World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS Croaker was commissioned into service in Apr 1944 and embarked on her first war patrol in mid-Jul from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States, during which she sank the Japanese cruiser Nagara on 7 Aug, among other ships, and won a Navy Unit Commendation. In her six war patrols between 1944 and 1945, three of them were considered successful, sinking a total of 19,710 tons of shipping. She had also conducted lifeguard duties during the war, which role she held off southern China in Aug 1945 when the Pacific War drew to a close. Shortly after the war, she sailed to New London, Connecticut, United States via Saipan in the Mariana Islands, Panama Canal, and Galveston in Texas, United States, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve. She served as a training vessel at New London between 7 May 1951 and 18 Mar 1953, and then underwent conversion work to become a hunter-killer submarine with the new designation of SSK-246. In this new role, she was recommissioned in Dec 1953 and returned to active duty in Feb 1954, patrolling the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean Sea. In 1957 and 1958, she visited ports in England, United Kingdom while taking part in NATO exercises. In 1959, she returned to her original designation of SS-246. In Feb 1960, she conducted training exercises in England. In Sep 1960, she went on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, and visiting ports in the Arabian Sea, returning to New London in mid-Dec. In May 1967, she was reclassified as auxiliary submarine AGSS-246. She was decommissioned from service for the final time on 2 Apr 1968 and was given the designation IXSS-246 in Dec 1971. Between 1977 and 1987, she was displayed as a private attraction in Groton, Connecticut, United States by the Submarine Memorial Association. Since 1988, she had been a museum ship at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, New York, United States.

Submarine Croaker (SS-246) Interactive Map

Photographs

Croaker Operational Timeline