USS Pogy (SS-266)
USS "Pogy" (SS-266), a "Gato"-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pogy, or menhaden. She was credited with sinking 16 ships totaling 62,633 gross register tons during World War II. Construction and commissioning. "Pogy" (SS–266) was laid down 15 September 1941 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wisc., launched 23 June 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Julius A. Furer; and commissioned 10 January 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. H. Wales in command. "Pogy" temporarily decommissioned 1 February for a Mississippi cruise on a river barge to New Orleans, LA, and  recommissioned upon her arrival 12 February. Operational history. World War II. First war patrol, April – June 1943. After fitting out, trial runs, and training, "Pogy" arrived Pearl Harbor 5 April 1943. On 15 April she set out for her patrol area along the eastern coast of Honshū, making her first contact 1 May. Her periscope attack on a convoy of five ships with one escort sank ex-gunboat "Keishin Maru", and damaged a small freighter. Upon surfacing that night, "Pogy" attacked a destroyer with three torpedoes, but was unable to observe the results. The next day she destroyed a large  sampan by gunfire. On 9 May while making a submerged attack on a convoy of four freighters, a bomb close astern forced "Pogy" to retire. On 11 May, she sank a 100-ton sampan by gunfire. Two torpedo hits sent a small freighter to the bottom 26 May, and on 5 June "Pogy" retired to Midway. Second war patrol, June – August 1943. She departed Midway on her second war patrol 26 June. Throughout July she covered the Empire-Truk main communication and supply line. While patrolling submerged east of the Pulap Islands 5 July, she attacked two freighters with torpedoes , damaging the leading 3,000-ton freighter by one hit. "Pogy" sighted an aircraft ferry steaming for Truk, and sank the 7,497-ton "Mongamigawa Maru" and her valuable cargo 1 August. The submarine then departed the area, stopping at Johnston Island for fuel on the 14th, and arriving at Pearl Harbor two days later for refit. Third and fourth war patrols, September – December 1943. "Pogy" departed Pearl Harbor 9 September for her third war patrol, in the Palau area. On 28 September she sighted a five ship convoy. After a two-day chase and one unsuccessful attack, she scored two torpedo  hits on the largest freighter of the convoy, "Maebashi Maru", sinking 7,000 more tons of enemy shipping. On 6 October "Pogy" fired and missed with 4 torpedoes at "Nichiei Maru". On 26 October "Pogy" returned to Pearl Harbor. The submarine sailed for her patrol area again in the Palau Islands on 25 November. En route, on 7 December, she sighted a large freighter and a submarine tender escorted by a destroyer. In the ensuing attack three torpedoes hit and sank the 6,081-ton submarine tender, and one hit the freighter, before "Pogy" went deep to sit out an attack of  22 depth charges. She surfaced in the darkness to find the freighter dead in the water with the destroyer circling her. "Pogy" launched two torpedoes, both hits. On 13 December "Pogy" sank 3,821-ton transport "Fukkai Maru" leaving Palau loaded with troops. The angry escort dropped 27 depth charges during the counter-attack, the three closest charges causing damage which forced "Pogy" to return to Midway on 22 December. Fifth war patrol, February – March 1944. On 5 February 1944 "Pogy" departed Midway on her fifth war patrol for an anti-shipping sweep of the Formosa area. During the morning of  10 February, she spotted a convoy in Bashi Channel, off the southern tip of Formosa, guarded by three Japanese destroyers. "Pogy" attacked with five torpedoes, sinking Japanese destroyer "Minekaze" and 5,500-ton passengercargo ship "Malta Maru", and damaging another freighter. "Pogy" then headed northward up the east coast of Formosa and, on 20 February, caught a convoy on the Tropic of Cancer. Skillful approach and sharpshooting sent two torpedoes slamming into the "Taijin Maru", a 5,154-ton freighter, and one into the "Nanyo Maru", a 3,610-ton freighter, sinking both. Three days later in Ryukyu waters, "Pogy" blew the bottom  out of another freighter, before heading for Pearl Harbor, arriving 8 March 1944. Sixth war patrol, April – June 1944. On 7 April she departed on her sixth patrol, southeast of Japan. The night of 28 April, "Pogy" sighted and sank a Japanese submarine, "I-183". She then attacked and sank a freighter on 5 May, and a medium freighter on 13 May. Three days later "Pogy" sank a 20-ton sampan by gunfire, and took five of her crew prisoner. On 20 May, "Pogy" destroyed a small trawler and arrived back in Pearl Harbor 29 May. She departed Pearl Harbor 1  June for a West Coast navy yard overhaul, arriving at Hunter's Point, San Francisco, Calif. 8 June. "Pogy" departed for Pearl Harbor 17 September. Seventh and eighth war patrols, October 1944 – February 1945. After a training period, she got underway 13 October for her seventh war patrol, in the Ryukyu ("Nansei") islands and waters south of Japan, but made no contacts before returning to Midway 2 December. On 27 December "Pogy" sailed on her eighth patrol in the Bonin and Volcano Islands. On 14 January 1945 she made an unsuccessful torpedo attack on a convoy of three freighters. No  other opportunity to attack presented itself during the patrol, and the ship returned to Midway 11 February. Ninth war patrol, March – May 1945. On 12 March "Pogy" got underway for her ninth patrol in the area south of Tokyo Bay. On 19 April, while on lifeguard station, a B-24 Liberator on patrol strafed and bombed "Pogy" by mistake, causing considerable damage. On 29 April "Pogy" rescued ten Army aviators from a downed B-29 (The Queen Bee), and got underway for Saipan to transfer them. On 6 May she departed Saipan for Pearl Harbor arriving 15 May for refit. Tenth war  patrol, July – August 1945. On 2 July "Pogy" departed Pearl Harbor for the Sea of Japan on her tenth and last war patrol. She made a run under the minefields and patrolled in the "Emperor's private ocean" until V-J Day. Hunting was better on this patrol. On 27 July "Pogy" sank a large freighter with two torpedoes, damaged a 10,000-ton tanker on 2 August, and on 5 August destroyed the 2,200-ton freighter "Kotohirasan Maru". She returned to Midway 21 August with her World War II career completed. Postwar. "Pogy" departed Midway 5 September for Panama and  then the East Coast of the United States. She arrived New York 3 October. Decommissioning and disposal. "Pogy" was placed out of commission in the U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet 20 July 1946 at Naval Submarine Base New London |in New London, Connecticut. She was struck from the Navy List 1 September 1958 and sold 1 May 1959. Honors and awards. "Pogy" received eight battle stars for service in World War II.