Home Next Boat Previous Boat

USS Trigger (SS-237)

TRIGGER stood out to sea on 11 March 1945 to begin her 12th war patrol and headed for the Nansei Shoto area. On the 18th, she attacked a convoy west of the islands, sinking the cargo ship TSUKUSHI MARU NO. 3 and damaging another. The attack was reported on the 20th, and the submarine was subsequently ordered to radio as many movements of the convoy as possible to help find a safe passage through a known mined area of the East China Sea. On the 24th, TRIGGER was ordered to begin patrolling west of the islands the next day, outside the 100 fathom curve, and to steer clear of restricted areas. On the 26th, she was ordered to join a wolf pack called "Earl's Eliminators" and to acknowledge receipt of the message. A weather report came from the submarine that day but no confirmation of her having received the message. The weather report was TRIGGER's last transmission. On 4 April, she was ordered to proceed to Midway, but she had not arrived by 1 May and was reported as presumed lost. Post-war records indicate that she torpedoed and sank the repair ship ODATE on 27 March. The next day, Japanese planes and ships joined in a two-hour attack on a submarine at a position 32d 16m N. and 132d 05m E. The attack was heard by SILVERSIDES, SEA DOG (SS-401), HACKLEBACK (SS-295), and THREADFIN (SS-410) in adjacent areas. THREADFIN was the only one of these submarines that had been attacked that day, and she reported that she heard many depth charges and several heavy explosions east of her position after the attack on her ceased. TRIGGER was struck from the Navy list on 11 July 1945.

FC3 Neal A Absher

S1 Ernest A Arsenault

EM3 Dewey G Backer Jr.

MoMM1 Robert B Ball

F1 James V Barry

EM3 Rudolph C Beranek

MoMM1 John B Bird

TM3 Joseph M Boeding

SM2 Kenneth W Bolz

S1 Harold Butts

F1 Vern W Cain

SM1 Andrew J Carter

MoMM1 Hubert Coles

CDR(CO) David R Connole

MoMM3 William C Craig

F1 Balous E Crutcher

TM1 Perry P Curry

MoMM3 Maurice V DeLone

GM3 Claude A Derrick

LCDR Robert L Dodane

F1 Richard J Dorries

S1 Willie E Dow

FC2 James W Dunnam

BK1 John P Dusko

S1 William L Emmons Jr.

EM3 Richard E Engle

EM3 Joseph P Fisher

EMC Harold L Fiste

TM3 Robert M Foster

MoMM3 Joseph A Franks

LTjg Howard R Gleason

LT Robert H Greenwell

MoMM2 Ralph E Hambright Jr.

MoMM3 George T Hampton

RT2 Ray J Harrison

EM1 John R Householder

EM3 Vincent T Iovino

LT C.B Irish

RT2 Lester A Johanson

ENS S.G Johnson

TM2 Richard F Johnston

EM2 Robert M Kelly

RT1 Rustislav N Kemarsky

S1 Murray Kimmel

EM3 Karl A Livingston

RM2 Charles G Maben

SM2 Arthur L MacVane

RM1 G.W McDonough

TM3 Lawrence J McHugh Jr.

MoMMC Robert H Melton

LT Donald E Misner

S1 Harold P Morgan

F1 Robert C Morin

S1 Robert W Murray

F1 Frank L Niles

YN1 Donald T Olson

SC1 Laddie Oster

TM2 Gordon E Palmer

TM1 Lewis R Payne

EM2 Robert C Pollack

QM1 James L Pross

TM3 William H Rae

MoMM1 James A Reed

LTjg Clifford J Roberts

MoMM1 Cecil C Robertson

RM2 Normand N Rondeau

QM3 Carl H Scheidegger

MoMM2 Clarence E Schenck

LCDR John E Shepherd III

LT John W Sincavich

S1 Donald L Smith

MoMM2 Daniel R Stakich

EM1 John N Stewart

S1 Marvin N Stock

GM3 George S Targosz

CK2 Nathaniel E Thompson

EM2 Warren C Thompson

S1 Charles G Thornberry

EM2 Harvey J Turner

SC3 Billy J Watson

TMC John R Weeks

MoMM2 Charles A Welch

F1 Franklin H Widdekind

GM1 Jack T Wildey

S1 Donald L Wilkens

S1 Lenard W Wilkins

MoMMC Charles A Williams

MoMM2 Charles M Worrels Jr.

PhMC William M Zugecic