USS Wahoo

USS Wahoo (SS-238)

The USS Wahoo (SS-238) was a submarine named for a fish called the wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri). It was launched in February 1942. She was lost with all hands in October 1943, on her seventh war patrol. In 2005, her wreck was discovered.

USS Wahoo Wreck

"USS Wahoo lies upright in about 213 feet of water in the La Perouse Strait, with her hull still largely intact from bow to stern. The conning tower, deck gun position and hull lines are clearly visible, and the bow shape matches known Gato-class construction. Damage is concentrated near the aft and conning-tower area, consistent with a close air-dropped bomb or depth-charge detonation. Silt covers parts of the casing, and marine growth has spread over the railings, but the submarine remains one of the best-preserved American WWII wrecks found in this region. Because she is a U.S. war grave, the site is protected under the Sunken Military Craft Act and cannot be disturbed or salvaged."

"Wahoo was lost during the seventh war patrol in October 1943 while exiting the La Perouse Strait after an aggressive patrol under Lt. Cmdr. Dudley "Must" Morton. Japanese records show that on October 11 anti-submarine aircraft and surface forces attacked a submarine contact in the strait using bombs and depth-charges. This attack aligns with the timing of Wahoo's planned departure and is considered the most credible cause of her loss. All 79 men aboard were killed. She was declared overdue later that month, and the wreck was finally confirmed in 2006, [Author: some sources say 2005] closing one of the most famous missing-submarine cases of the Pacific War."

You can see more pictures of the Wahoo's wreck at the following link:

USS Wahoo: On Eternal Patrol

Image Source, Top: By U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-48937, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1776243.

Image Source, Bottom: Meta via Naval Nostalgia.