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USS Amberjack (SS-219)

On 1 February 1943, the submarine was ordered to move north and patrol the western approaches to Buka Passage. She complied with these directions and made her first radio report on 3 February. Amberjack had made contact on 1 February with a Japanese submarine 14 miles southeast of the Treasury Islands. She also claimed to have sunk a two-masted schooner by gunfire at a position 20 miles from Buka on the afternoon of the 3d. At the time of this report, the submarine was ordered to move south along the Buka-to-Shortland shipping lane and to also patrol east of Vella Lavella.

In a second radio transmission on 4 February, Amberjack reported having sunk a 5,000-ton freighter laden with explosives in a two-hour night surface attack on the 4th. During this engagement, one crew member was killed by machinegun fire and one officer was wounded in the hand. On the 8th, the submarine was directed to move to the west side of Ganongga Island. Two days later, she moved south to cover the traffic routes from Rabaul and Buka to Shortland Island.

The last transmission was received from Amberjack on 14 February. She reported having been forced down on the 13th by two destroyers, and that she had recovered an enemy aviator from the water and taken him prisoner. All further messages to the vessel remained unanswered. The submarine was reported as presumed lost on 22 March 1943. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 21 June 1943.

Allmon Mervin W. MoMM1

BakerJr. William A. RM3

Banister Paul S. MoMM2

Barr Luther V. MM3

Bartoli Renato S1

Blauvelt R.P. LT

Bole John A. LCDR(CO)

Bolze John F. FC1

Brant Harold J. SC2

Brossy Henry E. Lcdr(XO)

Brousseau Maurice J. S2

Buchan Wilson N. EM1

Cacciato Diego TM3

Caldwell Leland J.D. S2

Chaffin Elmer E. F2

Cheney John F. LT

Chrzan Raymond J. M3

Clark Benjamin L. TM1

Coleman James L. GM2

Coultas William E. MoMM2

Davis Edward S. S1

Davis LeRoy C. EM3

DeGroot James F2

Demler A.M. ENS

Ducharme Donald QM3

Eastman Alton G.H. TM2

Everett Ernest J. RT1

Gillard George H. S2

Gosciniak Thaddeus MoMM2

Hamilton John W. MoMM2

Henderson Lloyd G. EM2

Hiatt Don L. EM3

Hill William M.O. F2

Jackson Vernon T. MoMM2

James Homer E. EM2

Jeter William L. SM3

Jewell Thomas E. SMC

Kingston Francis P. MoMM2

Koreyva Victor J. MoMM1

Lester Robert L. S2

Levesque Raymond A. EM2

Lewellyn James E. ENS

Lord H.S. LT(jg)

LucasJr. Joseph B. MoMM2

Macy Marvin R. RM2

Massey Arthur R. MA2

McDaniel Ray S1

McLean Robert A. TM1

Montague Wallace MA1

Muir Charles R. TMC

Ogilvie Harold B. TM2

Ouzts Cleveland M. MoMM1

Pavlin Bruce F. EM2

Pisarski Henry F1

Rakyta John G. S1

Ranger James A. RM2

Runkowski Chester L. TM3

Ryall Lewis R. MoMM1

Sallee Coy K. SC1

Seidell Daniel R. ENS

Smorol Paul P. F2

Spierer Elwood R. S1

Springsteen Chester A. S1

St.John Francis T. YN1

Stern Richard G. LT(jg)

Taylor Henry A. TM2

Thurman Irby H. MM3

Tobin William J. EM2

Trask Paul B. TM2

Ullstrom John H. S2

Ward Alonzo G. EM3

Wilson Eldon I. F3

Winquist Henry C.A. MoMMC