USS Peto ( SS - 265 ) USS " Peto " ( SS - 265 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the peto , a sharp - nosed tropical fish of the mackerel family . " Peto " was laid down on 18 June 1941 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company , Manitowoc , Wisconsin ; launched on 30 April 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . E . A . Lofquist ; and commissioned on 21 November 1942 , Lieutenant Commander William T . Nelson in command . Service history . World War II . Late in December 1942 , " Peto " decommissioned , was loaded on a barge , and departed Manitowoc for New Orleans , Louisiana , the first submarine to traverse the mid - western waterways to reach New Orleans and the sea from the building yards . The ship recommissioned , completed fitting out and shakedown , sailed for the Panama Canal and arrived Brisbane , Australia 14 March 1943 . " Peto " departed Brisbane for her first war patrol on 2 April . The submarine reconnoitered Greenwich Island for shipping on the 13th without finding any targets . That night she proceeded toward the equator to cover the Truk - Kavieng route , arriving on station the next day . A south - bound , Truk - Rabaul convoy came into view on the morning of 17 April , consisting of two destroyer s , two medium freighters , and one small auxiliary . However , before " Peto " attacked , the trailing destroyer detected the submarine and forced her to dive . She withstood nine depth charge s without damage . On 5 May , she made a night attack conducted by sound and radar alone , firing three torpedo es at a target for one possible hit . After patrolling off Cape Oxford , " Peto " headed for Brisbane on 20 May . " Peto " departed on her second war patrol on 10 June . On 29 June , she fired two torpedoes at a small auxiliary . One torpedo hit near the bow , breaking the ship in two . On 7 July , she sighted an east - bound tanker similar to " Nippon Maru " with two escorting destroyers . " Peto " maneuvered and fired three torpedoes ; two hits causing severe damage . She returned to Brisbane on 4 August . On 1 September , " Peto " set out on her third war patrol , which was held in the area north of the Bismarck Archipelago . After reconnoitering Nauru Harbor , she patrolled the route between Truk and Nauru for five days without contact . " Peto " moved to the Truk - Kavieng - Rabaul traffic routes on 20 September , and two days later , sighted five escorted ships headed toward Rabaul . She lost her attack chance at the last moment when the enemy made a radical change of course . While " Peto " attempted to close for a night attack , an alert escort only away detected her . The enemy ship opened fire on the submarine , forcing her to crash dive . From 24 – 26 September , " Peto " patrolled off the Admiralty Islands without contacts . On 1 October , " Peto " sighted three medium freighters with only one sub - chaser as escort , and fired six torpedoes , hitting two of the ships . Post - war investigation revealed that " Tonei Maru " and " Kinkasan Maru " were both sunk . " Peto " returned to Brisbane , Australia on 21 October . Underway again on 14 November , she fueled at Tulagi , and set out for her patrol area 24 November . On 1 December , she sighted an enemy convoy consisting of two passengercargo vessels with three small escorts . She fired six torpedoes at " Konei Maru " , which broke up and sank . On 9 December , while firing on a ship in a convoy , her target apparently saw the torpedoes coming and turned toward them to avoid being hit . An escort then drove " Peto " down and administered a thorough depth charging . On 19 December " Peto " received orders to return to Tulagi to embark Marines , and she landed them on Boang Island , Solomons , before sailing to Brisbane on 7 January . On 2 February 1944 , she set course for Tulagi , arriving there on 5 February for fuel before departing the following day for her patrol area . On 10 February " Peto " sailed to rendezvous with . On 19 February , she attacked a ship with three escorts and one of her torpedo es struck home . The target was immediately engulfed in black smoke and depth charges were heard in the distance . " Peto " surfaced and found the escorts depth charging " Cero " s position . After closing " Cero " slowly , she fired two rounds from her deck gun at the escorts , and as the escorts returned the fire she withdrew , giving " Cero " a chance to escape unharmed . On 23 February , " Peto " sailed for Langemak Bay to refuel and obtain spare parts , arriving on 27 February . On 1 March , she headed for her area again , and on 3 March made an unsuccessful attack on an enemy merchantman . The next day , she fired six torpedoes at a cargo ship and then went deep to listen as escorts were near . Two hits were heard , followed by a loud , deep explosion . Three minutes later breaking up noises were heard , and splashes from debris falling in the water could be heard for several minutes . The escorts dropped 13 depth charges before giving up . " Peto " had sunk " Kayo Maru " . On 16 March , " Peto " set course for Midway Atoll where she arrived on 25 March . She sailed on for Pearl Harbor the same day , arriving on 29 March . On 28 April , " Peto " and , along with an escort , sailed for her patrol area south of Formosa . She sailed from Midway on 2 May , with " Perch " and joining the wolf pack . Arriving in her area , " Peto " began looking for shipping worthy of her torpedoes . Only six ship contacts were made during the entire patrol and a favorable attack position could not be obtained on any due to aircraft in the vicinity or shallow water . She returned to Midway on 15 June and later that day sailed for Pearl Harbor with , arriving on 19 June . On 21 June , she sailed on for San Francisco , California , for major alterations at the Bethlehem Steel Company yards . On 29 September , " Peto " sailed westward again , reached Pearl Harbor on 7 October , and arrived Midway Island on 27 October , where she joined and . Task Group 17 . 13 arrived in their assigned area in the Yellow Sea 9 November . On 12 November , " Peto " heard a loud explosion and saw a large flash . A burning ship with hull down was seen to the east and it was assumed , which was also in the vicinity , had connected . Peto sent her crew to their battle stations and sent four torpedoes at the nearest ship of the convoy . Two hits were heard and the target slowed down and dropped back , though it didn ’ t stop . " Peto " fired her remaining two forward torpedoes at a second target and swung around to bring her stern tubes to bear . She fired four torpedoes at the third target . The torpedoes fired from the bow tubes struck home as the leading ship , " Tatsuaki Maru " , blew up and promptly sank . Two hits were heard on the third target and she was immediately engulfed in dense black smoke . " Peto " then scurried for cover , as it was getting light fast . She took her last look at the third target and noted that it was ablaze . On 18 November , " Peto " made contact with one ship which was apparently lost and without an escort . She fired three torpedoes , the first hitting and setting the target ablaze . The second missed but the third hit and the target blew up and burned much brighter . " Peto " came around for a " coup de grace " but saw that it was unnecessary as only the stern of " Aisakasan Maru " was above the water , still burning like an inferno . She contacted another enemy ship , dead in the water with two escorts near , and sent three torpedoes streaking after the cargo ship . One torpedo hit the target and " Chinkai Mara " sank in four minutes . On 29 November , " Peto " attacked a small coastal tanker with her last torpedoes and she sailed for home . " Peto " arrived at Guam on 6 December and underwent a refit before sailing for Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 2 January 1945 . " Peto " departed from Pearl Harbor in company with , , and on 31 January , topped off at Saipan on 12 February , and headed for her patrol area the following day . However , she met no suitable targets on her 8th war patrol , and she returned to Midway on 9 April . On 4 May , " Peto " got underway for her ninth war patrol . Off Marcus Island on 12 May , she guided friendly pilots to their targets . None of the planes were hit . On 21 May , " Peto " closed to the coast of Manus Island and took pictures of enemy shore installations . The next day , she headed for Guam arriving on 19 June . On 14 July , she stood out on her tenth and last war patrol . On 24 July , she rescued two pilots from , one with gunshot wounds in both legs . On 25 July her guns sank a sampan , and the same day she saved nine more downed aviators . On 10 August she picked up a Royal Navy pilot from . On 15 August , " Peto " was assigned a life guard station to cover air strikes on the Japan ese home islands , but hostilities ceased . The next day , " Peto " sailed for the Panama Canal Zone , arriving 15 September . On the 17th , she sailed for New Orleans , arriving on the 21st . " Peto " joined the Atlantic Fleet and on 25 June 1946 was placed out of commission in reserve , berthed at New London , Conn . She remained in reserve until November 1956 , when she became Naval Reserve Training submarine for the Eighth Naval District . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1960 . She was sold for scrapping 10 November 1960 . Awards . " Peto " received eight battle star s for World War II service .