USS Gudgeon ( SS - 211 ) USS " Gudgeon " ( SS - 211 ) , a " Tambor " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gudgeon . Her keel was laid down by the Mare Island Navy Yard . She was launched on 25 January 1941 , sponsored by Mrs . William S . Pye , and commissioned on 21 April 1941 with Lieutenant Commander Elton W . " Joe " Grenfell in command . After shakedown along the California coast , " Gudgeon " sailed north on 28 August , heading for Alaska via Seattle , Washington . On her northern jaunt the new submarine inspected Sitka , Kodiak , and Dutch Harbor for suitability as naval bases . Continuing to Hawaii , she moored at the Pearl Harbor submarine base 10 October . Training exercises and local operations filled " Gudgeon " ’ s time for the next two months . During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December she was at Lahaina Roads on special exercises , but returned to base immediately . First war patrol . On 11 December , " Gudgeon " ( commanded by Elton W . " Joe " Grenfell ) departed Pearl Harbor on the first American submarine war patrol of World War II . Her commanding officer was provided with explicit written orders to carry out unrestricted submarine warfare . " Gudgeon " made her first contact on a target in Japanese Home Waters 31 December . When she returned 50 days later , " Gudgeon " had contributed two more impressive " firsts " to the Pacific submarine fleet . She was the first American submarine to patrol along the Japanese coast itself , as her area took her off Kyūshū in the home islands . On 27 January 1942 , " en route " home , " Gudgeon " became the first United States Navy submarine to sink an enemy warship in World War II . " Gudgeon " fired three torpedoes , and " I - 73 " was destroyed ; though " Gudgeon " claimed only damage , the loss was confirmed by . Second and Third War Patrols . On her second war patrol , 22 February to 15 April 1942 " Gudgeon " scored two kills , first sinking an unknown freighter maru on 26 March and then dispatching the 6526 - ton " Nissho Maru " on 27 March in the East China Sea southeast of Kumun Island . She then checked into dry - dock for overhaul , but undocked three weeks early and readied for sea in a remarkable 40 hours to participate in the momentous Battle of Midway . Departing Pearl Harbor on 18 May , " Gudgeon " took station off Midway Island as part of the submarine screen which encircled the two giant fleets clashing there . Although she had a ringside seat for the action , which saw Japan handed its first naval defeat in 350 years , " Gudgeon " was prevented from offensive action by the confusion of battle and the possibility of mistaken identity . She returned to Pearl Harbor on 14 June . Fourth War Patrol . Departing for her fourth patrol 11 July , " Gudgeon " sank the 4853 - ton transport " Naniwa Maru " in a night submerged attack off Truk on 3 August , her only kill of the patrol . In her other attack of the fourth patrol USS Gudgeon carried out an aggressive attack on a four - ship convoy 17 August , torpedoing and damaging the Japanese tankers " Shinkoku Maru " ( 10020 BRT ) and " Nichiei Maru " ( 10020 BRT ) northwest of Truk before the patrol ended at Fremantle , Australia , on 2 September . Fifth and Sixth War Patrols . Now a part of the Southwestern Pacific submarine forces , " Gudgeon " sank the 6783 - ton " Choko Maru " west - northwest of Rabaul on 21 October during her fifth war patrol , 8 October to 1 December , and carried out a daring attack on a seven ship convoy on 11 November , torpedoing several ships but sinking none . The submarine ' s sixth war patrol , from 27 December 1942 to 18 February 1943 , was unsuccessful terms of ships sunk , but she carried out two special missions . On 14 January 1943 " Gudgeon " successfully landed six men on Catmon Point , Negros Island , Western Visayas , Philippines , to carry out the vital guerrilla resistance movement there . Returning from her patrol area , " Gudgeon " was diverted to Timor Island on 9 February , and the following day rescued 28 men — Australian , English , Portuguese , and Filipino — for passage to Fremantle . Seventh and eighth war patrols . " Gudgeon " s seventh war patrol , from 13 March into April 1943 , netted her two more Japanese ships before she ran out of torpedoes and had to return to Australia . On 22 March she sank the 5434 - ton transport " Meigen Maru " as well as seriously damaging two other ships in the Java Sea convoy some 30 miles north of Surabaya , Java , Netherlands East Indies . Five days later " Gudgeon " took on 9987 - ton tanker " Tōhō Maru " in a night surface attack in the Makassar Strait punctuated by bursts of gunfire as the Japanese ships spotted and fired on the submarine . It took five torpedoes to sink " Toko Maru " , and most of " Gudgeon " ' s crew enjoyed the rare treat of watching her slide into the depths . Another attack later the same day damaged the 1192 - ton tanker " Kyoei Maru " . On her eighth war patrol , conducted as she sailed from Australia to Pearl Harbor on 15 April to 25 May 1943 , " Gudgeon " chalked up three more kills . Her first came 28 April as she sank " Kamakura Maru " , a former ocean liner , southwest of Naso Point , Panay , Philippines . The 17 , 526 - ton transport was the largest Japanese transport , and one of the largest enemy ships sunk by an American submarine . Special operations interrupted " Gudgeon " ' s patrol as she landed six trained guerrilla fighters and three tons of equipment for the guerrilla movement on Panay on 30 April . After sinking the 500 - ton trawler " Naku Maru " with her deck guns west of Panay 4 May , " Gudgeon " battle - surfaced again that same day and left a coastal steamer burning and settling . Eight days later , on 12 May , she torpedoed and sank the 5861 - ton freighter " Sumatra Maru " off Bulusan , Luzon , Philippines . Returning to Pearl Harbor , the veteran submarine was sent to San Francisco , California , for badly needed overhaul , her first since commissioning two years earlier . Ninth and Tenth War Patrols . A refreshed sub and crew departed Pearl Harbor for their ninth war patrol 1 September 1943 in the Mariana Islands area . Before returning to Midway Island on 6 October with all torpedo es expended , " Gudgeon " had sunk the 3158 - ton " Taian Maru " , torpedoed and damaged the 3266 - ton auxiliary gunboat " Santo Maru " north of Saipan , as well as seriously damaging several other ships . Heading along the China coast for her tenth war patrol , form 31 October to 11 December , " Gudgeon " chalked up two more marus . Early in the morning of 23 November she spotted a convoy of four ships in the East China Sea some 70 miles north of Shusan Island and closed for attack . " Gudgeon " fired a spread of six torpedoes with gratifying results . The 870 - ton frigate " Wakamiya " , hit by one torpedo , broke in two , sinking almost immediately . The two tankers in the convoy , the 5106 - ton " Ichiyo Maru " and the 8469 - ton " Goyo Maru " , were also hit but managed to escape . " Gudgeon " closed in to finish off the 6783 - ton troop transport " Nekka Maru " . Eleventh War Patrol . " Gudgeon " ' s 11th war patrol saw a few successful sinkings of Japanese vessels , the first on 11 February . Before this sinking the submarine had a spell of bad luck where , on 2 February 1944 , she had sighted a damaged aircraft carrier with two escorts . " Gudgeon " had closed for attack , but the escorts spotted her and attacked . A down - the - throat shot with four torpedoes temporarily discouraged the destroyers and allowed " Gudgeon " to seek deep water and safety , but when she surfaced the Japanese men - of - war were gone . Later in the same patrol " Gudgeon " was forced to try another down - the - throat shot at an enemy escort , but no hits . Success came only on 11 February . This date saw her torpedoing and sinking the already damaged ( by Chinese air attack ) 3091 - ton merchant " Satsuma Maru " off Wenchow , China . On 17 February " Gudgeon " sank a Japanese sampan with gunfire in the East China Sea , another sampan being damaged in the attack . She returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 March 1944 . Loss . " Gudgeon " sailed for her 12th war patrol on 4 April 1944 . The submarine stopped off for fuel at Johnston Island on 7 April , and was never seen or heard from again . On 7 June 1944 , " Gudgeon " was officially declared overdue and presumed lost . Uboat . net claims Gudgeon was sunk 18 April 1944 at a known location by the Japanese southeast of Iwo Jima . Some sources say the submarine was more likely to have sunk by attack near Maug Islands . For more detailed and original information about Gudgeon ' s likely sinking on 18 April 1944 , see " Find ' Em Chase ' Em Sink ' Em : The Mysterious Loss of the WW II Submarine USS Gudgeon " and other " Ostlund " references below . During her three - year career , " Gudgeon " scored 14 confirmed kills of a total of well over 71 , 372 tons sunk , placing her 15th on the honor roll of American submarines . For her first seven war patrols " Gudgeon " received the Presidential Unit Citation . She earned 11 battle star s for World War II service .