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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Electric Boat Company,Groton, Connecticut[1] |
| Laid down | 21 May 1942[1] |
| Launched | 24 January 1943[1] |
| Commissioned | 26 April 1943[1] |
| Decommissioned | 12 June 1946[1] |
| Stricken | 1 December 1960[1] |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 16 May 1961[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Gato-classdiesel-electricsubmarine[2] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2] |
| Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
| Draft | 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m) maximum[2] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Range | 11,000 NM (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3] |
| Endurance |
|
| Test depth | 300 ft (90 m)[3] |
| Complement | 6 officers, 54 enlisted[3] |
| Armament |
|
USSPargo (SS-264), aGato-classsubmarine, was the first ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for thepargo, a fish of the genusLutjanus found in the West Indies.
Pargo waslaid down on 21 May 1942 by theElectric Boat Company atGroton,Connecticut;launched 24 January 1943, sponsored by MissBelle W. Baruch; andcommissioned on 26 April 1943,Lieutenant CommanderIan C. Eddy in command.
Followingshakedown and trainingPargo sailed via thePanama Canal toPearl Harbor, arriving 23 July 1943. The first of her eight war patrols began 18 August and took her into theEast China Sea where she twice attacked the enemy, inflicting undetermined damage to several ships before returning to Pearl Harbor 6 October.
After refittingPargo sailed 30 October in company withSnook andHarder in awolf-pack. The efforts of the three were well directed against the open sea area northwest of theMarianas wherePargo sank two freighters,Manju Maru andShoko Maru totaling 7,810 tons, on 29 and 30 November.
Pargo next underwent overhaul and received a new engine atMare Island Naval Shipyard. On 5 March 1944 she was underway for Pearl Harbor and 25 March began her third war patrol. Her mission, to destroy enemy ships in thePhilippine andCelebes Seas areas was carried out with several attacks, one of which sank an ex-net tender.Pargo began refitting atFremantle, Australia 24 May.
Underway 13 June for the Celebes Sea,Pargo noted fewer ships present in the area. She scored well again, however, damaging several and sinking a 5,236 ton cargo ship,Yamagibu Maru.
Griffin (AS-13) refittedPargo at Fremantle to prepare her for her next patrol. From 3 September to 7 October she ranged theSouth China Sea, pressing her attacks to damage several Japanese ships and to sink two more, including aminelayer.
24 August 1944 LCDR David B. Bell took command of the USS Pargo over from CDRIan C. Eddy.
On 28 OctoberPargo sailed from western Australian waters in company withHaddo for her sixth patrol. FromExmouth Gulf she continued alone into the South China Sea where she found that increased allied air activity had further diminished use of the shipping lanes. She sanktankerYuho Maru offBrunei Bay 26 November. Following this action she received from escorts the worstdepth charging of her career, but escaped without serious damage, and returned to Australia 21 December.
Replenishment and retraining ensued, and on 15 January 1945Pargo got underway for theIndo-China coast. Six days out she launched a nighttorpedo attack that damaged several ships. On 10 February she again engaged the enemy and ten days later blew updestroyerNokaze.Pargo then sailed viaSaipan and Pearl Harbor to Mare Island for a modernization overhaul which lasted from 25 March to 17 June.
The submarine's eighth and final patrol spanned the 42-day interval from 14 July to 9 September. Transiting theminefields ofTsushima Straits, she entered theSea of Japan where she attacked a six-ship convoy. She made her last sinking on 8 August, the passenger-cargo shipRashin Maru, to total nine for the war. After Japanese capitulation,Pargo remained in the mine-filled waters until after the peace terms were signed and then sailed forGuam.
Returning to Pearl Harbor with the knowledge that she had contributed materially to the victory in the Pacific, Pargo assumed post-war duties as part of the squadron based there. She was decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was assigned to train Naval Reservists in the13th Naval District where she remained until 1 June 1960 when her name was struck from theNavy List.Pargo was sold 17 April 1961.
Pargo received eightbattle stars forWorld War II service. All eight of her war patrols were designated as "successful". She is credited with having sunk a total of 27,983 tons of enemy shipping.
SeeUSS Pargo for other ships of the same name.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
