USS Amberjack ( SS - 219 ) Her keel was laid by the Electric Boat Company of Groton , Connecticut , on 15 May 1941 . She was launched on 6 March 1942 ( sponsored by Mrs . Randall Jacobs ) , and commissioned on 19 June 1942 , Lieutenant Commander John A . Bole , Jr . in command . Service history . After shakedown training in waters off New London , Connecticut and Newport , Rhode Island , " Amberjack " got underway on 20 July , bound for the Pacific . She transited the Panama Canal in mid - August and reached Pearl Harbor on 20 August . Following training exercises , " Amberjack " got underway for her first war patrol on 3 September . Two days later , she touched at Johnston Island to refuel and , later that day , resumed her voyage to her patrol area between the northeast coast of New Ireland and Bougainville , Solomon Islands . On 15 September , " Amberjack " was patrolling off Kavieng , New Ireland . Three days later , she made contact with a large Japan ese transport escorted by a destroyer , and fired a spread of four torpedo es at the vessels , but none hit . While patrolling in Bougainville Strait on 19 September , the submarine launched two torpedoes at an enemy freighter . The first hit under the target ' s bridge , and the second broke her keel in two . " Amberjack " was credited with having sunk " Shirogane Maru " . " Amberjack " made her next contact with Japanese shipping on 25 September , spotting a large cruiser escorted by a destroyer . However , before the submarine could get into position for an attack , the destroyer headed toward her and forced her to go deep . Several depth charge s were dropped on the submarine , but they inflicted no damage . During the next few days , " Amberjack " reconnoitered Tau , Kilinailau , Greenwich Island , and Ocean Island . The submarine spotted a Japanese cruiser on the morning of 30 September and launched four torpedo es from her bow tubes . None hit , so she fired another two forward tubes shortly thereafter . These also went wide of the mark , and the cruiser escaped damage . One week later , the submarine was patrolling off Kavieng when she spotted smoke on the horizon . After a Japanese cargo ship sailed into view , " Amberjack " launched two torpedoes . One missed forward and the other hit the target ' s hull forward . The enemy ship was still able to continue under her own power and " Amberjack " took up pursuit . About one hour later , both sides opened fire with their deck guns but neither was within range of the other and they broke off fire . After two more hours of the chase , the submarine fired a slow speed torpedo which hit its target five minutes later . The cargo vessel , later identified as " Senkai Maru " , swung left and seemed to stop . Its bow swung up in the air , the ship took a vertical position , and sank from sight shortly thereafter . Lifeboats carrying the cargo ship ' s survivors were later spotted as the submarine headed for Kavieng . While patrolling off Kavieng Harbor on 10 October , " Amberjack " spotted Japanese ships in the harbor and launched four torpedoes into the anchorage . One damaged a freighter and another damaged " Tonan Maru II " , which was being used to ferry airplanes . The vessel sank in shallow water , but was later salvaged , towed to Japan for repairs , and was returned to service . On 16 October , the submarine headed for Espiritu Santo for repairs to her ballast tanks and arrived there on 19 October . While undergoing repairs , she was assigned the task of hauling aviation gas , bombs , and personnel to Guadalcanal . While en route to the Solomons , her destination was changed to Tulagi . She arrived there on 25 October and unloaded her embarked troops and cargo under the cover of darkness . The next day , she set course for Brisbane , Australia , and reached that port on 30 October . After a refit alongside and a series of training exercises , " Amberjack " began her second war patrol on 21 November . On the morning of 27 November , the submarine encountered two enemy destroyer s which were probably carrying supplies for Japanese forces on Guadalcanal . While launching four torpedoes from her stern tubes , the submarine heard the screws of a third ship crossing ahead of her bow . None of the torpedoes hit their target , and the submarine began to take action to avoid depth charge s . Approximately two hours later , all sounds had faded away , and the submarine rose to the surface to look for signs of damage . She spotted nothing so she assumed a new station at the southern end of the eastern entrance to Shortland Harbor . On 29 November , while on patrol ten miles ( 16 km ) east of the Treasury Islands , " Amberjack " spotted a surfaced Japanese submarine . Before she could set up an attack , however , the enemy vessel rapidly drew away . She again saw a Japanese submarine on 3 December proceeding toward the entrance to Shortland harbor and sent four torpedoes toward the fleeing enemy , but all failed to hit . During the next one and one - half weeks , she made numerous ship contacts , but carried out no attacks . On 15 December , the submarine sighted a convoy consisting of four or five ships on a course for Rabaul and launched two torpedoes at a large freighter , one at a small tanker , and one more at a small freighter . However , she apparently inflicted no damage on any of the targets . Her next contact occurred on 20 December . While patrolling submerged , " Amberjack " began hearing a series of explosions which drew closer and closer . She surfaced and saw two Japanese destroyer escort s , which soon thereafter began raining depth charges on the submarine . Within the space of one minute , six exploded close aboard , shook the vessel considerably , and caused numerous broken light bulbs forward . Some fittings mounted on the overhead were broken off , and several valves were sprung open . However , the submarine suffered no crippling damage and moved on to continue her patrol off the northeast coast of New Ireland . She spotted another Japanese ship on 3 January 1943 , a destroyer which apparently was waiting to rendezvous with a convoy from the Palau Islands . The submarine was unable to attack the ship and , two days later , set a course for Brisbane , Queensland . She reached that port on 11 January and safely concluded her patrol . Following this patrol , the submarine ' s period of refit was cut to 12 days due to the urgent need for submarines to patrol enemy infested waters . She got underway on 24 January but was forced to return to Brisbane for repair of minor leaks which developed during a deep dive . Again departing Brisbane on 26 January , " Amberjack " started her third war patrol in the Solomons area . On 29 January she was directed to pass close to Tetipari Island and then proceed to the northwest and patrol the approaches to Shortland Basin . Orders were radioed on 1 February for her to move north and patrol the western approaches to Buka Passage . Having complied with these orders , " Amberjack " made her first miles southeast of Treasury Island on 1 February , and of sinking a two - masted schooner by gunfire from Buka the afternoon of 3 February 1943 . At this time she was ordered to move south along the Buka - Shortland traffic lane and patrol east of Vella Lavella Island . In a second radio transmission on 4 February , " Amberjack " reported having sunk a 5 , 000 ton freighter laden with explosives in a two - hour night surface attack that date in which five torpedoes were fired . During this engagement , Chief Pharmacist ' s Mate Arthur C . Beeman was killed by machine gun fire , and an officer was slightly wounded in the hand . On 8 February , " Amberjack " was ordered to move to the west side of Ganongga Island and on 10 February , she was directed to keep south of latitude 7°30 ' S and to cover the traffic routes from Rabaul and Buka Island to Shortland Basin . On 13 February , " Amberjack " was assigned the entire Rabaul - Buka - Shortland Sea area and told to hunt for traffic . The last radio transmission received from " Amberjack " was made on 14 February . She related having been forced down the night before by two destroyer s , and that she had recovered from the water and taken prisoner an enemy aviator on 13 February . She was ordered north of latitude 6°30 ' S , and told to keep hunting for Rabaul traffic . All further messages to " Amberjack " remained unanswered , and when , by 10 March , she had failed to make her routine report estimating the time of her arrival at base , she was ordered to do so . No reply was received , and she was reported as presumed lost on 22 March 1943 . Reports received from the enemy after the war record an attack which probably sank " Amberjack " . On 16 February 1943 , " Hiyodori " and " Sub Chaser Number 18 " attacked a U . S . submarine with nine depth charge s at about . An escorting patrol plane had previously attacked the submarine . A large amount of heavy oil and " parts of the hull " came to the surface . This attack is believed to have sunk " Amberjack " . However , no final conclusions can be drawn , since was lost in the same area at about the same time . From the evidence available , it is considered most likely that the attack of 16 February sank " Amberjack " , but if she did survive this attack , any one of the attacks and sightings thought to have been made on " Grampus " might have been made on " Amberjack " . Awards . " Amberjack " won three battle star s for her World War II service , and was credited with sinking three ships , for a total of 28 , 600 tons while damaging two more ships for 14 , 000 tons damaged . The enlisted men ' s recreation center at Submarine Base , Pearl Harbor , is named for Chief Pharmacist ' s Mate Arthur C . Beeman , who was killed in the gun battle of 4 February 1943 .