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USS Trout (SS 202)

             

On 8 February, the submarine began her 11th and final war patrol.   TROUT topped off with fuel at Midway and, on the 16th, headed via a great circle route toward the East China Sea.   She was never heard from again.   On February 29, 1944, TROUT was one of several boats sent to intercept a convoy taking troops to reinforce the Japanese Army on Saipan and Guam. These soldiers were from the crack 29th Division then based in Manchuria. They were being transported in four big transports escorted by what has been described as three of Japan's "best" destroyers: KISHINAMI; OKINAMI and ASASHIMO.

TROUT, now commanded by Albert Clark, just returning from a long overhaul, intercepted the convoy. Clark sank one of the big transports - SAKITO MARU - (7,126 tons) and damaged another - AKI MARU - (11,400 tons).  2,300 of the 4,000 troops on the SAKITO MARU were lost with all their equipment. The three skilled destroyers counterattacked. They claimed a kill - probably correctly.

Japanese records examined after the war indicate that one of their convoys was attacked by a submarine on 29 February 1944 in the patrol area assigned to TROUT.   The submarine badly damaged one large passenger-cargo ship and sank the 7,126-ton transport SAKITO MARU.   These records showed that it was the destroyer ASASHIMO, that delivered the fatal blow.  ASASHIMO was tasked with escorting the SAKITO MARU and, when it was sunk, she detected a submarine and attacked - dropping 19 depth charges.  Oil and debris came to the surface and the destroyer dropped a final depth charge on that spot.   USS TROUT (SS-202) went down with all 81 hands.   On 17 April 1944, TROUT was declared "Presumed Lost".   Now, she's on Eternal Patrol!

(All equal in death in alphbetaical order from left to right.)
On Eternal Patrol - Crew Biographies

F2 Roy E Abbott        GM3 James B Barker Jr.        ENS C.V Beckley        RM3 Thomas W Bennett Jr.
PhMC John J Boland        S1 Robert V Bond        FC1 Norbert A Brandt        TMC Robert J Brockman
CSC Eugene Brownlow        EM3 Kenneth T Callan        LTjg Russell E Carrico        LCDR(CO) Albert H Clark
EM1 Joseph B Clarke        GM2 John E Coakley        EM1 Louis J Copt        EM2 Frank J Corey
ENS Elmer F Crain Jr.        YN3 John R Crowley        MoMM1 E.H Cunningham III        RMC Felice P Decesare Jr.
MoMMC Francis J Decker        S2 William H Dortch        RM1 Jack G Ehlerding        SM2 John E Ewell
TM3 Ora R Eye        TM3 Stanley Festin        MoMM2 Wilson O Finney        RM3 Gordon I Frogner
TM2 Joseph N Frontino        MM1 Chester F Frost        TM2 Robert L Garrison        LT W.H Gaylord
MoMM2 Robert C Gionet        SM1 Alvin L Gonyer        YNC Hubert R Gurney        S1 Richard P Gwynn
EM1 Odell Hall        TM1 Albert M Halterman        MoMM3 Sherwood J Hanford        EMC Donald W Harrison
MoMM1 James E Hoy        S1 Paul W Hughes        EMC Robert L Hughes        TM2 Albert W Johnson
MoMM2 Robert W Kaiser        ENS Morris H Keltner        QM2 Ralph Kerr        BM2 Elbert King
MoMM1 Gilmore J Knutson        EM3 Roland Kunstman        SM2 Albert S Lewis        MoMM1 Joseph F Magner
MoMM2 Peter J Massett        MoMM2 Lawrence L Mauer        SC3 William B McDuffie        EM3 Franklin A Million
MoMM2 Peter J Massett        MoMM2 Lawrence L Mauer        SC3 William B McDuffie        EM3 Franklin A Million
SM1 Calvin C Millner        TM2 George D Mollohan        TM3 Thomas J Murphy        TM3 Thomas J Murphy
SM1 Calvin C Millner        TM2 George D Mollohan        TM3 Thomas J Murphy        TM3 Thomas J Murphy
RM2 Kenneth E Nearman        ENS Ralph R Perry        TMC James W Richardson        GM3 Ladd R Rowan
MoMM2 Jacob E Ruder        MoMM1 Kenneth I Scott        TM3 Samuel R Sebring        MoMMC Arthur L Smith
MoMMC William W Stanford        F2 Lawrence M Swentzel        EM3 Harold F Taylor        MoMM1 Arthur T Teisen
TM3 Everett E Thoits        S1 Albert J Thurman        RT3 Harold T Tierney        EM3 John T Tracy
SM3 Ernest J Walkers        SM2 John B Wilkowski        QM1 William A Winter        LT(XO) H.E. Woodworth

* THERE ARE NO TEARS ON A SAILORS GRAVE *