BASE HISTORY

CERTIFICATE OF CHARTER

U.S.S. Bonefish SS-223/582 Base received its Certificate of Charter on April 26th, 2008 from Western District Six Commander Mike Bircumshaw.  The base is located in Redlands, California.

Michael Williamson was the first Base Commander.

USS BONEFISH (SS-223)

USS Bonefish (SS-223) was a Gato-class submarine, the first United States Navy ship to be named for the bonefish, which is a name for the ladyfish, dogfish, and sturgeon.

Operational history
Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched 7 May 1943 sponsored by Mrs. F. A. Daubin, wife of Rear Admiral Freeland A. Daubin, commissioned on 31 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Thomas W. Hogan (Class of 1931) in command.

The submarine conducted shakedown training out of New London, Conn., and Newport, R.I., until 23 July, when she set out for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on 4 August and arrived at Brisbane, Australia, on the 30th. Following a week of training out of that port, she again got underway for more days of drills in Moreton Bay. The submarine departed there on 16 September for her first war patrol.

First patrol, September – October 1943
After transiting Balabac Strait on 22 September, Bonefish continued on to her patrol area in the central part of the South China Sea. On 25 September, the submarine attacked a convoy of eight ships. She scored three hits on a freighter before the escorts forced her to go deep to avoid a depth charge attack. Bonefish encountered another convoy on 27 September and fired four torpedoes at the lead ship, the largest of the five, and sank the 9,908-ton transport Kashima Maru. The escort ships pursued Bonefish, but she was able to dive and elude her attackers. On 6 October, the boat approached a third convoy and scored hits on two heavily laden cargo vessels. Forced to go deep to avoid the counterattack, she failed to evaluate the damage that her torpedoes had done to the targets. On 10 October, in her last action of the patrol, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at two ships of a convoy off Indochina, sending both the 4,212-ton cargo ship Isuzugawa and the 10,086-ton transport Teibi Maru to the bottom. Bonefish concluded her first war patrol back at Fremantle, Western Australia on 21 October.

Second patrol, November – December 1943
After refit and training, the submarine got underway on 22 November for the South China Sea and her second war patrol. She entered the Flores Sea on 28 November and, the next day, intercepted two enemy ships. Bonefish made a submerged approach and fired four torpedoes. Two of the four — one hit amidships and another struck the freighter under her mainmast — sent the 4,646-ton cargoship Suez Maru down rapidly by the stern. The escort increased speed and headed for Bonefish, but she went deep and escaped the barrage of depth charges. Unknown to Bonefish, Suez Maru was carrying 546 British POWs. Minesweeper W.12 picked up the survivors.

On 1 December, the boat sighted a convoy of three ships with two escorts hugging the Celebes coast. In two separate attacks, the submarine scored a hit on a large passenger-cargo ship Nichiryo Maru which later sank and another on a destroyer escort which apparently survived.

Bonefish conducted a submerged patrol of Sandakan Harbor, Borneo, from 4 December to 6 December and then sailed for Tarakan. On 11 December, she surfaced to engage small cargo vessel Toyohime Maru with gunfire, scoring several hits before a mechanical problem put her gun out of action. The next day, the boat made a submerged approach on an unidentified Japanese vessel, fired six torpedoes, scored one hit, but never learned the fate of her target. She cleared the area and arrived at Fremantle on 19 December.

Third patrol, January – March 1944
Following refit and training, the submarine sailed from Fremantle on 12 January 1944 to conduct her third war patrol. While operating in the vicinity of Makassar Strait on 22 January, Bonefish encountered a large sailing vessel. The stranger's crew of seven acted suspiciously as the submarine approached; and, despite repeated orders to do so, the crew refused to abandon ship. However, when Bonefish opened fire with her machine guns, the natives leaped overboard. As the vessel began to sink, Japanese troops emerged from below decks; and Bonefish counted 39 men going over the side.

On 6 February, the submarine sighted a convoy composed of at least 17 ships. As she maneuvered into attack position, Bonefish selected a large oiler as her primary target and launched four bow "fish" at it. She fired the other two bow tubes at a cargo ship and then tried to swing her stern into position to fire her after tubes. With escorts charging her, the boat suddenly lost depth control and ducked her periscope below the water. Nine tons of water rushed into her forward torpedo room before the proper valves were secured. Bonefish managed to evade the escorts, and her crew heard explosions which they interpreted as at least two hits on the oiler and one on the cargo ship. Nevertheless, it seems that neither target sank.

The submarine next trained her torpedo tubes on a convoy of 13 ships which she contacted on 9 February in Camranh Bay. Although detected by a Japanese destroyer, Bonefish succeeded in firing five torpedoes at a tanker before making an emergency dive in shallow water. The submarine escaped damage from both the destroyer's depth charges and from aerial bombs which enemy aircraft dropped, but they prevented her from observing the results of her attack. Following this action, she continued to seek targets for more than a month before returning to Fremantle on 15 March.

Fourth patrol, April – May 1944
Underway again on 13 April, Bonefish headed for the Celebes Sea and her fourth war patrol. On the 26th, she intercepted a convoy of four ships steaming along the Mindanao coast. The submarine maneuvered into a position suitable to attack Tokiwa Maru, fired four torpedoes, and then turned to evade the escorts. Two torpedoes struck the 806-ton passenger-cargo ship amidships and aft, sinking her. The next day, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at a cargo ship headed for Davao Gulf but, in spite of three hits, failed to sink the target.

While in the Sulu Sea on 3 May, Bonefish approached a convoy but was forced to dive when an enemy plane dropped two depth bombs which exploded close aboard. The boat sustained minor damage and surfaced to make repairs, but two Japanese ships began to close in on her. Bonefish went deep once again and rigged for the depth charges which sought to destroy her, 25 in all. When her pursuers were no longer near, she left the area to cover the northern approach to Basilan Strait. She attacked a convoy in those waters on 7 May, firing four torpedoes at an escort vessel, but could not observe the results.

On 14 May, Bonefish approached a convoy which was steaming off Tawitawi in the Philippines and headed for Sibutu Passage. There were three tankers and three escorting destroyers in the group. She fired five torpedoes. One hit under the bridge of a tanker and another struck under the stack, enveloping the ship in smoke and flames. The destroyers converged on Bonefish for counterattack, but she escaped into the depths. Postwar records show that, while her torpedoes only damaged the tanker, they sank one of the escorting destroyers, Inazuma.

Bonefish then set course for Sibutu Passage on a reconnaissance mission. She sighted a Japanese task force consisting of three battleships, one aircraft carrier, three heavy cruisers, and one light cruiser, screened by eight destroyers. The submarine relayed the information, then continued her reconnaissance. She again sighted and reported the same task force on the 17th, this time anchored in Tawitawi Bay. Upon completing this mission, she headed for Australia and arrived at Fremantle on 30 May.

Fifth patrol, June – August 1944
Under the command of Lt.Cmdr. Lawrence L. Edge, the submarine began her fifth war patrol on 25 June and headed again for the Celebes Sea. On 6 July, she surfaced to destroy a wooden-hulled schooner by gunfire. She then cleared the area and, the next day, engaged and destroyed another small ship with gunfire. Later that same day, the boat fired eight torpedoes at a small cargo ship, scoring several hits. On 8 July, she used her guns to touch off a blazing fire in a small, interisland steamer and, two days later, sank a sampan with gunfire.

On 29 July, Bonefish commenced tracking a large, but empty, tanker with escorts and, early the next morning, gained a favorable attack position. She fired six torpedoes and scored four hits. The target, Kokuyo Maru, immediately settled by the stern, and Bonefish headed for the traffic lanes north of Sibutu and Tawitawi. On 3 August, she damaged a tanker with one torpedo hit. She set course for Fremantle the next day, ending her patrol there on 13 August.

Sixth patrol, September – October 1944
With her crew refreshed and her provisions and ammunition replenished, Bonefish got underway on 5 September for the Sibuyan Sea. After three days there without encountering any enemy ships, she departed those waters on 24 September. Four days later, while patrolling off Mindoro, the submarine sighted a large, heavily laden tanker escorted by two destroyers. She fired all of her bow torpedoes and heard and felt the hits on the 2,068-ton Japanese ship Anjo Maru. Bonefish tracked the target whose rapidly falling speed indicated her distress until the crippled tanker's escorts forced the boat to retire. A postwar examination of Japanese records confirmed that Anio Maru sank later that day.

During the later part of this patrol, Bonefish joined Flasher (SS-249) and Lapon (SS-260) in forming a coordinated attack group — popularly known as a wolf pack. Patrolling in the vicinity of Cape Bolinao on 10 October, the boats attacked a convoy of cargo ships, and Bonefish scored three hits for undetermined damage. Four days later, while en route to a lifeguard station, she sank cargo ship Fushimi Maru. On 18 October, the submarine rescued two naval aviators. She departed her lifeguard station the next day, stopped at Saipan for fuel on the 27th, and continued on to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 8 November.

From Hawaii, Bonefish continued on to San Francisco, California, where she underwent overhaul at the Bethlehem Steel Submarine Repair Basin from 18 November to 13 February 1945. Then, after refresher training off Monterey, Calif., she returned to Pearl Harbor where she conducted exercises until 20 March.

Seventh patrol, March – May 1945
Bonefish then set sail via Guam for the East China Sea and her seventh war patrol. Despite thorough coverage of the waters assigned her, she made few contacts and each of these was a small antisubmarine vessel. On 13 April, she attempted to sink a patrol vessel, but the target's radical maneuvers enabled it to escape. While on lifeguard duty off Korea's southern coast on 16 April, Bonefish rescued two Japanese aviators who had been shot down by a Navy plane. On 7 May, the submarine returned to Apra Harbor, Guam, ending a short and unsuccessful patrol.

Eighth patrol, May – June 1945
Upon completion of refit on 28 May, Bonefish got underway in company with Tunny (SS-282) and Skate (SS-305), as part of "Pierce's Polecats", commanded by Tunny's skipper, Commander George E. Pierce. Equipped with a new mine-detecting device, the submarines were ordered to penetrate the Sea of Japan to sever the last of the Japanese overseas supply lines. Bonefish successfully threaded her way through the minefields by Tsushima Island as she transited the Korea Strait to enter the Sea of Japan for an offensive patrol off the west central coast of Honshū.

During a rendezvous with Tunny on 16 June, Bonefish reported sinking Oshikayama Maru, a 6,892-ton cargo ship. In a second rendezvous on 18 June, she requested and received permission to conduct a daylight submerged patrol of Toyama Wan, a bay farther up the Honshū coast. The attack group was to depart the Sea of Japan via La Perouse Strait on the night of 24 June. Bonefish did not make the scheduled pre-transit rendezvous. Still, Tunny waited in vain off Hokkaidō until the 27th. On 30 July, Bonefish was presumed lost.

Japanese records reveal that the 5,488-ton cargo ship Konzan Maru was torpedoed and sunk in Toyama Wan on 19 June and that an ensuing severe counterattack by Japanese escorts, the Okinawa, CD-63, CD-75, CD-158 and CD-207, brought debris and a major oil slick to the water's surface. There can be little doubt that Bonefish was sunk in this action.

Awards
Bonefish (SS-223) earned Navy Unit Commendations for her first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth war patrols, and seven battle stars for her World War II service.

Mrs. Lawrence L. Edge Letter
This document is from the wife of Commander Lawrence L. Edge, Commanding Officer of Bonefish.

USS BONEFISH (SS-582)

USS Bonefish (SS-582) was a Barbel-class submarine in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy submarine named for the bonefish, which is a name for the ladyfish, dogfish, and sturgeon.

The contract to build her was awarded on 29 June 1956 to the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey and her keel was laid down on 3 June 1957. She was launched on 22 November 1958 sponsored by Mrs. Lawrence L. Edge, widow of Commander Edge, who was lost with his ship, Bonefish (SS-223) in 1945. She was commissioned on 9 July 1959 with Lieutenant Commander Elmer H. Kiehl in command.

Service record
Bonefish conducted trials and training off the New England coast until the spring of 1960. On 1 April 1960, she departed New London, Conn., to join the Pacific Fleet. On 23 May, the submarine reported for duty with Submarine Division 33 (SubDiv 33) at San Diego, Calif. She operated out of that port until 16 September when she embarked upon her first deployment to the western Pacific. While in the Far East, the warship participated in various 7th Fleet exercises and visited ports in Japan, the Philippines, the Marianas, and at Hong Kong. Bonefish concluded her first tour of duty with the 7th Fleet on 13 March 1961 when she arrived back in San Diego. The submarine conducted normal operations out of San Diego until 4 October when she entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for her first regular overhaul. She completed repairs on 6 March 1962 and resumed operations along the west coast at that time.

In May, the submarine again headed for the western Pacific for a deployment quite similar to her first cruise in Oriental waters. She returned to San Diego in December and began an extended upkeep period. In February 1963, Bonefish moved to a new home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During the summer of 1963, she made a two-month cruise to the western Pacific, returning to Pearl Harbor in August. After four months of operations in the Hawaiian Islands, the submarine headed for the Far East again in January 1964. That tour of duty ended with her return to Oahu in July. Following a post-deployment standdown and local operations, she entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul.

Repairs occupied her time during the remainder of 1964, and local operations in the Hawaiian operating area took up the entire year of 1965. In April 1966, Bonefish deployed to the western Pacific for the fourth time. In addition to taking part in 7th Fleet training exercises, she also operated in the Gulf of Tonkin. The seven-month Far Eastern assignment ended in November when she reentered Pearl Harbor. Bonefish resumed normal operations after the post-deployment rest and upkeep period. That employment lasted until October 1967 when she headed back to the Orient. There the warship engaged in 7th Fleet training evolutions and made port visits at Hong Kong, in the Philippines, and in Japan. April of 1968 saw her back at Oabu resuming local operations. In September, the submarine entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for her regular overhaul.

Repairs occupied her until June 1969 and post-overhaul trials and refresher training followed. In November, the warship voyaged back to the western Pacific, and the normal round of exercises and port visits ensued. She concluded that cruise at Pearl Harbor in June 1970. Following seven months of operations out of Pearl Harbor, Bonefish departed that port on 9 February 1971 on her way back to the Far East. Her activities included the usual port visits and exercises as well as a tour of duty with Task Force 77 (TF 77) in the Gulf of Tonkin. She returned to Hawaii on 10 August and, after post deployment standdown, resumed operations in the Hawaii operating area.

That deployment lasted until 7 February 1972 when she began another regular overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. That repair period lasted through the year, and a material casualty to the snorkel piping system during sea trials in March 1973 extended it into July 1973. In July, the submarine went to sea for refresher training. Thereafter, local operations occupied her for the next 10 months. On 24 May 1974, she stood out of Pearl Harbor for yet another assignment with the 7th Fleet in Far Eastern waters. Bonefish returned to Pearl Harbor from that routine deployment on 7 November and began 13 months of local operations.

On 6 December 1975, the submarine departed Oahu bound for the Orient. During that tour of duty, she participated in exercises with units of the Korean and Taiwanese navies as well as with elements of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. She concluded 7th Fleet assignments on 25 April 1976 when she stood out of Subic Bay on her way home. The warship arrived back in Pearl Harbor on 15 May. After a four-week standdown and a brief period of operations, Bonefish entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on 26 July. The repairs and modifications took nearly a year to complete. She emerged from the shipyard on 25 June 1977 to begin post-overhaul refresher training.

Bonefish conducted training out of Pearl Harbor until early November. On the 8th, she put to sea for San Diego, her new home port, and reached her destination on 18 November. She remained in port for three weeks to allow crewmen to settle into the new home port. On 6 December, the submarine began operations along the California coast. She spent the first 20 weeks of 1978 conducting various training exercises out of San Diego. On 17 May 1978, Bonefish put to sea for the western Pacific. Once again, she made the usual port visits and conducted exercises with units of friendly navies. The warship ended the deployment with her arrival back at San Diego on 28 October. She then conducted type training and other exercises along the California coast for the remainder of the year and into 1979.

During the first five months of 1979, Bonefish underwent a regular overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. On 1 June 1979, the submarine embarked upon a deployment to South America. The voyage took her through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean Sea. She visited Trinidad, Tobago, Curaçao, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Netherlands Antilles before retransiting the canal. Thereafter, Bonefish stopped in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Throughout the cruise, the warship conducted UNITAS exercises with the armed forces of the countries visited. At the end of the South American deployment, she resumed normal operations out of San Diego, and that employment occupied her time for the remainder of 1979 and during 11 of the 12 months of 1980.

On 8 December 1980, Bonefish stood out of San Diego on her way to duty with the 7th Fleet. The usual calls to Far Eastern ports punctuated her periods at sea engaged in training missions. The submarine ended that cruise at San Diego on 14 July 1981. Following the normal post-deployment leave and upkeep period, she resumed operations along the west coast of North America. That employment continued until 8 June 1982 when Bonefish departed San Diego on her way to the east coast. She transited the Panama Canal on 23 June and arrived in Charleston, S.C., her new home port, on 6 July. On 11 August the submarine put to sea to participate in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic. At the end of those operations, she visited Hamburg, West Germany, and Portsmouth, England, before returning to Charleston on 9 October.

Normal operations out of Charleston occupied Bonefish for the remainder of 1982 and during the first three weeks of 1983. On 25 January 1983, the submarine commenced a 14-month overhaul at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. She resumed active service in the western Atlantic and West Indian operating areas on 5 April 1984 and remained so engaged through the end of the year.

Fire
On 24 April 1988, Bonefish was exercising with the guided missile frigate Carr (FFG-52) 160 miles off the coast of Florida. While the sub was submerged, seawater began leaking onto cables and electrical buses in a battery supply cableway. Electrical arcing between cables caused an explosion which flashed into a fire within minutes. Temperatures in the battery spaces reached 1,200 degrees. The heat melted crewmembers' shoe soles in the spaces above. Bonefish was surfaced and its crew ordered to abandon ship. Eighty-nine crewmembers were rescued by whaleboat and helicopter crews from Carr and John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Bonefish was towed into Charleston, South Carolina by salvage and rescue ship Hoist (ARS-40) . Three sailors — Lt. Ray Everts, 1st Class Petty Officer Bob Bordelon, and 3rd Class Petty Officer Marshal T. Lindgren — were killed.

The damage was deemed too extensive to warrant repair, so the sub was deactivated.

Decommissioning
Bonefish was decommissioned on 28 September 1988. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 28 February 1989 and disposed of by scrapping on 17 August 1989.