Pompon
Country | United States |
Ship Class | Gato-class Submarine |
Hull Number | SS-267 |
Builder | Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States |
Laid Down | 26 Nov 1941 |
Launched | 15 Aug 1942 |
Commissioned | 17 Mar 1943 |
Decommissioned | 1 Apr 1960 |
Displacement | 1,549 tons standard; 2,463 tons submerged |
Length | 312 feet |
Beam | 27 feet |
Draft | 17 feet |
Machinery | Four General Motors Model 16-248 V16 diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers |
Speed | 21 knots |
Range | 11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged |
Crew | 60 |
Armament | 6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm 50cal deck gun |
Submerged Speed | 9 knots |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseUSS Pompon was commissioned into service in Mar 1943 and embarked on her first war patrol in the Pacific War in Jul 1943. Her most successful war patrol would be her sixth, which began a year later on 19 Jul 1944, during which she sank a trawler and a transport. During her seventh war patrol in the Yellow Sea, she experienced a failed conning tower hatch which caused flooding, forcing her to sail back to port without the ability to dive; she was spotted by Japanese ships en route, but she was able to escape by diving despite her damage. When the Pacific War ended, she had just completed her ninth war patrol and was refitting in Guam, Mariana Islands. She was decommissioned from service at New London, Connecticut, United States in 1946.
ww2dbaseUSS Pompon was recommissioned in 1953 as a radar picket submarine. After the shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she served in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean until she was placed in reserve in 1959. She was decommissioned in 1960. She was scrapped in late 1960. One of her propellers is now on display in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Virginia, United States.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Feb 2012
Submarine Pompon (SS-267) Interactive Map
Photographs
Pompon Operational Timeline
26 Nov 1941 | The keel of submarine Pompon was laid down. |
15 Aug 1942 | Submarine Pompon was launched, sponsored by Miss Katherine Mary Wolleson. |
17 Mar 1943 | USS Pompon was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander E. C. Hawk in command. |
5 Apr 1943 | USS Pompon began her journey down the Mississippi River in a floating drydock toward New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. |
10 Jul 1943 | USS Pompon departed Brisbane, Australia for her first war patrol in the Truk, Caroline Islands area. |
25 Jul 1943 | USS Pompon sank Japanese cargo ship Thames Maru in the Dutch East Indies and damaged two other ships; she expended 8 torpedoes and observed 5 hits. |
22 Aug 1943 | USS Pompon arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her first war patrol. |
12 Sep 1943 | USS Pompon departed Brisbane, Australia for her second war patrol. |
1 Oct 1943 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all 4 torpedoes missed. |
14 Oct 1943 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese oiler in the Gulf of Siam; all 4 torpedoes missed. |
5 Nov 1943 | USS Pompon arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol. |
29 Nov 1943 | USS Pompon departed Fremantle, Australia for her third war patrol. |
11 Dec 1943 | USS Pompon sank two small Japanese boats in the South China Sea with her deck gun. |
28 Jan 1944 | USS Pompon arrived at Darwin, Australia, ending her third war patrol. |
22 Feb 1944 | USS Pompon departed Darwin, Australia for her fourth war patrol. |
9 Mar 1944 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese convoy in the Dutch East Indies; all 4 torpedoes missed. |
10 Apr 1944 | USS Pompon arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fourth war patrol. |
6 May 1944 | USS Pompon departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol. |
28 May 1944 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese transport south of Japan; all 3 torpedoes missed. |
30 May 1944 | USS Pompon sank cargo ship Shiga Maru off Murotosaki, Shikoku, Japan, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired. |
25 Jun 1944 | USS Pompon arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her fifth war patrol. |
19 Jul 1944 | USS Pompon departed for her sixth war patrol. |
27 Jul 1944 | USS Pompon sank a Japanese trawler off Japan with her deck gun. |
7 Aug 1944 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese transport off Sakhalin island; all 4 torpedoes missed. |
12 Aug 1944 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese convoy off Sakhalin island during the night, damaging a tanker and sinking transport Mikage Maru No. 20; she expended 14 torpedoes and observed 4 hits. During the attack, one of her own torpedoes circled back and nearly struck her. |
3 Sep 1944 | USS Pompon arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her sixth war patrol. |
13 Dec 1944 | USS Pompon departed for her seventh war patrol. |
6 Jan 1945 | USS Pompon departed Majuro, Marshall Islands. |
28 Jan 1945 | USS Pompon attacked a Japanese convoy off Syo-kokuzan To in the Yellow Sea as a member of a wolfpack and observed the sinking of two Japanese ships by fellow submarine USS Spadefish. |
29 Jan 1945 | USS Pompon's conning tower hatch failed during the morning trim dive, causing flooding in the tower, control room, and pump room. She ended her war patrol early. |
11 Feb 1945 | USS Pompon arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her seventh war patrol. |
30 Mar 1945 | USS Pompon departed Midway Atoll for her eighth war patrol. |
2 May 1945 | USS Pompon attacked a small Japanese boat off Taiwan with her deck gun; the boat escaped without damage. |
24 May 1945 | USS Pompon arrived at Guam, Mariana Islands, ending her eighth war patrol. |
18 Jun 1945 | USS Pompon departed Guam, Mariana Islands for her ninth and final war patrol. |
22 Jul 1945 | USS Pompon arrived at Guam, Mariana Islands, ending her ninth and final war patrol. |
22 Aug 1945 | USS Pompon departed Guam, Mariana Islands. |
19 Sep 1945 | USS Pompon arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. |
11 May 1946 | USS Pompon was decommissioned from service at New London, Connecticut, United States and placed in the New London Group of the US Atlantic Reserve Fleet. |
15 Jun 1953 | USS Pompon was recommissioned into service with the new designation of SSR-267. |
4 Feb 1954 | USS Pompon completed her tour with the US Navy 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. |
6 Jul 1954 | USS Pompon was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea. |
3 Oct 1954 | USS Pompon completed a tour in the Mediterranean Sea. |
17 Jun 1958 | USS Pompon was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea. |
17 Aug 1958 | USS Pompon received supplies from USS Saratoga. |
2 Feb 1959 | USS Pompon was placed in reserve at Charleston, South Carolina, United States. |
1 Apr 1960 | USS Pompon was decommissioned from service and struck from the US Naval Register. |
25 Nov 1960 | Submarine Pompon was sold to Commercial Metals Company. |
22 Dec 1960 | Submarine Pompon was scrapped by Commercial Metals Company. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
18 May 2019 04:49:11 AM
Crew list 1957 1958
25 May 2020 06:59:33 AM
My grandfather also served in this sub (Dworkowski). Contact me cegolden AT gmail DOT com
10 Apr 2022 08:23:05 PM
My grandfather Walter Jonkins served on this ship. I would love to hear from any living guys who served with him. D_jonkins at hot mail.
10 Feb 2023 12:00:07 AM
My Grandfather served on this ship. Roy 'Red' Gray. A hero to our family and our beautiful country.
22 Sep 2023 04:48:37 PM
I was on the Pompon 1956-1958… if I can help someone find someone… I will try!! Thanks John Murphy
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945
27 Nov 2018 06:34:41 AM
my grandfather served on this sub