USS Guardfish ( SS - 217 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the guardfish , a voracious green and silvery fish with elongated pike - like body and long narrow jaws . " Guardfish " was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton , Connecticut . She was launched there on 20 January 1942 ( sponsored by Mrs . Edward J . Marquart ) , and commissioned at New London , Conn . , 8 May 1942 , Lt . Comdr . Thomas B . Klakring in command . The crew list for that first run is as follows : First and second war patrols , August – November 1942 . After conducting shakedown out of New London , " Guardfish " departed that base 28 June 1942 for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal , and arrived there 25 July to prepare for her first cruise . Her first war patrol was in the hitherto unpatrolled waters off northeast Honshū . " Guardfish " departed Pearl Harbor 6 August 1942 , sank a trawler 22 August , and two days later sank 3 , 114 ton cargo ship " Seikai Maru " off Kinkasan Harbor . Evading escort vessels , she proceeded up the coast and found a convoy 2 September . " Guardfish " attacked the next day , sinking 5 , 253 ton " Kaimei Maru " and 1 , 118 ton cargo ship " Tenyu Maru " . " Chita Maru " , a 2 , 376 ton freighter , retreated into the harbor and anchored , but a remarkable long - range shot from " Guardfish " left her resting in the mud . " Guardfish " returned from her spectacularly successful first patrol to Midway for refit 15 September 1942 . " Guardfish " departed Midway on her second war patrol 30 September and headed for the East China Sea . Surviving a violent attack by patrolling aircraft 19 October , " Guardfish " closed a seven - ship convoy 21 October , sinking a 4 , 000 - ton freighter and 6 , 362 ton " Nichiho Maru " north of Formosa as the convoy scattered . After evading pursuing aircraft and surface ships , " Guardfish " returned to Pearl Harbor 28 November 1942 . For her outstanding success on these first two war patrols , " Guardfish " received a Presidential Unit Citation . Third , fourth , and fifth war patrols , January – August 1943 . Moving her base of operations to the Truk area , " Guardfish " departed Pearl Harbor 2 January 1943 to patrol off the Japanese stronghold . She sank a Japanese patrol vessel ( Patrol " Boat No . 1 " , the ex - destroyer " Shimakaze " ) 12 January west of Kavieng , and a 1 , 300 ton cargo ship the next day . Attacked by destroyer " Hakaze " 23 January , " Guardfish " sent her to the bottom with a well - placed torpedo . Moving south toward Rabaul , slip attacked a largo convoy near Simpson Harbor , but was driven off by concentrated shore fire and escort attacks . " Guardfish " ended her third patrol by arriving at Brisbane , Australia , 15 February 1943 . Her fourth war patrol was conducted in the Bismarcks , Solomons , and New Guinea area , and " Guardfish " recorded no kills during this cruise , 9 March to 30 April 1943 . Departing Brisbane for the same waters 25 May 1943 , " Guardfish " sank 201 ton freighter " Suzuya Maru " and damaged another before being forced to dive by aircraft 13 June . She picked up a surveying party on the west coast of Bougainville 14 July and returned to Brisbane for refit 2 August 1943 . Sixth and seventh war patrols , August 1943 – February 1944 . " Guardfish " departed Brisbane for her sixth war patrol 24 August 1943 , landing a reconnoitering party on Bougainville and then moving into cruising waters . She sank 5 , 460 ton " Kasha Maru " 8 October and subsequently spent two days as lifeguard ship during the air strikes on Rabaul . " Guardfish " embarked another reconnoitering party 19 October at Tulagi , landed them on Bougainville , and took vital soundings in Empress Augusta Bay before re - embarking the Marine party 28 October . These important missions were carried out a scant two days before the American landings at Bougainville . " Guardfish " reached Brisbane , closing out her sixth patrol , 3 November 1943 . On 3 December 1943 " Guardfish " was damaged in a collision with an unknown tanker . Turning to the shipping lanes between Truk and Guadalcanal , " Guardfish " began her seventh war patrol 27 December 1943 , sinking 10 , 024 ton oiler " Kenyo Maru " 14 January 1944 . She then closed Truk and sank destroyer " Umikaze " 1 February during an attack on a convoy . After serving briefly as lifeguard ship off Truk she arrived at Pearl Harbor 18 February and from there returned to San Francisco for repairs nine days later . Eighth and ninth war patrols , June – October 1944 . " Guardfish " again put to sea from San Francisco and arrived at Pearl Harbor 1 June . She then joined submarines , , and to form the famous coordinated attack group known as the " Mickey Finns " , commanded by Captain W . V . O ' Regan in " Guardfish " . The submarines patrolled the shipping lanes around Formosa with spectacular success , " Guardfish " sinking 5 , 863 ton auxiliary " Mantai Maru " , 2 , 838 ton cargo ship " Hizan Maru " , and 5 , 215 ton cargo ship " Jinsan Maru " southwest of Formosa 17 July . After damaging another freighter 18 July , " Guardfish " sank 5 , 872 ton " Teiryu Maru " the next day , barely escaping the attacks of her escort vessels . She arrived at Midway for refit 31 July 1944 , and for her outstanding performance on the eighth patrol was awarded a second Presidential Unit Citation . Putting to sea as a member of another wolf pack 23 August 1944 , " Guardfish " and the other submarines , " Thresher " and , had a 40 - minute surface gun battle with sampans 2 September . On 25 September " Guardfish " attacked and sank 873 ton cargo ship " Miyakawa Maru # 2 " in the Sea of Japan , her cruising ground for this patrol . " Guardfish " returned to Pearl Harbor 24 October 1944 . Tenth , eleventh , and twelfth war patrols , November 1944 – June 1945 . " Guardfish " departed 26 November for her 10th war patrol to cruise in the " Convoy College " area of the South China Sea , with yet another wolf pack . She recorded no sinkings during this cruise , but nearing Guam in the early morning darkness of 24 January she mistook the American salvage ship , for a Japanese I class submarine and torpedoed her . " Guardfish " succeeded in rescuing all but 6 of her crew of 79 from the sea , and terminated her patrol at Guam 26 January 1945 . " Guardfish " ' s 11th war patrol was spent watching for enemy fleet units attempting to escape from the Inland Sea of Japan by way of the Kii Suido between Shikoku and Honshū . Departing Saipan on this duty 27 February , she found no ships but rescued two downed aviators 19 March before returning to Midway 11 April 1945 . " Guardfish " departed Midway 8 May 1945 on her 12th and last war patrol , and was assigned lifeguard station for the ever - increasing air attacks on the Japanese mainland . She sank a small trawler with gunfire 16 June , and arrived back at Pearl Harbor 26 June 1945 . Post - war service . The veteran submarine served with the training command after her return to Hawaii , helping to train surface ships in the newest antisubmarine warfare tactics until 25 August 1945 . She then sailed for the United States , transiting the Panama Canal 12 September and arriving at New Orleans 16 September . " Guardfish " arrived at New London 6 November and decommissioned there 25 May 1946 . " Guardfish " remained inactive until 18 June 1948 , when she was placed " in service " for duty as a Naval Reserve Training Ship at New London . Declared surplus to Navy needs , she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 June 1960 . Appropriately , this ship , one of the most successful of World War II submarines , performed her last service as a target ship for a new submarine torpedo . and sank her with the newly developed torpedoes off New London 10 October 1961 . Awards . " Guardfish " earned 11 battle star s for her World War II service . Her first , second , third , fifth , sixth , seventh , eighth , ninth , and eleventh war patrols ( all except for the fourth and tenth ) were designated successful . Guardfish also earned the Presidential Unit Citation for her first and second war patrols .