Allied Warships

Snook (SS-279)

Submarine of the Gato class

USS Snook being launched 15 August 1942.

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Gato
Pennant	279
Built by	Portsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.)
Ordered
Laid down	17 Apr, 1942
Launched	15 Aug, 1942
Commissioned	24 Oct, 1942
Lost	8 Apr, 1945
Loss position

History	USS Snook (Cdr. J.F. Walling) was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol, in the South China Sea or Luzon Strait. On 8 April 1945, she reported her position to submarine USS Tigrone (SS 419) and when she did not acknowledge messages sent from Tigrone the next day, it was presumed that she had headed toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April, she was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto in support of British carrier air strikes. On 20 April, the commander of the British carrier task force reported that he had a plane down in Snook's assigned area, and that he could not contact the submarine by radio. Snook was ordered to search the area and to acknowledge the order. When she failed to make a transmission, USS Bang (SS 385) was sent to make the search and rendezvous with Snook. Although Bang arrived and rescued the downed aviators, she saw nothing of the missing submarine and on 16 May 1945 USS Snook, credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one-half years of active service, was presumed lost after 8 April 1945, the victim of unknown causes. The loss date given is an approximate one.

Noteable events involving Snook include:

3 Mar, 1943
With her trials and initial training completed USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs New London bound for Pearl Harbour.

31 Mar, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) arrives at Pearl Harbour.

11 Apr, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs Pearl Harbour for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.

30 Apr, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) lays mines off Saddle Island, China.

5 May, 1943
While operating in the Yellow Sea USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ships Kinko Maru (1268 GRT, former British Stangton) in position 38º39'N, 122º35'E and Daifuku Maru (3194 GRT) in position 38º38'N, 122º39'E. (see map)

7 May, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ships Tosei Maru (4363 GRT) and Shinsei Maru No.3 (1258 GRT) in the Yellow Sea in position 36º05'N, 123º21'E. (see map)

16 May, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) sinks a Japanese trawler with gunfire south of Honshu, Japan in position 30º29'N, 141º55'E.

23 May, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) ends her 1st war patrol at Midway.

9 Jun, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.

24 Jun, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and damages the Japanese fleet oiler Ose (7986 GRT, former Dutch Genota captured on 9 May 1942 about 500 nautical miles off east of Madagascar by the Japanese merchant cruisers Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru) west of Amami Oshima in position 28º50'N, 126º56'E. (see map)

3 Jul, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and damages the Japanese troop transport Atlantic Maru (5872 GRT) and torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ships Liverpool Maru (5865 GRT) and Koki Maru (5290 GRT) about 250 nautical miles north-north-east of Keelung, Formosa in position 28º40'N, 124º10'E. (see map)

18 Jul, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) ends her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbour.

18 Aug, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs Pearl Harbour for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.

13 Sep, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Yamato Maru (9655 GRT) in the East China Sea in position 30º08'N, 123º32'E. (see map)

22 Sep, 1943
While operating in the Yellow Sea USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Katsurahama Maru (715 GRT) in position 39º00'N, 124º20'E and torpedoes and damages the Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakutetsu Maru (762 GRT) in position 39º15'N, 123º30'E. (see map)

8 Oct, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) ends her 3rd war patrol at Pearl Harbour.

31 Oct, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs Pearl Harbour for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off the Mariana Islands.

28 Nov, 1943
While operating north-west of Saipan USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kotobuki Maru (5874 GRT) in position 18º48'N, 139º50'E and the Japanese troop transport Yamafuku Maru (4928 GRT) in position 18º21'N, 140º08'E. (see map)

29 Nov, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Shiganoura Maru (3512 GRT) west off the Mariana Islands in position 18º38'N, 139º35'E. (see map)

7 Dec, 1943
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) ends her 4th war patrol at Midway.

6 Jan, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) departs Pearl Harbour for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off the west coast of Kyushu in Japanese home waters.

23 Jan, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Magane Maru (3120 GRT) about 175 nautical miles north-northwest of Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands in position 29º49'N, 140º08'E. (see map)

8 Feb, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Lima Maru (6989 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the Japanese army cargo ship Shiranesan Maru (4739 GRT) about 30 nautical miles south-east of the Goto Archipelago in position 31º05'N, 127º37'E. (see map)

14 Feb, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Nittoku Maru (3591 GRT) south- west of Tsushima, Japan in position 33º48'N, 128º50'E. (see map)

15 Feb, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kamone Maru (875 GRT) off the south coast of Korea in position 34º23'N, 128º23'E. (see map)

23 Feb, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kayo Maru (5471 GRT) about 120 nautical miles north-north-west of Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands in position 28º49'N, 141º13'E. (see map)

6 Mar, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. C.O. Triebel) ends her 5th war patrol at Pearl Harbour. she was now sent to the Hunters Point Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

25 Jun, 1944
With her overhaul completed USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) departs Pearl Harbour for her 6th war patrol.

14 Aug, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) ends her 6th war patrol at Pearl Harbour.

17 Sep, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) departs Pearl Harbour for her 7th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in Luzon Strait and the South China Sea.

25 Sep, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) puts into Saipan to make repairs.

4 Oct, 1944
With her repairs completed USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) departs Saipan to resume her 7th war patrol.

23 Oct, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) torpedoes and damages the Japanese merchant tanker Kikusui Maru (3887 GRT, former Dutch Iris) in the South China Sea, west of Luzon Strait in position 19º44'N, 118º25'E. The damaged ship sinks the next day in position 19º46'N, 118º30'E. (see map)

24 Oct, 1944
While operating west of Luzon Strait USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ships Arisan Maru (6886 GRT) in position 20º54'N, 118º19'E and Shinsei Maru No.1 (5863 GRT) in position 20º10'N, 118º17'E. (see map)

18 Nov, 1944
USS Snook (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Browne) ends her 7th war patrol at Pearl Harbour.

25 Dec, 1944
USS Snook (Cdr. J.F. Walling) departs Pearl Harbour for her 8th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off the Kuril Islands.

17 Feb, 1945
USS Snook (Cdr. J.F. Walling) ends her 8th war patrol at Guam.

25 Mar, 1945
USS Snook (Cdr. J.F. Walling) departs Guam for her 9th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait.