uss bonefish wreck
the loss of 77 crew when it was sunk East China Sea. . Following a post-deployment standdown and local operations, she entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul. USS Bonefish (SS 582) - A crewmembers recollection of the fire in 1988 A Crewmember's recollection of the fire in 1988 The report below was contributed by QM2/SS Richard (Rick) Neault, U.S. Navy Ret. The first survivor, in a panic, knocked off Grossman's mask and Grossman gave up his own life preserver to calm the sailor down. with the loss of 19 crew when it was sunk after collision with USS F-3 USS Lagarto (SS-371) was lost on or shortly after The wreck lies upright with its bow missing and A turret pointing aft. room. The stranger's crew of seven acted suspiciously as the submarine approached, and despite repeated orders to do so, the crew refused to abandon ship. sinking point. the loss of 76 crew when it was sunk off the northeast coast of Honshu USS Bonefish (SS-223) was a Gato -class submarine, the first United States Navy ship to be named for the bonefish . I had to answer to no one else. After long service by the original parade float, the decision was made three years ago to build a new float,. be put to sea. Provision was made in the operation order governing this patrol group for submarines in case of necessity to proceed to Russian waters to claim a 24 hour haven, or to submit to internment in extreme need, or for them to make their exit from the Japan Sea prior to or after 24 June. Then she moved on to her new homeportPearl Harbor, Hawaii. Reliance She concluded that cruise at Pearl Harbor in June 1970. Remarks: Loss most likely was the result of one of 3 attacks.11Feb42 E of Menado, 17 The vessel reached the USS Johnston, which lies 6.5km (4 miles) beneath the waves in the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean.. USS Herring (SS-233) was lost on 1-Jun-1944 with the loss of 84 crew when it was sunk 2 miles off west coast of Palawan. She never did. She cleared the area and arrived at Fremantle on 19 December. With escorts charging her, the boat suddenly lost depth control and ducked her periscope below the water. And Im proud to consider myself an honorary member of BONEFISH! Ros states an attack was made by IJN on 23 Nov and also a reported sighting by Bonefish of a US sub on 2 December. NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ Navy salvage workers who boarded the USS Bonefish as the abandoned submarine drifted in the Atlantic today found the bodies of the three men missing after explosions and fire rocked the ship, Navy officials said. On 1 December, the boat sighted a convoy of three ships with two escorts hugging the Celebes coast. between Hokkaido and Honshu. This area was further subdivided, with BONEFISH assigned to patrol the northern portion. the loss of 79 crew when it was sunk in or near La Perouse Strait. In September, the submarine entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for her regular overhaul. However, she took two Japanese prisoners from a downed enemy plane, and performed reconnaissance work on the southern end of Korea. USS S-27 (SS-132) was lost on 19-Jun-1942 when it grounded off Amchitka loss of 32 crew when it was sunk after collision with SS City of Rome Some use this date. Japanese records examined after the war indicate that on 18 June an American sub torpedoed a 6,000-ton cargo vessel in Toyama Wan Bay, where BONEFISH had been operating. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR The Navy said the first explosion hit the Bonefish on Sunday afternoon as it was running at periscope depth, engaged in training exercises with surface vessels 160 miles off Florida. Photographs and personal information are needed as indicated in the column at right. Wed really rather not say anything yet, said Williams. The escort ships pursued Bonefish, but she was able to dive and elude her attackers. This coordinated attack group under Commander G. W. Pierce inTunny, which was one of three groups then penetrating the Japan Sea, was ordered to transit Tsushima Strait on 5 June 1945, and to conduct offensive patrol in the Sea of Japan off the . While in the Far East, the warship participated in various 7th Fleet exercises and visited ports in Japan, the Philippines, the Marianas, and at Hong Kong. The safety procedure, now essential for survival, was to don an Emergency Air Breather (EAB)an enclosed face mask with an air hose that could be hastily plugged into fittings across the ship as pictured here. loss of 4 crew when it Grounded, Magdalena Bay, Mexico, was sunk in 9 Fathoms She gained fame as an aggressive and highly successful submarine after Lieutenant Commander Dudley Walker "Mush" Morton became her skipper. Again in the South China Sea on her third patrol, BONEFISH sank a very large tanker, a medium freighter and a schooner, and damaged a second large tanker. Portions of wreckage remained in place until late 1950's when She sighted a Japanese task force consisting of three battleships, one aircraft carrier, three heavy cruisers, and one light cruiser, screened by eight destroyers. USS F-4 [ex-SKATE] (SS23) was lost on 21-Mar-1915 She began her career as an active member of the Submarine Force with a patrol in the South China Sea in September and October 1943. Sources: R, D, SFLM A submersible has dived to the world's deepest-known shipwreck. while being towed, after collision with USS Silverstein (DE-534). Dived. Three days later, the submarine attacked a convoy of eight ships, scoring three hits on a freighter before the escorts forced her to go deep to avoid a depth charge attack. Sometimes all Arcing then caused an explosion, which flashed into a fire within minutes. Undersea explorers find wreck of USS Nevada, the ship that almost escaped Pearl Harbor. While in the Sulu Sea on 3 May, Bonefish approached a convoy but was forced to dive when an enemy plane dropped two depth bombs which exploded close aboard. spread is 11-23 to 12-9-43, Ships and Tonnage the loss of 86 crew when it was sunk near 41 49N; 141 11E in channel The Bonefish was submerged and operating on two massive batteries when, according to initial reports, an explosion occurred in the battery compartment at about 4:30 p.m., a spokesman said. There, she engaged in 7th Fleet training evolutions and made port visits at Hong Kong, in the Philippines, and in Japan. Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR Bonefish encountered another convoy on 27 September and launched four torpedoes at the lead ship, the largest of the five, and sank the 9,908ton transport Kashima Maru and damaged the Chihaya Maru. I explained the situation and asked if there were any volunteers to go to BONEFISH, drive the boats and operate the auxiliary equipment topside, recognizing the very difficult situation that existed on the submarine. Sources: A submersible has dived to the world's deepest-known shipwreck. The world's deepest known shipwreck, a World War II US Navy destroyer, has been fully mapped and filmed by a US-based crew. Sea state was still 4 or 5, and the boat crews, having performed marvelously for the previous two days, were so tired that they were no longer functional. Following a week of training out of that port, she again got underway for more days of drills in Moreton Bay. USS R-12 (SS-89) was lost on 12-Jun-1943 with the Still, Tunny waited in vain off Hokkaid for three days. Likely to be buried in sand and uncovered only periodically. Japanese records reveal that the 5,488ton cargo ship Konzan Maru was torpedoed and sunk in Toyama Wan on 18 June and that an ensuing severe counterattack by Japanese escorts, the Okinawa, CD-63, CD-75, CD-158 and CD-207, brought debris and a major oil slick to the water's surface. On 6 February 1944, during her third war patrol, the boat had a close call when, as she moved into position to launch torpedoes from her aft tubes, she suddenly lost depth control, submerging her periscope. On 6 July, she surfaced to destroy a wooden-hulled schooner by gunfire. Bonefish was not technically destroyed by the firebut she was effectively done. At the end of those operations, she visited Hamburg, West Germany, and Portsmouth, England, before returning to Charleston on 9 October. USS Robalo (SS-273) was lost on 26-Jul-1944 with the This undoubtedly was the attack which sank BONEFISH. She entered the Flores Sea on 28 November and, the next day, intercepted two enemy ships. Adm. Carlisle A.H. Trost, chief of naval operations, said Tuesday in Washington that the three men were on watch in the subs control room and may have died at their posts as they made sure everyone got clear. BONEFISH's luck had finally run out. Channel; 20 41N; 118 27E. USS Golet (SS-361) was lost on 14-Jun-1944 with the On 24 May 1974, she stood out of Pearl Harbor for yet another assignment with the 7th Fleet in Far Eastern waters. while being towed off. The vessel sank, but its five escorts mounted a vicious counterattack that soon covered the oceans surface with oil and debris. USS H-1 (SS-28) was lost on 12-Mar-1920 with the Built by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, CT, USS BONEFISH (SS-223) was commissioned on 31 May 1943. WDR date grounding on reef south of Rossel Island Louisande Archipelago. Her wreck was only recently discovered. But new to Bonefish, he wasnt aware that the hatch suffered from a defect in her lugs, long reported but ignored, and required a reverse quarter-turn to open. The contract to build Bonefish was awarded on 29 June 1956 to the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, and her keel was laid down on 3 June 1957. The submarine conducted shakedown training out of New London, Conn., and Newport, R.I., until 23 July, when she set out for the Pacific. USS Swordfish (SS-193) was lost on or after 12-Jan-1945 with the loss of 89 crew when it was sunk near Yaku Island off Okinawa. The wreck was the U.S. Navy's largest-ever single loss of life at sea: an event that left hundreds of sailors dead, hundreds more ambushed by sharks and the American public reeling at the. Remarks: No reports of finding wreckage. The submarine crash-dived to a depth of . of Iwo Jima. The importance of this effort was not only because of the salvage value of the submarine which was perhaps as high as 40 million dollars, and the recovery of the three fellows who had died in the fire, but also because of the obvious ramifications for the rest of the submarine force. [Note: The above USS BONEFISH (SS-582) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS BONEFISH (SS-582) or by other non . Afterward USSHoist, a salvage-and-rescue ship, towed Bonefish to Charleston, South Carolina. 2 before making an emergency dive in shallow water. Remarks: Depth 400 feet. On 24 April 1988 Bonefish was submerged, during an exercise with guided-missile frigate USSCarr, about 160mi (260km) off the Atlantic coast of Florida, when seawater began leaking onto cables and electric buses in a battery-supply cableway. Scuttled off Hawaii The ship, the USS Johnston, is at a depth of 21,180 feet (about 6,500. Fortunately, most of Bonefishs crew miraculously escaped the calamity with their livesbut that doesnt lessen the tragedy of the three crew members who were not so fortunate. She emerged from the shipyard on 25 June 1977 to begin post-overhaul refresher training. (42 No declared lost date found. the crew dies, sometimes there are survivors. The vessel sank, but its five escorts mounted a vicious counterattack that soon covered the ocean's surface with oil and debris. On her second war patrol, conducted in the Celebes sea and near Borneo, BONEFISH sank two freighters and an escort vessel, and damaged a minelayer. Others were lost when the sea submarines is a hazardous business. The temperature in the battery space reached 1,200 Fahrenheit (650 Celsius). crew were taken prisoner, only 21 survived the war) Remains of the numbers 36 and 140 appear on the wrecked . Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM On occasion, the sea wins. The Seawolf, as well as the Balao class submarine USS Sea Owl (SS-405), had been called to the area after voice communications with the Thresher were originally lost and the two submarines arrived . Captain Wilson decided at 4 PM to proceed with a programmed dive to 150 feet while the engineers got to the bottom of a seemingly ordinary problem. On 14 October the Bonefish sank a Japanese sailing vessel in the Makassar Strait. The crew frantically blasted CO2 fire extinguishers to cool the overheating battery but the flames continued to grow and light smoke began wafting across the submarine began surfacing to periscope depth. Halmahera 1 34N; 123 07E or in Molukka Passage. She fired six torpedoes and scored four hits. The Navy decommissioned Bonefish on 28 September 1988, struck her from the Naval Vessel Registry on 28 February 1989, and disposed of her by scrapping on 17 August 1989. USS Amberjack (SS-219) was lost on 16-Feb-1943 with Sources: R, D, Ros, SFLM, WDR, USS O-5 (SS-66) was lost on 11-Oct-1923 with the When Bonefish opened fire with her machine guns, the natives leaped overboard. There can be little doubt that Bonefish was sunk in this action. : R-85 Kriegsmarine The Type R-41 minesweeper was sunk in a collision at Altenbruch. with the loss of 19 crew when it foundered off Honolulu Harbor. The target, Kokuyo Maru, immediately settled by the stern, and Bonefish headed for the traffic lanes north of Sibutu and Tawitawi. the loss of 74 crew when it was sunk within lume of Shiramuka Light off It was necessary to enter this hellish situation, stepping over dead shipmates, finding the right valves, getting the valves shut, pumps established, and securing the submarine on the surface before we could tow her back to port. Honshu. Remarks: Ship not found and demise is speculated as either being caused by an unknown She completed repairs on 6 March 1962, and resumed operations along the west coast at that time. She fired the other two bow tubes at a cargo ship and then tried to swing her stern into position to fire her after tubes. All the crew were rescued. The usual calls to Far Eastern ports punctuated her periods at sea engaged in training missions. After refit and training, the submarine got underway on 22 November for the South China Sea and her second war patrol. The interaction between the saltwater and the exposed electrical cables ultimately led to the overheating and explosion of the forward battery well as described at the beginning of the article. USS S-51 (SS-162) was lost on 25-Sep-1925 with the Matsuwa Island, in Kurlies. On the afternoon of April 24, 1988, all was not well in the USS Bonefish amongst the last remaining diesel-electric submarines in the U.S. Navy. Wilson would not comment further because an investigation of the fire is pending, said Lt. Cmdr. On 14 May, Bonefish approached a convoy of three tankers and three escorting destroyers, steaming off Tawitawi in the Philippines and headed for Sibutu Passage. In company with TUNNY and SKATE, BONEFISH (SS-223), commanded by CDR L. L. Edge, departed Guam on 28 May 1945 to conduct her eighth war patrol. It is these kinds of people who operate our TRIDENT submarine program, it is these kinds of people at every level, be it the 3-star or the troops on board our submarines that will ensure for the long term that TRIDENT will remain the keystone of deterrence that it has come to be accepted as at all levels from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the man in the street. Later that same day, the boat fired eight torpedoes at a small cargo ship, scoring several hits. Naval authorities deemed the damage to Bonefish to be too extensive to warrant repair and thus decided to decommission and scrap her. NH, 42 59' 48N - 20 20' 27W The dead were identified as Lt. Ray Everts Jr., 30, of Naoma, W.Va.; Petty Officer 1st Class Robert W. Bordelon Jr., 39, of Willis, Texas; and Petty Officer 3rd Class Marshall T. Lindgren, 21, of Pisgah Forest, N.C. Chief Petty Officer Terry D. Borton, a spokesman at Atlantic Fleet headquarters here, said two of the bodies were found at their stations in the control room of the ship and a third was found in an administrative compartment. Tests conducted after the battle showed that the Dahlgren guns could be operated safely and efficiently with charges of as much as 30lb (14kg).