Second in a Series
By James Heinz
Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., known mainly for building steel ferries, ore haulers, and self-propelled fuel barges, constructed twenty-eight submarines during World War II. Previously, Manitowoc had never built one.
Founded in 1902, the company was located on the western shore of Lake Michigan at the city of Manitowoc in Wisconsin.
In 1939, Charles C. West, president of the company, contacted the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Construction and Repair proposing to build destroyers, transporting them through the Chicago River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Illinois River, and Mississippi River in a floating drydock towed by a tugboat. After evaluating the plan and visiting the shipyard, the Navy suggested building submarines instead. Although never having built a submarine, Manitowoc completed its first vessel in two-hundred and twenty-eight days before the contract delivery date.
Manitowoc constructed two types of subs known as “fleet boats,” the Gato class followed by the Balao class. They were designed to scout ahead of the fleet and report on the enemy fleet’s composition, speed, and course, then the submarines were to attack and whittle down the enemy before the main fleet action. To be effective, a submarine needed high surface speed, long range and endurance, and heavy armament.
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Here’s the list of Gato class boats launched in 1942:
● USS Peto − sank seven ships in ten Pacific patrols
● USS Pogy − sank sixteen ships in ten Pacific patrols
● USS Pompon − sank three ships in nine Pacific patrols
● USS Puffer − sank eight ships in nine Pacific patrols
● USS Rasher − sank eighteen ships in eight Pacific patrols, second highest tonnage sunk by a US submarine during the war
● USS Raton − sank nine ships in eight Pacific patrols
Here are Gato class boats launched in 1943:
● USS Ray − sank fourteen ships in eight Pacific patrols
● USS Redfin − sank five ships in seven Pacific patrols
● USS Robalo − three Pacific patrols (sub was lost in action)
● USS Rock − sank one ship in six Pacific patrols
● USS Golet − two Pacific patrols
● USS Guavina − sank five ships in six Pacific patrols
● USS Guitarro − sank six ships in five Pacific patrols
● USS Hammerhead − sank eleven ships in seven Pacific patrols
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USS Cobia, the submarine on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Musuem in Manitowoc, is a Gato class sub, although she was not built at Manitowoc.
Four Gato subs were initiallyordered as Balao class, and were assigned hull numbers accordingly. In some references they are listed with that class. However, they were completed by Manitowoc as Gatos, due to a delay in the development of Balao class drawings.
An improvement on the Gato class, Balao boats had slight internal differences, the most significant being the use of thicker, higher yield strength steel in the pressure hull skins and frames. This increased their test depth to 400 feet.
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One Balao class boat was built in 1943:
● USS Hardhead, which sank seven ships in six Pacific patrols
Here’s the list of Gato class boats built and launched in 1944:
● USS Hawkbill − sank six ships in five Pacific patrols
● USS Icefish − sank two ships in five Pacific patrols
● USS Jallao − sank two ships in four Pacific patrols
● USS Kete − sank three ships in two Pacific patrols (sub was lost in action)
● USS Kraken − four Pacific patrols
● USS Lagarto − sank three ships in two Pacific patrols (sub was lost in action)
● USS Lamprey − three Pacific patrols
● USS Lizardfish − two Pacific patrols
● USS Loggerhead − two Pacific patrols
● USS Macabi − one Pacific patrol
● USS Mapiro
● USS Menhaden
One Balao class boat was built in 1945:
● USS Mero
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Sources: Information for this story comes from the following Wikipedia websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitowoc_Shipbuilding_Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gato-class_submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balao-class_submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lost_United_States_submarines
Photo Credit: The photo on this page shows the construction of the USS Lamprey, Balao-class, at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. in 1944. The photo is from – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/524528687827183317/?nic_v2=1a4A8SqQZ
James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
