| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | Gato |
| Pennant | 246 |
| Built by | Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | 9 Sep 1940 |
| Laid down | 1 Apr 1943 |
| Launched | 19 Dec 1943 |
| Commissioned | 21 Apr 1944 |
| End service | 2 Apr 1968 |
| History | Decommissioned 15 May 1946. |
Commands listed for USS Croaker (246)
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 | T/Cdr. John Elwood Lee, USN | 21 Apr 1944 | 10 Nov 1944 |
| 2 | T/Cdr. William Bismarck Thomas, USN | 10 Nov 1944 | 22 Aug 1945 |
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Notable events involving Croaker include:
29 Jun 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) arrived at Pearl Harbor from New London.
2 Jul 1944
During 2 July 1944, USS Sailfish (T/Cdr. R.E.M. Ward, USN) and USS Croaker (T/Cdr. J.E. Lee, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Le Hardy (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Holtz, USNR), USS Harold C. Thomas (Lt.Cdr. E.J. Haddon, USNR) and USS Charles R. Greer (Lt.Cdr. W.T. Denton, USNR).
On completion of the day exercises USS Croaker and USS Harold C. Thomas returned to Pearl Harbour.
The remaining ships remained out for night exercises and were joined for exercises on the 3rd by USS Spadefish (T/Cdr. G.W. Underwood, USN) and USS Harold C. Thomas. (1)
19 Jul 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
7 Aug 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese light cruiser Nagara (offsite link) about 35 nautical miles south of Nagasaki, Japan in position 32°09'N, 129°53'E.
14 Aug 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Daigen Maru No.7 (1289 GRT) south-west of Inchon, Korea in position 37°25'N, 125°12'E.
16 Aug 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Taito Maru (267 GRT) west of Korea in position 36°16'N, 125°49'E.
17 Aug 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Yamatero Maru (6862 GRT) off the west coast of Korea in position 35°33'N, 126°10'E.
31 Aug 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.
23 Sep 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) departed from Midway for her 2nd war patrol. Once again she was ordered to patrol in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
9 Oct 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinki Maru (2211 GRT) west of Kyushu, Japan in position 32°08'N, 129°51'E.
23 Oct 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakuran Maru (887 GRT) in the Yellow Sea, off the west coast of Korea in position 35°29'N, 126°05'E.
24 Oct 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Mikage Maru (2741 GRT) and the Japanese passenger/cargo ship Gassan Maru (4515 GRT) south-west of Quelpart Island in position 33°00'N, 125°49'E.
10 Nov 1944
USS Croaker (Cdr. J.E. Lee) ended her 2nd war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
13 Dec 1944
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Luzon Strait and in the South China Sea.
12 Feb 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) ended her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
12 Mar 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) departed from Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the French Indo-China coast.
22 Apr 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) ended her 4th war patrol at Subic Bay, Philippines.
15 May 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) departed from Subic Bay, Philippines for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Java Sea.
30 May 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) sank the Japanese vessels Shuttle Boat No.154 and Shuttle Boat No.146 in the Java Sea in position 04°50'S, 113°10'E.
5 Jun 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) ended her 5th war patrol at Fremantle.
1 Jul 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) departed from Fremantle for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea and off Hong Kong.
13 Aug 1945
USS Croaker (Lt.Cdr. W.B. Thomas) ended her 6th war patrol at Subic Bay.
Media links
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Sources
- War diary 14th Naval District for July 1944 + War diary USS Le Hardy for July 1944 + War diary USS Harold C. Thomas for July 1944 + War diary USS Charles R. Greer for July 1944
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