The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Monday, February 14, 2022

More About the USS Sealion (SS-315)-- Part 4: Second War Patrol

The Sealion was refitted at Midway by the USS Fulton (AS-11), she departed on her second War Patrol on 17 August 1944 with the USS Growler (SS-215) and USS Pampanito (SS-383).  On 31 August the Sealion conducted a nighttime surface attack on a Japanese convoy.

The Sealion sank the minelayer Shiratake and also came under heavy depth charge attack, but was not damaged.

Low on torpedoes and fuel, the Sealion returned to Saipan and refueled and armed.

On 11 September, she rendezvoused with two other submarines and together the group attacked and decimated a convoy en route to Formosa.   The information for this attack was achieved by American code breakers deciphering  a coded message.

What they didn't know was that the convoy was carrying British and Australian POWs from the infamous Thai Burma Railway.

--GreGen


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