In Memoriam - USS Pompano (SS-181) - Sunk 29 August 1943

After leaving Midway on 20 August 1943 to start her seventh war patrol, USS Pompano (SS-181) was never heard from again.

Her orders were to patrol off the east coast of Honshu, the Japanese home island, from 29 August to 27 September and then to return to Midway.

Examination of Japanese records after the war revealed no recorded attack that could have caused Pompano's loss, nor any attacks by Pomano on Japanese shipping.

It is probable that Pompano was sunk in an unrecorded attack, since the Japanese records are understandable incomplete. Other possibilities include loss to a mine, as the waters in Pompano's operational areas were heavily mined. A circular run of one of her own torpedoes cannot be ruled out, as at least two other American submarines are known to have suffered the same fate. Finally, some kind of operational accident, such as a fire, or some other peril of the sea could have claimed Pompano. It is likely that we will never know her true fate or final resting place.

For more information, including a list of the officers and men lost aboard USS Pompano,