View source for USS Triton (SS-201)

{{short description|Tambor-class submarine in service 1940-1943}}
{{other ships|USS Triton}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:USS Triton (SS-201) H99279.jpg|300px|SS-201 Triton, c. 1940]]
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1943}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]], [[Kittery, Maine]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
  | year = 1995
  | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
  | pages = 285–304
  | isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=5 July 1939<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=25 March 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=15 August 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sunk by Japanese [[destroyer]]s off the [[Admiralty Islands]], 15 March 1943<ref name="Register">{{cite book
  | last = Bauer
  | first = K. Jack
  |author2=Roberts, Stephen S.
   | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants
  | publisher = Greenwood Press
  | year = 1991
  | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
  | pages = 270
  | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Tambor|submarine|4}} [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1475|long ton|t|lk=on}} standard, surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp.305-311</ref>
*2,370&nbsp;tons (2,408&nbsp;t) submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship length={{convert|307|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|14|ft|7+1/2|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-early-FM-4-GE}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20.4|kn|km/h|0}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*{{convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|km}} at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}},<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> fuel capacity {{convert|93993|USgal|L|abbr=on}} to {{convert|96365|USgal|L|abbr=on}} fuel oil<ref>Alden, John D., Commander, USN (rtd). ''The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy'' (Annapolis: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979), p.74.</ref>
|Ship endurance=48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged;<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> patrol endurance, up to 75 days<ref name="Alden, p.74">Alden, p.74.</ref>
|Ship test depth={{convert|250|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (6 forward, 4 aft; 24 [[Mark 14 torpedo|Mark 14]] [[torpedo]]es or up to 40 [[naval mine|mine]]s)<ref name="Alden, p.74"/>
*one [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}]]/50 [[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|caliber]] deck gun
*2 × [[M1919 Browning machine gun|.30 cal (7.62 mm)]] [[machinegun]]s<ref>Lenton, H. T. ''American Submarines'' (Doubleday, 1973), p.58.</ref>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Triton'' (SS-201)''' was the fourth [[Tambor class submarine|''Tambor'']]-class [[submarine]] to be commissioned in the United States Navy in the years leading up to the country's December 1941 entry into World War II. Her wartime service was in the Pacific Ocean. She completed five patrols in the following 14 months, and is credited with the sinking of over 20,000 tons of Japanese shipping and warships. She was lost with all hands on or around March 15, 1943. Of the twelve Tambor-class submarines, only five survived the war.

Her [[keel]] was down on 5 July 1939 by the [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 25 March 1940 sponsored by Mrs. Martha E. King, wife of Rear Admiral [[Ernest J. King]], and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 15 August 1940 with Lieutenant Commander [[Willis A. Lent|Willis A. "Pilly" Lent]] (Class of 1925)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Clay |date=1975 |title=Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan |location=Philadelphia |publisher=[[J. B. Lippincott & Co.|Lippincott]] |page=907 |isbn=9780397010899}}</ref> in command. She was the first submarine and third ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for [[Triton (god)|Triton]], a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the sea.

The new submarine held her shakedown training in the [[Caribbean Sea]] from 14 January to 26 March 1941 and then conducted training and minelaying exercises in the [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] - [[New London, Connecticut]] area. ''Triton'' departed Portsmouth on 1 July, transited the [[Panama Canal]] on 12 July, and arrived at [[San Diego, California]], on 20 July. Nine days later, she and sister ship {{USS|Trout|SS-202}} headed for [[Hawaii]] and arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 4 August 1941.

==First patrol==
Assigned to Submarine Division 62,<ref>Commanded by [[Forrest M. O'Leary]]. Blair, p.83.</ref> ''Triton'' made a training cruise to [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] from 30 August to 15 September, then participated in local and fleet operations in the Hawaiian area. On 19 November, the submarine headed west to conduct a practice war patrol and arrived off [[Wake Island]] on 26 November. On 8 December, she saw columns of smoke rising over the island but assumed it was caused by construction work being done ashore. That night, when she surfaced to charge her batteries, she was informed by radio Wake that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and was ordered to stay out of range of Wake's guns. The next morning, ''Triton'' observed the [[Japan]]ese bombing the island. On the night of 10 December, <!--10 December – 11 December, or 9 December – 10 December?--> she was surfaced, charging her batteries, when flashes of light from Wake revealed a [[destroyer]] or light [[cruiser]] on a parallel course. The submarine was silhouetted against the moon, and the enemy ship turned towards her. ''Triton'' went deep and began evasive action. When the Japanese ship slowed astern, the submarine came to {{convert|120|ft}} and fired four stern torpedoes—the first American torpedoes shot during [[World War II]]—on [[sonar]] bearings.<ref>For which squadron commander [[Captain (U.S. Navy)|Captain]] [[Allan Rockwell McCann|Al McCann]] was critical. Blair, pp.120-1.</ref> She heard a dull explosion 58 seconds later and believed one had hit the target, then went to {{convert|175|ft}} and cleared the area. (No sinking was recorded, and she was not credited with one.)<ref>Blair, pp.120 and 901.</ref> After their initial repulse on 11 December, the Japanese returned with two [[aircraft carrier]]s, [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū|''Hiryū'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Sōryū'']]; ''Triton'' was not informed,<ref name="Blair, p.123">Blair, p.123.</ref> and made no attacks on them. Neither did she make any effort to evacuate the 350 Marines.<ref name="Blair, p.123"/> On 21 December, the submarine was ordered to return to [[Hawaii]], and she arrived back at Pearl Harbor on 31 December.

==Second patrol==
On 25 January 1942, ''Triton'' got underway for the [[East China Sea]] and her second war patrol, covering the sealanes to [[Dairen]], [[Shanghai]], and [[Korea]].<ref>Blair, p.208.</ref> She was off [[Kyūshū]] on 17 February when she contacted a freighter. The submarine launched four torpedoes and scored one hit in the stern. The target stopped for a few minutes and then slowly got underway. That evening, ''Triton'' attacked another freighter with two torpedoes at a range of {{convert|1200|yd}}. One hit the Japanese cargo ship aft of her well deck, and the maru went dead in the water and began settling. Soon, several heavy explosions marked the end of ''Shinyo Maru Number 5''. Four days later, the submarine intercepted two cargo ships. She sank ''Shokyu Maru'' with two torpedoes but could not attack the second ship because of its speed and the appearance of a four-engine patrol plane. On the night of 27 February, the submarine was on the surface for a battery charge when she sighted a ship approximately three miles away. She closed to attack and launched two torpedoes. One torpedo hit, but haze over the water and smoke from the damaged ship prohibited a second attack. ''Triton'' made no further contacts and returned to Pearl Harbor on 17 March, where she was praised for an aggressive patrol, earning credit for two ships totalling 12,000&nbsp;tons (reduced to 5,982&nbsp;tons postwar), but criticized for excessive use of torpedoes, which were in extremely short supply.<ref>Thanks to [[Bureau of Ordnance|BuOrd]]'s inadequate production. Blair, pp.69, 120-1, 208-9, and 907.</ref>

==Third patrol==
''Triton'' (now in the hands of [[Charles Cochran Kirkpatrick|C.C. Kirkpatrick]], Class of 1931)<ref>"the youngest skipper yet to get a command at Pearl Harbor". Blair, p.224.</ref> got underway on 13 April to return to the [[East China Sea]]. Ten days later, the submarine contacted a 2,000-ton<ref name="Blair, p.225">Blair, p.225.</ref> trawler near [[Marcus Island|Marcus]], astonishingly stopped and not blacked out.<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> After missing with two torpedoes (at point blank range),<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> she surfaced to engage with her deck guns, firing 19 rounds of three-inch (76&nbsp;mm) and "a hurricane of small-arms",<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> leaving the trawler a sinking wreck, giving ''Triton'' the first confirmed sinking of an enemy vessel by deck gun fire by an American submarine.

Amid shallow, glassy seas and poor sonar conditions,<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> on 1 May, she sighted six freighters, in two columns, escorted by a single<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> [[torpedo boat]]. She launched two torpedoes, and both hit the leading ship, ''Taei Maru'' (2,200&nbsp;tons), which sank,<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> then two more at the next freighter; both missed. She fired at a third cargoman but the torpedo ran deep; a second torpedo, set shallow and aimed at a different ship,<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> broke the back of ''Calcutta Maru'' (5,300&nbsp;tons),<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> which promptly sank.

''Triton'' contacted an escorted convoy on 6 May and launched two torpedoes at the trailing ship; one sank soon after leaving the tube, the other missed ahead.<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> She next spotted a destroyer coming to the rear of the convoy, fired two more (both set shallow) at this same ship from {{convert|1200|yd}}, and went deep to elude. Her sonar heard two violent explosions; ''Taigen Maru'' (5,600&nbsp;tons) had sunk.<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> At that point, the submarine maneuvered around and ahead of the convoy to position for another attack. When she attained the desired position, she launched four torpedoes—two at the third ship and two at a fourth. ''Triton'' heard two explosions from the first spread (one in the third ship), none from the second (which had avoided),<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> as she was forced to take evasive action from the escort. The submarine later returned to periscope depth, but no ships were in sight. The convoy had cleared the area. On 15 May, she sank two deep-sea fishing boats with her deck guns.

The next day, after monitoring orders to other boats attempting to intercept without success, ''Triton'' ran into position<ref>Blair, pp.231 & 233.</ref> and at 15.20 spotted the crippled [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku|''Shōkaku'']] and a destroyer, returning from the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]]. At {{convert|6700|yd}}, with the target making {{convert|16|kn|km/h}},<ref name="Blair, p.225"/> ''Triton'' could not close the range, despite surfacing and bending on 19½&nbsp;knots (36&nbsp;km/h).<ref name="Blair, p.233">Blair, p.233.</ref>  She sent a contact report, but it was not acknowledged.

One day later, 17 May,<ref>The same day Joe Willingham's [[USS Tautog (SS-199)|''Tautog'']] sank ''I-28''. Blair, p.233.</ref> in "one of the luckiest finds of the war",<ref name="Blair, p.233"/> [[Japanese submarine I-64|''I-64'']]<ref name="Blair, p.225"/><ref>Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 13, p.1410, "''I61''". She later had an extra "100" added and her original number was reassigned, per usual IJN practise. Stille, Mark. ''Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45'' (Osprey, 2007), p.4</ref> surfaced right in front of ''Triton''; she fired her last bow torpedo from {{convert|6200|yd}} and parts of the target were blown {{convert|100|ft|-1}} into the air. ''I-64'' (1,700&nbsp;tons),<ref>Fitzsimons, p.1410, "''I61''".</ref> the fourth Japanese sub sunk by the Pacific Fleet Sub Force,<ref name="Blair, p.233"/> went down by the stern. Four days later, ''Triton'' fired her last four torpedoes at another enemy submarine; all missed. The patrol earned her credit for five ships of 24,200&nbsp;tons (reduced to 15,800 postwar),<ref>Blair, p.908. It was a remarkable first effort for Kirkpatrick.</ref> terminating at Pearl Harbor on 4 June, as the [[Battle of Midway]] began.

==Fourth patrol==
[[Image:USS Triton (SS-201).jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Triton'' at [[Dutch Harbor, Alaska]], 16 July 1942]]
[[Image:Nenohi-1.jpg|thumb|Japanese destroyer ''Nenohi'']]

''Triton'''s fourth war patrol took her to [[Alaska]]n waters and lasted from 25 June to 24 August. On 4 July, she was patrolling in a heavy fog, in the vicinity of [[Cape Sabok]], when the fog lifted enough to reveal a Japanese destroyer. The submarine trailed the enemy for ten hours,<ref name="Blair, p.270">Blair, p.270.</ref> in and out of patches of fog, until she had closed the range to {{convert|3000|yd}}. ''Triton'' then launched two torpedoes, and one hit amidships. The Japanese destroyer [[Japanese destroyer Nenohi (1932)|''Nenohi'']] {right} (1,370&nbsp;tons)<ref>Fitzsimons, Volume 12, p.1247, "''Hatsuharu''".</ref> capsized to port and slid under the waves in five minutes.<ref name="Blair, p.270"/> ''Triton'' sighted a freighter on 28 July, but lost it in a fog bank. The same thing happened the next day. On 9 August, ''Triton'' saw an enemy submarine's periscope and prepared to attack. However, the Japanese sub struck first, forcing ''Triton'' to go deep as enemy torpedoes passed overhead. On 15 August, ''Triton'' launched four torpedoes at a darkened ship from a range of {{convert|1500|yd}}. There were two consecutive explosions, and flames shot over {{convert|200|ft|-1}} into the air. To ''Triton'', the enemy ship appeared to be larger than a destroyer. However, there is no official record of a sinking on that date.<ref>Japanese records are notoriously chaotic, and the [[JANAC]] accounting equally unreliable as a result, however.</ref> The submarine made no further contacts before returning to Pearl Harbor on 7 September, and was credited with two ships for 3,100&nbsp;tons (postwar, only ''Nenohi'', at 1,600&nbsp;tons).<ref>Blair, p.914.</ref> She then entered [[Pearl Harbor Navy Yard]] for an overhaul until 6 December.

==Fifth patrol==
On 16 December, ''Triton'' got underway for a position {{convert|20|mi|km}} east of Wake on the Midway–Wake route. She was one of three submarines stationed between the two islands to mark the way for [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[B-24 Liberator]] bombers in strikes on Wake and to rescue the crews of any planes forced down at sea. She made no rescues, but, on the night of 23 December, she aided in guiding the Liberators in a night bombing attack on the island. On 24 December, the submarine sighted the mast of a ship on the horizon, headed for Wake anchorage. ''Triton'' (alerted by [[Ultra (cryptography)|<small>ULTRA</small>]])<ref>Blair, p.334.</ref> closed to {{convert|1000|yd}} and launched two torpedoes. One hit under the [[Funnel (ship)|stack]], the other under the foremast. ''Amakasu Maru Number 1'' was obliterated in a cloud of smoke and steam as she went under.<ref>[http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/maru/amakasu.html The "Amakasu Maru" remains were found in August 2016]</ref> The submarine then set a course for [[Brisbane]]. On 28 December, she sighted an enemy ship, closed to {{convert|7000|yd}}, and launched three torpedoes into the transport {{ship||Ōmi Maru}}. The ship sank almost immediately and, although there was much wreckage, no survivors were seen.

''Triton''  was then ordered to patrol the [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]]–[[Rabaul]]–[[New Guinea]] shipping lanes, north and northwest of [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]], arriving on 30 December 1942. On 10 January 1943, ''Triton'' stalked an unidentified vessel but withheld her attack upon observing it was marked as a hospital ship. Three days later, she launched four torpedoes at a tanker and scored one hit. When the enemy began firing at her periscope, she went deep to begin an end around. About 20&nbsp;minutes later, the submarine returned to periscope depth and launched a spread of four torpedoes. Two geysers of water rose amidships as high as the target's bridge, but no explosions followed. The next day, ''Triton'' attempted to attack a freighter, but an escort forced her down where she was subjected to a two-hour [[depth charge]] attack. On 16 January, she attacked two cargo ships, scoring two hits on the first and one on the second; but her victims forced her to submerge before she could evaluate the damage. Later that day, ''Triton'' fired her last three torpedoes at a large freighter but heard no explosions. She then headed for [[Australia]] and reached [[Brisbane]] on 26 January, with a total of 6,500&nbsp;tons for the trip.<ref>Blair, p.334. On arrival, Kirkpatrick was detached to become an aid to [[Ernest J. King|King]], yet another waste of a very productive skipper.</ref>

==Final patrol==

Falling under the strict tactical control of Admiral [[James Fife, Jr.]],<ref name="Blair, p.375">Blair, p.375.</ref> ''Triton'' (now in the hands of [[George K. MacKenzie]])<ref name="Blair, p.375"/> on 16 February began her sixth and final war patrol, hoping to destroy enemy shipping between the [[Shortland Basin]] and [[Rabaul]]. She reported smoke on 22 February and a new Japanese [[radar]] at [[Buka Island|Buka]]. On 6 March, the submarine attacked a convoy of five destroyer-escorted ships, sinking the cargo ship ''Kiriha Maru'' and damaging another freighter. One of her torpedoes made a circular run, and ''Triton'' went deep to evade it. She attacked another convoy on the night of 8 March and claimed that five of the eight torpedoes she had fired scored hits. She could not observe the results or make a follow-up attack because gunfire from the escorts forced her down. On 11 March, ''Triton'' reported she was chasing two convoys, each made up of five or more ships. She was informed {{USS|Trigger|SS-237|3}} was operating in an adjoining area and ordered to stay south of the [[equator]]. On 13 March, ''Triton'' was warned that three enemy destroyers, including the [[Japanese destroyer Akikaze|''Akikaze'']] were in her area either looking for a convoy or hunting American submarines.

On 15 March, ''Triton'' reported she had attacked a convoy and had been [[depth charge]]d. Even though attacks on her ceased, she could still hear distant depth charging for about an hour. No further messages from ''Triton'' were ever received. Post-war examination of Japanese records revealed on 15 March 1943, three Japanese destroyers attacked a submarine a little northwest of ''Triton'''s assigned area and subsequently observed an oil slick, debris, and items with American markings. On 10 April 1943, ''Triton'' was reported overdue from patrol and presumed lost, one of three lost in a month. This gave her 6,500&nbsp;tons for the trip to [[Brisbane]].<ref name="Blair, p.375"/>

==Awards==
''Triton'' received five [[battle star]]s for [[World War II]] service.

==Legacy==
''Triton'' is the subject of an episode of the [[Television syndication|syndicated]] [[television]] [[anthology series]], ''The Silent Service'', which aired in the [[United States]] during the 1957–1958 season.

''Triton''′s [[ship's bell]] was not aboard the submarine when she was lost. It was located in 2011 and is on display at [[Naval Station Great Lakes]] in [[Lake County, Illinois|Lake County]], [[Illinois]].<ref>{{cite news |title=USS Triton SS-201 Ship's Bell |last=Wiltrout |first=Kate |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=April 26, 2011 |url=https://bremolympicnlus.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/uss-triton-ss-201-ships-bell/ }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
*Alden, John D., Commander, USN (rtd). ''The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy''. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.
*Blair, Clay, Jr. ''Silent Victory''. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975.
*Lenton, H.T. ''American Submarines''. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1973.
*Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th century Weapons and Warfare'', Volume 13, p.&nbsp;1409–10, "''I61''", and Volume 12, p.&nbsp;1246-7, "''Hatsuharu''". London: Phoebus, 1978.
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/triton-iii.html}}

== External links ==
*{{cite web |url=http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-triton-201.htm |title=On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Triton''}} Listing of crew members on ''USS Triton'' lost with her sinking.
*{{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/triton.htm
 | title=  Who Sank the Triton?
 | last= Nevitt | first=  Allyn D.
 | year= 1998 | work= Long Lancers
 | access-date= 2008-05-26 }} Discussion of several possibilities for the sinking of ''Triton''
*{{cite web |last=Dunn |first=Peter |title=US Navy Submarine USS Triton (SS-201) Operated Out of Brisbane Submarine Base During WW2 |url=http://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/usstriton.htm |work=www.ozatwar.com |access-date=20 May 2013}} Updated discussion of possibilities for the sinking of ''Triton''.

{{Tambor class submarine}}
{{March 1943 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triton (Ss-201)}}
[[Category:Tambor-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kittery, Maine]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1943]]
[[Category:Submarines sunk by Japanese warships]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]