USS Parche (SS-384)

History
Builder:	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down:	9 April 1943
Launched:	24 July 1943
Commissioned:	20 November 1943
Decommissioned:	11 December 1946
Struck:	8 November 1969
Fate:	Sold for scrap, 18 June 1970
General characteristics
Class and type:	Balao class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement:	1,526 long tons (1,550 t) surfaced 2,391 long tons (2,429 t) submerged
Length:	311 ft 6 in (94.95 m)
Beam:	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft:	16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum
Propulsion:	4 × Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-⅛ 10-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries 4 × high-speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears two propellers 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged
Speed:	20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged
Range:	11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance:	48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged 75 days on patrol
Test depth:	400 ft (120 m)
Complement:	10 officers, 70–71 enlisted
Armament:	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 forward, 4 aft 24 torpedoes 1 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

The first USS Parche (SS-384/AGSS-384) was a United States Navy submarine. She bore the name (pronounced with two equal syllables: /ˌpɑːrˈtʃeɪ/) of a butterfly fish, Chaetodon capistratus.

Parche was built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard. Her keel was laid on 9 April 1943 and was christened on 24 July, when Miss Betty Russell smashed the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow as she slid into the water for the first time. Miss Russell is the daughter of the U.S. District Judge Robert Lee Russell, formerly Judge Advocate General of the Navy. Parche was later commissioned on 20 November 1943 with Commander Lawson P. Ramage commanding.

On 29 March 1944 the submarine left Pearl Harbor with Tinosa (SS-283) and Bang (SS-385) for her first war patrol. After topping off at Midway Island, the three reached the sea lanes south of Formosa 16 April. On 29 April Bang reported a large convoy 50 miles (80 km) away, and the wolf pack attacked, Parche sinking one ship.

Tinosa reported a seven-ship convoy on the morning of 3 May and Parche headed north at full speed to intercept. An hour after midnight Parche was in position and scored three torpedo hits on the leading ship and two hits on the second freighter, sinking both. Parche scored two hits on the third freighter, which settled by the stern and began to list to port. Post-war records credited the trio of submarines with five sinkings and 30,542 tons, Parche getting credit for Taiyoku Maru and Shoryu Maru. Parche returned to Midway 23 May 1944, after making a thorough photo reconnaissance of military installations on the island of Ishi Gaki Jima.

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