USS Guitarro ( SS - 363 ) USS " Guitarro " ( SS - 363 ) , a " Balao " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the guitarro . Construction and commissioning . " Guitarro " ( SS - 363 ) was launched 26 September 1943 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . of Manitowoc , Wisc . ; sponsored by Mrs . Ross T . McIntire , wife of the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery ; and commissioned at Manitowoc 26 January 1944 , Lieutenant Commander Enrique D . Haskins in command . World War II service . " Guitarro " departed Manitowoc for Chicago 13 February , and there she was placed in a floating drydock . Steamer " Minnesota " towed the drydock to New Orleans , arriving 22 February , and there " Guitarro " prepared for sea . Steaming from New Orleans 1 March , she operated out of Balboa , Canal Zone , for several weeks and departed for Pearl Harbor 2 April 1944 . First war patrol , May – June 1944 . Arriving at Pearl Harbor 17 April , " Guitarro " prepared for her first war patrol off Formosa . She got underway on this duty 7 May 1944 . On the night of 30 May the submarine encountered heavily escorted cargo vessel " Shisen Maru " , and scoring two hits sent her to the bottom . She evaded counter - attacks by the screen ships and headed south for rendezvous with a wolf pack of four submarines under the command of Comdr . F . W . Fenno . On the night of 2 June " Guitarro " made a moonlight periscope approach and launched two torpedoes at frigate " Awaii " , sinking her immediately . The submarine was then forced down to avoid depth charge , torpedo , and aircraft attacks . She made port at Darwin , Australia , 19 June , and 2 days later sailed for Fremantle , arriving 27 June 1944 . Second war patrol , July – September 1944 . Departing on her second war patrol 21 July 1944 , " Guitarro " set course for the South China Sea off the west coast of Luzon . She commenced her approach to the lead escorts of a large convoy 7 August and after missing the first target scored three hits on frigate " Kusakaki " , blowing off her bow and sinking her in a spectacular explosion . The remainder of the convoy escaped as " Guitarro " eluded the determined attacks of an escort destroyer . She surfaced the next day to sink a small coastal vessel with her deck gun , and then steamed toward Cape Bolinao , where she was to rendezvous with the next day . " Guitarro " detected a convoy along the coastline 10 August , maneuvered from beachside , and launched four torpedoes . Tanker " Shinei Maru " exploded and burned furiously as " Guitarro " dived to avoid depth charges . The submarine suffered considerable outside damage but no serious injury , and she departed for the vicinity of Cape Calavite with " Raton " . While submerged the morning of 21 August " Guitarro " heard a distant depth charge attack , and soon sighted the smoke of a convoy . Hampered by an unfavorable current and a radically maneuvering convoy , she was unable to mount an attack on two tankers ; but a cargo ship turned into her and received four torpedoes . Passenger - cargo ship " Uga Maru " was sunk , and " Guitarro " escaped amid a violent depth charge attack . The versatile submarine , finding the water too shallow for a torpedo attack , surfaced 27 August to engage three coastal tankers with her deck gun and succeeded in sinking " Nanshin Maru " . Two other tankers were damaged but managed to escape into shoal water . " Guitarro " returned to Fremantle to complete her patrol 8 September 1944 . Third war patrol , October – November 1944 . In company with , " Guitarro " departed Fremantle 8 October 1944 for her third war patrol in Philippine waters . As the epochal Battle of Leyte Gulf developed , " Guitarro " played an important role . She sighted the Japanese Central Force under Admiral Takeo Kurita on the night of 23 October – 24 October and tracked the ships through Mindoro Strait , unable to close for an attack . Her contact reports on the force were vital to the success of the ensuing engagements , which by 26 October virtually eliminated the remaining Japanese naval forces in the Pacific . " Guitarro " , " Bream " , and " Raton " rendezvoused 30 October and the three boats attacked a convoy off Cape Bolinao that night . Unable to score any hits until the next day , " Guitarro " managed to work her way inside the screen and fire no less than nine torpedoes at 08 : 47 . She observed one cargo ship break in half and was rocked by a tremendous explosion from another direct hit on an ammunition ship . " Guitarro " was driven down by the force of the explosion , prompting Comdr . Haskins to report : " The Commanding Officer never wishes to hit an ammunition ship any closer than that one . " She teamed up with " Bream " and 4 November to sink passenger - cargo ship " Kagu Maru " . After " Bream " ' s initial attack , " Guitarro " added four hits before diving to avoid escort vessels . Remaining off western Luzon , " Guitarro " and her wolf pack next encountered heavy cruiser " Kumano " in convoy . Damaged in the Battle off Samar , the cruiser had repaired at Manila and was en route to Japan when the submarines struck . " Guitarro " fired nine torpedoes and gained three hits , but failed to sink the cruiser . Pounded by torpedoes from the other boats , " Kumano " was finally stopped , towed ashore by one of her sisters , and eventually finished off by carrier aircraft 25 November 1944 . " Guitarro " , meanwhile , had returned to Fremantle 16 November . For her outstanding performance on her first three patrols , the submarine was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation . Fourth and fifth war patrols , December 1944 – May 1945 . " Guitarro " departed Fremantle 11 December 1944 on her fourth war patrol , transiting Lombok Strait 17 December to patrol the South China Sea . After putting in at Mios Woendi 17 January 1945 for repairs , she made an attack with undetermined results on a convoy off Cape Batagan . Finding targets scarce , she returned to Fremantle 15 March . The hard - working submarine again put out to sea 9 April on her fifth war patrol , and was unsuccessfully attacked by aircraft and a patrol boat in Lombok Strait . She then made her way to the northeast coast of Sumatra , where she engaged in a new mission , the laying of mines , off Berhala Island . After an uneventful patrol astride the shipping lanes between Borneo and Singapore , " Guitarro " anchored off Saipan 27 May 1945 . Next day she departed for Pearl Harbor , where she arrived 8 June . Arriving at San Francisco 18 June 1945 , " Guitarro " decommissioned at Mare Island 6 December and was placed in reserve . 1952 - 1953 service and Fleet Snorkel conversion . " Guitarro " recommissioned 6 February 1952 , and after overhaul at San Diego engaged in a series of training exercises off the coast until 10 September 1953 . She again decommissioned 22 September 1953 and underwent a Fleet Snorkel conversion to snorkel equipment at Mare Island Shipyard . Transfer to Turkey as TCG " Preveze " ( S 340 ) . " Guitarro " subsequently recommissioned 15 May 1954 and commenced the training of Turkish sailors prior to transfer to Turkey under the Military Defense Assistance Program . " Guitarro " decommissioned and was loaned to Turkey 7 August 1954 . She was commissioned as TCG " Preveze " , the first submarine on that name . Originally designated S 22 , she was redesignated S 340 in 1965 . On 1 January 1972 the submarine was formally sold to Turkey , and subsequently scrapped . Awards . " Guitarro " was awarded four battle star s and a Navy Unit Commendation for her service in World War II . Her first , second , third , and fifth war patrols were designated " successful . "