USS BOWFIN SS287
Second War Patrol

One day before Seahorse and Trigger mauled a large Japanese convoy in the East China Sea (November 2, 1943), Bowfin left Australia and headed north on its second war patrol. The submarine's new commander, Walter T. Griffith, was determined to attack every Japanese target his ship could find.

Griffith's first chance came on November 9th when Bowfin used its deck gun to sink four schooners. Two nights later, the submarine caught two small oil tankers in Sibutu Passage near Borneo and once again destroyed them in a gun action. After that targets became scarce and Bowfin took station with Billfish off the coast of Indochina on November 20th.

A gale arose, and in the heavy seas, rain, and wind the two submarines lost contact. During the black night of November 26th Bowfin's faulty SJ radar suddenly gave contacts at 1,000 and 4,000 yards. A large tanker loomed out of the rain and Griffith realized his submarine was in the middle of a five-ship enemy convoy. Crashing through the rough seas, on the surface, Bowfin torpedoed and sank the 5,000 ton Ogurasan Maru and the 5,400 ton freighter, Tainan Maru. Only gasoline, burning on the water marked the two ships' graves when the submarine cleared the scene to reload. The weary fire control party on Bowfin sighted another ship at 8:30 a.m., and after two hours of difficult tracking, destroyed the transport with four torpedoes.

Continuing its lucky streak the next morning, Bowfin sank a pro-German Vichy French coastal steamer, Van Vollenhoven. Eight hours later. Captain Griffith received a signal from Billfish that reported another five-ship convoy nearby. Bowfin approached the merchantmen on the surface, and in poor visibility at 3:15 a.m., sank the cargo ship, Sydney Maru, and the tanker, Tonan Maru. One of the surviving ships sighted the sub and opened fire with a five-inch deck gun. The second shell hit Bowfin and shattered part of the main induction valve. Griffith fired stern torpedoes into the attacking freighter. Both exploded and the gunfire ceased as the ship went down. A repair crew patched Bowfin's damage well enough to allow the sub to dive.

Back in Fremantle, Griffith received a Navy Cross and Bowfin a Presidential Unit Citation. Together Bowfin, Seahorse, and 30 other U.S. submarines sank a record 62 ships in November 1943.

USS BOWFIN SS287 Second War Patrol

USS BOWFIN SS287
Second War Patrol