USS Picuda (SS-382) - Pacific War

Pacific War

Picuda got underway from Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol on 17 February, setting course for waters off the Caroline Islands, and entering her designated patrol area on 29 February. In an area not far from Truk, she sank 2672-ton ex-gunboat Shinyo Maru on 2 March, going deep to evade a string of 15 depth charges dropped by searching corvettes. On 18 March, Picuda changed course to patrol along the Saipan-Palau shipping lanes. She scored hits on a large enemy tanker that afternoon but was held down by two destroyers while the target escaped. She was off Yap Island a few minutes after midnight of 19 March, and sent 1504-ton freighter Hoko Maru to the bottom with two torpedo hits.

Eleven days later she closed two freighters under escort of two destroyers off the western coast of Yap Island and let go five torpedoes at the largest merchantman. The first hit stopped the target dead in the water and a second torpedo tore off the port quarter capsized the 5873-ton cargo ship Atlantic Maru. Two destroyers came down the torpedo tracks to hover over Picuda and she was shaken by 26 exploding depth charges before she escaped. With only one torpedo worth firing she returned to Midway Island on 5 April. Upon completion of her refit, she took aboard student officers and men for indoctrination training exercises off Midway, from 28 April to 30 April. Three days later she formed a wolf-pack with submarines Perch (SS-313) and Peto (SS-265).

Picuda put to sea from Midway with the wolf-pack 4 May to conduct her second war patrol in waters off Formosa. On 22 May, she sent four bow shots streaking to sink 1200-ton river gunboat Hashidate. She also severely damaged 3172-ton cargo ship Tsukauba Maru with the same salvo. The latter enemy was polished off by land-based aircraft from the United States Army Air Corps the following day. On 2 June, Picuda closed a convoy of twelve ships hugging the coast of Formosa. After sending her contact report to the other submarines of her wolf-pack, she slipped between two of the three leading escorts and pressed home an attack on a large tanker. Three hits were heard as all escorts made for Picuda. She skillfully maneuvered clear and sustained no damage from the many depth charges which exploded on all sides and above from eight enemy vessels during the next hour. She continued to patrol the Formosa coast until 4 June then passed off Batan Island and eastward of the Nansei Shoto to a point northward of Chichi Jima by 14 June. Two days later she pointed her bow for Midway where she arrived 22 June. She put to sea the next day to arrive at Pearl Harbor 27 June. After the end of the second war patrol, Raborn was replaced as skipper of Picuda by Commander Glynn R. Donaho.

Picuda, in wolf-pack with sister ships Spadefish (SS-411) and Redfish (SS-395), departed Pearl Harbor for her third war patrol 23 July in waters of the Luzon Strait between Formosa and Luzon. On 25 August, Picuda spotted ten ships hugging the coast some 4,000 yards (3,700 m) off the beach of Luzon. Slipping past five escorts, and with three enemy patrol planes overhead, she sent six torpedoes streaking to sink 1943-ton cargo ship Kotoku Maru, then skillfully maneuvered for a down-the-throat shot that spelled the doom of 1270 ton pursuing Japanese destroyer Yūnagi. Picuda probed deeper in the interior of Luzon Strait on 16 September, for a bold daylight attack on an eight-ship convoy, guarded by three destroyers and air cover. She sank 5975-ton cargo ship Tokushima Maru and scored hits for unknown damage to two other freighters. Searching the southern border of her assigned patrol area, Picuda found another convoy hugging the north coast of Luzon on 21 September and sent 1948-ton freighter Awaji Maru to the bottom. Picuda made rendezvous with Barb (SS-220) and Queenfish (SS-393), then set course in company with these two submarines to terminate her third war patrol in the lagoon of Majuro Atoll on 3 October.

At Majuro, Picuda, now under the command of Evan T. Shepard, her final wartime skipper, formed a new wolf-pack with Queenfish and Barb, and departed 27 October. Topping off with fuel at Saipan, 1 November and 2 November, the wolf pack set course to range over the northern waters of the East China Sea, westward of Kyūshū. Picuda sent 9433-ton passenger-cargo vessel Mayasan Maru to the bottom of the sea 17 November in the area southwest of Nagasaki. On 23 November, closing a convoy off the Korean Archipelago and stealing between two lead escorts, Picuda sank 6933-ton freighter Shuyo Maru and 5296-ton passenger-cargo ship Fukuju Maru. She departed her patrol area six days later and returned from her fourth patrol to moor in Apra Harbor, Guam, on 2 December.

On 29 December, Picuda put to sea for her fifth war patrol in the Formosa Straits and the East China Sea off the east coast of China from Shanghai to Kam Kit. On 7 January 1945, Picuda received a contact report from Barb and closed a convoy in the straits of Formosa to inflict severe damage with four torpedo hits on 10,045-ton tanker Munakata Maru. On the afternoon of 8 January, she again received a convoy contact report from Barb and slipped between two escorts of the starboard screen about four hours before midnight to pick out two large passenger-freighters. Three bow tubes fired at each target resulted in one hit on each. She swung and fired stern shots at a tanker, then discovered an escort dead ahead, 700 yards (640 m) range, and was forced to clear the area. The 2854-ton coastal tanker Hikoshima Maru, hit by both Picuda and Barb, was disabled and ran aground. The freighter Meiho Maru had a similar experience, and severe damage was inflicted on 6600-ton freighter Hisagawa Maru as well as 6516-ton coastal tanker Manju Maru. Picuda having flashed a contact report as she cleared the area, set course for lifeguard station in support of the Third Fleet airstrikes on Formosa. In the early morning darkness of 29 January, Picuda made out at least three large ships in the rain and commenced tracking. The rain slacked as she approached dead ahead of a troop transport, overlapped by a freighter. One hit on the transport and two hits on the freighter were observed by Picuda’s officer of the deck. The transport, almost dead in the water, commenced shrill whistle blasts and the mist dropped down to reveal the freighter enveloped in a huge cloud of steam and smoke. An enemy float plane forced Picuda to abandon the attack. The victim sunk in this attack was the 5497-ton passenger-cargo ship Clyde Maru. Picuda reached Tanapag Harbor, Saipan 5–6 February and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 15 February.

Picuda spent much of her sixth war patrol on lifeguard station off the coast of China. She got underway from Pearl Harbor 15 March and cleared the replenishment base of Apra Harbor, Guam on 29 March. She entered her patrol area off Kii Suido on 2 April for uneventful lifeguard duty in support of B-29 Superfortress strikes. On 6 May, Picuda made rendezvous with sister ship Scabbardfish (SS-397) off the Nansei Shoto and received five crewmen from an Army B-29 bomber and debarked these survivors at Tanapag Harbor on 10 May, transferring them to the Headquarters of the Twenty-First Bomber Command. After voyage repairs alongside submarine tender Orion (AS-18), she departed 11 May for the East Coast of the United States. She stopped at Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, California, and transited the Panama Canal to arrive at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, on 22 June.

Picuda received six battle stars for World War II service.