| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Narwhal |
| Pennant | 167 |
| Built by | Portsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 10 May 1927 |
| Launched | 17 Dec 1929 |
| Commissioned | 15 May 1930 |
| End service | 23 Apr 1945 |
| History | Decommissioned 23 April 1945. |
Commands listed for USS Narwhal (167)
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 | Norman Seaton Ives, USN | 25 May 1938 | May 1941 |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Charles Warren Wilkins, USN | May 1941 | 16 Oct 1942 |
| 3 | T/Lt.Cdr. Frank Devere Latta, USN | 16 Oct 1942 | 26 Mar 1944 |
| 4 | T/Cdr. Jack Clarence Titus, USN | 26 Mar 1944 | 5 Oct 1944 |
| 5 | T/Cdr. William Grisard Holman, USN | 5 Oct 1944 | 23 Apr 1945 |
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Notable events involving Narwhal include:
7 Dec 1941
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. Charles Warren Wilkins) was refitting at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Within minutes of the first enemy bomb explosions on Ford Island, Narwhal's gunners were in action to assist in the destruction of two Japanese torpedo planes.
2 Feb 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) left Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol. She was ordered to reconnoitre Wake Island in mid February and then continue to patrol in the East China Sea.
27 Feb 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese tanker Manju Maru (6515 GRT) in position 28°55'N, 138°15'E.
4 Mar 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Taki Maru (1235 GRT) in the East China Sea off Amami O Shima, south of Kyushu, Japan in position 28°37'N, 129°10'E.
28 Mar 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) end her first war patrol when she returned to Pearl Harbor.
28 May 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) left base for her 2nd war patrol. She took part in the defence of Midway.
13 Jun 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) returned to base.
7 Jul 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) left base for her 3th war patrol. She was to patrol off the Kuril Islands.
24 Jul 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) sank the Japanese guard boat Shinsei Maru No.83 (63 GRT) off Utasutsu Bay, Hokkaido in position 44°53'N, 147°09'E and the Japanese merchants Nissho Maru (344 GRT) off Etorofu in position 45°09'N, 147°31'E and Kofuji Maru (134 GRT) off Oito in position 45°14'N, 147°31'E. All these ships were sunk by gunfire.
1 Aug 1942
While operating off the northeast tip of Honshu, south of Shiraya Zaki USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Meiwa Maru (2921 GRT) in position 41°12'N, 141°36'E, she also sank the small tanker Koan Maru (884 GRT) in position 41°03'N, 141°28'E.
8 Aug 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fishing vessel Bifuku Maru (2635 GRT) south-east of Shiriya Zaki, at the northeast tip of Honshu in position 41°14'N, 141°32'E.
26 Aug 1942
USS Narwhal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Wilkins) ended her very successful 3th war patrol when she returned to base. On 6 September 1942 she left Pearl Harbor bound for the Mare Island Navy Yard for an overhaul.
18 Apr 1943
With her overhaul and trials completed USS Narwhal (Cdr. Frank Devere Latta) left San Diego bound for Dutch Harbour, Alaska loaded with soldiers of the 7th Infantry Scout Company.
30 Apr 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left Dutch Harbour for her 4th war patrol. On 11 May she rendezvoused with her sister ship USS Nautilus off the northern side of Attu, and the two ships, debarked Army Scouts in rubber boats for the preliminary landings in the recapture of the island, a venture successfully completed 29 May. Narwhal returned to Pearl Harbor with a stopover at Dutch Harbor from 14 to 18 May.
26 Jun 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. Frank Devere Latta) left Pearl Harbor for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to create diversion by bombarding an air base on Matsuwa, Japan on 11 July. USS Lapon, USS Permit and USS Plunger were about to attempt an exit from the previously impenetrable Sea of Japan which they had so daringly entered. The night of the 15th Narwhal drew so much enemy attention to her presence she was forced to dive from the shells, but she accomplished her mission: the other submarines slipped through Etorofu Strait without detection. Narwhal returned to base on 7 August.
31 Aug 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left Pearl Harbor for her 6th war patrol. She was to patrol in the Marshall Islands area.
3 Sep 1943
USS Cabrilla (Cdr. D.T. Hammond, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour together with USS Allen (Lt.Cdr. H.H. Nielsen, USN), and USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta, USN).
11 Sep 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Hokusho Maru (4211 GRT) about 5 nautical miles north-west of Nauru Island in position 00°30'S, 166°50'E.
2 Oct 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) ended her 6th war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.
23 Oct 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left Brisbane for her 7th war patrol. She was to land 92 tons of ammunition and stores and a party of ten men.
13 Nov 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) entered Ptiluan Bay to debark her passengers and half of her cargo.
15 Nov 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) landed the rest of her stores at Nasipit, Mindanao. She then embarked 32 evacuees, including 8 women, 2 children, and a baby.
22 Nov 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) ended her 7th war patrol when she returned to base at Darwin, Australia.
25 Nov 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left Darwin for her 8th war patrol. She was to land stores and 11 Army operatives at Cabadaran, Mindanao.
2 Dec 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) landed her stores and the 11 Army operatives. She took onboard seven evacuees. Narwhal then sailed for Majacalar Bay, arriving off Negros Island on 3 December where she took 9 more people onboard.
5 Dec 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) sank the Japanese merchant Himeno Maru (834 GRT) with gunfire off Camiquin Island in position 09°09'N, 124°29'E.
11 Dec 1943
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) debarked her passengers at Darwin. Then she continued on to Fremantle.
18 Jan 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left base for her 9th war patrol. She was to land stores and one observer in the Philippines.
15 Feb 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) ended her 9th war patrol as she returned to base.
16 Feb 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) left base for her 10th war patrol. She was ordered to deliver ammunition to Butuan Bay.
3 Mar 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) damaged the Japanese river gunboat Karatsu (560 tons, former USS Luzon) in the Sulu Sea in position 08°55'N, 123°20'E.
20 Mar 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. F.D. Latta) ended her 10th war patrol at Fremantle.
4 May 1944
Around 0815H/4, HMAS Adelaide (A/Capt. J.C.D. Esdaile, OBE, RAN) departed Fremantle for exercises with the submarines USS Narwhal (T/Cdr. J.C. Titus, USN), USS Bluefish (T/Cdr. C.M. Henderson, USN) and USS Raton (T/Cdr. J.W. Davis, USN).
On completion of the exercises HMAS Adelaide set course to make rendezvous with the submarine tender USS Griffin (T/Capt. W.B. Throp, USN).
Rendezvous was affected around 1330H/6 and they arrived at Fremantle around 2130H/7. (1)
7 May 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. Jack C. Titus) left Fremantle for her 11th war patrol.
24 May 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) lands 22 men and supplies at Alusan Bay, Samar.
1 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) landed 16 men and stores on the southwest coast of Mindanao.
9 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) ended her 11th war patrol at Darwin, Australia.
10 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) left Darwin for her 12th war patrol.
13 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) shells oil tanks at Bula, Ceram Island, Netherlands East Indies.
21 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) sank the Japanese sailing vessel Shinshu Maru No.2 about 12 nautical miles south-west of Culasi in position 11°22'N, 121°52'E.
22 Jun 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) damaged the Japanese tanker Itsukushima Maru (10007 GRT, offsite link) in the Sulu Sea in position 09°00'N, 120°55'E.
12 Aug 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) leaves Fremantle for her 13th war patrol. Once again for a supply mission.
10 Sep 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) ended her 13th war patrol at Darwin.
14 Sep 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) left Darwin for her 14th war patrol. As usual on a supply mission.
5 Oct 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. J.C. Titus) ended her 14th war patrol when she returned to base.
11 Oct 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. William G. Holman) left Mios Woendi, Dutch New Guinea for her 15th and last war patrol.
2 Nov 1944
USS Narwhal (Cdr. W.G. Holman) ended her last (15th) war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.
6 Jan 1945
USS Narwhal (Cdr. W.G. Holman) left Brisbane bound for the U.S. east coast via the Panama Canal.
11 Feb 1945
USS Narwhal (Cdr. W.G. Holman, USN) arrived in the Panama Canal Zone.
13 Feb 1945
USS Narwhal (Cdr. W.G. Holman, USN) departed the Panama Canal Zone for the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
21 Feb 1945
USS Narwhal (Cdr. W.G. Holman, USN) arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was decommissioned there on 23 April 1945.
Media links
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Sources
- Report of proceedings of HMAS Adelaide for May 1944
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