Allied Warships
Hammerhead (SS-364)
Submarine of the Gato class
USS Hammerhead about to hit the water during launch.
| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Gato |
| Pennant | 364 |
| Built by | Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. (Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 5 May 1943 |
| Launched | 20 Oct 1943 |
| Commissioned | 1 Mar 1944 |
| End service | 7 Aug 1954 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Ordered as a Balao-class submarine but the yard was not ready to start construction of this class after completion of her previous contract so she was built as a Gato-class submarine. Decommissioned 10 May 1946. |
Commands listed for USS Hammerhead (364)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Cdr. John Craysdale Martin, USN | 1 Mar 1944 | Jan 1945 |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. George Hays Laird, Jr., USN | Feb 1945 | Mar 1945 |
| 3 | Lt.Cdr. Frank Mcelhany Smith, USN | Mar 1945 | Aug 45 ? |
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Noteable events involving Hammerhead include:
6 Jun 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) departs Pearl Harbour for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol south of Formosa.
17 Aug 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) ends her 1st war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
9 Sep 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) departs Fremantle for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Java and South China Seas.
1 Oct 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese ore carriers Kokusei Maru (5396 GRT) and Hiyori Maru (5321 GRT) and the Japanese merchant cargo ship Higane Maru (5320 GRT) north of Borneo in position 06º30'N, 116º11'E. (see map)
20 Oct 1944
While operating north of Borneo USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Oyo Maru (5458 BRT) in position 04º41'N, 113º22'E, and the Japanese army cargo ship Ugo Maru (3684 BRT) in position 04º52'N, 113º24'E. (see map)
2 Nov 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) ends her 2nd war patrol at Fremantle.
25 Nov 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) departs Fremantle for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.
8 Dec 1944
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) and USS Paddle (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Fitz-Patrick) teams up to sink the Japanese merchant tanker Shoei Maru (2854 GRT) in the South China Sea in position 03º50'N, 111º30'E. The two submarines share the kill. (see map)
17 Jan 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Martin) ends her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.
19 Feb 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) departs Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea along the French Indo-China coast.
23 Feb 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese frigate Yaku (940 tons, offsite link) about 15 nautical miles south of Cape Varella, French Indo-China in position 12º42'N, 109º30'E. (see map)
3 Mar 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Laird, Jr.) ends her 4th war patrol at Subic Bay, Philippines.
10 Mar 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Smith) departs Subic Bay for her 5th war patrol. Once again she is ordered to patrol in the South China Sea along the French Indo-China coast.
29 Mar 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Smith) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese corvette Kaibokan No.84 (740 tons) about 115 nautical miles north of Cape Varella, French Indo-China in position 14º44'N, 109º16'E. (see map)
6 Apr 1945
USS Hammerhead (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Smith) ends her 5th war patrol at Subic Bay.
3 May 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) departs Subic Bay for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Gulf of Siam.
6 May 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kinrei Maru (867 GRT) in the Gulf of Siam in position 08º15'N, 102º00'E. (see map)
15 May 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport ship Tottori Maru (5978 GRT) in the Gulf of Siam in position 09º12'N, 101º20'E. (see map)
25 May 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) ends her 6th war patrol at Fremantle.
21 Jun 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) departs Fremantle for her 7th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Gulf of Siam.
10 Jul 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Sakura Maru (900 GRT) and the Japanese merchant tanker Nanmei Maru No.5 (834 GRT) in the Gulf of Siam in position 09º38'N, 101º31'E.
(see map)
21 Aug 1945
USS Hammerhead (Cdr. F.M. Smith) ends her 7th war patrol at Pearl Harbour.