The USS Herring (SS-233) was a Gato-class submarine built for the United States Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid on July 14, 1941, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on January 15, 1942, with Mrs. Emilie Spear as sponsor, and was commissioned on May 4, 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Raymond W. Johnson. Constructed as a typical Gato-class vessel, Herring was designed for extended patrols and combat operations in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. After her shakedown, she was deployed to the Mediterranean, where she operated off the coast of North Africa, particularly near Casablanca. During her first patrol in November 1942, she sank the 5,700-ton cargo ship Ville du Havre during the initial days of Operation Torch. Her subsequent Mediterranean patrols yielded no additional kills. In August 1943, Herring transferred to the Pacific, where she underwent intensive training at Pearl Harbor before embarking on her sixth war patrol. During this period, she contributed to the U.S. Navy’s efforts to disrupt Japanese shipping, sinking the Hakozaki Maru and Nagoya Maru. Her later patrols involved hunting Japanese vessels around the Kurile Islands, often with notable success. Her final patrol began in May 1944, during which she sank four Japanese ships, totaling approximately 13,202 tons. Tragically, USS Herring was lost during her eighth war patrol after rendezvousing with USS Barb near Matua Island. Japanese records confirm that she sank two ships on the night of May 30-31, 1944, and two more while at anchor the following morning. The submarine was struck by enemy shore batteries, resulting in her sinking and the loss of her entire crew. Her wreck was discovered in 2016 near Matua Island at a depth of 104 meters. Herring’s service record includes sinking six Japanese merchant ships and a Vichy cargo ship, totaling nearly 20,000 tons. Memorials honoring her crew are located at Seal Beach, California, and Mobile, Alabama, while a memorial sign was also established near the site of her sinking in Russia. The wreck’s discovery has provided valuable historical insight into her final days and her role in the Pacific War.

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