USS Tautog (SS-199) - Eleventh Patrol

Eleventh Patrol

During her next patrol, from 17 April to 21 May 1944, Tautog (handed over to Thomas S. Baskett, formerly of USS S-37 (SS-142)) returned to the Kuril Islands. On 2 May, she sighted a cargo ship in a small harbor between Banjo To and Matsuwa To. The submarine launched four torpedoes from a range of 2,000 yards (1,800 m). One hit obscured the target. An hour later, Tautog fired two more and scored another hit. The 5,973-ton Army cargo ship Ryoyo Maru settled in 24 feet (7.3 m) of water, decks awash. The next morning, Tautog made radar contact in a heavy fog, closing the enemy ship and firing four torpedoes; two hit the target. The submarine circled for a follow-up shot, but this was difficult as the water was covered with gasoline drums, debris, and life rafts. When Tautog last saw Fushimi Maru (5,000 tons) through the fog, her bow was in the air. On 8 May, amid "swarms of ships" the submarine contacted a convoy bound for Esan Saki. She fired torpedoes at the largest ship. One hit, slowed the target, and two more torpedoes left Miyazaki Maru (4,000 tons) sinking by the stern. Escorts forced Tautog deep and depth charged her for seven hours without doing any damage. At dawn on 9 May, she fired on another freighter, missing. Three days later, the submarine fired her last three torpedoes at Banei Maru Number 2 (1,100 tons) and watched her disappear in a cloud of smoke. When Tautog returned to Pearl Harbor, she was credited with four ships sunk for 20,500 tons (postwar reduced to 16,100).