Allied Warships

Grayling (SS-209)

Submarine of the Gar class

USS Grayling at speed

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Gar
Pennant	209
Built by	Portsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.)
Ordered	1 Jul 1939
Laid down	15 Dec 1939
Launched	4 Sep 1940
Commissioned	1 Mar 1941
Lost	9 Sep 1943
History	USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Robert Marion Brinker, USN) went missing near the Philippines west of Luzon. The Japanese passenger-cargo vessel Hokuan Maru reported sighting and ramming a submerged submarine on 9 September and that is presumed to have been Grayling.

Commands listed for USS Grayling (209)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt. Eliot Olsen, USN	1 Mar 1941	Sep 1942
2	Lt.Cdr. John Elwood Lee, USN	Sep 1942	Jul 1943
3	T/Lt.Cdr. Robert Marion Brinker, USN	Jul 1943	9 Sep 1943 (+)

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Notable events involving Grayling include:

24 Dec 1941
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Eliot Olsen) arrived at Pearl Harbor from the US east coast.

31 Dec 1941
Admiral Chester Nimitz accepts command of the US Pacific Fleet on board USS Grayling in ceremony at Pearl Harbor, HI. (1)

5 Jan 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) departed Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Gilbert Islands area.

7 Mar 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) ended her 1st war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

27 Mar 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) departed Pearl Harbor for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in Japanese home waters.

13 Apr 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Ryujin Maru (6243 GRT) south-west off Shikoku, Japan in position 31°51'N, 132°50'E.

16 May 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) ended her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

4 Jun 1942
During the battle of Midway USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. E. Olsen) patrolled north-west of that island.

14 Jul 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Eliot Olsen) departed Pearl Harbor for her 3th war patrol and was ordered to patrol off Truk in the Caroline Islands.

26 Aug 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Eliot Olsen) ended her 3th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

19 Oct 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. John Elwood Lee) departed Pearl Harbor for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Truk.

3 Dec 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire west off Seram in the Netherlands East Indies in approximate position 03°00'S, 128°00'E.

13 Dec 1942
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) ended her 4th war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.

7 Jan 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) departed Fremantle for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Philippines

26 Jan 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Ushio Maru (749 GRT) in the Verde Island Passage, north of Mindoro, Philippines in position 13°26'N, 121°16'E.

24 Feb 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) ended her 5th war patrol at Fremantle.

17 Mar 1943
USS Grayling (T/Cdr. J.E. Lee, USN) conducted exercises off Fremantle during which HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. F.T. Burghard, RNethN) acted as target. (2)

18 Mar 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) departed Fremantle for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Philippines.

9 Apr 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Shanghai Maru (4103 GRT) some ten miles east of Dumali Point, Mindoro, Philippines in position 13°11'N, 121°45'E.

25 Apr 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) ended her 6th war patrol at Fremantle.

18 May 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) departed Fremantle for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea northwest of Borneo.

18 May 1943
HrMs Tromp (Capt. J.B. de Meester, RNethN), HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck (Capt. W. Harmsen, RNethN) and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNethN) conducted exercises off Fremantle with USS Grayling (T/Cdr. J.E. Lee, USN). (3)

22 Jun 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese tanker Eiyo Maru (8673 GRT, offsite link) east of Malaya in position 04°03'N, 103°57'E.

6 Jul 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. John Elwood Lee) ended her 7th war patrol at Fremantle.

26 Jul 1943
USS Grayling (T/Lt.Cdr. R.M. Brinker, USN) conducted exercises off Fremantle. During these exercises, HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNethN), served as target. (4)

28 Jul 1943
HrMs Tromp (Capt. J.B. de Meester, RNN) conducted A/S exercises off Fremantle together with the US submarine USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. R.M. Brinker, USN). (3)

31 Jul 1943
While on her 8th war patrol USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Robert Marion Brinker) lands supplies and equipment at Pucio Point, Panay, Philippines.

23 Aug 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Robert Marion Brinker) delivers supplies to Filipino guerrilla forces on Panay. She was not heard from after she had completed this mission.

27 Aug 1943
USS Grayling (Lt.Cdr. Robert Marion Brinker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Meizan Maru (5480 GRT) west of Mindoro, Philippines in position 13°35'N, 120°45'E.