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03/18/2006 |
      | World War II Submarine Battle Flags | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Battle flags in World War II kept an unofficial record of the number of ships a submarine sank. Warships were represented by the rising sun version of the Japanese flag, while the merchant vessels were represented by the "meatball" flags. The submarine's logo was also featured on the flag. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
USS Balao Battle Flag From 25 July 1943 to 27 August 1945, USS Balao served in the Pacific Ocean. Her flag shows that Balao destroyed one warship and nine merchant vessels during her ten patrol. Postwar assessments, however, reduced the claim to seven Japanese ships totaling 36,500 tons plus an additional 1,100 tons of enemy small craft. For her services in World War II, Balao received nine battle stars. Balao's flag was designed by a Disney artist at the request of Motor Machinist's Mate 3rd class William G. Hartley in 1945 USS Barb Battle Flag Among the unique emblems on the battle flag of the USS Barb is the silhouette (bottom center) of a train labeled "Karafuto Exp," commemorating a train destroyed by a landing party of Barb sailors that was the only U.S. force to set foot on the Japanese home islands before the end of the war. Other points of special interest on Barb's battle flag include the German merchant ensign (to the left and above the ship's emblem), placed on the flag by mistake after the submarine sank a Spanish merchant ship off Cape Finisterre on December 29, 1942, believing it to be an enemy vessel. The small Japanese merchant flags below the boat's name, each with a black "7" superimposed, each represent seven small Japanese craft destroyed. The large rising sun ensign above the emblem represents the escort carrier Unyo. The flag also bears emblems representing gun and rocket attacks against various Japanese targets; Barb was the first submarine to fire rockets against the shore. Finally, and most notably, the flag bears the light blue ribbon of the Medal of Honor awarded the boat's captain, Commander (later Rear Admiral) Eugene Fluckey, awarded along with the Presidential Unit Citation for a daring attack on a 30-ship convoy during the eleventh of Barb's twelve war patrols. USS Bowfin Battle Flag
USS Flasher Battle Flag The USS Flasher was credited with the greatest total of enemy shipping sunk--100,321 tons--of any American submarine in World War II. Flasher was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the third, fourth, and fifth of her six war patrols, signified by the six white stars in an arc in the upper area of the badge. USS Flying Fish Battle Flag The USS Flying Fish carried out 12 war patrols and sank 58,306 tons of Japanese shipping between her commissioning three days after Pearl Harbor and the end of World War II. After a fine record in the Pacific, she ended the war as flagship of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and subsequently became the first U.S. submarine to complete 5,000 dives. The flag of Flying Fish is unusual in not portraying the fish for which the submarine was named. Instead, one has to figure out that the wings on the "f" in "fish" make it fly. The original is housed in the Navy Memorial Museum in Washington. Contrary to the image on the Navy Historical Center's website, the actual flag is of the colors shown here. USS Growler Battle Flag The USS Growler's flag is a classic of the early period of this art form, with the simple Jolly Roger motif in the hoist and the depiction of the boat's war record--white silhouettes representing sinkings by torpedo or by gunfire--in the fly. From her commissioning on March 20, 1942, until the end of the war, Growler completed eleven patrols, winning eight battle stars. Her greatest moment came on February 7, 1943, when, under heavy fire on the surface, she rammed a Japanese gunboat in a last ditch effort to keep it from ramming her. Her commanding officer, Commander Howard W. Gilmore, then ordered the bridge cleared, remaining topside himself until the rest of the watch had gone below. Before he could follow them, however, Gilmore was mortally wounded by the intense fire from the Japanese force. Too badly hurt to crawl to the hatch, Gilmore then gave his final order, "Take her down," sacrificing his own life to save his ship and earning the Medal of Honor USS Gurnard Battle Flag Launched 1 June 1942, Gurnard first patrolled the Bay of Biscay for German blockade runners. By 12 June 1943, she was transferred to the Pacific Ocean. There, Gurnard received six battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation, while her captain, Lieutenant Commander C.H. Andrews, earned the Navy Cross. Gurnard had one of the highest single patrol tonnage scores during World War II -- 29,700 tons. Her battle flag shows that she destroyed 12 combatant and merchant vessels. The flag also records the total tonnage of the ships sunk. However, postwar study proved that Gurnard succeeded in sinking only 10 ships -- 57,866 tons. USS Harder Battle Flag The USS Harder was commissioned on December 2, 1942, and was on her sixth war patrol when she was sunk with the loss of all hands on August 24, 1944. Her fifth patrol is considered by some to have been "the most brilliant of the war," as Harder singlehandedly sank at least three Japanese destroyers in the space of two days, driving off Admiral Ozawa's Mobile Fleet from its planned operating area, and making a major contribution to the U.S. victory in the Battle of the Phillipine Sea. Harder received the Presidential Unit Citation and her captain, Commander Samuel D. Dealey, the Medal of Honor for this patrol. The U.S. aircraft marking at the bottom center of USS Harder's flag indicates a pilot rescued. The five blue and one white star signify five completed patrols and one still unfinished USS Jack Battle Flag The scarlet battle flag of the USS Jack shows the pennant of the Presidential Unit Citation in the upper hoist, followed by the ribbons of the American and Asiatic-Pacific theaters of operations and the Philippine Liberation Medal along the upper edge. Down the hoist are the ribbons of the Navy Cross with three gold stars (four total awards), Silver Star with ten gold stars, Bronze Star with eleven gold stars, and Purple Heart with nine gold stars. In nine war patrols, Jack accounted for sinking or damaging 15 Japanese ships with a total tonnage of 76,687 tons. This included four 5,000-ton tankers sent to the bottom on a single day, February 19, 1944. USS Ray Battle Flag The battle flag of the USS Ray is characteristic of the development of flags later in the war. In addition to a large array of sinkings, it reflects personal decorations won by members of her crew (including three Navy Crosses), the Navy Unit Commendation, eight war patrols, and 23 rescued airmen, including 10 from an Army Air Corps B-29. USS Sculpin Battle Flag The USS Sculpin was commissioned on January 16, 1939, and soon took part in one of the epics of submarine history, the rescue later that spring of the crew of Sculpin's stricken sister ship, the USS Squalus (SS-192). Two and a half years later, Sculpin began one of the first war patrols of World War II, getting under way on December 8, 1941. On her ninth patrol, in December 1943, Sculpin was serving as flagship for Captain John P. Cromwell's "submarine coordinated attack group" or wolfpack. After being severely damaged by depth charges, her commanding officer, Commander Fred Connaway, took her to the surface to fight it out in an attempt to escape. When she was clearly too badly damaged to get away, and with Commander Connaway dead, Cromwell ordered her scuttled to avoid capture. Forty-two members of the crew were rescued and captured by the Japanese, but 20 of those were lost shortly after when the Japanese escort carrier Chuyo was sunk by the USS Sailfish--ironically the former Squalus. USS Spot Battle Flag Commissioned on 19 May 1944, USS Spot registered the destruction of 16 merchant vessels on her three war patrols in the Pacific. Much more elaborate than the other flags, Spot's flag not only records the number of kills, but also lists the ships' names. As seen on the flag, Spot successfully shelled the radio station at Kokuzan and disabled the passenger freighter Foochow. She received four battle stars for her services in World War II. USS Tang Battle Flag The striking and distinctive battle flag of the USS Tang shows a black panther ripping through the center of the Japanese rising sun naval ensign. Tang was among the most successful of World War II submarines, destroying 24 Japanese ships displacing a total of 93,824 tons in a career of less than two years. Her third war patrol, in the summer of 1944, was one of the most devastating of the war, for which her commanding officer, Commander Richard O'Kane, won the Medal of Honor. Tang was sunk on October 24, 1944, when one of her own torpedos malfunctioned and circled back on her. In the course of only four war patrols, Tang won two of the highly coveted Presidential Unit Citations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright 2006 USS Cavalla Base This page last updated on 03/18/2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Maru (Merchant Ship) Sunk 
Japanese Maru (Merchant Ship) Damaged
Small Japanese Merchant Ship Sunk 
Vichy French Ship Sunk on Second Patrol
Japanese Military Ship Sunk 
Japanese Military Ship Damaged
Presidential Unit Citation - earned for Second Patrol
Navy Unit Commendation - earned for Sixth Patrol
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation -earned for First Patrol
One Star per War Patrol (9)
Crane, Bus, & Pier Sunk at Minami Daito on Sixth Patrol