USS Shad ( SS - 235 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the first submarine and second vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the shad , a fish of the herring family , common along coasts of the United States . The second " Shad " was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard ( in Kittery , Maine ) on 24 October 1941 . She was launched on 15 April 1942 ( sponsored by Miss Priscilla Alden Dudley ) , and commissioned on 12 June 1942 , with Lieutenant Commander Edgar J . MacGregor III ( Class of 1930 ) in command . Atlantic war patrols . Following shakedown off the New England coast , " Shad " departed on a special patrol as a unit of Submarine Squadron ( SubRon ) 50 to a point off the coast of Mehdiya , French Morocco , to conduct reconnaissance in preparation for Operation Torch , the Allied occupation of North Africa . Upon completion , she sailed to Roseneath , Scotland , for repairs and further training . " Shad " ' s second war patrol was conducted in the Bay of Biscay and Spanish coastal waters with other units of SubRon 50 under British command . Although the majority of the vessels she sighted were neutral Spanish ships , the submarine sank an enemy trawler , a barge , and severely damaged a destroyer escort before she returned to Roseneath for refit on 12 February 1943 . With refitting completed , " Shad " departed Scotland for her third war patrol on 7 March , again heading for the Bay of Biscay . During this mission , the submarine damaged the blockade runner " Pietro Orseolo " , before returning to Scotland on 12 April . " Shad ' s " fourth patrol , conducted in Norwegian waters , and fifth war patrol , conducted en route back to the United States , were uneventful . Sixth war patrol . Following repairs in New London , Conn . , the submarine was transferred to the Pacific front . Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 7 September , " Shad " underwent two weeks of voyage repairs and then departed on 28 September , for her sixth war patrol , and her first against the Japan ese . This patrol was also the first American wolf pack , comprising " Shad " , , and , commanded from " Cero " by Captain Charles Momsen . Just before dawn on 22 October , " Shad " attacked a convoy of two cruiser s and three escorts . After firing ten torpedo es , she was forced to head for deeper water to evade the depth charging that followed . Although there was no positive evidence of any sinkings , a two - square mile oil slick confirmed the damage done by the submarine . Shortly after midnight on 27 October , " Shad " sighted another enemy convoy and moved in for the kill . Although she did not sink any of the enemy ships , the submarine damaged three transports and a freighter before she was forced to leave the vicinity by an escorting destroyer . " Shad " then returned via Midway Atoll to Pearl Harbor , where she terminated her sixth patrol before sailing for the West Coast for overhaul at San Francisco . Seventh war patrol , August – October 1944 . After returning to Pearl Harbor on 11 May 1944 , Shad underwent further repair work and training before departing on 12 August for her seventh war patrol , which she conducted in waters surrounding the Japanese home islands . While off Honshū on 30 August , the submarine attacked a heavily laden freighter escorted by two small patrol craft . Although there was evidence of one hit , exact results were unknown due to a severe counterattack that forced the submarine to leave the area , giving the freighter a chance to escape . On 16 September , " Shad " fired four torpedoes , damaging a large transport . Following this attack , the submarine endured two hours of steady depth charging . On 19 September , " Shad " torpedoed and sank escort ship " Ioshima " , and , as expected , was forced to endure another lengthy depth charging . On 22 September , " Shad " narrowly escaped destruction by maneuvering around two torpedoes , probably fired by an enemy submarine . One passed just under her bow and the other about ahead . After a typhoon - racked passage from the patrol area , " Shad " terminated her seventh patrol at Midway on 1 October . Eighth and ninth war patrols . " Shad " spent her eighth war patrol as a unit of a coordinated attack group with and , in the area off the northeast coast of Formosa and in the East China Sea . Other than a few inconsequential contacts with small enemy vessels , the patrol was uneventful , and the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 January 1945 . Following repair work and recuperation for the crew , " Shad " departed Pearl Harbor on 31 January for her ninth war patrol . She refueled at Saipan on 12 February and then departed with and " Thresher " for another wolf pack to patrol the Luzon Strait . During this patrol , the " Shad " attempted three attacks but all were thwarted . Twice the coming of dawn forced her to dive to evade enemy aircraft , and once patrolling escort ships forced her to leave the vicinity of an anticipated victim . On 5 March , " Shad " again was on the receiving end of an enemy torpedo attack , with three torpedoes passing just ahead of her bow . After this unproductive patrol , the submarine arrived at Apra Harbor , Guam , on 30 March . Tenth war patrol , August – October 1944 . On her tenth war patrol , " Shad " operated as part of yet another coordinated attack group with , , and , this time in the Yellow and East China Seas . On the night of 17 May , the submarine contacted a large freighter and two escorts . " Shad " fired three torpedoes and quickly got out of range . One torpedo hit forward on the freighter " Chosan Maru " , blowing her bow completely off , and the target settled quickly to the bottom . The escorts gave chase , but " Shad " escaped and resumed patrol . On 7 June , " Shad " destroyed a small Junk by gunfire and , later in the day , attacked and sank the 1 , 370 ton cargo ship , " Azusa Maru " . With her torpedo store depleted , the submarine returned to Midway . Eleventh war patrol and post - war service . On 11 July , " Shad " departed Midway on her eleventh and final war patrol , consisting of lifeguard duty off Marcus Island . On 15 August , she received word of the cessation of hostilities and returned to Midway on 22 August . Upon completion of repairs , she returned to the United States , arriving at New Orleans , La . , on 20 September . Following the war , " Shad " was decommissioned and placed " in service , in reserve " and assigned to the 1st Naval District to train naval reservists . The submarine continued in that duty until she was struck from the Navy List on 1 April 1960 and sold for scrap to Luria Brothers , Inc . , of Kearney , N . J . " Shad " earned six battle star s for World War II service .