USS Sea Robin ( SS - 407 ) USS " Sea Robin " ( SS - 407 ) , a " Balao " - class submarine , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the sea robin . This is a spiny - finned fish with red or brown coloring on its body and fins . The first three rays of its pectoral fin separate from the others and are used in walking on the sea bottom . " Sea Robin " was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine on 1 March 1944 ; launched on 25 May 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . Homer Ambrose , wife of Captain Ambrose , the Navy Yard ' s Production Superintendent ; and commissioned on 7 August 1944 , Lieutenant Commander Paul C . Stimson in command . First patrol , November 1944 – January 1945 . After shakedown off Portsmouth , N . H . , and New London , Conn . , " Sea Robin " transited the Panama Canal on 12 October 1944 following an incident with a Scandinavian merchant ship which , mistaking the submarine for a German U - boat , frantically scattered shells in the general direction of the surfaced " enemy . " Fortunately , " Sea Robin " was out of range and escaped without damage . After spending six days at Pearl Harbor , " Sea Robin " sailed for Luzon Strait and her first war patrol where , on 6 January 1945 , she torpedoed and sank her initial victim of the war , the 5 , 000 - ton Japan ese tanker " Tarakan Maru " . Except for dodging floating mines , the remainder of the submarine ' s first patrol was uneventful ; and she returned to port at Fremantle , Western Australia , on 29 January 1945 . Second patrol , February – April 1945 . Sea Robin ' s second patrol proved to be her most productive of the war . On 3 March , while patrolling north of Surabaja in the Java Sea , the boat evaded a Japanese escort ship and torpedoed the cargo ship , Suiten Maru . After several unsuccessful attempts to rescue survivors , the submarine finally hauled three prisoners of war on board and continued her patrol . Two days later , Sea Robin contacted a troop - laden convoy of two cargo ships , a converted gunboat , and several escorts . The gunboat Manyo Maru was the first to be sent to the bottom , the victim of three torpedo hits . After evading the suddenly active escort vessels , the submarine commenced an end around and , several hours later , was again in firing position . Shoyu Maru , the first of the two cargo vessels , was zigzagging radically but was unable to avoid the three torpedoes that Sea Robin fired at her . She took one hit below her bridge and settled quickly by the bow . Sea Robin then fired a spread of three torpedoes at the remaining cargo ship , but the target zigged and they missed . On the second attempt , the ship was not so fortunate . After watching the target completely reverse course , the submarine fired three more torpedoes at a range of with one hit amidships that broke Nagaru Maru in half and sent her rapidly to the bottom . Sea Robin now began to pay the price for her success . For 24 hours , she was pursued by the escorts and accompanying aircraft ; but made good her escape and arrived at Subic Bay , Philippines , on 15 March to replenish her depleted torpedo store . Departing Subic Bay on 19 March , Sea Robin set course for the South China Sea in the area of the island of Hainan where , on the 23rd , she rescued a downed airman . On 30 March , the submarine found herself in the middle of a group of six Japanese destroyers . Midway between two of them , she launched three torpedoes at the first , but a quick turn of the ship caused them to pass harmlessly across the bow . The second destroyer swerved 90° and began to bear down on Sea Robin . After 20 minutes of depth charging , the submarine extricated herself and , with Hainan a scant away , again attacked , but a spread of six torpedoes failed to find a target , and the submarine resumed patrol . On 8 April , Sea Robin sank two small Japanese fishing vessels , taking three prisoners of war and , on the following day , took on board 10 more Japanese , survivors of a foundering trawler that had been worked over by Allied aircraft . The submarine terminated her second patrol at Pearl Harbor on 29 April . Third patrol , June – August 1945 . " Sea Robin " departed Pearl Harbor 1 June on her third and final war patrol which was conducted in the Yellow and East China seas . After sinking a small patrol craft on 9 July and taking one prisoner , " Sea Robin " torpedoed and sank the cargo ship , " Sakishima Maru " , on 10 July . Shortly thereafter , while attempting to sink a large sampan , the submarine was caught on the surface by a Japanese plane . Although the pilot did not drop his bombs on the first pass , thus giving " Sea Robin " a chance to dive , he dropped two close aboard on the second . Although it was not discovered until the end of the patrol , the submarine ' s bow tubes were severely damaged causing numerous torpedo misses throughout the remainder of the patrol . With the exception of several trawlers sunk in surface attacks , the remainder of the patrol was unproductive . When the war ended on 15 August , " Sea Robin " was moored at Midway Island . After a one - day stop at Pearl Harbor , the boat headed for home , transiting the Panama Canal on 20 September and arriving at Galveston , Tex . , four days later . 1945 – 1951 . Peacetime assignment brought " Sea Robin " to Submarine Squadron 6 ( SubRon 6 ) based at Balboa , Canal Zone . On 15 May 1947 , the submarine commenced a one and one - half month simulated war patrol in which she circumnavigated the South American continent and became the first U . S . submarine to round Cape Horn . The year 1948 was spent in fleet training exercises in the Balboa and Key West areas . Following overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , " Sea Robin " was reassigned to SubRon 8 based at New London , Conn . , arriving on 20 August 1949 . On 23 February 1950 , the submarine departed New London for participation in Exercise “ Portex , ” a joint Army - Navy - Air Force exercise in the Caribbean , returning on 23 March . From September through November , she was engaged in her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . 1951 – 1955 . In 1951 , " Sea Robin " was converted to a GUPPY IA submarine , following which she returned to New London for local operations . In January and February 1952 , the submarine participated in Exercise “ Micowex ” in the North Atlantic testing cold weather gear and procedures under the supervision of the Naval Research Laboratory , New London , followed by a return to warmer waters and participation in Exercise “ Pacex ” in the Caribbean . For the next two years , " Sea Robin " was engaged in local fleet and training operations in the New London area . On 30 August 1954 , " Sea Robin " set sail for a six - week northern training cruise which stretched across the Arctic Circle and included stops at Glasgow , Scotland ; and Belfast , Northern Ireland . On 4 January 1955 , the submarine departed for six weeks in the Caribbean participating in operation “ Springboard ” and , in September , took part in NATO exercise " New Broom IV , " visiting Saint John , New Brunswick , en route home to New London , where she operated locally for the remainder of the year . 1956 – 1970 . After engaging in special operations in late 1956 and early 1957 , " Sea Robin " resumed normal duties in the New London area until entering the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 24 July 1957 for a two - month overhaul . Upon return to New London , she engaged in fleet exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean until 28 March 1958 when she set sail for a three and one - half month tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . For the next five years , with time out for regularly scheduled overhaul periods , " Sea Robin " operated in Atlantic and Caribbean waters , engaging in fleet antisubmarine warfare exercises and providing services to the United States Naval Submarine School . Bill Knight , was a seaman third class torpedoman who spent two years on the Sea Robin can attest to the warfare exercises during this time period . Bill often comments on the great experiences encountered while on duty . In September 1964 , " Sea Robin " in the company of " Piper " participated in exercise “ Master Stroke ” with United States , Canadian , and British forces . During this exercise , they conducted port calls in Portsmouth , England and Rotterdam , Holland . " Sea Robin " returned to New London for local operations and entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in November for a scheduled overhaul , remaining there until April 1965 . Following shakedown operations , " Sea Robin " , " Becuna " and " Sea Owl " departed New London in July for exercise with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean returning to New London in October . The year 1966 was spent in participation with operation “ Springboard ” forces in the Caribbean providing services to naval air squadrons and surface units followed by training and ASW exercises in the New London area . A scheduled main battery replacement was performed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard during the months of July and August . " Sea Robin " participated in " Operation Springboard " in the early months of 1967 , and resumed normal operations upon her return to New London . On 22 May 1967 , " Sea Robin " put to sea in company with , , and for a two - month tour of northern European ports stopping at Portsmouth , England ; Cherbourg , France ; Derry , Northern Ireland ; and various Scandinavian ports . From 2 October through 1 February 1968 , " Sea Robin " underwent overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and upon completion resumed normal duties in the Atlantic and Caribbean . On 1 December 1969 , the submarine was transferred to SubRon 2 , also based at New London . Highlights of 1970 were participation in operation “ Springboard ” in January and February and NATO exercise “ Steel Ring ” in April and May . On 4 August , the submarine made her 12 , 920th and final dive . On 1 October 1970 , " Sea Robin " was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list . She was sold for scrap on 3 June 1971 to the North American Smelting Co . , Wilmington , Del . Honors and awards . " Sea Robin " received three battle star s for World War II service .