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USS Boarfish SS-327

The USS Boarfish SS-327 was launched on May 21, 1944. It was a Balao class submarine named after a fish that has a hog-like snout. It was built by the Electric Boat Company out of Groton, Connecticut and was commissioned into the Nany in September of 1944.

The sub had a displacement of 1,526 tons when she was on the surface and 2,424 tons when she was submerged. Her total length was 311 feet and nine inches and she measured 27 feet three inches wide. Her propulsion system consisted of four General Motors V16 diesel engines. These provided power for two 126-cell batteries and four high-speed General Electric electrical motors. All of this hooked up to two propellers. Her propulsion system was able to driver her along at about 20 knots on the surface and 8.75 knots under the water. The crew consisted of ten offices and about 70 enlisted men. Her armaments consisted of ten 21 inch torpedo tubes, six of which were in front and four in the back. She also had one 5 inch, 25 caliber gun and four machine guns on her deck, in case she needed to fight above the surface.

After leaving the dock in Groton, she performed shakedown maneuvers off the New England coast. Once it was sure that everything was in working order, she left for Panama in October of 1944, where she and her crew underwent some intense training. After about a week of this, she passed through the Panama Canal and headed for Pearl Harbor. She reached the harbor in the early part of December and then underwent another three weeks of training. On December 24 she headed to the western Pacific. She began her first war patrol in January of 1945, after a stop in Saipan.

Her first contact with the enemy occurred on January 21 as she patrolled her assigned area off the coast of French Indochina. Her radar picked up a group of about six small ships. Over the next three hours, she fired a total of sixteen torpedoes, but failed to hit any of the enemy. The torpedoes apparently passed under the enemy vessels. She was forced to break off the attack as day dawned. The crew was unable to make contact with the convoy again. Ten days later, the Boarfish had another opportunity. Her radar located two cargo ships. As she approached the ships, the escort saw her and chased the sub away. She was then able to return and fire torpedoes, hitting both of the cargo ships. The sub and her crew were able to sink one of the ships and left the other one burning.

Her first patrol ended in the middle of February and she traveled to Fremantle, Australia for a refit. At the beginning of March, she left Australia to resume operations in the South China Sea. This tour lasted until the end of April. During her patrols, she did spot two different convoys, but was unable to inflict any damage on either of them. She was able to successfully complete two reconnaissance missions along the east coast of French Indochina, though. After the tour was complete, she made way to Subic Bay, where she underwent another refit.

On May 27, during her tour in the Java Sea, the crew of the Boarfish boarded a small two-masted junk searching for contraband, Japanese and arms. Finding nothing, they released the junk and continued their patrol. A couple of days later, the Boarfish came across a small convoy consisting of three ships and two escorts. She immediately fired four torpedoes. The sound of an explosion reached the ship, but when the periscope went up to check the damage, one of the escort ships was seen heading their way. They dove to get away from the ship, but ended up grounding out at about 216 feet. The depth of the area they were in was supposed to be about 240 feet. With depth charges descending, the Boarfish was able to pull away. She had sustained damage to one of her propellers and was forced to return to Australia so repairs could be made.

On July 5, after repairs and a refit were completed, the Boarfish joined two other subs for patrols through the Java Sea. While there were no surface encounters, enemy aircraft did locate her and sent depth charges after the sub. She didn't receive any damage and continued her patrol. At the end of July, the sub provided lifeguard backup for an air strike against Singapore. She then remained off the coast of Malay until August 6, when she left to return to Subic Bay. She was in the midst of another refit when the Japanese finally surrendered.

From the end of the war until May of 1948, the sub took part in a few different operations. She took tours through Japanese and Philippine waters and then operated out of San Diego. She was also involved in many training maneuvers and fleet operations off the west coast of America. In July of 1947, she became the flagship for an exploration of the Polar Ice Cap in the Bering Strait. The Navy was testing sonar to see how well it operated under ice. In May of 1948, the Boarfish left the service of the U.S. Navy and entered into the Turkish Navy. In January of 1974, the Boarfish returned to America for scrapping.

One of the dangers that faced the men serving on the Boarfish, and many other subs, had nothing to do with the enemy. Asbestos had been used extensively in most of the naval vessels built during the beginning and middle of the 1900s. Poor ventilation aboard the submarines, especially when they were submerged, allowed the dust from asbestos to travel throughout the ship. It can take up to fifty years from the diseases caused by asbestos exposure to show up. The two most common asbestos related diseases are asbestosis and mesothelioma. Please contact us if you have any questions about either of these diseases or asbestos exposure in general.

Submarines Index

USS Albacore SS 218 USS AmberJack SS 219 USS Angler SS 240 USS Apogon SS 308 USS Archer-fish SS 311 USS Argonaut-SM-1 USS Argonaut SS 475 USS Aspro SS 309 USS Atule SS 403 USS Balao SS 285 USS Bang SS 385 USS Barbel SS 316 USS Barbero SS 317 USS Barb SS 220 USS Barracuda SS 163 USS Bashaw SS 241 USS Bergall SS 320 USS Besugo SS 321 USS Billfish SS 286 USS Blackfin SS 322 USS Blackfish SS 221 USS Blenny SS 324 USS Blower SS 325 USS Blueback SS 326 USS Bluefish SS 222 USS Bluegill SS 242 USS Boarfish SS 327 USS Bonefish SS 223 USS Bonita SS 165 USS Bowfin SS 287 USS Bream SS 243 USS Brill SS 330 USS Bugara SS 331 USS Bullhead SS 332 USS Bumper SS 333 USS Burrfish SS 312 USS Cabezon SS 334 USS Carbonero SS 337 USS Hake SS 256 USS Hammerhead SS 364 USS Harder SS 257 USS Hardhead SS 365 USS Hawkbill SS 366

USS Herring SS 233 USS Hoe SS 258 USS Icefish SS 367 USS Jack SS 259 USS Jallao SS 368 USS Kete S 369 USS Kingfish SS 234 USS Kraken SS 370 USS Lagarto SS 371 USS Lizardfish SS 373 USS Loggerhead SS 374 USS Macabi SS 375 USS Mackerel-204 USS Manta SS 299 USS Mapiro SS 376 USS Marlin SS 205 USS Mingo SS 261 USS Moray SS 300 USS Muskallunge SS 262 USS Narwhal SS 263 USS Nautilus-ss-0024 USS Paddle SS 167 USS Pampanito SS 383 USS Parche SS 384 USS Pargo SS 264 USS Perch SS 176 USS Permit SS 178 USS Peto SS 265 USS Pickerel SS 177 USS Picuda SS 382 USS Pike SS 173 USS Pilotfish SS 386 USS Pintado SS 387 USS Pipefish SS 388 USS Pirahna SS 389 USS Plaice SS 390 USS Plunger SS 179 USS Pogy SS 266 USS Pollack SS 180 USS Pomfret SS 391 USS Pompano SS 181 USS Pompon SS 267 USS Porpoise SS 172

USS Puffer SS 268 USS Queenfish SS 393 USS Quillback SS 424 USS Rasher SS 269 USS Raton SS 270 USS Ray SS 271 USS Razorback SS 394 USS Redfin SS 272 USS Redfish SS 395 USS Robalo SS 273 USS Rock SS 274 USS Ronquil SS 396 USS Runner SS 275 USS Runner SS 476 USS S-1 SS 105 USS S-20 SS 125 USS S-46 SS 157 USS Sailfish SS 192 USS Salmon SS 182 USS Sand Lance SS 381 USS Sargo SS 188 USS Saury SS 189 USS Sawfish SS 276 USS Scabbardfish SS 397 USS Scamp SS 277 USS Scorpion SS 278 USS Sculpin SS 191 USS Sea Cat SS 399 USS Sea Devil SS 400 USS Sea Dog SS 401 USS Seadragon SS 194 USS Sea Fox SS 402 USS Seahorse SS 304 USS Sealion SS 195 USS Seal SS 183 USS Sea Owl SS 405 USS Sea Poacher SS 406 USS Searaven SS 196 USS Sea Robin SS 407 USS Seawolf SS 197 USS Segundo SS 398 USS Sennet SS 408

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