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N7KTP > NAVNET 05.06.05 20:49l 115 Lines 6760 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 40036_N7FSP
Read: GUEST DG8DG
Subj: USS HADDO (SS-255)
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0IGL<DB0FSG<I4UKI<IK5CKL<VE2PKT<HG8LXL<7M3TJZ<N7FSP
Sent: 050605/0856z @:N7FSP.#SEA.#WWA.WA.USA.NOAM West Seattle, WA. on 145.010
Submarine Haddo made 10 war patrols in less than two years.
USS Haddo (SS-255) was built by Electric Boat Co. of Groton,
Conn., and commissioned Oct. 9, 1942 with Lt. Cmdr. Wallace Lent in
command.
Displacing 1,526-tons, the Gato class boat was nearly 312 feet in
length and had a draft of 15 feet. Top speed on the surface was 20
knots. A total of 60 Sailors served in Haddo which was outfitted with
one, 3-inch topside gunmout and 10, 21-inch torpedo tubes at the time
of commissioning.
After conducting shakedown operations off New England, Haddo
departed New London April 9, 1943 to patrol the shipping lanes to
Rosneath, Scotland. She arrived on April 30 and joined Submarine
Squadron 50, which was assigned to patrol off Norway and Iceland and
stand ready in case of a breakthrough of the German fleet from Norway.
When it became clear after three patrols that there were few targets,
Haddo and her sister submarines were sent back to the United States.
Haddo returned to New London July 29, 1943 and steamed via the
Panama Canal to Mare Island, Calif. Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, she
reached Pearl Harbor by Nov. 2, and put to sea Dec. 14, on her fourth
war patrol, in Philippine waters. The submarine made few contacts and
terminated the patrol at Fremantle, Australia in early February 1944.
Sailing from Fremantle Feb. 29, she embarked on her fifth war
patrol in waters off Borneo, Java, and Indochina. After a disappointing
attack March 8, in which two torpedoes exploded prematurely, she made
an attack on a tanker and escort on March 14 which produced unconfirmed
results. Moving to the Indochina coast she sank a small craft with
gunfire the night of March and damaged the freighter Nichian Maru on
March 29 before returning to Fremantle April 22, 1944.
Haddo departed Fremantle May 18, 1944 to conduct her sixth war
patrol in the East Indies. After undergoing air attack off Morotai May
30, she sighted heavy smoke and proceeded to investigate. The smoke was
a lure that concealed a Japanese patrol boat. After evading it, Haddo
encountered six more of the smoking lures. Haddo sank two small craft
on June 11, and scouted the Tawi Tawi anchorage on the 14th of June.
A short time later, she was detected by a patrol airplane and
pursued for almost 10 days. Her sixth war patrol was terminated July 16
at Fremantle.
For her seventh war patrol Haddo joined a coordinated attack group
with five other submarines to cruise Philippine waters. Japanese
convoys ventured into the Palawan area with strong air cover during the
day, but usually anchored with escort protection for the night.
After communicating with USS Harder and being informed that a
convoy had been attacked by USS Ray four days earlier and trailed to
Paluan Bay, the submarines closed for the attack.
As the convoy headed out to sea before daylight Aug. 21, Ray sank
one transport while the enemy escort vessels pursued Harder. At this
point Haddo entered the battle and launched six torpedoes at three
targets, and dived to avoid air attack Over one hundred depth charges
churned the sea, but Haddo had already sunk the cargo ships Kinryu Maru
and Norfolk Maru.
By the next day Haddo followed Harder in for the attack on a small
convoy with escorts, and Haddo succeeded in sending the enemy escort
ship Sado below the surface. Following a lone destroyer and awaiting
her opportunity, Haddo was suddenly turned upon by the Japanese ship.
She launched a four-torpedo spread "down the throat" of the destroyer
which veered off and headed for Manila.
Cruising off Cape Bolinao Aug. 23, the submarine was about to
torpedo a tanker close to shore when she detected a pursuing destroyer.
With four torpedoes she ripped off the ship's bow. She then maneuvered
to finish off the ship but her last torpedo missed.
Despite the efforts of two Japanese trawlers and another
destroyer, the tanker Akakaze sank, giving Haddo another kill.
Steaming to New Guinea to refuel and rearm, Haddo continued her
seventh war patrol. She sank a sampan Sept 8 and on Sept 21 found a
convoy and maneuvered into position ahead of it. While turning to avoid
a destroyer Haddo lost her depth control, and was not able to regain it
in time to effectively attack the cargo ships. She subsequently headed
for Subic Bay, and lifeguard duty, but on the way detected a hospital
ship and survey ship in company. Disregarding the former, she sent the
survey ship, Katsuriki to the bottom.
After serving on lifeguard station and rescuing a Navy pilot from
the sea on Sept 22, Haddo returned to Fremantle on Oct. 3, 1944. For
this outstanding patrol the submarine received the Navy Unit Commen-
dation.
Haddo returned to the waters off Manila for her eighth war patrol.
Departing Fremantle, she sank the oiler Hishi Maru #2 on Nov. 9.
Again serving as lifeguard boat for aircraft, she sank a small
ship Dec. 6, 1944 before terminating her eighth war patrol at Pearl
Harbor on Dec. 27. From there she was sent to Mare Island shipyard for
long overdue repairs.
Haddo departed on her ninth war patrol May 16, 1945. Cruising the
East China and Yellow Seas, she attacked a convoy emerging from the fog
on July 1 and quickly sank a small coastal defense vessel and cargo
ship Taiun Maru #1. Clearing the area, the submarine's skipper heard
automatic gunfire, and soon saw a frigate bearing down hard upon her.
Haddo's commanding officer decided not to dive and instead turned on a
parallel but opposite course, and the frigate shot by with her guns
blazing. Haddo suffered little damage, and was able to avoid a com-
panion escort and finally reach deep water.
That evening she sank two sailing junks and then set course for a
new station off Port Arthur. She sank a trawler July 3, survived a
furious depth charge attack by patrol vessels, and proceeded to Guam,
arriving July 16, 1945.
Haddo departed on her 10th and last war patrol on Aug. 10, 1945
but it was soon terminated by the surrender of Japan. She then headed
for Tokyo Bay, where she witnessed the signing of the surrender on
board USS Missouri and departed for home. Stopping at Hawaii, Haddo
then proceeded to Panama and then on to New London, arriving Oct 6,
1945.
Haddo was decommissioned on Feb. 16, 1946 and was kept in reserve
until her name was stricken from the Navy List on Aug. 1,1958. She was
sold for scrap April 30, 1959 to Luria Brothers & Co., of Philadelphia.
In addition to the Navy Unit Commendation, Haddo received six
battle stars for her World War II service. Her fifth, seventh, eighth,
and ninth war patrols were designated successful.
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