Allied Warships

Guardfish (SS-217)

Submarine of the Gato class

USS Guardfish as completed

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Gato
Pennant	217
Built by	Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.)
Ordered	1 Jul 1940
Laid down	1 Apr 1941
Launched	20 Jan 1942
Commissioned	8 May 1942
End service	1 Jun 1960
History	Decommissioned 25 May 1946. Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Served as a Naval Reserve Training Vessel at New London Connecticut from 18 June 1948 till 1 June 1960. Stricken 1 October 1960. Sunk a target 10 October 1961 off the coast of New England.

Commands listed for USS Guardfish (217)

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.Cdr. Thomas Burton Klakring, USN	8 May 1942	18 May 1943
2	T/Lt.Cdr. Norvell Gardiner Ward, USN	18 May 1943	27 Oct 1944
3	T/Cdr. Douglas Thompson Hammond, USN	27 Oct 1944	19 Jul 1945
4	T/Lt.Cdr. Julian Thompson Burke, Jr., USN	19 Jul 1945	25 May 1946

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Notable events involving Guardfish include:

Guardfish receives the Presidential Unit Citation for Patrols 1 and 2. (1)

28 Jun 1942
With her trials and training completed USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring, USN) departed New London, Connecticutd for the Panama Canal Zone.

8 Jul 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring, USN) arrived at the Panama Canal Zone.

25 Jul 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) arrived at Pearl Harbor.

6 Aug 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in Japanese home waters off northeast Honshu.

22 Aug 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) sank a Japanese fishing vessel with gunfire east of Honshu in position 39°40'N, 142°10'E.

24 Aug 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese passenger-cargo ship Seikai Maru (3109 GRT) off the entrance to Sendai harbour, on the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan in position 38°12'N, 141°30'E.

2 Sep 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Teikyu Maru (2332 GRT) (former Danish Gustav Diederickson) about 17 nautical miles south-east of Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan in position 42°08'N, 141°15'E.

4 Sep 1942
While operating off Kuji Bay, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchants Kaimei Maru (5253 GRT) and Chita Maru (2276 GRT) in position 40°14'N, 141°51'E, and the Japanese passenger cargo ship Tenyu Maru (3728 GRT) in position 40°12'N, 141°49'E.

15 Sep 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) ended a very successful first war patrol at Midway.

30 Sep 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) departed from Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the East China Sea.

21 Oct 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Nichiho Maru (6362 GRT) about 120 nautical miles north-north-east of Formosa in position 27°03'N, 122°42'E.

28 Nov 1942
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) ended her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

2 Jan 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Truk.

12 Jan 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese Patrol Boat No.1 (1390 tons, former destroyer Shimakaze, offsite link) about 10 nautical miles south-west of the Tingwon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago in position 02°51'S, 149°43'E.

23 Jan 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Hakaze (offsite link) south of Steffen Strait, between New Ireland and New Hanover, Bismarck Archipelago in position 02°47'S, 156°38'E.

15 Feb 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) ended her 3th war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.

9 Mar 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) departed from Brisbane for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands area.

30 Apr 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. T.B. Klakring) ended her 4th war patrol at Brisbane.

2 May 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) departed from Brisbane for her 5th war patrol. Once again she was ordered to patrol the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands area.

13 Jun 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Suzuya Maru (897 GRT) off the southwest coast of New Ireland in position 03°08'S, 151°24'E.

14 Jul 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) picked up a surveying party on the west coast of Bougainville.

2 Aug 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) ended her 5th war patrol at Brisbane.

24 Aug 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) departed from Brisbane for her 6th war patrol. Once again she was ordered the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands area.

8 Oct 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Kashu Maru (5460 GRT) north of Manus in position 00°20'S, 146°17'E.

3 Nov 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) ended her 6th war patrol at Brisbane.

3 Dec 1943
HMAS Stuart (Lt.Cdr. N.A. Mackinnon, RAN) and HMAS Cowra (T/Lt. W.J. Gillies, RANR(S)) conducted exercises in Moreton Bay.

On completion of these exercises they proceeded to sea for A/S and attack exercises with USS Guardfish (T/Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward, USN) which were to continue until the next day.

However at 2355L/3, USS Guardfish collided with the small Army tanker Y-20 (484 GRT, built 1943) and the exercises had to be broken off and all ships returned to Brisbane. (2)

27 Dec 1943
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) departed from Brisbane for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Truk.

14 Jan 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fleet tanker Kenyo Maru (10024 GRT, offsite link) some 520 nautical miles east-south-east of Palau in position 05°23'N, 141°32'E.

1 Feb 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Umikaze (offsite link) off the southern entrance to Truk Atoll in position 07°11'N, 151°44'E.

18 Feb 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) ended her 7th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She was now sent to San Francisco for an overhaul.

16 Jun 1944
With her overhaul completed USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 8th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Formosa together with USS Thresher and USS Piranha.

16 Jul 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ships Mantai Maru (5862 GRT, built 1919) and Jinzan Maru (5215 GRT, built 1919) off Cape Bojeador, Luzon, Philippines in position 19°21'N, 119°43'E.

17 Jul 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant Hiyama Maru (2838 GRT, built ????) west of Luzon, Philippines in position 18°21'N, 119°49'E.

19 Jul 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Teiryu Maru (6512 GRT, built 1915) in the South China Sea, south-west of Formosa in position 20°00'N, 118°29'E.

31 Jul 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) ended her 8th war patrol at Midway.

23 Aug 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) departed from Midway for her 9th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Sea of Japan together with USS Thresher and USS Sunfish.

2 Sep 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) sank the Japanese merchant Shirakami Maru (873 GRT) with gunfire north of Chichi Jima in position 29°48'N, 140°20'E.

24 Oct 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. N.G. Ward) ended her 9th war patrol at Guam.

26 Nov 1944
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) departed from Guam for her 10th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

24 Jan 1945
While on the return trip to Guam from an unsuccessful 10th war patrol, USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. Douglas T. Hammond) mistakenly sank the US salvage vessel USS Extractor in Philippine Sea in position 15°44'N, 133°29'E. The Extractor sank taking 6 members of her crew with her. The remainder of the crew is picked up by Guardfish and taken to Guam where they arrived on 26 January 1945.

27 Feb 1945
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) departed from Saipan for her 11th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Kii Suido.

11 Apr 1945
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) ended her 11th war patrol at Midway.

8 May 1945
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) departed from Midway for her 12th war patrol. She was ordered to perform lifeguard duty off the coast of Honshu.

16 Jun 1945
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) sank a Japanese fishing vessel with gunfire east of Honshu in position 38°23'N, 145°00'E.

26 Jun 1945
USS Guardfish (Lt.Cdr. D.T. Hammond) ended her 12th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She was now assigned to training duties.