USS Parche ( SS - 384 ) The first USS " Parche " ( SS - 384 / AGSS - 384 ) was a United States Navy submarine . She bore the name ( pronounced with two equal syllables : ) of a butterfly fish , " Chaetodon capistratus " . " Parche " was built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard . Her keel was laid on 9 April 1943 and was christened on 24 July , when Miss Betty Russell smashed the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow as she slid into the water for the first time . Miss Russell is the daughter of the U . S . District Judge Robert Lee Russell , formerly Judge Advocate General of the Navy . " Parche " was later commissioned on 20 November 1943 with Commander Lawson P . Ramage commanding . First and Second War Patrols . On 29 March 1944 the submarine left Pearl Harbor with and for her first war patrol . After topping off at Midway Island , the three reached the sea lanes south of Formosa 16 April . On 29 April " Bang " reported a large convoy away , and the wolf pack attacked , " Parche " sinking one ship . " Tinosa " reported a seven - ship convoy on the morning of 3 May and " Parche " headed north at full speed to intercept . An hour after midnight " Parche " was in position and scored three torpedo hits on the leading ship and two hits on the second freighter , sinking both . " Parche " scored two hits on the third freighter , which settled by the stern and began to list to port . Post - war records credited the trio of submarines with five sinkings and 30 , 542 tons , " Parche " getting credit for " Taiyoku Maru " and " Shoryu Maru " . " Parche " returned to Midway 23 May 1944 , after making a thorough photo reconnaissance of military installations on the island of Ishi Gaki Jima . " Parche ' s " second patrol was again south of Formosa , forming with and , a coordinated attack group . " Parche " went to sea 17 June , following her refit . A week later she sighted and sank a patrol vessel with gunfire . On 4 July a Japanese cruiser and destroyer bombarded and depth charged " Parche " . " Parche " sighted a convoy 29 July and , cooperating with " Steelhead " , closed in , sinking 4 , 471 ton cargo ship " Manko Maru " and 10 , 238 - ton tanker " Koei Maru " . During this daring night surface action " Parche " barely avoided being rammed by one ship . " Parche " collaborated with " Steelhead " in sinking an 8 , 990 ton transport , the Yoshino Maru ( originally the Kleist , built in Danzig , 1906 for North German LLoyd , surrendered to the British in 1919 , and acquired by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha in 1922 . ) " Steelhead " sank two other ships , a transport and a cargo vessel . Another tanker and a cargo ship were damaged . For this action " Parche " received the Presidential Unit Citation and her commander , Ramage , received the Medal of Honor . On 1 August the sub departed for Saipan where she moored 5 August , arriving Pearl Harbor 16 August . Third , Fourth , and Fifth War Patrols . On her third war patrol , 10 September to 2 December , one of the longest of the war , " Parche " did not encounter any targets . After a refit , the ship got underway 30 December for rotating patrol in the Nansei Shoto . She discovered a freighter and a tanker at anchor in Naze Ko 19 January , firing six bow tubes at the tanker for five distinct hits and four stern tubes at the freighter for two possible hits . On 7 February " Parche " sighted and sank the 984 - ton " Okinoyama Maru " . Fueling at Midway 16 February , the sub continued to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived 20 February . Japanese shipping , decimated by continual submarine and air attacks , was becoming increasingly difficult to find . When " Parche " left Pearl Harbor 19 March 1945 , she headed directly for the east coast of Honshū , Japan . " Parche " sank escorting 615 - ton Minesweeper No . 3 off Kobe Zaki 9 April . On 11 April " Parche " made a gun attack , sinking a small freighter of about 800 tons . She torpedoed another small vessel the next day . On 13 April " Parche " sank a fishing trawler . Two hours later she again opened fire on a small observation boat , leaving it blazing stem to stern . Two Japanese planes caused her to dive , leaving all her guns loose and much of her ammunition exposed . A heavy explosion shook her on the way down , but inflicted no damage . On 22 April " Parche " sighted three small tankers in column , proceeding north along the coast south of Okama Saki . " Parche " launched three torpedoes at the second tanker and then shifted to the third , which was left down by the stern covered with a cloud of smoke . The sub sailed for Midway , arriving 30 April . Sixth War patrol . " Parche " got underway 25 May for her sixth patrol , the last of World War II , joining the “ Lifeguard League ” south of Honshū . She stayed on station off Honshū until 18 June , ready to pick up any aviators who might be forced down . No rescues were necessary , and on the 18th she proceeded to Tsugara Strait . Her first torpedo contact came 21 June when she sighted a gunboat rounding Shiriya Saki . The gunboat was soon joined by a sub chaser and then by a freighter . Picking the freighter as the best target , " Parche " launched four torpedoes from her forward tubes for one hit , which threw up a veil of dense white smoke . Expecting counter - measures , the sub went under , accompanied by the breaking - up noises of freighter " Hizen Maru " . " Parche " attacked three luggers escorted by a small flat vessel on the afternoon of the next day , and sank two . She sank several trawlers by gunfire on 23 June . Two days later she sighted three large ships and six escorts headed north along the coast , one of the most tempting convoys seen for some months in Japanese home waters . After " Parche ' s " attack the escorts shook the sub up considerably with depth charges four and a half hours , before she managed to work away and resume her patrol , leaving an ex - Gunboat sunk and another ship badly damaged . After another round of life guard duty for the carrier planes of Task Force 38 , on 17 July , " Parche " rendezvoused with to take aboard three fliers , and set course for Midway , arriving 23 July , and mooring Pearl Harbor 28 July . One of the most highly decorated ships of the famous World War II Pacific Submarine Force , USS " Parche " made six war patrols , earning five battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citation awards . Post World War II operations . After World War II " Parche " continued her adventures and was assigned to Operation Crossroads as a target ship for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll . " Parche " survived both the airburst and the underwater burst , coming through relatively undamaged . After decontamination , she proceeded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo , California . She was then decommissioned on 10 December 1946 and moved to joined the moth ball fleet Alameda , California in March 1947 . On 1 December 1962 her classification was changed to Auxiliary Submarine , AGSS - 384 and assigned as a Naval Reserve Training Submarine in Oakland , California . " Parche ' s " name was stricken from the Navy List on 8 November 1969 and sold on 18 June 1970 for scrap . All that remains of her is the original conning tower barrel , bridge structure , shears , and upper gun from the war which remain enshrined at the Naval Submarine Base , Pearl Harbor , Hawaii .