USS Barbel SS-316

The USS Barbel was a Balao-class submarine and the first vessel in the United States Navy to be named for the barbel, more commonly known as a type of carp or minnow. She was launched on November 14, 1943 and commissioned on April 3, 1944, with Commander R.A. Keating as her commander.

The USS Barbel During World War II

The USS Barbel arrived in Pearl Harbor on June 21, 1944 to prepare for her first patrol of the war. Between July 15, 1944 and February 4, 1945, she completed a total of three patrols and has officially been credited with the sinking of six Japanese vessels with a total weight of 15,263 tons.

Her first patrol began on July 15, 1944. She was assigned to patrol in the Nansei Shoto, where she made her first attack on August 5, and downed the Miyako Maru. Four days later she located a convoy of three cargo ships and six escorts. After firing her torpedoes at all three of the cargos, she quickly submerged to avoid depthcharges. She is credited with having downed Yagi Maru and Boko Maru during this encounter. The USS Barbel's first war patrol concluded in the Marshall Islands on August 21.

Her first patrol began on July 15, 1944. She was assigned to patrol in the Nansei Shoto, where she made her first attack on August 5 and downed the Miyako Maru. Four days later she located a convoy of three cargo ships and six escorts. After firing her torpedoes at all three of the cargos, she quickly submerged to avoid depthcharges. She is credited with having downed Yagi Maru and Boko Maru during this encounter. The USS Barbel's first war patrol concluded in the Marshall Islands on August 21.

The second war patrol of the USS Barbel began on September 13. This time she was assigned to patrol northeast of Amami Shima. Here, she sank the Bushu Maru on September 25. After several more weeks on patrol it ended on October 24 at Saipan. Her third and final complete war patrol was in Luzon Straight, where on November 14 she downed Sugiyama Maru and Misaki Maru while managing to avoid machine gun fire and depthcharges from the ships escorting the convoy. Her patrol ended at Fremantle, Australia, on December 7.

Having been commissioned fairly late in the United States' involvement in World War II, the USS Barbel experienced little in the way of action, compared to other vessels which were launched much earlier. However, the USS Barbel's history was short for another reason. Early in 1945, she was badly damaged and sunk by bombs dropped by Japanese aviators.

On January 5, 1945, the USS Barbel departed Fremantle, Australia, on her fourth and final patrol, which she never completed. At the end of January, she was given orders to form a wolf pack with Gabilan and Perch. Working together, they would coordinate their movement and attacks, with the intention of more successfully locating and downing targets.

Wolf packs, officially known as coordinated attack groups, were used by the United States Navy mainly as a measure against Japanese shipping, preventing the transport of troops and supplies. The wolf packs normally consisted of three submarines, which would patrol together under the leadership of the senior captain of the three boats.

The wolf pack comprising Barbel, Perch, and Galilan was ordered to patrol the southern approach to Palawan Passage and the western entrance to Balabac Strait. On February 3, however, the USS Barbel reported that she had been attacked by enemy depthcharges, and would relay more information about the incident the next day.

This was the last message ever received from the Barbel. Japanese records located after the war indicate that the Barbel may have been attacked by Japanese aviators off the southwest of Palawan on February 4. Records indicate that two bombs were dropped, and that one landed near the Barbel's bridge. She plunged underwater, and was never seen again. It is highly likely that this was the Barbel's last action of the war.

After the War

After her February 3 message, the USS Barbel was never heard from again, nor seen by any United States forces. She was officially reported as lost on February 16, 1945. She received three battle stars for her service in World War II.

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