USS Bowfin Sinks Japanese Barge

Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 2):

September 30, 1943

On September 30, 1943, the USS Bowfin (SS 287) left the Mindanao Sea, and chanced upon a diesel-propelled barge carrying over 100 Japanese soldiers. She opened fire on it with her four-inch gun. When the Japanese responded with machine gun fire, the submarine's 20-mm guns entered the fray. The battle came to an abrupt end when a four-inch round struck the enemy's magazine and blew apart the already sinking barge. 

A day earlier, the USS Bowfin delivered supplies and evacuated people from Siquijor Island. 

The USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), is a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the bowfin fish. The submarine was laid down by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, on July 23,  1942, and launched on December 7, 1942 by Mrs. Jane Gawne, wife of Captain James Gawne. 

The USS Bowfin was commissioned on May 1, 1943, with Commander Joseph H. Willingham in command. Nicknamed as the “Pearl Harbor Avenger,” the Bowfin completed nine successful patrols during World War II but also sank 44 Japanese ships. She played a key role in defeating Japan. 

The USS Bowfin has been open to public tours at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii since 1981.

(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved

Photo credit: history.navy.mil