USS Gudgeon (SS-211)
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| History | |
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| Builder: | Mare Island Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down: | 22 November 1939 |
| Launched: | 25 January 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 21 April 1941 |
| Fate: | Lost off the Maug Islands, 18 April 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Tambor class diesel-electric submarine |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | 307 ft 2 in (93.62 m) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) |
| Draft: | 14 ft 7 1⁄2 in (4.458 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Endurance: | 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Complement: | 6 officers, 54 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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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. Annie B. Pye, wife of Vice Admiral William S. Pye, Commander Battleships, Battle Force and Commander Battle Force. The boat was commissioned on 21 April 1941 with Lieutenant Commander Elton W. "Joe" Grenfell in command. Her construction cost $6 million.
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 on 10 October 1941. 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.
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 HYPO.
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