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Allied Warships

Pomfret (SS-391)

Submarine of the Balao class


USS Pomfret as seen from the air.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassBalao 
Pennant391 
Built byPortsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down14 Jul, 1943 
Launched27 Oct, 1943 
Commissioned19 Feb, 1944 
End service1 Jul, 1970 
Loss position
 
HistoryDecommissioned in April 1952 .
Recommissioned 5 December 1952.
Decommissioned and transferred to Turkey 1 July 1971 being renamed Oruc Reis (S-337).
Stricken by the Turkish Navy in 1987. 

Noteable events involving Pomfret include:

1 Jun, 1944
With her trials and initial training completed USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) arrives at Pearl Harbour.

23 Jun, 1944
USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) departs Pearl Harbour for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in Japanese home waters east of Kyusyu.

16 Aug, 1944
USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) ends her 1st war patrol at Midway.

10 Sep, 1944
USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) departs Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in Luzon Straits.

2 Oct, 1944
USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Tsuyama Maru (6962 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the Japanese troop transport Makassar Maru (4026 GRT) south of Formosa in position 21º00'N, 121º46'E. (see map)

12 Oct, 1944
USS Pomfret (Cdr. F.C. Acker) ends her 2nd war patrol at Saipan.

1 Nov, 1944
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) departs Saipan for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol south of Formosa.

2 Nov, 1944
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Hamburg Maru (5271 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the Japanese troop transport Atlas Maru (7343 GRT) in Luzon Striat in position 20º20'N, 121º30'E. The next day the Atlas Maru is beached off Sabtang Island in position 20º18'N, 121º51'E and declared a total loss. (see map)

25 Nov, 1944
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Shoho Maru (1358 GRT) in Luzon Strait in position 20º18'N, 121º34'E.
It is claimed in some sources that in this attack Pomfret also sank patrol boat #38 (ed DD Yomogi). However, Shoho maru was not part of the convoy escorted by #38, therefore there is no basis for this claim. #38 was sunk in the 0125 hrs attack by USS Atule. (see map)

15 Dec, 1944
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) ends her 3rd war patrol at Pearl Harbour.

25 Jan, 1945
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) departs Pearl Harbour for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Honshu, Japan.

30 Mar, 1945
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) ends her 4th war patrol at Midway.

26 Apr, 1945
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) departs Midway for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off the Kuril Islands.

6 Jun, 1945
USS Pomfret (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Hess) ends her 5th war patrol at Midway.

2 Jul, 1945
USS Pomfret (Cdr. J.B. Hess) departs Midway for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the East China Sea.

26 Jul, 1945
USS Pomfret (Cdr. J.B. Hess) sinks two small Japanese vessel with gunfire in the East China Sea in position 33º47'N, 126º50'E. (see map)

8 Aug, 1945
USS Pomfret (Cdr. J.B. Hess) sinks a small Japanese vessel with gunfire in the East China Sea in position 32º01'N, 129º02'E. (see map)

11 Aug, 1945
USS Pomfret (Cdr. J.B. Hess) sinks a small Japanese vessel with gunfire in the East China Sea in position 32º46'N, 128º44'E. (see map)

13 Aug, 1945
USS Pomfret (Cdr. J.B. Hess) sinks a small Japanese vessel with gunfire in the East China Sea in position 33º48'N, 126º50'E. (see map)



Books dealing with this subject include:

World War II American Submarines, Borchers, Duane D., Sr.,


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