USS Balao ( SS - 285 ) USS " Balao " ( SS / AGSS - 285 ) , was the lead ship of the United States Navy ' s " Balao " - class submarine s during World War II and named for the balao . " Balao " s keel was laid down on 26 June 1942 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine . She was launched on 27 October 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . Theodore C . Aylward , wife of Lieutenant Commander Aylward , commissioned on 4 February 1943 , Lieutenant Commander Richard H . Crane in command ; and reported to the United States Pacific Fleet . World War II . After a six week training period in New London , Conn . , the submarine sailed for the Pacific Theater of Operations and joined the 7th Fleet at Brisbane , Australia , on 10 July 1943 . First patrol , July – September 1943 . At the end of a brief refit alongside submarine tender , " Balao " got underway on 25 July to begin her first war patrol . She topped off her fuel tanks from submarine rescue vessel on 29 July , and on 7 August took station in the scouting line in the sealanes between Truk and the Bismarck Archipelago . However , she made only five enemy contacts and was unable to launch a single attack . The scouting line was discontinued on 26 August , and " Balao " shifted to patrol the Palau – Rabaul shipping route where she fared no better . The submarine trained in emergency dives , and her crew frequently went to battle stations upon the sighting of enemy aircraft ; but the patrol was not enlivened by action with surface ships before the boat moored alongside " Fulton " in Brisbane on 13 September for refit . Second patrol , October – November 1943 . Her second war patrol began on 4 October when " Balao " sailed in company with for Tulagi . After refueling there on 11 October , the submarine got underway for her assigned area north of the Bismarck Archipelago and again covered the Palau - Rabaul routes . " Balao " sighted a convoy on 17 October , but it escaped her salvo of six torpedo es by making a radical zig - zag maneuver and increasing speed to open the range . The convoy ' s escorts counterattacked with depth charge s , but " Balao " came away unscathed . Her targets moved out of range at high speed , preventing her from regaining contact . " Balao " joined " Silversides " in a coordinated attack on a seven - ship convoy on 23 October , firing 10 torpedoes at three ships that presented an overlapping target . She scored six hits . One ship was seen down by the bow , with her stern in the air ; another listed heavily ; and a third was riding low in the water . While " Balao " was maneuvering into position for a second attack , the convoy ' s escorts fired on her , forcing the submarine to dive . " Balao " lost contact with the convoy and failed in her attempts to reach " Silversides " to exchange information . She later learned , however , that her consort sank three of the seven ships . " Balao " stopped at Tulagi to refuel and to load torpedoes . On 28 October , she was assigned to a scouting line south of Truk . On 4 November , the submarine made a submerged approach to a two - ship convoy , but the six torpedoes that she fired missed their marks . " Balao " then shifted to the Truk - New Hanover route where she conducted an uneventful patrol until 7 November , when she headed for Milne Bay , New Guinea , for refit alongside " Fulton " . Third patrol , December 1943 – January 1944 . Underway again on 6 December , " Balao " spent two days in training exercises and practice approaches with " Coucal " as her target . On 13 December , the submarine conducted communication and identification tests with friendly search planes and then began her patrol . No surface contacts came during the first two weeks , but her luck changed on 27 December when two s and two s crossed her track . The four warships maneuvered in a radical zigzag plan at a speed of , passing the submarine so rapidly that she only managed a shot at the second cruiser . " Balao " fired four torpedoes which overran their target . While rigging for depth charges , she heard three explosions , but upon surfacing , could see no sign of damage . The warships were long gone at their high speed . " Balao " began the year 1944 with a contact that turned out to be a very large steamer and two escorts . The weather impeded her efforts to close the convoy , but also offered protection when a rain squall covered " Balao " while she fired six torpedoes . The submarine counted three explosions and then went deep to wait out the inevitable depth charge attack by the escorts . When " Balao " surfaced the next morning , the convoy had disappeared . Certain that the freighter had been sunk , " Balao " resumed her patrol of the shipping lanes . She later sighted a convoy of a damaged freighter and two escorts and moved in for an attack only to discover that the freighter was her target of 1 January . The escorts drove " Balao " off , and on 7 January , she was ordered back to Brisbane , still without a confirmed kill under her belt . Fourth patrol , February – March 1944 . " Balao " arrived in Brisbane on 15 January for a normal two week refit and a brief training period . On 6 February , she was underway via Tulagi for her patrol area north of New Guinea , which she entered on 13 February . Her first opportunity to attack came just after midnight on 23 February when she closed a convoy of two freighters and one small escort . " Balao " fired six torpedoes at the larger of the two freighters , scoring three hits . The escort maneuvered to attack , but never came close to the submarine . Rather than risk a repetition of her disappointment during her last patrol , " Balao " returned to the scene to verify that the ship had sank . A survivor was taken on board , who stated that his vessel , the 5 , 857 - ton passenger cargo ship " Nikki Maru " , had gone down rapidly after being hit . A convoy located on 26 February did not offer a chance of attack , because had first fired on it causing its escorts to chase " Balao " from the scene . Two days later , " Balao " sighted smoke on the horizon and commenced tracking three ships and an escort . Shortly after midnight , " Balao " went to battle stations and closed for attack . After firing her six bow tubes at the lead ship , the submarine swung her stern toward the wing ships in the formation and fired her stern tubes . " Balao " heard several explosions at the expected times , as torpedo after torpedo struck home . One of the damaged ships trained a gun on " Balao " , but a heavy internal explosion silenced the gun before " Balao " could be hit . The submarine could see nothing except heavy smoke in the target area , but radar watched as two " pips " disappeared from the screen . " Balao " lured the escort out of the target area in order to double back to look for the third freighter . Radar and lookouts failed to locate the merchantman , so " Balao " returned to patrol the shipping lanes after a very successful attack . Postwar study of Japanese shipping records identified her victims as the 2 , 723 - ton freighter " Shoho Maru " and the 6 , 803 - ton passenger cargoship " Akiuro Maru " . On 3 March , " Balao " fired four torpedoes at a small freighter and escort from a distance that proved to be too great . All four fish passed under their targets . Later that morning , " Balao " sighted a convoy of four small cargo ships , described as " the dregs of the worst of harbors . " The convoy changed course and pulled away from the submarine before she could close for attack . The next day , " Balao " investigated smoke on the horizon , found two cargo ships , tracked them through a rain squall , and as she passed into clear weather , found the convoy in perfect position for her torpedoes . She fired four stern tubes at the leading ship , but heard no explosions . The torpedoes were duds or had again passed underneath . As the escorts actively pursued the submarine , " Balao " submerged to wait out the inevitable depth charges . When the submarine surfaced again , all trace of the convoy was gone , and she set course for Langemak Bay , New Guinea , with all her torpedoes expended . On 7 March , " Balao " moored alongside " Coucal " and took on fuel and provisions . She got underway again on the following morning , bound for Pearl Harbor where she arrived for refit on 19 March . Fifth patrol , April – June 1944 . " Balao " completed refit and training on 24 April and the next day began her voyage back to action . After stopping for a few hours at Midway to refuel , she continued to her patrol area around the Palau Islands . She contacted a small convoy on 14 May but was unable to close for attack because of the diligence of the Japanese escorts . The submarine returned to patrolling the Yap – Palau shipping lanes . Her next contacts were unfavorable for attack , and problems with her surface search radar hampered her efforts to seek out enemy shipping . On 1 June , the situation brightened . " Balao " made radar contact with a four - ship convoy and tracked it to an excellent position for attack . Just after midnight on 2 June , she fired six bow fish at one of the largest passenger cargo ships , and scored two hits . Although pursued by the escorts , " Balao " again managed to close the convoy , now with only two ships visible . Only minutes before " Balao " reached firing position , one of the escorts unwittingly moved to a spot on " Balao " s beam and stayed there , thwarting the submarine ' s second attempt . She was prevented from carrying out a dawn attack by Japanese air cover and was forced to allow the convoy to escape without further damage . A fuel shortage forced " Balao " to enter Majuro Atoll on 12 June to begin refit alongside submarine tender . Sixth patrol , July – August 1944 . " Balao " began her sixth war patrol on 5 July when she departed Majuro for the Palau area . The submarine made a few contacts , but none worthy of pursuit . On 26 July , " Balao " joined in the bombardment of Angaur Island in the Palaus by firing on a lighthouse and loading docks , scoring several direct hits . The same day , she witnessed a fighter plane from the carrier splash into the water dead ahead and quickly managed to rescue the pilot . After transferring him to , " Balao " returned to lifeguard duties off Peleliu Island where she picked up two more downed aviators on 27 July . On 29 July , " Balao " joined in a coordinated attack on two sampans , engaging them with gunfire until the Japanese abandoned ship and the sampans were destroyed . She then resumed patrol duty and continued the task until 12 August , when she rendezvoused with and headed for Tanapag Harbor , Saipan . " Balao " was then ordered back to the United States where she entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 20 August for a complete overhaul . Upon the completion of that work , she returned to Pearl Harbor on 15 November and prepared to return to the war in the Pacific . Seventh patrol , December 1944 – January 1945 . " Balao " stood out of Pearl Harbor on 4 December and rendezvoused with and en route Tanapag Harbor . The trio of submarines reached port on 15 December and moored in a nest alongside " Fulton " . After topping off fuel , water , and provisions on 17 December , they got underway to patrol the Yellow Sea in a coordinated attack group . Until 2 January 1945 , their only contacts were fishing craft and floating mines . On that day , however , " Balao " sighted the masts of a sailing vessel . She closed the three masted schooner and surfaced to attack . Her first two torpedoes missed the target , but the third hit squarely amidships and sank the vessel . That day proved to be lucky for " Balao " because , later that night , she picked up a larger ship on radar and successfully moved into position . Early on 8 January , she fired six torpedoes , three of which scored ; but the stubborn " tanker " remained afloat despite being dead in the water . " Balao " fired seven more torpedoes for three more direct hits , but the target still refused to sink . The submarine closed in on the badly damaged tanker and fired another trio of fish , one of which struck the final blow . However , Japanese records examined after the war indicate that " Balao " s victim on this occasion was not a tanker , but the 5 , 244 - ton freighter " Daigo Maru " . After that , " Balao " patrolled independently until 19 January when she pulled into Apra Harbor , Guam , for refit alongside . Eighth patrol , February – April 1945 . " Balao " began her eighth war patrol on 27 February as part of another attack group along with , , and on patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas . Her first opportunity for action came on 9 March , when she sighted a small tanker with two escorts steaming along the coastline . Although not in an ideal attack position , the submarine fired four torpedoes at the tanker , all of which missed . The target ’ s escorts struck back at " Balao " with depth charges , but the submarine escaped damage and resumed patrol duty later that day . She sighted many vessels during the next eight days , but did not attack them . On 18 March , " Balao " caught a 188 - ton trawler alone , sank it with gunfire , and then rescued three survivors in the debris . Early the next morning , she attacked a convoy of four transports guarded by four escorts . Firing 10 torpedoes at three of the targets , " Balao " heard four hits and the explosion on one of the transports nearly blinded her lookouts . The early morning darkness made it impossible to assess the damage , but " Balao " received credit for sinking " Hakozaki Maru " , a 10 , 413 - ton transport . { The " Tatsuhara Maru " was damaged } . The submarine then escaped to deep water to continue her patrol . Later that same afternoon , " Balao " surfaced to attack a group of small trawlers . She sank one trawler and left three others burning fiercely . Shortly before dawn on 21 March , " Balao " began tracking a convoy of two ships closely guarded by four escorts . The effectiveness with which the escorts countered her several approaches convinced " Balao " that she had been detected . As dawn broke , the submarine made one last approach , moving to where she fired four torpedoes . An escort picked up the submarine ' s trail , and " Balao " ran for deep water under a smoke screen without waiting to observe results . On 26 March , " Balao " encountered the 880 - ton cargo ship , " Shinto Maru No . 1 " , and sank her with gunfire . A small Japanese patrol vessel made an attempt to counterattack , but " Balao " slipped below the surface and headed for Guam to replenish her fuel , provisions , and torpedoes . On 2 April , " Balao " submerged rapidly to avoid detection by a large , low - flying enemy plane and took on several feet of water in her conning tower , grounding out her radar and other electrical gear . Despite these problems , she arrived safely at Guam on 8 April for refit . Ninth patrol , May – June 1945 . The submarine began her ninth patrol on 3 May when she headed for the Yellow Sea to patrol in a wolfpack with , , and . Targets were scarce and mechanical difficulties plagued " Balao " . On 19 May , the submarine attacked a small freighter , but all three of the torpedoes that she fired missed the target . Nevertheless , she did win a consolation prize when one of her torpedoes struck and sank a nearby 30 - ton junk . On 23 May , " Balao " s earlier mechanical difficulties rendered her stern diving plane s totally inoperable , and she received orders to Pearl Harbor for refit . En route , she embarked a sailor from suffering from appendicitis and an injured crewman . Later that evening , although the radar scope was clear and no other submarines were known to be in the vicinity , " Balao " was suddenly attacked by torpedoes . The quick reactions of the officer of the deck caused two to pass to port and two to starboard . The submarine continued on to Midway where she arrived on 3 June , discharged her passengers , and set a course for Pearl Harbor where she arrived four days later . Tenth patrol , July – August 1945 . A month in port was readied her for sea once more , and " Balao " got underway on 7 July for the Nanpō Islands area and waters east of Honshū . Her primary duty during this tenth and final war patrol was to provide lifeguard services for Allied aircrew during strikes on the Japanese home islands . " Balao " operated with air cover while on station and rescued four aviators during the patrol . Japan had been so weakened by the final weeks of the war that surface contacts were scarce . She was able to sink one picket boat and damage another with gunfire on 14 August . Word of Japan ’ s capitulation came on 15 August along with orders to cease fire . " Balao " rendezvoused with the next day to transfer the rescued aviators , then proceeded on to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived on 25 August . Post - War . The submarine departed Pearl Harbor on 31 August for Staten Island , New York , where her crew enjoyed a well - deserved rest period and she underwent an overhaul . " Balao " was decommissioned on 20 August 1946 , and she was berthed in New London , Conn . , as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . 1952 – 1963 . " Balao " was recommissioned on 4 March 1952 at the U . S . Naval Submarine Base , New London , Connecticut , Lieutenant Commander S . V . Hadley in command , and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet ' s Submarine Squadron 4 ( SubRon 4 ) . After shakedown training , the submarine was reassigned to SubRon 12 at the U . S . Naval Base in Key West , Fla . There , she served primarily as a training ship for antisubmarine and Special Development Forces in the Key West and Guantanamo Bay operating areas . After making several goodwill visits to ports in the southern United States , " Balao " joined the ships of Destroyer Squadron 24 ( DesRon 24 ) in a combined antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) training and goodwill cruise to South America that began on 6 January 1957 . After joint exercises with the navies of several South American countries , the ship made liberty calls to principal ports such as Caracas , Venezuela ; Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ; Montevideo , Uruguay ; Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires , Argentina . The submarine returned to Key West on 22 March . " Balao " deployed to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base four times in the next year , spending one month each time training surface ships in “ refresher training . ” The submarine departed Key West on 19 July 1958 for an overhaul at the Charleston Naval Shipyard . Upon its completion on 13 November , " Balao " conducted refresher training at New London , Conn . and Newport , Rhode Island . After " Balao " s return to Key West on 30 November , she and spent 12 days of December in hunter - killer training . In 1959 , " Balao " starred as the “ pink submarine ” in the movie " Operation Petticoat " , co - starring with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis ( photo ) . After her fame and stardom had subsided in 1960 , " Balao " returned to local training operations . On 1 April , she was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine , AGSS - 285 , but continued to serve as a training ship . On 3 March 1961 , " Balao " simulated a disabled submarine for the testing of a new device for individual escape . The mechanism , known as the “ Steinke hood , ” enabled Commander W . F . Mazzone and Lieutenant H . E . Steinke , the hood ’ s inventor , to ascend from a depth of to the surface in 55 seconds , setting a new record . From 28 June – 4 November , the submarine underwent overhaul and battery renewal . She returned to Key West and resumed services in training . In April 1962 , " Balao " deployed to the Mediterranean Sea where she joined the 6th Fleet for four months of exercises with other NATO navies . " Balao " also deployed to the western Atlantic during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October – November , but returned to routine training duty when the trouble died down . In 1963 , the Board of Inspection and Survey determined " Balao " to be unfit for further service . The submarine was decommissioned on 1 August 1963 , and her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register that same day . Her hulk was sunk off the coast of northern Florida on 6 September as a target . Before this occurred , her conning tower and periscope shears were removed , and are on display on the waterfront at the National Museum of the United States Navy of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington , D . C . . Awards . " Balao " received nine battle star s for her World War II service .