Submarine Gar (SS-206)

Gar

Country	United States
Ship Class	Tambor-class Submarine
Hull Number	SS-206
Builder	Electric Boat Company
Laid Down	27 Dec 1939
Launched	7 Nov 1940
Commissioned	14 Apr 1941
Decommissioned	11 Dec 1945
Displacement	1,499 tons standard; 2,410 tons submerged
Length	307 feet
Beam	27 feet
Draft	14 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
Speed	20 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	8.75 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseUSS Gar was commissioned into United States Navy service in Apr 1941. After shakedown training along the coast of the New England region of northeastern United States, she departed for San Diego, California, United States in late Nov, reaching her destination three days after the Pearl Harbor attack that brought the United States into the Pacific War. After preparations at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, she departed San Francisco, California on 15 Jan 1942 for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States. During her first war patrol, she sank the Japanese cargo ship Chichiubu Maru off southern Honshu, Japan on 13 Mar. During her second war patrol, she scored hits on a freighter off Kwajalein, Marshall Islands and a submarine decoy Q-ship west of Truk, Caroline Islands. Her third war patrol brought her to the South China Sea and the Gulf of Siam where her only contact was with a hospital ship. She mined the approaches to Bangkok, Thailand during her fourth war patrol. During her fifth war patrol, she damaged the freighter Heinan Maru and a seaplane tender. She detected contacts several times during her sixth war patrol, but did not get any opportunities to attack due to effective Japanese anti-submarine measures. Her seventh war patrol was more effective, however, sinking several Japanese cargo ships in the Philippine Islands area. Her eighth war patrol in the Flores Sea south of Celebes saw a sinking of a 500-ton Japanese ship which ran itself aground to prevent sinking. After her ninth war patrol off Timor, Dutch East Indies, she received an overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard in California. Off the Palau Islands on her tenth war patrol, she made repeated attacks on Japanese ships, sinking two ships and damaging several others. Her eleventh war patrol was one of lifeguard duty, where she saved 8 aviators off the Palau Islands. Her twelfth war patrol in the Bonin Islands saw one freighter damaged, and her thirteenth was again on lifeguard duty off Yap, Caroline Islands, along with some reconnaissance and shore bombardment missions. She acted as a transport ship for personnel, supplies, and intelligence documents to and from Luzon, Philippine Islands during her final two war patrols. Between Jan and Apr 1945, she remained in Hawaii for an overhaul, returning to action on 2 Apr. USS Gar served as a target trainer for anti-submarine ships at Saipan and Guam, Mariana Islands for the remainder of the war. She was decommissioned in Dec 1945 and served in reserve roles until 1959 when she was sold for scrap.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Mar 2011

Submarine Gar (SS-206) Interactive Map

Photographs

Electric Boat Company workers laying the keel of future submarine Gar, Groton, Connecticut, United States, 1000 hours on 27 Dec 1939

Submarine Gar under construction, Groton, Connecticut, United States, 1 Apr 1940, photo 1 of 2; topside bow view looking aft

Submarine Gar under construction, Groton, Connecticut, United States, 1 Apr 1940, photo 2 of 2; topside stern view looking forward

See all 25 photographs of Submarine Gar (SS-206)

Gar Operational Timeline

27 Dec 1939	The keel for future submarine Gar was laid down.
7 Nov 1940	Submarine Gar was launched, sponsored by the wife of Rear Admiral George Pettengill.
14 Apr 1941	USS Gar was commissioned into service at New London, Connecticut, United States with Lieutenant D. McGregor in command.
24 Nov 1941	USS Gar departed New London, Connecticut, United States.
3 Dec 1941	USS Gar reached the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal.
10 Dec 1941	USS Gar arrived at San Diego, California, United States.
15 Jan 1942	USS Gar departed San Francisco, California, United States.
2 Feb 1942	USS Gar departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
22 Feb 1942	USS Gar fired eight torpedoes at a Japanese ship south of Japan; all torpedoes missed.
13 Mar 1942	USS Gar (SS-206; Lieutenant Commander Donald McGregor) sank Japanese victualling stores ship Chichiubu Maru off Mikura Jima 100 miles south of Tokyo Bay, Japan with three of four torpedoes fired.
28 Mar 1942	USS Gar ended her first war patrol.
19 Apr 1942	USS Gar began her second war patrol.
4 May 1942	USS Gar reported sinking of a Japanese ship in daylight after hitting her with one of two torpedoes fired.
17 May 1942	USS Gar reported damaging a Japanese decoy ship in daylight with one of two torpedoes fired.
8 Jun 1942	USS Gar arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol.
3 Jul 1942	USS Gar began her third war patrol.
21 Aug 1942	USS Gar ended her third war patrol.
17 Sep 1942	USS Gar began her fourth war patrol.
19 Oct 1942	USS Gar laid 32 naval mines off Bangkok, Thailand.
7 Nov 1942	USS Gar ended her fourth war patrol.
28 Nov 1942	USS Gar began her fifth war patrol.
8 Dec 1942	USS Gar fired her deck gun at a Japanese cargo ship, causing damage.
20 Dec 1942	USS Gar fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship; all torpedoes missed.
22 Dec 1942	USS Gar fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship; all torpedoes missed.
1 Jan 1943	USS Gar reported firing four torpedoes against two Japanese ships on this date, hitting one of them with one torpedo and causing damage.
9 Jan 1943	USS Gar reported hitting a Japanese ship with two of three torpedoes fired, causing damage.
19 Jan 1943	USS Gar ended her fifth war patrol.
9 Feb 1943	USS Gar began her sixth war patrol.
2 Apr 1943	USS Gar ended her sixth war patrol.
23 Apr 1943	USS Gar began her seventh war patrol.
2 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
6 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese schooner in daylight with her deck gun.
7 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese sampan in daylight with her deck gun.
8 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
9 May 1943	USS Gar sank Japanese freighter Aso Maru south of the Negros, Philippine Islands in daylight with two of four torpedoes fired.
15 May 1943	USS Gar attacked a Japanese convoy in the Philippine Islands, sinking cargo ships Moikai Maru and Indus Maru, hitting them with four of the twelve torpedoes fired.
19 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese sampan in daylight with her deck gun.
20 May 1943	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese sampan in daylight with her deck gun.
27 May 1943	USS Gar ended her seventh war patrol.
18 Jun 1943	USS Gar began her eighth war patrol.
14 Jul 1943	USS Gar reported damaging a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
23 Jul 1943	USS Gar arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her eighth war patrol.
8 Aug 1943	USS Gar departed Fremantle, Australia for her ninth war patrol.
20 Aug 1943	USS Gar sank a Japanese ship in daylight with one of three torpedoes fired.
13 Sep 1943	USS Gar arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her ninth war patrol.
23 Sep 1943	USS Gar entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States for overhaul.
22 Nov 1943	USS Gar completed overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States.
30 Nov 1943	USS Gar arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
16 Dec 1943	USS Gar began her tenth war patrol.
20 Jan 1944	USS Gar sank Japanese cargo ship Koyu Maru off Palau Islands in daylight with two of three torpedoes fired.
22 Jan 1944	USS Gar attacked a Japanese convoy off Palau Islands at night, reporting six hits with ten torpedoes fired and reporting one sunk and one damaged.
23 Jan 1944	USS Gar continued to attack a Japanese convoy off Palau Islands which had been attacked three hours prior on the previous date, sinking the already-damaged cargo ship Taian Maru with one of two torpedoes fired.
5 Feb 1944	USS Gar arrived at Open Bay on the northern coast of New Britain to pick up downed airmen who had been under the care of coast watchers.
9 Feb 1944	USS Gar ended her tenth war patrol.
3 Mar 1944	USS Gar began her eleventh war patrol which saw her on lifeguard duty off Palau Islands.
25 Mar 1944	USS Gar fired six torpedoes on a Japanese ship in the Pacific Ocean; all torpedoes missed.
21 Apr 1944	USS Gar ended her eleventh war patrol.
20 May 1944	USS Gar began her twelfth war patrol.
9 Jun 1944	USS Gar reported damaging a Japanese ship with her deck gun.
28 Jun 1944	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
5 Jul 1944	USS Gar ended her twelfth war patrol.
14 Aug 1944	USS Gar began her thirteenth war patrol.
6 Sep 1944	USS Gar bombarded Japanese positions at Yap, Caroline Islands for the following two days.
9 Oct 1944	USS Gar arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her thirteenth war patrol.
3 Nov 1944	USS Gar began her fourteenth war patrol.
23 Nov 1944	USS Gar landed 16 men and 25 tons of supplies to Santiago Cove, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
25 Nov 1944	USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
30 Nov 1944	USS Gar arrived at Mios Woendi, Biak Islands, ending her fourtheenth war patrol.
4 Dec 1944	USS Gar began her fifteenth war patrol.
11 Dec 1944	USS Gar delivered 35 tons of supplies to an American position near Duriagaos Inlet, Luzon, Philippine Islands and picked up intelligence documents.
27 Dec 1944	USS Gar arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifteenth and final war patrol.
2 Apr 1945	USS Gar departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for the Mariana Islands.
7 Aug 1945	USS Gar departed Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands.
20 Oct 1945	USS Gar arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States.
11 Dec 1945	USS Gar was decommissioned from service.
28 Nov 1948	USS Gar arrived at Cleveland, Ohio, United States to serve as a training submarine for the 4th Naval District.
29 May 1959	Submarine Gar was struck from the US Naval Vessel Register.
18 Nov 1959	Submarine Gar was sold to Acme Scrap Iron and Metal Company for scrap.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Richard Behan says:
5 Sep 2018 04:59:23 PM

Capt. Fred Behan, my uncle, was among the men the GAR put ashore on Luzon, prior to the invasion, on her 14th mission late in 1944.

2. Rick says:
14 Jan 2022 11:08:14 AM

As a submariner myself (USS Daniel Boone SSBN 629, 1976-80) I found out that my Father-In-Law's father was a submariner and I am interested to find out, according to my Father-In-Law, that he served on the Gar. How can I find out for sure?

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