USS Raton ( SS - 270 ) USS " Raton " ( SS / SSR / AGSS - 270 ) , a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the raton , a polynemoid fish inhabiting semitropical waters off the Pacific coast of America . " Raton " ( SS - 270 ) , an attack submarine , was laid down 29 May 1942 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co . , Manitowoc , Wisc . ; launched 24 January 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . C . C . West and commissioned 13 July 1943 , Lt . Comdr . J . W . Davis in command . Following training in Lake Michigan and at Coco Solo , C . Z . , " Raton " sailed for the southwest $ 3 19 September 1943 , and upon arriving at Brisbane , Australia , on 16 October , joined Submarine Force , 7th Fleet . First war patrol , November – December 1943 . From Brisbane , " Raton " sailed to Tulagi , Solomon Islands for her first war patrol , from 20 November to 6 December 1943 , in the Bismarck Archipelago – Solomons – New Guinea area . On 24 November , while patrolling west of Massau " Raton " sighted two Japanese cargo - type ships , with two destroyer s and a " Rufe " float plane . The submarine trailed the convoy and that night made a torpedo attack , sinking the " Onoe Maru " . The excellent countermeasures of the two escorts thwarted four attempts to sink the remaining freighter . On 28 November , she sighted a Rabaul - bound convoy of five cargo ships , accompanied by two escorts . In a submerged attack , " Raton " sank two ships of the convoy , the " Hokko Maru " and " Yuri Maru " . After a severe pounding by the escorts , " Raton " escaped , but remained in the area for a return bout . In a night attack , she heavily damaged a third freighter , and called for assistance , as her torpedoes were nearly expended . arrived and joined the attack , only to be jumped by the two Japanese destroyers . " Raton " surfaced and raced at flank speed to draw the escorts away from " Gato " , and succeeded , allowing " Gato " to sink " Columbia Maru " . Second and third war patrols , December 1943 – April 1944 . After returning to Milne Bay , New Guinea , for rest and refit alongside , " Raton " departed on her second war patrol , from 11 December to 25 January 1944 , for the Mindanao – Celebes – Halmahera area . On 24 December , the submarine made an attack on four merchantmen and two destroyers in Morotai Strait , sinking " Heiwa Maru " and damaging an auxiliary aircraft carrier . On 2 January , she encountered two tankers , escorted by a northwest of Faland Island on the Palau shipping lane . She scored hits on one tanker , but the efficient countermeasures of the Japanese escorts interrupted the attack . " Raton " departed the patrol area on 19 January and reached Fremantle on 25 January for refit by . Her third patrol , from 18 February to 14 April , was conducted in the Java Sea , the Karimata Strait , and the South China Sea . sank the only two ships she contacted . Fourth war patrol , May – June 1944 . Her fourth patrol , from 19 May to 23 June , in the South China and Java Seas , provided good hunting . On 23 May , " Raton " intercepted two small intercoastal freighters north of the Tambelan Islands , and sank both with her deck gun . That same evening , she contacted a fast convoy of three transports and four destroyers . She sank destroyer , and damaged a transport . On 27 May , the ship ' s log reported : " 0615 ( H ) Ship shaken up considerably by either two underwater explosions or by striking submerged object . People in forward torpedo room thought we had struck something or had been struck by something . " This turned out to be 2 torpedoes fired by U . S . S . Lapon . Lapon was looking for a Japanese submarine passing through the area and mistook Raton for that enemy sub . The Commanding officer checked fire on the second set of torpedoes realizing he wasn ' t shooting at the enemy . Later dry - dock inspection of Raton showed dents where the torpedoes hit . This is the only known friendly fire incident in World War II between two submarines . ( http : / / www . ratonss270 . com / ss270 - shipmates - stories2 . html ) On 28 May , " Raton " tracked a Japanese " RO - 61 " - class sub , but missed due to an unfavorable firing angle . On 6 June , a bright moonlit night brought out a large convoy of 11 ships with four destroyer - type escorts . One frigate was blown apart by three hits from a spread of fish fired by " Raton " , but the submarine received a severe pounding from a prolonged depth charge attack before making her escape . A boarding party from the submarine captured a small sailing vessel on 13 June , taking 11 prisoners and scuttling the craft . Four days later , " Raton " sighted a small freighter , sinking it with one torpedo , and rescuing nine survivors . SS - 270 returned to Fremantle 23 June for upkeep alongside . Fifth and sixth war patrols , July – December 1944 . The fifth patrol , 18 July to 10 September , conducted in the South China Sea off Luzon , gave " Raton " only one victory , a tanker left beached off Dasol Bay , Philippines , on 4 August . " Raton " had better luck on her sixth patrol , 6 October to 1 December , in the South China Sea . On the night of 18 October , " Raton " slipped into the center of a nine - ship convoy for a surface attack . She fired both sets of torpedo tubes , her bow tubes at six overlapping targets while her stern fish were fired at a large freighter . Two ships , " Shiranesan Maru " and " Taikai Maru " went down , and another vessel was damaged . A final attack resulted in damage to another cargo ship . With her torpedo supply running low and a typhoon approaching , " Raton " pulled into Mios Woendi , Schouten Islands , for more fuel and torpedoes with which to finish the patrol . Leaving Mios Woendi 27 October , " Raton " encountered an enemy task group of two heavy cruiser s and five escort vessels on 6 November . In a submerged attack , she scored three hits on a , but did not put the heavy out of action . On 11 November , " Raton " and attacked a four - ship convoy guarded by three escorts . In a surface action " Raton " sank " Unkai Maru " and " Kurasaki " with four torpedoes . Then , both submarines fired torpedoes at the remaining auxiliaries with unconfirmed results . With only four torpedoes remaining , " Raton " steamed home , arriving San Francisco 1 December . Seventh and eighth war patrols , April – July 1945 . On 13 March 1945 , after an overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard , " Raton " headed west for Pearl Harbor for refresher training . She sailed for the Yellow Sea 20 April for her seventh war patrol . On 2 May , she blew up a loaded tanker , " Toryu Maru " , in a night torpedo attack off Shantung Peninsula despite gunfire from two Japanese escorts . That same day , " Raton " sank a medium - sized cargo ship , " Rezikan Maru " , in a submerged torpedo approach . On 16 May , she made a submerged attack on two transports , sinking the larger one " Eiju Maru " . " Raton " returned to Guam 25 May for upkeep alongside . The submarine sailed on 22 June for her final patrol of World War II , lifeguard duty off Hong Kong . No Allied planes went down in the area , and she made no enemy contacts . Arriving at Subic Bay 23 July for upkeep , " Raton " was preparing for her next patrol when the war ended . On 31 August 1945 she sailed for home , arriving at San Francisco in mid - September . Post - war service , 1946 – 1948 . Following overhaul at Mare Island Shipyard , " Raton " transited the Panama Canal , and arrived Naval Submarine Base New London on 12 March 1946 where she was assigned to the 2d Fleet . She spent the next 2½ years in training exercises in the North $ 3 and the Caribbean , helping to maintain America and the West ' s defense posture during the early years of the Cold War . Radar picket submarine ( SSR - 270 ) , 1953 – 1959 . After being placed in reserve in the fall of 1948 , " Raton " was decommissioned at New London , Conn . , on 11 March 1949 . She remained in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at New London until July 1952 when she was towed to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for conversion to a radar picket submarine . Redesignated SSR - 270 on 18 July 1952 , she was recommissioned 21 September 1953 , Cmdr . J . K . Wills in command . Departing Philadelphia on 8 December , she underwent training for several months in the Norfolk area . Ordered to the Pacific , she arrived at San Diego on 7 March 1954 via the Panama Canal . The submarine spent the next year in local operations , before departing from San Diego on 11 May 1955 for a 6 - month deployment to WestPac . She returned to San Diego on 6 November 1955 . Prior to and following her second 7th Fleet deployment , 13 May 1957 – 8 November 1957 , SSR - 270 trained in exercises off the Pacific coast . After overhaul at Hunter ' s Point Naval Shipyard , from 7 July to 24 November 1958 , and underway training , the submarine deployed to the 7th Fleet from early March 1959 to mid - November , participating in operations with SEATO and the Japanese Maritime Self - Defense Force . Auxiliary research submarine ( AGSS - 270 ) , 1960 – 1968 . In early 1960 " Raton " was engaged in local operations , including evaluation of new sonar concepts , and training of UDT personnel in covert reconnaissance . On 1 July 1960 , " Raton " was redesignated an auxiliary submarine AGSS - 270 . In Mare Island Naval Shipyard from January to April 1961 for a major overhaul , " Raton " sailed west for her fourth 7th Fleet deployment 3 July 1961 , returning to San Diego 19 December . The year 1962 was occupied in fleet training operations off the west coast of the United States , providing services for air , surface , and submarine forces . Her fifth post - World War II WestPac deployment , from January to June 1963 , included participation in two major ASW exercises with U . S . and SEATO forces . Following an overhaul period from November 1963 to early March 1964 , " Raton " deployed again from 6 July to 23 December to the Far East , where she operated with naval forces of Thailand , the Philippines , and the Republic of China , under the Military Assistance Program . Local fleet and type operations filled 1965 and early 1966 when " Raton " once more followed the setting sun in mid - April for another tour of duty with the 7th Fleet . While deployed , " Raton " exercised with SEATO naval units in Exercise " Sea Imp " . On 17 October 1966 AGSS - 270 returned to San Diego . 1967 was spent in local operations , reserve training , and semiannual overhaul . On 20 May and 21 May 1968 , " Raton " served as a test ship to determine that a small fleet tug could rescue men from a sunken submarine resting on the ocean floor . " Raton " commenced her final WestPac deployment 15 July 1968 , arriving Yokohama 7 August . During her deployment AGSS - 270 provided training services to 7th Fleet and SEATO units . The veteran submarine returned to San Diego 20 December 1968 . She was decommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and stricken from the Navy List 28 June 1969 . The stripped hull was designated as a target ship for Pacific Fleet gunnery exercise . She was sold for scrapping 10 December 1973 . " Raton " was awarded six battle star s for service in World War II .