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Casualty Info
Home Town Gordon, AL
Last Address Gordon, AL
Casualty Date Sep 09, 1943
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church Cemetery #2 - Houston County, Alabama
Wall/Plot Coordinates (memorial marker)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
USS Grayling (SS-209) departed Fremantle on 30 July 1943, for her eighth patrol, going through Makassar Strait and thence to the Philippine area. On 19 August, she reported having damaged a 6,000 ton freighter near Balikpapan, and the following day told of having sunk a 250 ton Taki Maru type pocket tanker by gunfire in Sibutu Passage, taking one man prisoner. This was the last report received direct from Grayling. On 23 August, she completed a special mission at Pandan Bay, Panay, delivering cargo to guerrillas. This mission was reported by guerrillas. Then she departed for Tablas Strait, there to reconnoiter until 2 September, when she would patrol approaches to Manila until 10 September. She was to return to Pearl Harbor for refit, passing from SubSoWesPac to Subpac on 13 September. She was not heard from after 20 August 1943, and on 30 September 1943, Grayling was reported as presumed lost. It is certain that Grayling was lost between 9 and 12 September 1943 either in Lingayen Gulf or along the approaches to Manila.
GM3 Howard was a member of the crew and was listed as missing in action and later declared dead.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 2726478
Submarine war patrols: USS Grayling (SS-209) - 6th through 8th
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
New Guinea Campaign (1943-44)/Sinking of the USS Grayling (SS-209)
From Month/Year
September / 1943
To Month/Year
September / 1943
Description USS Grayling (SS-209), a Tambor-class submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the grayling, a fresh-water game fish closely related to the trout.
Her keel was laid down at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine on 15 December 1939. She was launched on 4 September 1940 sponsored by Mrs. Herbert F. Leary, and commissioned on 1 March 1941 with Lieutenant Commander Eliot Olsen in command.
Under the command of Lt. Cdr. Robert M. Brinker, Grayling began her eighth and last war patrol in July, 1943, from Fremantle. She made two visits to the coast of the Philippines, delivering supplies and equipment to guerrillas at Pucio Point, Pandan Bay, Panay, 31 July and 23 August 1943. Cruising in the Philippines area, Grayling recorded her last kill, the passenger-cargo Meizan Maru on 27 August in the Tablas Strait, but was not heard from again after 9 September. She was scheduled to make a radio report on 12 September, which she did not, and all attempts to contact her failed. Grayling was officially reported "lost with all hands" 30 September 1943.
On 27 August 1943, Japanese ships witnessed a torpedo attack, and the next day a surfaced submarine was seen, both in the Tablas Strait area, and then on 9 September a surfaced American submarine was seen inside Lingayen Gulf. All of these sightings correspond with Grayling's orders to patrol the approaches to Manila. On 9 September 1943, Japanese passenger-cargo vessel Hokuan Maru reported a submarine in shallow water west of Luzon. The ship made a run over the area and “noted an impact with a submerged object.” No additional data are available.
No recorded Japanese attacks could have sunk Grayling. Her loss may have been operational or by an unrecorded attack. The only certainty, therefore, is that Grayling was lost between 9 September and 12 September 1943 either in Lingayen Gulf or along the approaches to Manila. ComTaskFor71 requested a transmission from Grayling on 12 September, but did not receive one.
Grayling was credited with five major kills, totaling 20,575 tons. All but the first of Grayling's eight war patrols were declared "successful". She received six battle stars for World War II service.
