View source for USS Mackerel (SS-204)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{other ships|USS Mackerel}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Mackerel (SS204). Port bow, 03-22-1941 - NARA - 513037.jpg
|Ship caption=''Mackerel'' on 22 March 1941.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=''Mackerel''
|Ship namesake= [[Mackerel]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]], [[Groton, Connecticut]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | authorlink =
  | title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
  | year = 1995
  | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
  | pages = 285–304
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=6 October 1939<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=28 September 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=31 March 1941<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=9 November 1945<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=28 November 1945<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap, 24 April 1947<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Mackerel|submarine}}<ref name="Register">{{cite book
  | last = Bauer
  | first = K. Jack
  | authorlink =
  |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 = 271
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
|Ship displacement=*825&nbsp;[[long ton|tons]] (838&nbsp;[[tonne|t]]) surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305-311</ref>
*1,190&nbsp;tons (1,209&nbsp;t) submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship length={{convert|243|ft|1|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|22|ft|1|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship draft=13&nbsp;ft ¼&nbsp;in (4.0&nbsp;m)<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship propulsion=*2 × [[Electric Boat]] [[direct drive]] [[diesel engine]]s<ref name="Register"/>
*2 × 60-[[Electrochemical cell|cell]] [[USS Sargo (SS-188)|''Sargo'']] [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*2 × [[Electro Dynamic]] [[electric motor]]s<ref name="Register"/>
*2 shafts<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|1680|bhp|abbr=on}} surfaced<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|1500|bhp|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|16|kn|km/h}} surfaced<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|11|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship range={{convert|6500|nmi|km}} at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}} (service)<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|250|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=4 officers, 33 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*6 × {{convert|21|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*&nbsp;(four forward, two aft)
*&nbsp;12&nbsp;[[torpedo]]es<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber]] [[deck gun]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Mackerel'' (SS-204)''', the [[lead ship]] of [[Mackerel-class submarine|her class]] of [[submarine]]s, was the first ship of the [[United States Navy]] named for the [[mackerel]]. ''Mackerel'' and her near-sister  [[USS Marlin (SS-205)|''Marlin'']] (designed and built by [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]]) were prototype small submarines which the Navy was exploring to replace the aging [[United States S-class submarine|S-class submarines]].<ref>Friedman, pp. 224-227</ref>

==Construction==
Her keel was laid down on 6 October 1939, at the [[Electric Boat]] Company of [[Groton, Connecticut]].  She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 28 September 1940, sponsored by Mrs. Cora Furlong (née Glover), wife of Rear Admiral [[William R. Furlong]], Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 31 March 1941.

==Wartime service==
Throughout [[World War II]], ''Mackerel'', assigned to Submarine [[Squadron (naval)|Squadron]] 1 at [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], [[Connecticut]], participated in the training and improvement of the U.S. Navy's submarine force.  Designed as an experimental submarine, she provided support services to the [[Naval Undersea Warfare Center|Underwater Sound Laboratory]] and training services to the Submarine and the Prospective Commanding Officers Schools at New London, in addition to training [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] surface vessels and aircraft in [[antisubmarine warfare]].

Although most of her time was spent in the New London area, she steamed as far north as [[Casco Bay]] and as far south as the [[Chesapeake Bay]] to conduct antisubmarine training exercises.  While in the New London-[[Narragansett Bay]] area she often worked with [[Task Group]]&nbsp;28.4, the antisubmarine development detachment, as well as with the Underwater Sound Laboratory, thus aiding, both tactically and technically, in the development of submarine-related knowledge.

On 8 April 1942, an aircraft identified by ''Mackerel''′s crew as a [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|{{nowrap|P-38}} Lightning]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] mistook ''Mackerel'' for a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[U-boat]] and dropped four [[Aerial bomb|bombs]] which straddled her track while she was conducting exercises with the U.S. Navy [[patrol vessel]] {{USS|Sapphire|PYc-2}} {{convert|3|nmi}} south of the Watch Hill [[buoy]] off [[Watch Hill, Rhode Island|Watch Hill]], [[Rhode Island]]. The bombs ricocheted {{convert|100|ft}} off the water and did not explode. Neither ''Mackerel'' or ''Sapphire'', which was {{convert|1,000|yd|sigfig=2}} off ''Mackerel''′s [[Port and starboard|starboard]] quarter at the time, suffered damage or casualties.<ref>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 116–117.</ref>

''Mackerel'' departed New London on 12 April 1942 bound on the surface for [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]].<ref name=hinmanp117>Hinman & Campbell, p. 117.</ref> She was about {{convert|100|nmi|0}} off [[Cape Charles (headland)|Cape Charles]] on the coast of Virginia on 14 April when the [[United States Coast Guard]] [[United States Coast Guard Cutter|cutter]] {{USCGC|Legare|WSC-144}} sighted her at 20:30.<ref name=hinmanp117/> Unaware of plans for ''Mackerel'' to be in the area and unsure of her identity, ''Legare''′s crew suspected her of being a German U-boat and closed with her, but established her  identity before mounting an attack.<ref>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 117–118.</ref> ''Mackerel''′s crew accepted ''Legare''′s offer to escort ''Mackerel'' the rest of the way to Norfolk, and the two vessels headed for Norfolk at 21:30.<ref name=hinmanp118>Hinman & Campbell, p. 118.</ref> By 23:15, ''Legare'' was about {{convert|2,000|yd|sigfig=3}} astern of ''Mackerel'' when she saw ''Mackerel'' make two quick course alterations and changed course herself to conform to ''Mackerel''′s movements.<ref name=hinmanp118/> ''Mackerel''′s crew, meanwhile, sighted two torpedoes headed for her and evaded them, then sighted what they believed was a German U-boat on the surface and observed it firing a single [[torpedo]] at ''Legare''.<ref name=hinmanp118/> ''Mackerel'' fired two torpedoes at the U-boat, which outran ''Mackerel'' and disappeared into the darkness apparently unscathed.<ref name=hinmanp118/> ''Legare'' sighted a torpedo headed directly for her which her crew thought ''Mackerel'' had fired, and took evasive action, and the torpedo passed down ''Legare''′s [[Port and starboard|port]] side at a distance of only {{convert|20|yd|0}}.<ref name=hinmanp118/> ''Legare'' lost contact with ''Mackerel'' and searched for the U-boat for the next {{frac|2|1|2}} hours but found no sign of it.<ref name=hinmanp118/> A subsequent investigation of the incident by the [[Eastern Sea Frontier]] found it impossible to reconcile the reports of the two vessels and concluded that ''Mackerel'' had mistakenly fired a torpedo at ''Legare''.<ref name=hinmanp119>Hinman & Campbell, p. 119.</ref>

Continuing her voyage toward Norfolk alone after losing contact with ''Legare'', ''Mackerel'' again sighted a U-boat at 05:08 on 15 April 1942 near the entrance to the [[Chesapeake Bay]].<ref name=hinmanp119/> She fired a torpedo at the U-boat, but observed no indications of a hit,<ref name=hinmanp119/> and the U-boat outdistanced her. She signaled the U.S. Navy patrol vessel {{USS|Tourmaline|PY-20}}, which was on patrol outside the Chesapeake Bay, and reported her sighting.<ref name=hinmanp119/> ''Tourmaline'' joined ''Mackerel'', but found no evidence of a U-boat in the area.<ref name=hinmanp119/> The two purported U-boat sightings on 14 and 15 April 1942 were ''Mackerel''′s only contacts with enemy forces during her career.

After temporary duty with the [[Fifth Naval District]], during which she conducted antisubmarine warfare maneuvers in the Chesapeake Bay with U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Navy planes, ''Mackerel'' headed back north to resume her duties at New London.<ref name=hinmanp119/> At 09:50 on 4 May 1942, she was operating off the coast of Rhode Island when the American [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''El Lago'' sighted her and mistook her for a German U-boat, and ''El Lago''′s [[United States Navy Armed Guard]]
detachment opened gunfire on ''Mackerel'' about {{convert|4|nmi}} south of [[Watch Hill Light]] at {{coord|41|18|N|071|47|W}}.<ref>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 119–120.</ref> ''Mackerel'' sustained no damage, and did not require assistance from two U.S. Navy patrol boats and a [[United States Army]] [[Tugboat|tug]] sent to her aid.<ref>Hinman & Campbell, p. 120.</ref>

At the end of the war, ''Mackerel'' was ordered to [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], where she was [[ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 9 November 1945, and struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 28 November 1945. She was sold for scrapping to the North American Smelting Company of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], on 24 April 1947.

==Awards==
*[[File:American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Defense Service Medal]]
*[[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Campaign Medal]]
*[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|106px]]  [[World War II Victory Medal]]

==In popular culture==

The 1943 World War II submarine movie ''[[Crash Dive]]'', starring [[Tyrone Power]], features footage of ''Mackerel''′s [[sister ship]] {{USS|Marlin|SS-205}} portraying the fictional U.S. Navy submarine USS ''Corsair'', with her [[conning tower]] modified to resemble that of ''Mackerel''.

A fictional submarine named USS ''Mackerel'' that fought in the [[Pacific War|Pacific]] during World War II is featured in the 2005 novel ''Pride Runs Deep'' by R. Cameron Cooke. In the concluding historical note the author, a submarine officer, acknowledges the real USS ''Mackerel'' (SS-204).

== References ==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
* Alden, John D., Commander (USN, Ret). ''The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History''. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1979. {{ISBN|0-85368-203-8}}.
* Lenton, H. T. ''American Submarines (Navies of the Second World War)'' (Doubleday, 1973), {{ISBN|0-38504-761-4}}.
* Silverstone, Paul H., ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' (Ian Allan, 1965), {{ISBN|0-87021-773-9}}.
* Gardiner, Robert and Chesneau, Roger, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946'', Conway Maritime Press, 1980. {{ISBN|0-83170-303-2}}.
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mackerel-i.html|http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss204.txt}}
{{refend}}

===Bibliography===
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=hkupDwAAQBAJ&dq=LApon+raton&pg=PA181 Hinman, Charles R., and Douglas E. Campbell. ''The Submarine Has No Friends: Friendly Fire Incidents Involving U.S. Submarines During World War II''. Syneca Research Group, Inc., 2019.] {{ISBN|978-0-359-76906-3}}.

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
* https://web.archive.org/web/20140322093118/http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/sublist.html
* {{navsource|08/08204}}
* [http://pigboats.com/subs/204.html Pigboats.com USS ''Mackerel'' photo page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206194350/http://pigboats.com/subs/204.html |date=6 February 2015 }}
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_3-50_mk10-22.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com later 3"/50 caliber gun]

{{Mackerel class submarine}}
{{April 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{May 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackerel (Ss-204)}}
[[Category:Mackerel-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1942]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1942]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]