Allied Warships

Flying Fish (SS-229)

Submarine of the Gato class

USS Flying Fish shortly after the war

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Submarine
Class	Gato
Pennant	229
Built by	Portsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.)
Ordered	12 Jun 1940
Laid down	6 Dec 1940
Launched	9 Jul 1941
Commissioned	10 Dec 1941
End service	28 May 1954
History	Decommissioned 28 May 1954. Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Stricken 1 August 1958. Sold 1 May 1959 and broken up for scrap.

Commands listed for USS Flying Fish (229)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt. Glynn Robert Donaho, USN	10 Dec 1941	15 May 1943
2	T/Lt. Walter Lowry Small, USN	15 May 1943	26 May 1943
3	T/Capt. Frank Thomas Watkins, USN	26 May 1943	28 Jul 1943
4	T/Cdr. Glynn Robert Donaho, USN	28 Jul 1943	19 Nov 1943
5	T/Lt.Cdr. Robert Dunlap Risser, USN	19 Nov 1943	19 Jan 1946

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Notable events involving Flying Fish include:

21 Mar 1942
Having completed her torpedo trials, USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho, USN) arrived at New London, Connecticut from Newport, Rhode Island.

6 Apr 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho, USN) departed New London, Connecticut for Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone.

14 Apr 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho, USN) arrived at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone from New London, Connecticut.

17 Apr 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Balboa bound for Pearl Harbour.

2 May 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) arrived at Pearl Harbor.

17 May 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Pearl Harbor to take part in the defence of Midway. She was ordered to patrol west to north-west of the island.

9 Jun 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) refuels and restores at Midway.

11 Jun 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Midway for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Formosa.

25 Jul 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.

15 Aug 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Truk in the Coroline islands.

28 Aug 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) fires 4 torpedoes at the Japanese battleship Yamato off Truk in approximate position 07°00'N, 151°00'E. All torpedoes missed their target.

15 Sep 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

27 Oct 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of the Marshall Islands.

16 Dec 1942
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 3rd war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.

6 Jan 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Brisbane for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Mariana Islands area.

6 Jan 1943
HMAS Warramunga (Cdr. E.F.V. Dechaineux, DSC, RAN) and HMAS Vendetta (Lt.Cdr. C.J. Stephenson, RAN) conducted towing exercises in Moreton Bay on completion of which they went to sea for A/S exercises with USS Flying Fish (T/Cdr. G.R. Donaho) which were only completed in the afternoon of the 7th. (1)

26 Jan 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese troop transport Tokai Maru (8359 GRT) at Apra Harbour, Guam in position 13°27'N, 144°37'E.

6 Feb 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese troop transport Nagizan Maru (4391 GRT) off Tinian, Mariana Islands in position 14°57'N, 145°..'E.

16 Feb 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and sank the Japanese stores ship Hyuga Maru (994 GRT) off Pagan, Mariana Islands in position 18°30'N, 145°57'E.

28 Feb 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 4th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

24 Mar 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Honshu and Hokkaido in Japanese home waters.

12 Apr 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Sapporo Maru No.12 (2865 GRT) at the eastern entrance to Tsugaru Strait, off Shiriyazaki, northern Honshu, Japan in position 41°23'N, 141°30'E.

15 Apr 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Seiryu Maru (1904 GRT) off Esansaki, Japan in position 41°55'N, 141°06'E.

17 Apr 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Amaho Maru (2774 GRT) off Yerimozaki, Hokkaido, Japan in position 42°04'N, 143°22'E.

24 Apr 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship Kasuga Maru (1374 GRT) in Tsugaru Strait in position 41°44'N, 141°21'E.

11 May 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 5th war patrol at Midway.

2 Jun 1943
USS Flying Fish (Capt. F.T. Watkins) departed from Midway for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Formosa.

2 Jul 1943
USS Flying Fish (Capt. F.T. Watkins) torpedoed and sank Japanese merchant passenger/troop transport Canton Maru (2822 GRT) off the Chinese coast, some 80 miles north-east of Amoy in position 25°07'N, 119°18'E.

11 Jul 1943
USS Flying Fish (Capt. F.T. Watkins) sank the Japanese guard boat Takatori Maru No.8 (51 GRT) with gunfire between Okino Daito Jima and Kazan Retto in position 24°00'N, 135°25'E.

27 Jul 1943
USS Flying Fish (Capt. F.T. Watkins) ended her 6th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She now had a major overhaul at Pearl Harbor.

4 Oct 1943
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. G.R. Donaho) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Palau.

27 Oct 1943
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. G.R. Donaho) torpedoed and the Japanese troop transport Nanman Maru (6550 GRT) north-west off Yap in position 12°02'N, 134°28'E.

6 Nov 1943
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. G.R. Donaho) ended her 7th war patrol at Midway.

30 Nov 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) departed from Midway for her 8th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Formosa Strait and the South China Sea.

16 Dec 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Ginyo Maru (8613 GRT) south-west of Formosa in position 22°18'N, 119°52'E.

27 Dec 1943
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fleet tanker Kyuei Maru (10171 GRT) south-west of Formosa in position 21°25'N, 118°05'E.

28 Jan 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) ended her 8th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.

22 Feb 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 9th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.

12 Mar 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Taijin Maru (1924 GRT) about 10 nautical miles north-west of Daito Jima in position 25°53'N, 131°19'E.

16 Mar 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Anzan Maru (5493 GRT) about 20 nautical miles north of Okinoeradu Jima in position 27°38'N, 128°38'E.

1 Apr 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese cargo ship Minami Maru (2398 GRT, former Norwegian Solviken (offsite link) at Kaito Daito Jima in position 25°59'N, 131°19'E.

11 Apr 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) ended her 9th war patrol at Majuro.

4 May 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) departed from Majuro for her 10th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol east of the Mariana Islands.

24 May 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) is damaged by the premature explosion of own torpedo in the Philippine Sea in position 12°54'N, 134°52'E. Nevertheless she remains on patrol.

25 May 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Taito Maru (4466 GRT) and the Japanese merchant cargo ship Osaka Maru (3740 GRT) north of Palau in position 11°14'N, 135°12'E.

15 Jun 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) spots a Japanese carrier force emerging from the San Bernardino Strait bound westward. She immediately reports this sighting.

5 Jul 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) ended her 10th war patrol at Brisbane, Australia.

1 Aug 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) departed from Brisbane for her 11th war patrol She was ordered to patrol south of the Philippines.

18 Oct 1944
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) ended her 11th war patrol at Midway. She was ordered to San Francisco for an overhaul.

18 May 1945
With her overhaul completed USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) arrived at Guam to make preparations for her 12th war patrol.

29 May 1945
USS Flying Fish (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Risser) departed from Guam for her 12th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Sea of Japan.

7 Jun 1945
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. R.D. Risser) enters the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait.

10 Jun 1945
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Taga Maru (2220 GRT) off Seishin, north-western Korea in position 41°42'N, 129°34'E.

11 Jun 1945
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. R.D. Risser) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Meisei Maru (3095 GRT) near Rashin, Korea in position 41°47'N, 131°44'E.

15 Jun 1945
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. R.D. Risser) destroys 10 Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire off north-western Korea, in position 41°50'N, 129°55'E.

4 Jul 1945
USS Flying Fish (Cdr. R.D. Risser) ended her 12th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.