View source for USS Grayback (SS-208)

{{Short description|Formerly missing World War II US Navy submarine.}}
{{Other ships|USS Grayback}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = [[File:Grayback (SS208). Port side, 05-06-1941 - NARA - 513040.tif|300px|USS Grayback (SS-208)]]
| Ship caption = ''Grayback'' in 1941
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1944}}
| Ship name = 
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{Cite book
| last = Friedman
| first = Norman
| title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
| publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
| year = 1995
| location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]], US
| pages = 285–304
| isbn = 1-55750-263-3}}</ref>
| Ship laid down = 3 April 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates" />
| Ship launched = 31 January 1941<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates" />
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 30 June 1941<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates" />
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship fate = Sunk by aircraft operating from the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku]] south of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], 27 February 1944<ref name="Register">{{Cite book
| last = Bauer
| first = K. Jack
| author2 = Roberts, Stephen S.
| title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants
| publisher = Greenwood Press
| year = 1991
| location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
| pages = 270
| isbn = 0-313-26202-0}}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Tambor|submarine|4}} [[Diesel–electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register" />
| Ship displacement = *{{Convert|1475|long ton|t|lk = on}} standard, surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305–311</ref>
*{{Convert|2370|long ton|t}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship length = {{Convert|307|ft|2|in|abbr = on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship beam = {{Convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr = on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship draft = {{Convert|14|ft|7+1/2|in|m|abbr = on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship propulsion = {{Fleet-boat-propulsion-early-GM-4-GE}}
| Ship speed = *{{Convert|20.4|kn|km/h|0}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
*{{Convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship range = {{Convert|11000|nmi|km}} at {{Convert|10|kn|km/h}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship endurance = 48 hours at {{Convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship test depth = {{Convert|250|ft|abbr = on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship complement = 6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs" />
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = {{Fleet-boat-armament-3-inch}}
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Grayback'' (SS-208)''', was a [[Tambor-class submarine|''Tambor''-class]] [[submarine]], and was the first ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the lake herring ''[[Coregonus artedi]]''. She ranked 20 among all U.S. submarines in total tonnage sunk during [[World War II]], with 63,835&nbsp;tons, and 24th in number of ships sunk, with 14. She was sunk near [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] on 27 February 1944. Her wreck was discovered in June 2019.

==Construction and commissioning==
''Grayback''′s [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] by the [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]] in [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]], [[Connecticut]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 31 January 1940, sponsored by Mrs. Lydia Ballou Brown (''née'' Chappell), wife of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Wilson Brown (admiral)|Wilson Brown]], Superintendent of the [[United States Naval Academy]], and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 30 June 1941 with [[Lieutenant (naval)|Lieutenant]] [[Willard A. Saunders]] in command.

==Operational history==
Attached to the [[United States Atlantic Fleet]], ''Grayback'' conducted her [[shakedown cruise]] in [[Long Island Sound]] from [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], and [[New York City]]. In company with the submarine {{USS|Grampus|SS-207|3}}, she departed [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], Connecticut, on 8 September 1941 for patrol duty in the [[Caribbean Sea]] and [[Chesapeake Bay]], then arrived at [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] in [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], [[Maine]], on 30 November 1941 for overhaul. After the United States's entry into [[World War II]], ''Grayback'' departed for [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]] arriving 8 February 1942.

=== First war patrol ===
''Grayback''{{'}}s first war patrol from 15 February to 10 April 1942 took her along the coast of [[Saipan]] and [[Guam]]. There, she had a four-day encounter with an enemy submarine; the enemy submarine fired two torpedoes at ''Grayback'' on the morning of 22 February, then continued to trail her across the Pacific. ''Grayback'' spotted the enemy conning tower a few times, and the Japanese ship broached once; but the ''Grayback'' could not get into position to attack. After four days, ''Grayback'' shook off the other submarine and continued on patrol. On 17 March, she sank her first ship, the 3291-ton cargo ship ''Ishikari Maru ''off Port Lloyd, Chichijima, Bonin Islands.

[[File:USS Grayback (SS-208) War Diary - 4th page.jpg|thumb|This is the fourth page of Grayback War Diary related to first war patrol.]]
=== Second through fourth war patrols ===
''Grayback''{{'}}s second war patrol met with a dearth of targets, although she even took the unusual and risky measure of patrolling surfaced during the day. On 22 June, she arrived at [[Fremantle]], [[Western Australia]], which was to remain her home base for most of the war. On her third and fourth war patrols, in the [[South China Sea]] and St. George's Passage, ''Grayback'' was hampered by bright moonlight, shallow and treacherous water, and enemy patrol craft. Despite these hazards, she damaged several freighters and an enemy submarine. The presence of ''Grayback'' and her sister ships in these waters, and the threat they presented to shipping and the number of enemy escorts they tied up, were important factors in the successful conclusion of the [[Guadalcanal campaign]], America's first offensive campaign in the Pacific war.

=== Fifth war patrol ===
Her fifth war patrol began as ''Grayback'' sailed from Australia on 7 December 1942. Only a week out of port, Pharmacist's Mate Harry B. Roby was called upon to perform an emergency [[appendectomy]], the second to be done on a patrolling submarine. With ''Grayback'' running 100 feet beneath the surface, and despite lacking a surgeon's tool kit, the untutored Roby successfully removed the infected appendix, and his patient was back standing watch by the end of the patrol. Then, on 25 December, ''Grayback'' surfaced to sink four landing barges with her deck guns. Four days later, she was again fired on by an enemy submarine, but maneuvered to avoid the torpedoes. On 3 January 1943, ''Grayback'' sank [[Japanese submarine I-18|''I-18'']], one of 25 Japanese submarines destroyed by western submarines during the war.

On 5 January, ''Grayback'' served as beacon ship for the bombardment of [[Munda, Solomon Islands|Munda Bay]] in the [[Solomon Islands]], and also engaged in rescue work. Lying off Munda early on the morning of 5 January, she received word that six survivors of a crashed [[Martin B-26 Marauder]] bomber from the [[70th Bombardment Squadron]] were holed up on the island. ''Grayback'' sent ashore two men (Lt. J.A. Davis and CGM Barton Brooks), then submerged at dawn to avoid enemy aircraft. The submariners located the downed aviators, three of whom were injured, and hid out with them in the jungle. As night fell, ''Grayback'' surfaced offshore and by coded light signals directed the small boat "home safe" with the rescued aviators. For this action, skipper Edward C. Stephan received the [[Navy Cross]], as well as a [[Silver Star]] from the [[United States Army]].

''Grayback'' continued on patrol, torpedoing and damaging several Japanese ships. On 17 January, she attacked a [[destroyer]] escorting a large [[Japanese ship-naming conventions#Merchant ships|''maru'']], hoping to disable the escort and then sink the freighter with her deck guns. However, the destroyer evaded the torpedoes and dropped 19 [[depth charge]]s on ''Grayback''. One blew a gasket on a manhole cover, and the submarine, leaking seriously, was ordered back to [[Brisbane]], Australia, where she arrived 23 January.

=== Sixth war patrol ===
On her sixth war patrol from 16 February to 4 April 1943, ''Grayback'' again had a run of bad luck, operating in the [[Bismarck Archipelago]]–Solomon Islands area without any military success. Her newly installed SJ [[radar]] had failed to function, and although she had taken several shots at ''maru'' merchant ships, none sank.

=== Seventh war patrol ===
The seventh patrol was more successful. Departing Brisbane on 25 April, ''Grayback'' intercepted a [[convoy]] whose position had been radioed to her by {{USS|Albacore|SS-218|3}} on 11 May. In a night surface attack, ''Grayback'' fired a spread of six torpedoes at the seven freighters and their three escorts. The three escorts charged, and she had to go deep to elude the attacking enemy. She was credited with the sinking of cargo ship ''Yodogawa Maru''. On 16 May, she torpedoed and seriously damaged a destroyer. The following day, ''Grayback'' intercepted four ''marus'' with one escort; she sank the freighter ''England Maru'' and damaged two others before she was forced to dive. ''Grayback'' arrived at Pearl Harbor on 30 May, then proceeded to [[San Francisco, California]], for a much needed overhaul and modernization.

=== Eighth war patrol ===
Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 12 September 1943, ''Grayback'' prepared for her eighth war patrol, now under the command of [[John Anderson Moore]]. Sailing 26 September with {{USS|Shad|SS-235|3}}, she met {{USS|Cero|SS-225|3}} at [[Midway Atoll|Midway Island]] to form the first of the Submarine Force's highly successful [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]s. The three submarines under Captain [[Charles Momsen|Charles B. "Swede" Momsen]] in ''Cero'' cruised the China Sea and returned to base with claims of 38,000&nbsp;tons sunk and 3,300 damaged. ''Grayback'' accounted for two ships, a passenger-cargo vessel torpedoed 14 October and a former light cruiser, ''Awata Maru'', torpedoed after an end-around run on a fast convoy 22 October. Wolfpack tactics came into play on 2 October as ''Grayback'' closed on a convoy already attacked by ''Shad'', and sank a 9,000-ton transport, listing from two of ''Shad''{{'}}s torpedoes. The submarines had now expended all torpedoes, and on 10 November, they returned to Midway.

''Grayback'' [[commanding officer]] (CO) John Anderson Moore was awarded the Navy Cross after this patrol.<ref>Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 329 August 1944</ref>

=== Ninth war patrol ===
With almost a quarter of her crew untested in battle ''Grayback'' departed Pearl Harbor for the [[East China Sea]] on 2 December for her ninth war patrol. Within five days of her first contact with Japanese ships, she had expended all her torpedoes in a series of attacks that netted four ships for over 10,000&nbsp;tons. The action began on the night of 18 to 19 December; ''Grayback'' attacked a convoy of four freighters and three escorts. She sent freighter ''Gyokurei Maru'' and escort [[Japanese destroyer Numakaze|''Numakaze'']] to the bottom and damaged several others in a surface attack. Two nights later, 20 to 21 December, she spotted another convoy of six ships, and after an end-around run, she fired a spread of nine torpedoes into the heart of the Japanese formation. This first attack sank one freighter and damaged another before ''Grayback'' dived to elude depth charges. Three hours later, she surfaced and sank a second freighter. After an unsuccessful attack the following night had exhausted her torpedo supply, ''Grayback'' headed home. The submarine surfaced on 27 December to sink a good-sized fishing boat with deck guns before reaching Pearl Harbor on 4 January 1944.

CO John Anderson Moore was awarded a second Navy Cross after this mission.<ref>Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 330, September 1944</ref>

=== Tenth war patrol and sinking ===
[[File:USS Grayback Memorial.jpg|thumb|The USS ''Grayback'' (SS-208) memorial on the grounds of the [[Heslar Naval Armory]].]]
''Grayback''{{'}}s tenth patrol, her most successful in terms of tonnage sunk, was also her last. She sailed from Pearl Harbor on 28 January 1944 for the East China Sea. On 24 February, ''Grayback'' radioed that she had sunk two cargo ships on 19 February and had damaged two others (''Taikei Maru'' and ''Toshin Maru'' sunk). On 25 February, she transmitted her second and final report. That morning, she had sunk tanker ''Nanho Maru'' and severely damaged ''Asama Maru''. With only two torpedoes remaining, she was ordered home from patrol. Due to reach Midway on 7 March, ''Grayback'' did not arrive. On 30 March, ComSubPac listed her as missing and presumed lost with all hands.

From captured Japanese records, the submarine's last few days were pieced together after World War II. Heading home through the East China Sea after attacking [[Hi convoys|convoy Hi-40]] on 24 February, ''Grayback'' used her last two torpedoes to sink the freighter ''Ceylon Maru'' on 27 February. Later that same day, a Japanese [[aircraft carrier]]-based [[Nakajima B5N]] ([[World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft|Allied reporting name]] "Kate") [[torpedo bomber|torpedo bombers]], probably launched from the aircraft carrier [[Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku|Zuikaku]] spotted ''Grayback'' on the surface in the East China Sea and attacked, hitting her with a {{convert|250|kg|0|adj=on}} [[aerial bomb]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Imperial Flattops |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Zuikak.htm |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=www.combinedfleet.com}}</ref> According to Japanese reports, the submarine "exploded and sank immediately," but antisubmarine craft were called in to depth-charge the area, clearly marked by a trail of air bubbles, until at last a heavy oil slick swelled to the surface.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a29765905/uss-grayback-discovery/ |title=Lost World War II Submarine Rediscovered 75 Years Later |date=12 November 2019 |publisher=Popular Mechanics |access-date=17 November 2019 |quote=U.S. Navy officials only found out the cause of ''Grayback''’s sinking after the war, when translated Japanese wartime records noted a Nakajima B5N bomber attacked a surfaced enemy submarine with a bomb. The stricken submarine then was attacked with depth charges.}}</ref>

''Grayback''′s commanding officer John Anderson Moore was awarded his third Navy Cross posthumously after this patrol.<ref>Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 336, March 1945</ref>

==Honors and awards==
''Grayback'' and her crew received two [[Navy Unit Commendation]]s for their seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth war patrols.

''Grayback'' received eight [[battle star]]s for her World War II service.

== Wreck discovery ==
On 10 November 2019, a private research group, ''[[Lost 52 Project]]'', announced it had found the wreck of ''Grayback'' {{convert|50|nmi}} south of Okinawa, in June 2019.<ref>Fieldstadt, Elisha, [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wwii-submarine-uss-grayback-missing-75-years-discovered-coast-japan-n1079851 "WWII submarine USS Grayback, missing 75 years, discovered off coast of Japan"], ''[[NBC News]]'', 11 November 2019.</ref> The wreck was discovered about {{convert|100|nmi}} from the coordinates established by the U.S. Navy in 1946 because of an error in its translation of the original [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] combat action reports.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-12/wwii-submarine-uss-grayback-found-off-okinawa-in-japanese-waters/11696650 |title=World War II submarine USS Grayback found off coast of Japan |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation News |date=12 November 2019}}</ref> The discovery was officially verified by the U.S. Navy<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.navytimes.com/military-honor/salute-veterans/2019/11/14/navy-verifies-lost-sub-rediscovered/ |title=Navy verifies lost sub rediscovered |date=15 November 2019 |publisher=Navy Times |access-date=17 November 2019 }}</ref> and the families of the deceased crew members were notified. The submarine sits upright on the bottom in 1,400&nbsp;ft (430&nbsp;m) of water.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50380521 |title=USS Grayback: Missing WW2 submarine found after 75 years |date=11 November 2019 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=17 November 2019 }}</ref> The [[deck gun]] was found  about 400&nbsp;ft (about 120&nbsp;m) from the primary wreckage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/american-submarine-lost-wwii-located-okinawa-180973536/ |title=American Submarine Lost in WWII Located Off Okinawa |date=12 November 2019 |publisher=Smithsonian |access-date=17 November 2019 }}</ref>

The wreck has severe damage aft of the [[conning tower]], consistent with Japanese reports of a direct bomb hit in that area.<ref>Ismay, John, [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/us/navy-submarine-missing-for-75-years-is-found-off-okinawa.html "Navy Submarine, Missing for 75 Years, Is Found Off Okinawa"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 11 November 2019.</ref> The [[Bow (ship)|bow]] is broken off at an angle, and a portion of the [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] near the [[stern]] imploded. The builder's plate remains attached to the intact [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

== See also ==
* [[List of United States Navy losses in World War II]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/grayback-i.html}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-grayback-208.htm On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Grayback'']
*[http://www.lost52project.org/ www.lost52project.org]&nbsp;— Lost 52 Project

{{Tambor class submarine}}
{{February 1944 shipwrecks}}
{{Coord|25|47 |N|128|45|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayback (SS-208)}}
[[Category:Tambor-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the East China Sea]]
[[Category:Submarines sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1944]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft]]