USS Guavina ( SS - 362 ) USS " Guavina " ( SS / SSO / AGSS / AOSS - 362 ) , a " Balao " - class submarine , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the guavina , a fish which may reach a length of indigenous to the West Indies and the Atlantic coasts of Central America and Mexico . " Guavina " ( SS - 362 ) was launched by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . , Manitowoc , Wisc . , 29 August 1943 ; sponsored by Miss Marie Roen ; and commissioned 23 December 1943 , Lieutenant Commander Carl Tiedeman in command . After shakedown , " Guavina " was towed down the Mississippi in a floating drydock by tug " Minnesota " , reaching New Orleans 24 January 1944 . She underwent training exercises at New Orleans and at Balboa , C . Z . , before reaching Pearl Harbor 5 April to prepare for her first was patrol . First war patrol , April – May 1944 . " Guavina " sailed 6 April 1944 , on her first offensive cruise . On 22 April she sank by gunfire two trawlers loaded with lumber and cargo and 3 days later torpedoed a large " maru " . Her first big kill came 26 April when she sent torpedoes into two of the merchant ships in a seven - ship convoy . One of them , " Noshiro Maru " , sank almost immediately after three tremendous explosions . The second maru also exploded , although persistent depth charging prevented " Guavina " from staying around to observe the sinking . After standing lifeguard duty off Wake Island during air strikes 21 May – 26 May , the submarine returned to Majuro Atoll 28 May . Her aggressive first patrol forecast even greater service for the nation . Second war patrol , June – July 1944 . On her second war patrol ( 20 June – 31 July ) " Guavina " sailed from Majuro to Brisbane , Australia , sinking 1 ship and rescuing 12 downed aviators . At 13 : 24 on 3 July she picked up an obviously important ship with four escorts , and trailed her to get in attack position . Finally at 03 : 48 the next morning " Guavina " launched four torpedoes , three of which hit and set off a tremendous explosion . The sub spent the next 3 hours running silent and deep to avoid a total of 18 depth charges and 8 aerial bombs , surfacing at 06 : 43 to observe the wreckage of " Tama Maru " . While on lifeguard duty off Yap 2 July to 21 July , " Guavina " picked up a total of 12 downed B 24 airmen ( mshinn ) , and then headed for Brisbane via Seeadler Harbor , Admiralty Islands . Third and fourth war patrols , August – December 1944 . " Guavina " ' s third war patrol ( 16 August – 29 September ) took her along the Philippine coast off Mindanao . On 31 August she opened fire on two small coastwise steamers , chasing them almost onto the beach before finally destroying them . Then , after a period of lifeguard duty , on 15 September " Guavina " sighted a large ship , later revealed to be a transport at anchor . Closing for the kill she loosed a salvo of three torpedoes . Only one hit , so she fired three more , scoring twice . Although the target was enveloped in fire and smoke , it still did not sink ; so " Guavina " administered the final fatal blow with a spread of two torpedoes which totally disintegrated the target . Departing Brisbane 27 October , " Guavina " headed to the South China Sea for her fourth war patrol . A night surface attack 15 November netted her a large maru ; one torpedo hit caused a violent explosion , as the maru apparently was carrying aviation gasoline ; a second fish sent through the fiery waters finished her . Tanker " Down Maru " fell victim to " Guavina " 22 November , and a second tanker anchored nearby met the same fate the following day . During the final month she searched for additional victims . Then finding unfavorable attack conditions , she sailed for port , making Perth , Australia ( mshinn ) 27 December . Fifth and sixth war patrols , January – May 1945 . Working first with and then with and , " Guavina " spent her fifth war patrol ( 23 January – 5 March 1945 ) again in the South China Sea . The value of the coordinated attack group was quickly proved as on 6 February " Guavina " was directed in for the kill by " Pampanito " and sank the 6 , 892 - ton tanker " Taigyo Maru " . To avoid the subsequent depth charging , " Guavina " pulled the unusual maneuver of lying on the bottom near the stern of her recent victim . She returned " Pampanito " ' s favor the following day by providing a diversion in the form of four flares from her " Buck Rogers " gun as her sister sub maneuvered for a successful shot . " Guavina " sank another tanker , the 8 , 673 - ton " Eiyo Maru " , 20 February , and suffered one of the severest depth chargings of the war . With no room to run , she lay on the bottom at while Japanese escorts and planes dropped a total of 98 depth charges and bombs during the next 7 hours . Battered but undaunted , she sailed to Subic Bay in the Philippines ( mshinn ) , arriving 5 March for a badly needed refit . On her sixth war patrol ( 21 March – 8 May ) " Guavina " worked in coordination with , , and " Blenny " in the South China Sea . A lack of targets resulted in her returning empty - handed , but she did rescue five B - 25 crew members 28 March before returning to Pearl Harbor 8 May . With six successful war patrols behind her she proceeded to the West Coast for overhaul . She departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor 6 August , but with the end of the war returned to the States . " Guavina " then put in at Mare Island and was placed in commission , in reserve , and Decommissioned 8 June 1946 . Post - war service as submarine tanker . From March 1949 , " Guavina " underwent extensive overhaul and modification for conversion to a submarine oiler at Mare Island , and was even equipped with a snorkel . Guavina recommissioned in the active fleet as SSO - 362 1 February 1950 at Mare Island . After operations along the West Coast , she sailed to Norfolk via Balboa and San Juan 24 July to 25 August . Further operations out of Norfolk were followed by overhaul at Philadelphia and on 29 January 1951 , " Guavina " reported to Key West , her new homeport . Operating out of Key West , " Guavina " cruised to the Caribbean Sea and up the East Coast to Nova Scotia to test the concepts of fueling seaplane s and other submarines , although most of her work was in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida . After overhaul at Philadelphia 18 April to 26 July 1952 , " Guavina " was redesignated AGSS - 362 . Two more years of operations along the East Coast and in the Gulf were followed by a second extensive overhaul at Philadelphia . To aid refueling , " Guavina " gained a large , raised platform over the after torpedo room , which was soon dubbed the " flight deck " . And a flight deck it soon became as in January 1956 " Guavina " began testing the concept of mobile support of seaplanes from a submarine oiler . After an initial 2 - week trial period , " Guavina " and a variety of seaplanes carried out refueling development for most of 1956 . Sailing from Charleston 18 September , the submarine headed for the Mediterranean Sea . After her 2 - month deployment there with the 6th Fleet and Patrol Squadron 56 , " Guavina " returned to Key West 1 December , then put into Charleston for overhaul . Emerging from overhaul 12 July 1957 with the new designation AOSS - 362 , " Guavina " resumed her established pattern of testing various applications of submarine oiler and seaplane refueling concepts , operating principally in the Caribbean . Ranging along the coast from New London to Bermuda , she also engaged in antisubmarine exercises and other peacetime training missions . " Guavina " sailed into the Charleston Navy Yard 4 January 1959 , and decommissioned there 27 March , going into reserve . She served as a training ship for reservists in the 5th Naval District at Baltimore , MD until struck from the Navy List 30 June 1967 and sunk as a target by , off Cape Henry , VA with a MK 16 - 1 warshot . " Guavina " received five battle star s for World War II service .