The USS Runner (SS-275) was a Gato-class submarine built for the United States Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid on December 8, 1941, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on May 30, 1942, with Mrs. Elise Curry Newton, wife of Admiral John H. Newton, serving as her sponsor, and was officially commissioned on July 30, 1942. Runner's design featured typical Gato-class specifications, emphasizing durability and long-range endurance suitable for Pacific theater operations. Following her shakedown off New London, Connecticut, she departed the U.S. East Coast in late 1942, transited the Panama Canal, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on January 10, 1943, ready for combat patrols. Her first war patrol began on January 18, 1943, in the Pacific between Midway Atoll and the Palau Islands. During this patrol, she claimed to have torpedoed five Japanese cargo ships, though none were confirmed as sunk. On February 19, 1943, she was damaged by a near-miss from a Japanese bomber, which knocked out her sound gear and periscope hoist power supplies. Despite the damage, she executed a deep dive and made emergency repairs, returning to Pearl Harbor on March 7 for overhaul. Her commander, Fenno, earned his third Navy Cross during this patrol. Runner's second patrol, from April 1 to May 6, 1943, involved laying a minefield off Pedro Blanco Rock and attacking shipping in the Hainan Strait. She torpedoed one cargo ship and damaged the Imperial Japanese Army hospital ship Buenos Aires Maru on April 24, 1943. She returned to Midway on May 6. Her third patrol began on May 27, 1943, in the Kuril Islands and northern Japan waters. She was never heard from again and was declared overdue and presumed lost in July 1943. Postwar Japanese records indicate she sank the cargo ship Seinan Maru in June 1943 and was attacked and damaged by Japanese forces. She was also credited with sinking the passenger-cargo ship Shinryu Maru, although with some discrepancy in the date and cause. The USS Runner was awarded one battle star for her service in World War II.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.