. Stubblebine.
Bill
17 Jan 2021 01:51:37 PM
My Father Carl H. Walls served on the Guitarro from commissioning to the end of the war. He was a Chief Torpedoman. Any info would be great.
15 Mar 2024 09:03:43 AM
My father was a crew member of Guitarro on the first 4 war patrols and I think he was assigned there during construction in Manitowoc. His name is Curtis S. Perkins. Service number 265 71 07. His rate was EMC. Do you have any information on him? Or any other sources I could check?
15 Mar 2024 09:11:04 AM
Any information on my father, EMC Curtis S. Perkins and his service on USS Guitarro?
Thank you!
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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11 Sep 2016 12:41:22 PM
I was wondering if anyone visiting/updating this page would have any information on the crew of SS-363 USS Guitarro. My mothers father served as an officer, V.Cmdr Arthur H. Farr, on this vessel. If you have any documents or pictures email me, I would be in your debt.