USS Ray ( SS - 271 ) USS " Ray " ( SS / SSR - 271 ) , a , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the ray , a fish characterized by a flat body , large pectoral fins , and a whiplike tail . The first " Ray " ( SS - 271 ) , an attack submarine , was laid down 20 July 1942 ; launched 28 February 1943 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . , Manitowoc , Wisconsin ; sponsored by Mrs . S . C . Loomis ; and commissioned 27 July 1943 , Lt . Comdr . B . J . Harral in command . After training in Lake Michigan until 15 August , " Ray " arrived Coco Solo , C . Z . , via New Orleans on 31 August for intensive training . Departing Panama on 5 October , she reached Brisbane on 30 October . First war patrol , November – December 1943 . Departing Milne Bay , New Guinea , on 13 November for her first war patrol , " Ray " searched the area north of the Bismarck Archipelago . On the New Hanover - Truk shipping lane , she made radar contact with a three - ship convoy , escorted by three patrol craft . Attacking just before dawn she scored three hits on one of the freighters . Then , after evading the escorts ' countermeasures , she followed the convoy and sank the converted gunboat " Nikkai Maru " with a spread of torpedo es . Before ending her patrol in December , " Ray " twice unsuccessfully attacked another convoy . Second war patrol , December 1943 – January 1944 . " Ray " ' s second patrol , 11 December 1943 to 12 January 1944 was in the Celebes - Ambon - Timor area . Near midnight on 26 December she sighted an unescorted tanker standing out from Tioro Strait . When the enemy ship reached open water , " Ray " fired a spread of torpedoes which stopped " Kyoko Maru " dead in the water and sent a huge mushroom of flame into the night sky as the target disintegrated . On 1 January 1944 , SS - 271 intercepted two ships with escorts in the mouth of Ambon Bay , Java , and sank converted gunboat " Okuyo Maru " with three hits . The accompanying cargo ship tried to ram the submarine , and a combined aerial attack by patrol bombers and a sustained depth charge attack forced " Ray " to run deep . Three days later , following an unsuccessful attack on two cargo ships escorted by a " Chidori " - class destroyer , " Ray " returned to Fremantle . Third war patrol , February – March 1944 . The third patrol , 6 February to 27 March , in the South China and Java Seas included the laying of a minefield off Saigon , Indochina , on 22 February . On the evening of 2 March , " Ray " intercepted a nine - ship convoy , and early on the 3rd came within firing range . A spread of four torpedoes damaged a tanker , but crossed " Ray " ' s line of fire preventing a coup de grâce . On 18 March " Ray " intercepted two " Chidori " - class destroyers and a patrol craft , fired six torpedoes , and dived deep . The submarine ' s crew heard an explosion . An intense depth charge attack followed . " Ray " escaped after sunset . The submarine ended her patrol at Fremantle . Fourth war patrol , April – June 1944 . SS - 271 departed Fremantle on 23 April for her fourth patrol . Her hunting ground was the Davao Gulf - Molucca Passage area . On the afternoon of 21 May , she spotted a nine - ship convoy escorted by surface ships and seaplanes . " Ray " surfaced that night , pursued the convoy , and attacked early the next morning . She fired six " fish " at a large transport and an overlapping smaller cargo vessel sinking transport " Tempei Maru " and causing undetermined damage to the freighter . A spread fired from " Ray " ' s stern tubes resulted in hits on a tanker , and possibly a minelayer . During the ensuing confusion , Ray escaped by running at flank speed on the surface . Overtaking the disorganized convoy , during a tropical squall the next day , " Ray " fired on two radar contacts scoring hits . When the weather cleared , " Ray " saw one ship whose stack was going under and whose bow was rising from the water . The second was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and her decks awash . " Ray " dived deep to escape Japanese patrol aircraft , and the sinking was never confirmed by captured records . As no further suitable contacts were found , the submarine returned to Fremantle , arriving on 14 June . Fifth war patrol , July – August 1944 . Her fifth patrol , 9 July to 31 August 1944 , in the South China Sea and off the Philippines , drew blood on 18 July when " Ray " sank the tanker " Janbi Maru " . During the engagement , the submarine fired 22 torpedoes during six separate runs on the tanker which fired at Ray with her deck gun . " Ray " returned to Fremantle to reload , before returning to sea on 28 July . At the south entrance to Makassar Strait , SS - 271 intercepted a convoy of three ships and sank the cargo ship " Kōshū Maru " . Nine days later , she scored damaging hits on a transport and sank cargo ship " Zuisho Maru " . On 18 August , off northern Balabac Strait , Philippines , " Ray " closed a large convoy protected by surface escorts and planes , fired six " tin fish " at a tanker , and dived as a destroyer raced in to counterattack . Heavy explosions were heard , and a 2½ - hour depth charge pounding followed . During the action , " Ray " heard another violent explosion and the sounds of a ship breaking up , as the tanker " Nansei Maru " went down . The submarine surfaced that evening and pursued the convoy into Palawan Bay . Air cover prevented a daylight attack , but the wolfpack of " Ray " , , and waited for the ships to come out . " Ray " fired her four remaining torpedoes at a passenger - cargo ship . Three fish missed , but the fourth hit the " Taketoyo Maru " amidships . The escorts forced " Ray " to dive , but she heard the 7 , 000 - ton cargo vessel break up . The submarine underwent a sustained depth charge pounding , but escaped serious damage , returning to Fremantle 31 August . Sixth war patrol , September – December 1944 . The submarine ' s sixth war patrol , 23 September to 8 December , took her to the familiar waters of the South China Sea . On 6 October and 7 October , she twice torpedoed a tanker , inflicting undetermined damage . Five days later , she destroyed the cargo ship " Toko Maru " with two direct hits and escaped a subsequent depth charge attack . On 14 October , while making a crash dive to escape a Japanese patrol plane , " Ray " ' s conning tower was flooded by an improperly secured hatch , but she was brought under control before reaching . However , the damage forced the submarine to put into Mios Woendi for repairs during the last week of October . On the afternoon of 1 November , " Ray " closed a five - ship convoy , sinking the cargo ship Horai Maru No . 7 , and damaging a small tanker . Escaping the escorts , she landed men and supplies on the west coast of Mindoro , Philippines , picking up two downed Navy fliers , two Army POW ' s escaped from Corregidor , and an escaped Filipino political prisoner . On the night of 4 November , the sub sighted a cargo ship with its superstructure aflame , from an earlier attack by . She launched two torpedoes , scoring a hit amidships and blowing away the bow of the " Kagu Maru " . On 6 November , SS - 271 intercepted a convoy of two heavy cruiser s , and several transports , protected by surface and air escorts . " Ray " fired six rear torpedoes at the , damaged earlier by . One of " Ray ' s " torpedoes hit " Kumano ' s " forward magazine , destroying its bow . Immediately prior to this , " Ray " had been forced to dive under " Kumano " in order to escape aerial and surface attack , and would subsequently ground in shoal water , shearing off her starboard sound head and blowing the sound head cable back into the torpedo room . To prevent further flooding , the submarine came to periscope depth where she saw the bowless cruiser being towed away by a transport . Her own damage and the Japanese escorts kept " Ray " from following up the attack . " Kumano " was destroyed off Luzon by Navy carrier planes 25 November . On the night of 14 November , " Ray " made a surface attack on a three - ship convoy , blowing up an 800 - ton frigate with a direct hit in its magazines . Two days later she launched two torpedoes at a grounded transport , but could not complete the attack because of minefields and shoal water . On 19 November , she rescued a downed pilot from . The patrol terminated at Pearl Harbor 8 December 1944 . From there the submarine headed east , arriving at Mare Island Naval Shipyard 16 December for a major overhaul . Departing San Francisco 26 March , she proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Guam , arriving at Apra Harbor on 29 April 1945 . Seventh war patrol , April – June 1945 . " Ray " cleared Guam for her seventh war patrol 30 April to 16 June 1945 . On 7 May while on lifeguard duty off Kyūshū she rescued 10 men from a downed B - 29 . On the night of 15 May – 16 May , she picked up the 10 crewmen of a PBM Mariner patrol bomber which was foundering in heavy seas . " Ray " transferred the rescued crews to and and continued her patrol . On 19 May , she intercepted three small freighters . Her torpedoes ran beneath the targets , and the " freighters " , a disguised hunter - killer group , converged on the area where " Ray " had dived , laying a depth charge pattern . The submarine surfaced and fired her deck gun at her pursuers as she dashed away at flank speed . The remainder of the patrol was devoted to attacking patrol craft and coastal vessels with gunfire until it ended at Midway on 16 June . Eighth war patrol , July – August 1945 . Her eighth and final wartime patrol , 11 July to 13 August , took " Ray " to the Gulf of Siam . On the evening of 7 August , she sank 16 small craft by gunfire off Bang Saponnoi , Thailand . That night two boarding parties from the submarine burned seven Junks anchored north of Lem Chong Pra . The submarine arrived at Subic Bay for more ammunition on 13 August , where her patrol was terminated . Departing the next day , she proceeded via Saipan for home via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal , arriving at New London , Conn . , on 5 October 1945 . Radar picket submarine ( SSR - 271 ) , 1952 – 1958 . She served in a training capacity at New London until 12 February 1947 , when she was placed out of commission in reserve . In December 1950 , she was towed to Philadelphia Navy Yard for conversion to a radar picket submarine . Redesignated SSR - 271 on 3 January 1951 , she was recommissioned 13 August 1952 , Lt . Comdr . A . C . Burley in command . " Ray " departed Philadelphia 27 March 1953 . The remainder of the year was occupied in fleet training operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean . From 1 March to 26 May 1954 , she deployed to the 6th Fleet , serving as a picket ship . Returning to her homeport of Norfolk 26 May , she participated in joint United States - Canadian exercises off Nova Scotia in July and August . The remainder of 1954 and 1955 were spent in fleet exercises , type training , and an overhaul at Charleston Navy Yard from April to November 1955 . Deploying again to the Mediterranean as a radar picket submarine from 5 March to 4 June 1956 , she operated with NATO and U . S . Navy units . The remaining months of " Ray " ' s operating schedule in 1956 and 1957 were involved in type training and fleet exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean , including representing Submarine Force , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , at the International Naval Review at Hampton Roads in June 1957 and participating in the NATO Exercise " Strikeback " held off Scotland , France , and Portugal in September and October 1957 . The early part of 1958 was spent in fleet exercises off the east coast and the Caribbean . She departed Norfolk 30 June 1958 and entered the Charleston Navy Yard for inactivation . She was placed out of commission in reserve on 30 September 1958 , and was struck from the Navy List on 1 April 1960 . Her hulk was sold for scrap to the Commercial Metals Co . , 18 December 1960 . " Ray " was awarded seven battle star s , the US Navy Unit Citation ( for patrol 6 ) and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for action in World War II .