| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Gato |
| Pennant | 239 |
| Built by | Mare Island Navy Yard (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | 28 Jun 1940 |
| Laid down | 28 Jun 1941 |
| Launched | 14 Mar 1942 |
| Commissioned | 1 Jun 1942 |
| End service | Sep 1957 |
| History | Decommissioned on 1 June 1946. |
Commands listed for USS Whale (239)
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. John Behling Azer, USN | 1 Jun 1942 | 20 Feb 1943 | |
| 2 | T/Cdr. Albert Collins Burrows, USN | 20 Feb 1943 | 9 Feb 1944 | |
| 3 | T/Cdr. James Bizzell Grady, USN | 9 Feb 1944 | 15 Jan 1945 | |
| 4 | T/Lt.Cdr. Freeland Henry Carde, Jr., USN | 1 May 1945 | 25 Aug 1945 | |
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Notable events involving Whale include:
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Kenyo Maru (6486 GRT) about 130 nautical miles northwest of Saipan in position 17?20'N, 145?00'E.
9 Oct 1942
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) left Pearl Harbor for her maiden war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in Japanese home waters off Kii Suido.
25 Oct 1942
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) lays 20 mines off Honshu, Japan, at the entrance to the Inland Sea.
30 Oct 1942
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) is badly damaged by depth charges and is forced to return to base.
10 Nov 1942
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor. She is repaired and refitted until 2 January 1943.
3 Jan 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) left Pearl Harbor for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Marshall Islands area.
13 Jan 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) torpedoed and sank the Japanese collier Iwashiro Maru (3559 GRT) about 40 nautical miles north of Kwajalein, 09°54'N, 167°07'E.
17 Jan 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Heiyo Maru (9816 GRT) north-east of Truk in position 10°13'N, 151°25'E.
25 Jan 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese tanker Syoyo Maru. Before the tanker can be finished off, Whale was forced down by it's escort.
27 Jan 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) torpedoed and damaged the Japanese transport Shoan Maru (5624 GRT) in the central Pacific in position 14°24'N, 153°30'E. The Shoan Maru is towed to Saipan and grounded.
2 Feb 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Azer) ended her 2nd war patrol at Midway.
20 Feb 1943
Whale's Commanding Officer, Lt Cmdr John Behling Azer was relieved by Lt Cmdr Albert C. Burrows.
28 Feb 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) left base for her 3th war patrol. She was to patrol between the Mariana Islands and Japan.
6 Apr 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) ended her 3th war patrol at Midway.
10 May 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) left Midway on her 4th war patrol. She was to patrol in the Saipan area.
26 May 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Shoei Maru (3580 GRT) about 17 nautical miles north-northwest of Rota Island, Mariana Islands in position 14°17'N, 144°54'E.
21 Jun 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) ended her 4th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
8 Aug 1943
While on her 5th war patrol USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) torpedoed and sank the Japanese ammunition ship Naruto Maru (7148 GRT) northwest of the Mariana Islands in position 24°12'N, 142°52'E. Whale survives a counter-attack by the escorting Japanese destroyer Asanagi (offsite link).
7 Sep 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) ended her 5th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. She now underwent a major overhaul.
25 Dec 1943
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) left base for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol the shipping lanes between Tokyo and Truk.
16 Jan 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Denmark Maru (5869 GRT) about 400 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa in position 23°09'N, 135°14'E. She also finishes off the Japanese troop transport Tarushima Maru (4865 GRT, torpedoed earlier that day by USS Seawolf) in position 22°50'N, 135°40'E.
3 Feb 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. A.C. Burrows) ended her 6th war patrol when she returned to Midway.
9 Feb 1944
Lt Cmdr Albert C. Burrows was relieved as Commanding Officer by Lt Cmdr James B. Grady.
14 Mar 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) left Midway for her 7th war patrol. She was to patrol in the East China Sea.
9 Apr 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Honan Maru (5401 GRT) off the north-western coast of Kyushu in position 33°45'N, 128°42'E.
3 May 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) ended her 7th war patrol at Majuro in the Marshall Islands.
28 May 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) left Majuro for her 8th war patrol. She was to patrol in Japanese home waters.
7 Jun 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport Shinroku Maru (2857 GRT) and damaged the Japanese transport Sugiyama Maru (4379 GRT) north-northeast of the Bonin Islands in position 31°06'N, 142°34'E.
11 Jul 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) ended her 8th war patrol at Midway.
24 Aug 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) left base for her 9th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Samar Island, Philippines to give cover for the invasion of the Palau Islands. On 17 September 1944 she was ordered to patrol southeast of Formosa.
6 Oct 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) torpedoed and sank the Japanese tanker Akane Maru (10241 GRT) west of the Balintang Channel, North-North-West of Luzon in position 19°40'N, 118°05'E.
29 Oct 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) ended her 9th war patrol when she returns to base at Midway.
21 Nov 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) left Midway for her 10th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the Ryukyu Islands.
5 Dec 1944
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) sank four Japanese trawlers with gunfire 12 miles southeast of Nakano Jima.
15 Jan 1945
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. J.B. Grady) end her 10th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. she was ordered to the Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul.
15 Jun 1945
Her refit and trials completed USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. Freeland Henry Carde, Jr.) left Pearl Harbor for her 11th war patrol, and was ordered to patrol off Bungo Suido on lifeguard duty.
8 Aug 1945
At 0100I/8, USS Dragonet (T/Lt.Cdr. G.G. Hinman, USN) made rendezvous with USS Whale Lt.Cdr. F.H. Carde, 3rd., USN) and transferred the pilot she had picked up earlier.
25 Aug 1945
USS Whale (Lt.Cdr. F.H. Carde, Jr) ended her 11th war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
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