Allied Warships

Rock (SS-274)

Submarine of the Gato class

USS Rock on sea trails in Lake Michigan.

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Gato
Pennant	274
Built by	Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. (Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.A.)
Ordered	9 Sep 1940
Laid down	23 Dec 1942
Launched	20 Jun 1943
Commissioned	26 Oct 1943
End service	13 Sep 1969
History	Decommissioned 1 May 1946. Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned as a Radar Picket Submarine 12 October 1953. Decommissioned and stricken 13 September 1969. Used as a target.

Commands listed for USS Rock (274)

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	T/Lt.Cdr. John Jay Flachsenhar, USN	26 Oct 1943	23 Feb 1945
2	T/Cdr. Robert Allen Keating, Jr., USN	23 Feb 1945	4 May 1945
3	T/Lt.Cdr. Theodore Montayne Ustick, USN	4 May 1945	Aug 1945

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Rock include:

5 Dec 1943
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar, USN) departed New Orleans, Lousiana for Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone.

10 Dec 1943
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar, USN) arrived at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone from New Orleans, Lousiana to begin a training period.

2 Jan 1944
With her initial training completed USS Rock (Cdr. John J. Flachsenhar) departed from the Panama Canal Zone bound for Pearl Harbor.

8 Feb 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.

29 Feb 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) is damaged by surface gunfire and depth charges off the Ryukyu Islands in position 25°33'N, 130°42'E and is forced to terminate her patrol.

13 Mar 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) ended her 1st war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

4 Apr 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Honshu in Japanese home waters.

28 May 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) ended her 2nd war patrol at Majuro.

22 Jun 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) departed from Majuro for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Luzon Strait.

12 Aug 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) ended her 3rd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

9 Sep 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

26 Oct 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant tanker Takasago Maru No.7 (834 GRT) near Balabac Strait in position 10°18'N, 117°47'E.

8 Nov 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) ended her 4th war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.

14 Dec 1944
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) departed from Fremantle for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.

14 Feb 1945
USS Rock (Cdr. J.J. Flachsenhar) ended her 5th war patrol at Fremantle.

7 Mar 1945
USS Rock (Cdr. Robert A. Keating, Jr.) departed from Fremantle for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Luzon Strait.

9 Mar 1945
USS Rock (Cdr. R.A. Keating, Jr.) picks up 15 survivors from the American merchant Peter Silvester that was torpedoed and sunk on 6 February by German U-boat U-862 south-west of Australia in position 34°19'S, 99°37'E.

29 Apr 1945
USS Rock (Cdr. R.A. Keating, Jr.) ended her 6th war patrol at Saipan. She is now sent to the Hunters Point Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

14 May 1945
USS Rock (Cdr. R.A. Keating, Jr.) arrived at the Hunters Point Navy Yard.

7 Aug 1945
With her overhaul completed USS Rock (Lt.Cdr. T.M. Ustick) departed from the US west coast bound for Pearl Harbor.