USS Segundo History

 

Uraspi’s Secunda (aka SEGUNDO)

The USS Segundo(SS-398) was laid down on 14 October 1943 by the Portsmouth, NewHampshire Navy Yard. Like all submarines at that time the Segundo was named after a fish. The Segundo was launched on 5 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John L. Sullivan; and commissioned on 9 May 1944; Commanding Officer LCDR. J. D. Fulp, Jr. .
Click here to view list of SEGUNDO commanding officers

Segundo Launch February 5, 1944

SS-398 Specifications
Displacement:
– Surfaced: 1,525 t.
– Submerged: 2,415 t.
Length: 311’8″
Beam: 27’3″
Draft: 15’3″
Speed:
– Surfaced: 20 k.
– Submerged: 8.75 k.
Complement: 81
Armament: 1 5″; 1 40mm; 1 20mm;
10 21″ torpedo tubes
Class: BALAO

 SEGUNDO completed fitting out and contract trials then moved to New London, Conn., on 15 June and began training. The submarine stood out of New London on 26 June for the Panama Canal Zone en route to the Pacific war zone. She departed Balboa on 9 July and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 25 July. The next several weeks were spent in training exercises and weapons firing. The ship was combat loaded on 19 and 20 August and, the next day, sailed on her first war patrol.

 SEGUNDO, together with submarines SEAHORSE (SS-304), and WHALE (SS-239) formed a wolf pack. They refueled at Saipan on 3 September and departed the next day for their patrol area in the Philippines near Surigao Strait. No worthwhile targets were found, and SEGUNDO ended her patrol at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, on 21 October without having fired a shot.

The second patrol, from 16 November 1944 to 5 January 1945, was more profitable. SEGUNDO, and sister ships TREPANG (SS-412), and RAZORBACK (SS-394) were cruising between Luzon Strait and the South China Sea. On the evening of 6 December, a convoy of seven escorted merchant ships was sighted. The three submarines made night attacks which sank all of the merchantmen.

SEGUNDO refitted at Guam from submarine tender APOLLO (AS-25) and was in the East China Sea with RAZORBACK and SEACAT (SS-399) on 1 February. Three torpedo attacks were made on unescorted ships near the Korean coast in shallow water. The first attack was on 6 March against a small ship but all torpedoes missed. The next was made four days later against a medium-sized ship. Four torpedoes were fired at 1,000 yards but they also missed. The third attack was a night surface one against a cargo ship on 11 March. Two torpedoes of the spread hit. The first blew the stern off and the second hit amidships, sinking cargo ship SHORI MARU in two minutes. The submarine ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor on 26 March and remained there for a month before putting to sea again.

SEGUNDO was assigned to a lifeguard station until 16 May when she departed for her assigned area in the East China Sea. On the 29th, she sank seven two-masted schooners of approximately 100 tons each with shellfire. Two days later, she sank a large four-masted full-rigged ship of approximately 1,250 tons with two torpedoes. She sank another on 3 June with her deck gun. On the 9th, two patrol ships were also sunk by her deck gun. On the night of 11 June, the FUKUI MARU was torpedoed and sunk. The submarine then sailed to Midway for upkeep.

SEGUNDO began her fifth and final war patrol on 10 August in the Sea of Okhotsk. Ordered to proceed to Tokyo Bay on the 24th, the ship was proceeding south when she picked up a Japanese submarine by radar on the 29th. The enemy boat was ordered to halt by international signal.  This was done; and, after several trips between the two submarines by their respective representatives, the Japanese agreed to accept a prize crew aboard and to proceed to Tokyo with SEGUNDO. The two ships entered Sagami Wan on 31 August and, at 0500, the American flag was raised aboard the I-401.

The SEGUNDO was in Tokyo Bay for V-J Day.  SEGUNDO stood out of Tokyo Bay on 3 September 1945 en route to the west coast via Pearl Harbor. She was assigned to Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 3 in San Diego and began operations from there. The submarine made a three-month cruise to Australia and China in 1946 and a four-month cruise to China in 1948. The outbreak of war in Korea found SEGUNDO in the Far East. She supported United Nations Forces in Korea from July to September 1950 before returning to San Diego in late November.

In 1951, SEGUNDO was modernized at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard and equipped with a snorkel. She returned to her home port and resumed operations until 15 August 1952 when she again joined the 7th Fleet off Korea. That deployment period ended on 16 February 1953.

For the next 16 years, SEGUNDO operated out of her home port and along the west coast. From 1953 through 1969, she was deployed to the western Pacific every year except 1961 and 1963.

On May 12, 1965, LCDR R.L. Chasse relieved CDR Rex E.Maire and continued providing services during local operations in the Southern California area. After a period in Hunters Point to replace the battery in 1965, SEGUNDO provided Sub Services to ASW Task group consisting of USS Hornet and several Destroyers while enroute to Northwest Pacific. After a visit in Port Angles, Washington, SEGUNDO continued to provide Sub services to the ASW Task Group while enroute to San Diego. After a brief trip to Hunters Point for repairs, SEGUNDO returned to San Diego and conducted local operations which included a quick work up for a Westpac trip in June, 1966.

During the 1966 Westpac trip, SEGUNDO continued to provide Sub services to Seventh Fleet Units and made port calls at Yokosuka, Keelung, Taiwan, Okinawa, Subic Bay and Bangkok, Thailand. While en route to Bangkok, SEGUNDO conducted transit operations with US and British Submarines. After returning to Subic Bay, SEGUNDO proceeded to the Gulf of Tonkin to provide Sub services to Destroyers operating in that area. After a period of conducting Special Operations, SEGUNDO visited Hong Kong and returned to Yokosuka. During SEGUNDO’s return to San Diego, via the North Pacific, she simulated a Russian Submarine while being tracked by various ASW forces.

After SEGUNDO’s return in December 1966, she entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul which finished several days early. Upon completion of this overhaul, SEGUNDO commenced another workup for another Westpac deployment.

In May 1967, LCDR D.A. Fudge relieved CDR R.L. Chasse. In May 1969 LCDR A.C. Cajaka relieved CDR D.A. Fudge.

In July 1970, a Survey Board found SEGUNDO unfit for further Naval service. The submarine was struck from the Navy list on 8 August 1970 and sunk as a target by the USS SALMON(SS 573).

MEDALS AND AWARDS. U.S.S. SEGUNDO(SS 398)
Submarine Combat Insignia with 4 stars
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 5 stars (or 1 silver star)
American Campaign Medal
Victory Medal (World War II)
Navy Occupation Service Medal. (Asia clasp)
China Service Medal (Extended) (1945-1957)
National Defense Service Medal with 1 star
Korean Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal with 3 stars
United Nations Service Medal
Philippine Liberation Medal
1948 – Awarded the Submarine Squadron THREE Efficiency Pennant
1965 – Awarded the Battle Efficiency Award, Submarine Squadron THREE