USS Puffer ( SS - 268 ) USS " Puffer " ( SS - 268 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the puffer , a fish which inflates its body with air . " Puffer " ( SS - 268 ) was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . , Manitowoc , Wisc . , 16 February 1942 ; launched 22 November 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Ruth B . Lyons ( granddaughter of the oldest employee at Manitowac , Christ . Jacobson , Sr . ) ; and commissioned 27 April 1943 , Lt . Comdr . M . J . Jensen in command . " Puffer " was transported down the Mississippi to New Orleans on a special floating drydock , having periscope s installed en route . After receiving torpedoes and ammunition , she exercised off Panama for a month , and then headed across the $ 3 to Australia . " Puffer " arrived there in early September 1943 . First and second war patrols , September 1943 – January 1944 . Her first war patrol , to intercept Japanese commerce in the Makassar Strait – Celebes Sea area , 7 September to 17 October , resulted in several damaged ships but no sinkings . On 24 November " Puffer " sailed on her 2nd patrol , in the Sulu Sea and the approaches to Manila . On 13 December , she made a successful attack on freighter " Teiko Maru " ( ex - Vichy French steamship " D ' Artagnan " ) . On 20 December she sank 820 - ton destroyer " Fuyō " , and on 1 January 1944 , 6 , 707 - ton freighter " Ryuyo Maru " , before putting in to Fremantle for refit 12 January . Third and fourth war patrols , February – June 1944 . " Puffer " departed for her 3rd war patrol , in the South China Sea , 4 February . On 22 February , she sank the 15 , 105 - ton transport " Teikyo Maru " . Returning to Fremantle 4 April , she sailed again 30 April for Madoera Straits , Makassar Straits and the Sulu Sea . She acted as life guard for the first Allied carrier strike on Soerabaia , sank 3 , 181 - ton freighter " Shinryu Maru " 18 May , then on 5 June , attacked three tankers , sinking 2 , 166 - ton " Ashizuri " and 2 , 500 - ton " Takasaki " . She ended this most successful patrol , for which she received the Navy Unit Commendation , at Fremantle 21 June . Fifth war patrol , July 1944 – ~ 1944 . On 14 July " Puffer " departed for her 5th war patrol , in Makassar Straits , the Celebes , Sulu , and South China Seas . She made contact with a submarine tender screened by five escorts on 21 July , spending three days following the group and using all but nine torpedoes to sink the tender . Twenty three days later , on 12 August she made contact with a ten large vessels and their escorts . Five of the remaining nine torpedoes sank the 5 , 113 - ton tanker " Teikon Maru " and a large freighter , with enough damage to beach another tanker . She completed the patrol at Pearl Harbor , whence she continued on to Mare Island for overhaul . Sixth and seventh war patrols , December 1944 – ~ 1945 . Following refresher training at Hawaii , " Puffer " got underway on her 6th war patrol 16 December . Operating in the Nansei Shoto area , she sank " Coast Defense Vessel No . 42 " on 10 January 1945 ; and , prior to her arrival at Guam , 17 January , damaged a destroyer , three freighters , and a tanker . By 11 February , " Puffer " was underway again and following patrols in Luzon Straits and the South China Sea where she bombarded Pratas Island , she made an anti - shipping sweep of the Wake Island area . Eighth and ninth war patrols , May 1945 – ~ 1945 . Refitted at Midway she departed 20 May en route to the South China and Java Seas to conduct her 8th war patrol . In a surface sweep of the northern Bali coast , " Puffer " destroyed ( by gunfire ) two Japanese sea trucks and six landing craft on 5 July , and inflicted extensive damage to harbor installations at Chelukan Bawang and Buleleng , Bali . A brief respite at Fremantle followed , whence she headed north for her last war patrol , in the Java Sea . " Puffer " earned 9 battle star s for World War II service in the Pacific Theater , with a total tonnage of 36 , 392 tons ( eight ships ) . Post - war service . Completing that patrol with the cessation of hostilities , " Puffer " headed for Subic Bay , thence to the United States , reaching San Francisco 15 October . With the new year , 1946 , " Puffer " returned to Hawaii where she trained officers and men in submarine warfare until returning to San Francisco , 19 March , for inactivation . " Puffer " decommissioned 28 June 1946 , and was berthed at Mare Island as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet . At the end of the year " Puffer " was ordered activated and assigned to the 13th Naval District for training Naval Reservists . Employed in that status , at Seattle , until relieved by 10 June 1960 , " Puffer " was placed out of service and sold for scrapping to the Zidell Corp . , Portland , Oreg . 4 November 1960 .