| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Balao |
| Pennant | 322 |
| Built by | Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 27 May 1943 |
| Launched | 12 Mar 1944 |
| Commissioned | 4 Jul 1944 |
| End service | 15 Sep 1972 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Decommissioned 19 November 1948. Recommissioned, 15 May 1951. Decommissioned and stricken 15 September 1972. Sunk as a target. |
Commands listed for USS Blackfin (322)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. George Hays Laird, Jr., USN | 4 Jul 1944 | Dec 1944 |
| 2 | Cdr. William Lawrence Kitch, USN | Jan 1945 | Sep 45 ? |
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Noteable events involving Blackfin include:
14 Aug 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. George Hays Laird, Jr.) departs New London bound for the Pacific.
29 Aug 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) transits the Panama Canal.
11 Sep 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) arrives at Pearl Harbour.
30 Sep 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) departs Pearl Harbour for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Philippines.
10 Oct 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) toppes off with fuel at Saipan.
1 Nov 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese trooptransport Unkai Maru No. 12 (2745 GRT) and the Japanese auxiliary vessel Caroline Maru (320 GRT) west off Mindoro in position 12º54'N, 118º41'E. (see map)
4 Dec 1944
USS Blackfin (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) ends her 1st war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
2 Jan 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. William L. Kitch) departs Fremantle for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.
24 Jan 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer Shigure (1712 tons, offsite link) some 120 miles east of Khota Bharu, Malaya in position 06º00'N, 103º48'E. (see map)
15 Feb 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) ends her 2nd war patrol at Subic Bay, Philippines.
6 Mar 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) departs Subic Bay for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.
28 Mar 1945
While on patrol off the south-east coast of French Indochina and in pursuit of a Japanese convoy, USS Blackfin (Cdr. William L. Kitch) is damaged by depth charges. As a result of this she is forced to terminate her patrol.
9 Apr 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) ends her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.
7 May 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) departs Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Singapore.
6 Jun 1945
Due to defects encountered while on patrol USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) ends her rather short 4th war patrol at Pearl Harbour.
17 Jul 1945
With the defects corrected, USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) departs Pearl Harbour bound for Midway.
21 Jul 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) arrives at Midway.
29 Jul 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) departs Midway bound for Saipan.
7 Aug 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) arrives at Saipan.
11 Aug 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) departs Saipan for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Yellow Sea.
5 Sep 1945
USS Blackfin (Cdr. W.L. Kitch) ends her 5th war patrol at Guam.