USS Lizardfish ( SS - 373 ) USS " Lizardfish " ( SS - 373 ) , a " Balao " - class submarine , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the lizardfish , a slender marine fish having a scaly lizardlike head and large mouth . " Lizardfish " ( SS - 373 ) was laid down 14 March 1944 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . , Manitowoc , Wisc . ; launched 16 July 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Lansdale G . Sasscer ; wife of Congressman Sasscer of Maryland ; and commissioned 30 December 1944 , Comdr . Ovid M . Butler in command . " Lizardfish " departed the Manitowoc River 20 January 1945 for Lockport , Ill . , where she was loaded on a floating drydock and towed down the Mississippi River . She arrived at Algiers , La . , 1 February and put to sea 5 days later for the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor , arriving 23 March . " Lizardfish " left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 9 April 1945 . Topping off with fuel at Saipan on the 21st , she set course for the South China Sea . The submarine maintained a thorough close - in patrol of Indochina between 30 April and 18 May but contacted no enemy traffic . From 23 May to 28 May a similar painstaking patrol in the Java Sea produced no enemy contacts . Completing this arduous patrol , " Lizardfish " arrived Fremantle , Australia , 2 June . " Lizardfish " got underway 28 June 1945 on her second patrol in the Java and South China Seas . Throughout this well - planned and aggressive patrol the submarine sought out targets and carried destruction to the enemy in confined harbors , straits , and anchorages . After careful submerged reconnaissance , she made two daring daylight gun attacks within range of shore batteries . On 5 July she entered the coral - fringed bay of Chelukan Bawang , Bali , discovering four landing barges , a 250 - ton sea truck , and a 100 - ton submarine chaser , all heavily camouflaged . She made a submerged run and sank " Submarine Chaser Alo . 37 " , then battle - surfaced and opened her deck guns . Her salvos started a gasoline fire which destroyed a nest of four landing barges . She then demolished a boat shed and ripped apart the bow of a sea truck inside . Leaving this target in a flaming mass , she headed out to sea . On 19 July near Sunda Strait she was patrolling southward along the western shore when she sighted a convoy of sea trucks . The submarine surfaced and commenced firing at the closest target , started a brisk fire , and shifted targets . Meanwhile a shore battery opened up and was lobbing shells close by . When ammunition was expended , " Lizardfish " submerged , leaving behind three ships burning fiercely . She surfaced that night and headed for lifeguard station off Singapore in support of Army B - 24 Liberator bomber strikes . The submarine arrived Subic Bay , Philippines , 6 August and was there when Japan capitulated 9 days later . " Lizardfish " received one battle star for World War II service . " Lizardfish " cleared Subic Bay 31 August and set course for the West Coast , touched Pearl Harbor , and arrived San Francisco 22 September . At Eureka , Calif . , 24 October for Navy Day celebrations , " Lizardfish " 5 days later tied - up at Tiburon , Calif . , remaining there until 2 January 1946 when she got underway to act as schoolship for the Sonar School at San Diego , Calif . She completed her training services 5 March and reported for inactivation at San Francisco . After operations off the California coast , she decommissioned , and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet , Mare Island Navy Yard , 24 June 1946 . " Evangelista Torricelli " ( S - 512 ) . " Lizardfish " remained in reserve until 16 March 1959 when she departed for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for Fleet Snorkel conversion and fitting out . She was transferred to the Government of Italy 9 January 1960 and served the Italian Navy under the name " Evangelista Torricelli " ( S - 512 ) . She was stripped of usable parts and the hull scrapped by the Italian Navy in 1976 .