USS Greenling ( SS - 213 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the greenling , an elongate , fine - scaled fish found from Kamchatka to California . " Greenling " was laid down by Electric Boat Co . , Groton , Conn . 12 November 1940 , launched on 20 September 1941 ( sponsored by Mrs . R . S . Holmes ) , and commissioned at New London , Conn . , 21 January 1942 , Lt . Comdr . H . C . Bruton in command . First war patrol , April – June 1942 . After shakedown training out of New London , " Greenling " departed 7 March 1942 for the Pacific . She arrived Pearl Harbor 3 April and sailed 20 April for her first war patrol , in the Marshall Islands and Caroline Islands . The submarine attacked the cargo ship " Seia Maru " four times 30 April – 1 May off Eniwetok , but due to faulty torpedoes was not able to sink her . The tenacious submarine even closed for a night gunfire attack in an attempt to cripple her adversary . Finally forced by Japan ese aircraft to break off the attack , " Greenling " turned her attention to the huge Japanese base at Truk . As the Japanese converged on the Solomon Islands , Truk became a busy shipping point and a fertile ground for submarine operations . The submarine recorded her first kill 4 May when she hit cargo ship " Kinjosan Maru " amidships , breaking her in two . As the Japanese were turned back in the important Battle of the Coral Sea ( history ' s first carrier air battle ) , " Greenling " attempted to intercept the retiring enemy units , but her speed was no match for the fast Japanese heavy units . The submarine departed the Truk area 4 June , the day of Japan ' s first great naval defeat at the Battle of Midway , and arrived at Pearl Harbor 16 June . Second war patrol , July – September 1942 . " Greenling " departed on her second war patrol 10 July 1942 . One of the first submarines to operate in the Truk area , she now joined in the undersea blockade of that important base , in an attempt to cut its supply lines to Japan . After damaging ships on 26 and 29 July , " Greenling " sank the transport " Brazil Maru " off Truk , and just after midnight the same night torpedoed and sank the cargo ship " Palau Maru " . Next morning the submarine took periscope photographs of Truk , and steamed to the New Ireland area , attempting to intercept Japanese fleet units retiring from the Solomons . The submarine encountered surface opposition in the area , but evaded a destroyer attack 20 August and set course back to Midway . En route she used her deck gun to destroy a large Japanese trawler ; she arrived Midway 1 September 1942 . Third war patrol , September – November 1942 . " Greenling " ' s third war patrol took her off the Japanese home islands . Departing Midway 23 September , the submarine sank the cargo ship " Kinkai Maru " 3 October , and " Setsuyo Maru " the next day . She fired three torpedoes at cargo ship " Takusei Maru " 14 October , scored three hits , and watched her sink in the space of 6 minutes . This attack brought a host of escort vessels to search for " Greenling " , but she evaded them and attacked a large freighter 18 October . One torpedo set the target aflame , but the second " fish " ran erratically , circled , and almost hit " Greenling " . The next ran true , however , and cargo ship " Hakonesan Maru " was sent to the bottom . After destroying a sampan in the Tokyo – Aleutian Islands shipping lanes 21 October , " Greenling " returned to Pearl Harbor 1 November . The attrition on Japanese shipping by submarines was already being felt and would be a major factor in their eventual defeat . Fourth war patrol , December 1942 – January 1943 . Steaming into the Solomons – Truk area for her fourth war patrol , " Greenling " departed Pearl Harbor 9 December 1942 . Immediately upon her arrival off Bougainville 21 December she attacked a tanker and two escorts , sinking " Patrol Boat 35 " before being driven down by depth charge attacks . Moving to the familiar Truk traffic lanes , she sank freighter " Nissho Maru " 30 December . She attacked a destroyer - escorted large tanker early 10 January 1943 , but after scoring one hit was fired upon by the tanker ' s large deck gun and was forced to break off the action . Off New Britain 16 January she torpedoed and sank cargo ship " Kimposan Maru " , and used " Greenling " ' s deck gun to sink a tug , then reconnoitered the Admiralty Islands before steaming to Brisbane , Australia . Fifth and sixth war patrols , January – July 1943 . The submarine arrived Brisbane 31 January 1943 and remained there until departing on her fifth war patrol 21 February . " Greenling " steamed to the Solomons – Bismarck area , and landed a party of intelligence agents on the coast of New Britain 2 March . In a patrol characterized by bad weather , she scored no hits on enemy shipping and returned to Brisbane 26 April 1943 . " Greenling " cleared Brisbane 17 May to conduct her sixth war patrol , in the Solomons – New Guinea area , long the scene of bitter sea and land fighting . During this patrol she damaged ships 9 June , 10 June , and 27 June , but was unable to record a sinking because of heavy escort activity . She returned to Brisbane 8 July 1943 . Seventh war patrol , July – September 1943 . The submarine sailed 29 July on her seventh war patrol , which consisted largely of special missions . She landed a party of Marine Raiders in the Treasury Islands 22 – 23 August to select a site for a radar station and prepare for the landings there , scheduled for October . " Greenling " reconnoitered Tarawa 10 September and sailed to San Francisco via Pearl Harbor for overhaul . Eighth and ninth war patrols , December 1943 – May 1944 . Returning to Pearl Harbor 5 December , " Greenling " sailed for her eighth war patrol 20 December 1943 , in the Caroline Islands . She ended the old year with a late night attack , ( sinking freighter " Shōhō Maru " ) reconnoitered Wake Island , and returned to Midway 28 January 1944 . Her ninth war patrol , 20 March – 12 May 1944 , was a special mission entailing photographic reconnaissance of Guam , Tinian , and Saipan in the Marianas Islands , work which did much to aid the coming amphibious campaign for the Marianas . Tenth and eleventh war patrols , July – November 1944 . " Greenling " sailed from Pearl Harbor on her 10th patrol 9 July 1944 . Operating off Formosa , she formed a coordinated attack unit ( " wolfpack " ) with and . Closely watched by enemy aircraft , " Greenling " recorded no torpedo sinkings , though she sank a trawler with gunfire 8 August . She returned to Midway 12 September 1944 . The veteran submarine departed 5 October 1944 for her 11th war patrol , in the ocean approaches to Tokyo . Sighting a 5 - ship convoy 7 November , she fired 4 torpedoes and sank both oiler " Koto Maru " and transport " Kiri Maru 8 " . Continuing to prowl off Japan , " Greenling " sank her last ship 10 November 1944 when she torpedoed old destroyer " Patrol Boat 46 " . She returned to Pearl Harbor 23 November 1944 . Twelfth war patrol , December 1944 – January 1945 . " Greenling " ' s last war patrol , her 12th , was carried out in the Ryukyu Islands . Departing Pearl Harbor 26 December she found no targets until 24 January 1945 , when she intercepted a nine - ship convoy . While making her approach , " Greenling " was attacked by escorts , and after a 4 - hour depth charge attack managed to make her escape . The submarine suffered minor damage and steamed to Saipan 27 January 1945 for repairs . There it was decided to send her to the United States , and " Greenling " steamed via Pearl Harbor , San Francisco , and the Panama Canal to Portsmouth , New Hampshire . After overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , the submarine decommissioned 16 October 1946 at New London , Conn . Post - war service . " Greenling " was placed in service for the 1st Naval District in December 1946 . Stationed at Portsmouth , N . H . , she assisted in the training of reservists there and at Boston . The submarine continued this vital service until 18 March 1960 , when she was placed out of service at Boston . She was sold 16 June 1960 to Minichiello Brothers , Chelsea , Mass . , and scrapped . Awards . " Greenling " received ten battle star s for World War II service and a Presidential Unit Citation for her outstanding performance in her first three war patrols . All her patrols except the fifth , tenth , and twelfth were designated successful .