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Motor Machinist's Mate, Third Class Eleazar Garza, U.S. Navy

October 16, 1922 Lost at Sea *January 12, 1945

*Changed to Presumed Dead: January 30, 1946

USS SWORDFISH (SS-193)

Eleazar was born in Benavides, Texas. The ancestry informationshows his parents were Agustin M. and Teodora (Saenz) Garza.His siblings: Daniel, Marta, Nabora, Elvira, Isabel, Samuel,Eligio, and Maria. The information also shows that Manuela F.Saenz (mother in law) 70, was a member of the same household.  

Eleazar’s father was a rancher and died June 3, 1939 whenEleazar 16 years old. The 1940 Census shows Eleazar was anunpaid family worker, indicating that he was a rancher. He was17 years old in 1940 and the highest grade he attained waselementary school, 7th grade. Eleazar was to stay in theBenavides area until he volunteered to join the Navy at age 19in 1942.

The USS Mizar AF-12 was the first ship that muster rolls (8 Sep1942) of the Navy show that AS (Apprentice Seaman) EleazarGarza came onboard and that he was inducted in Houston, Texaswith a Service number of 6247593, with a date of enlistment of5-17-1942. The time between 5-17-1942 and 8 Sep 1942 wasprobably when he attended boot camp training. Eleazar was

onboard the USS Henderson, and the USS Snapper (Submarine)before coming on board the submarine, USS Swordfish (SS-193) onJune 28, 1943. 

Swordfish, 

(http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/sublosses/sublosses 

 _swordfish.htm ) in the twelve patrols before her fatalthirteenth, sank twenty-one ships, amounting to 113,100 tons,and damaged an additional eight, totaling 45,800 tons. Herfirst patrol began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor,and was conducted west of the Philippines. Swordfish  sank four

freighters, varying from 3,900 tons to 9,400 tons, and damageda fifth. At the time, this was the most successful patrol inthe war. She conducted her second patrol in the lesserPhilippine group and among the small islands between Celebesand New Guinea. Here she sank three medium freighters and atanker. She also evacuated President Quezon, his family, VicePresident Osmena, Chief Justice Santos, and three officers inthe Philippine Army from Corregidor and took them to Panay,where they boarded a motor tender. Swordfish  returned to ManilaBay and evacuated eleven more Philippine officials. Swordfish'sprimary mission on her third patrol was to deliver 40 tons of

supplies to the beleaguered Corregidor.http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2929.html 

F2C (Fireman 2d Class) Eleazar Garza boarded the USS Swordfishon 30 June 1943. His tour would start with the 8th War Patrolof the Swordfish. A chronological history of the Swordfishactions from 8th to 13th Patrol:

29 Jul 1943: With her overhaul and refresher training completedUSS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Parker) left base for her eight war

patrol. She was to patrol off Palau.

22 Aug 1943: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Parker) torpedoed andsank the Japanese transport ship Nishiyama Maru (3016 GRT) offPalau in position 02°53'N, 136°21'E.

5 Sep 1943: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Parker) torpedoed andsank the Japanese troop transport Tenkai Maru (3203 GRT) northof New Guinea in position 01°35'N, 141°45'E.

20 Sep 1943: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Parker) ended her 8th

war patrol when she returned to base at Brisbane, Australia.

26 Dec 1943: After her 9th war patrol had to be aborted due tomechanical problems, USS Swordfish (Capt. K.G. Hensel) leftMidway for her 10th war patrol on 26 December 1943. She wasordered to patrol in Japanese home waters of the main islandHonshu.

27 Jan 1944: USS Swordfish (Capt. K.G. Hensel) torpedoed andsank the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Kasagi Maru (3140 GRT) about

130 nautical miles south of Tokyo Bay in position 33°31'N,139°36'E.

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7 Feb 1944: USS Swordfish (Capt. K.G. Hensel) ended her 10th warpatrol at Pearl Harbor.

29 Feb 1944: *Report of Change: Fireman 2d Class Garza had achange of rate (promoted) to Fireman 1 st  Class. BuPers C/L-205- 43.

13 Mar 1944: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. K.E. Montrose) left PearlHarbor for her 11th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the

Mariana Islands area.

29 Apr 1944: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. K.E. Montrose) ended her11th war patrol without scoring a "kill". She returns to base atMajure.

*30 Apr 1944: *Report of Change: Fireman 1 st  Class Garza had achange of rate (promoted) to Motor Machinist Mate 3 rd  Class.BuPers C/L 218-43.

9 Jun 1944: While on her 12th war patrol USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr.K.E. Montrose) torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyerMatsukaze (offsite link) about 70 nautical miles south-east ofChichi Jima, Bonin Islands in position 26°59'N, 143°13'E.

15 Jun 1944: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. K.E. Montrose) torpedoed andsank the Japanese transport ship Kanseishi Maru (4804 GRT) about150 nautical miles north-north-west of Chichi Jima in position29°30'N, 144°07'E.

30 Jun 1944: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. K.E. Montrose) ended her12th war patrol at Pearl Harbor. Swordfish went into refit.

22 Dec 1944: USS Swordfish (Lt.Cdr. K.E. Montrose) left PearlHarbor for her 13th war patrol. She was to patrol of NanseiShoto. On 26 December 1944 she topped off with fuel at Midway.On 2 January 1945, she was ordered to patrol clear of the NanseiShoto area until completion of scheduled air strikes. Sheacknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January. No furthercommunication was received from the submarine. On 15 February,after repeated attempts to contact her by radio had failed, shewas reported as presumed lost, the victim of unknown causes.

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/sublosses/sublosses_swordfish.htm 

In the report of her loss, mention was made that the submarineKETE which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa,reported that on the morning of 12 January she contacted asubmarine by radar. It was believed that contact was withSwordfish  since it was in 27° -00'N, 128°-40'E. Four hours later

Kete  heard heavy depth charging from this area, and it wasbelieved that this attack might have been the cause ofSwordfish's  loss.

Japanese information on antisubmarine attacks does not mentionthe attack heard by Kete  on 12 January, and records no attacksin which Swordfish  is likely to have been the victim. However,it is now known that there were many mines planted aroundOkinawa, since the Japanese were expecting an Allied invasion ofthat Island. The majority of the mines were planted close in. Itis considered about equally likely that Swordfish  was sunk by

depth charge attack before she reached Okinawa for her specialmission or that she was lost to a mine at that place.

The following is from: All U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls,1938-1949 results for Eleazar Garza from Ancestry.com

The muster date shows only the year ―1944‖. The contents are aReport of Changes, it includes six pages related to theSwordfish. On the first page at the very top of the page istyped: THIS REPORT SHOWS FINAL DISPOSITION OF ENTIRE CREW. SHIPWAS LOST ON THIRTEENTH PATROL., signed: L.R. VASEY, ltCmdr, USN,

Records Activity Bureau of Naval Personnel. The 3d page on thefirst part of the report is entered:

#3: Name: Garza, Eleazar (N), Service Number: 624 75 93, Ratingat date of last report: MoMM3C

On the second part of the report is entered:

Branch of Service: USNR Change of Status:

Missing in Action 1-29-45; Changed to Presumed Dead 1-30-46.

May we always remember the Heroes that paid the ultimate pricefor their Country This Hero was from Benavides, Duval County,Texas. Rest in Peace, Sailor

A verse written by a The Reverend Gale Williamson:

Bless those who serve beneath the deep,through lonely hours their vigil keep.May peace their mission ever be,protect each one we ask of thee.

Bless those at home who wait and pray,for their return by night or day.----------------------------------------------------------------

SHIPS MENTIONED IN TRIBUTE

USS MIZAR AF-12: was a United Fruit Company cargo and passengerliner that served as a United States Navy Mizar -class storesship in World War II.

USS HENDERSON (AP-1): was a transport in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. In 1943, she was convertedto a hospital ship and commissioned as USS Bountiful  (AH-9).

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USS SNAPPER (SS-185): Salmon Class Submarine: Commissioned, USSSnapper (SS-185), 16 December 1937; Snapper earned six battlestars for World War II service.

USS SWORDFISH (SS-193): a Sargo-class submarine, was the firstsubmarine of the United States Navy named for the swordfish, alarge fish with a long, sword like beak and a high dorsal fin.She was the first United States Navy submarine to sink aJapanese ship during World War II.

USS Kete (SS-369): a Balao-class submarine. This submarinereported that she contacted a submarine believed to be the USSSwordfish on 12 January 1945, the date reported as Lost at Sea.The USS Kete was Lost at Sea on 16 April 1945.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Mister Mac was discussing certain personal traits that areabsolutely essential to a submariner. He writes about five:trustworthy, assertiveness, problem solver, patience and for the

last one he used the men of the USS Swordfish to discuss CourageBeyond Measure:

http://theleansubmariner.com/tag/uss-swordfish/ 

Courage Beyond Measure. 

The story of the USS Swordfish (SS-193) is an example of thattype of courage. She was credited with the first wartimesubmarine kill not long after Pearl Harbor.

Her entire history is filled with incidences that wouldchallenge the courage of any person alive. During her tenure,she conducted 13 war patrols resulting in eight battle stars.Her special missions took her into the heart of the Japaneseempire and she participated in many of the major events of thePacific war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Swordfish_(SS-193) 

Her last mission took her to Okinawa where she was supposed toconduct reconnaissance. It is presumed that action resulted in

her loss on January 12th 1945. To her credit, she served duringthe most desperate days of the war and went to hell and back oneach patrol. These men had to have known that every patrol was arisk to their safety and their lives. Yet they went. Along withall of their brothers. Their sacrifices freed millions of peoplefrom tyranny and oppression. We can never repay them enough.

The heart and soul of a submariner is their ability to suspendtheir disbelief for just the right amount of time to completethe mission. They absolutely have to believe that their boat wasbuilt well enough, the crew was trained to the right level, and

the sea will not be powerful enough to overcome both. I guess ina way, it’s the ultimate form of faith that comes from thosewilling to give their all for an idea: Freedom. Eighty-nine menwere lost with the veteran submarine.

Thanks to the men of the Swordfish for their sacrifices. Yourlegacy still lives.

USS Swordfish SS 193) still on eternal patrol.---------------------------------------------------------------

What the rate MoMM3C means

MoMM3 has 4 parts. The first "Mo" means Propulsive Machinery,maintenance and operation (includes generators less than 58 hp).The next M means Machinist. The last M means Main Engines. The 3means 3rd class. A 3 would be 3rd class.

Therefore a MoMM3C is a Motor Machinist 3rd class.

MUSTER RECORDS AS NOTED ON ANCESTRY.COM FOR ELEAZAR GARZA

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  ELEAZAR GARZA 6247593

SHIP DATE NBR RATE NOTE: MUSTER-CHANGE OF ORDERS-

USS MIZAR AF-12 8-Sep-42 1 AS Report of Changes: Date Enlisted: 5-17-1942 Houston, Texas

USS MIZAR AF-12 18-Sep-42 2 AS Report of Changes: USN 9-15-1942 to COMTASKUNIT 51

USS HENDERSON 19-Mar-43 3 S1C

Report of Changes: From USS Salmon, FFT (For Further

Transfer)

USS HENDERSON 30-May-43 4 S1C-V6

Report of Changes: Transfer 3-27-43 to S/M Base,

P(earl).H(arbor) for assignment

USS SNAPPER 31-May-43 5 F2C

Report of Changes: USS Submarine Division Twenty-two

relief crew. Date Enlisted: 17 May 1942

USS SWORDFISH 30-Jun-43 6 F2C-V6

Report of Changes: Rec'd CSD-22 Relief Crews, Snapper (F) 6-

28-43 onboard

USS SWORDFISH 30-Jun-43 7 F2C-V6

Muster: Serv# 6247593 F2C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942 ,

Joined: Jun 28, 1943

USS SWORDFISH 30-Sep-43 8 F2C-V6

Muster: Serv# 6247593 F2C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942 ,

Joined: Jun 28, 1943

USS SWORDFISH 31-Dec-43 9 F2C-V6

Muster: Serv# 6247593 F2C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942 ,

Joined: Jun 28, 1943

USS SWORDFISH 29-Feb-44 10 F2C-V6

Report of Changes: CR-Change of Rating, F1C V6. Auth:

BuPers C/L-205-43

USS SWORDFISH 31-Mar-44 11 F1C-V6

Muster: Serv# 6247593 F1C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942 ,

Joined: Jun 28, 1943

USS SWORDFISH 30-Apr-44 12 F1C-V6

Report of Changes: CR-Change of Rating, MoMM3C-V6.

Auth: BuPers C/L-218-43

USS SWORDFISH 30-Jun-44 13 MoMM3C

Muster: Serv# 6247593 MoMM3C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942 ,

Joined: Jun 28, 1943

USS SWORDFISH 30-Sep-44 14 MoMM3C Muster: Serv# 6247593 MoMM3C-V6, Enlisted: 17May1942

USS SWORDFISH 1944 15 MoMM3C

FINAL REPORT LOSS OF THE USS SWORDFISH , THE 89

CASUALTIES LISTED.

Note: The Ancestry.com information is not all complete; itcontains only that information that is provided by officialsources. On the rate column, you see V6, it is not a rating butit was an entry meaning that Eleazar Garza was a (V)olunteer andthat he would be discharged 6 months after the war was over.

http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/garza-e.htm 

Eleazar Garza

Rank/Rate  Motor Machinist’s Mate, Third Class 

Service Number  624 75 93 

Birth Date  October 16, 1922 

From  Benavides, Texas Decorations  Purple Heart 

Submarine  USS Swordfish (SS-193)

Loss Date  January 12, 1945 

Location  Near Yaku Island off Kyushu, Japan 

Circumstances  Lost at sea, cause unknown 

----------------------------------------------------------------

MEDALS, BADGE AUTHORIZED MoMM3C ELEAZAR GARZA

SUBMARINE COMBAT PATROL BADGE

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RIBBONS: PURPLE HEART, GOOD CONDUCT, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN, WORLD WAR II

VICTORY, WW II - AMERICAN CAMPAIGN

MEDALS: PURPLE HEART, GOOD CONDUCT, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN, WORLD WAR II

VICTORY, WW II  – AMERICAN CAMPAIGN

 Swordfish (SS-193), ready for launching, at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California,

on 1 April 1939. This is the earliest known color Official Navy Photograph that can

 be precisely dated. 

Text courtesy of photograph # 80-G-K-

13791 via Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com 

-------------------------------------------------------------http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-swordfish-193.htm 

The following men were lost while serving on USS Swordfish (SS-193). If you have anyinformation on Richard W. Andes, who died in an accident ashore, pleasecontact us. 

Click on a man's name to go to his personal memorial page on this site. Photographs and personal

information are needed as indicated in the column at right. 

Name  Photo 

1  Arthur Abrahamson Yes

2  Richard Winters Andes*  Yes

3  Roy Gordon Arold   Yes

4  Donald Baeckler  Yes

5  Gilbert Speight Baker  Yes

6  Joseph James Basta  Yes

7  Mack Bates   Needed

8  Daniel Sparks Baughman, Jr.  Yes

9  Claude Joseph Benbennick   Yes

10  Michael Billy  Yes

11  Joseph Roger Leo Blanchard 

Yes12  LeRoy Joseph Bleasdell  Yes

13  Wesley Clement Bogdan   Yes

14  Andrew Earl Braley Yes

15  Robert Joseph Brown  Needed

16  Fred Morcombe Cauley, Jr.   Yes

17  Allan Daniel Clark   Needed

18  Timothy Joseph Connors Yes

19  Marshall Edward Cox, Jr. Yes

20  Robert Francis Daly  Yes

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21  Herman Watson Davis  Yes

22  John Valentine Delladonna  Yes

23  Warren Dillon Yes

24  Gordon Kraft Draga Yes

25  Loris Henry Duncan  Yes

26  Emory Webster Dunton, Sr.  Yes

27  Leonard Oscar Echols 

 Needed28  George Vyell Edwards  Yes

29  Robert Lesslie Emmingham  Yes

30  Eugene Raymond Fausset   Needed

31  Kenneth Ferdinand Feiss  Yes

32  Eugene James Forsythe   Needed

33  John Gerald Fowler   Yes

34  Nick Funk   Yes

35  Emery Andrew Galley, Jr.   Needed

36  Dee Edward Gambrell, Jr.    Needed

37  Eleazar Garza  Yes

38  Bernard Joseph Geraghty, Jr.   Needed

39  Howard Marshal Gilfillan   Needed

40  John Vincennes Graf   Yes

41  George Patrick Graham  Yes

42  William Penn Grandy  Yes

43  Ralph Lewis Hafter   Needed

44  Charles Edwin Hall  Yes

45  Ralph Walter Haserodt  Yes

46  Winslow Carlton Haskins Yes

47  Jack Edwin Haynes   Yes

48  Ray Holland  Yes

49  Robert Darlington Hoopes, Jr.  Yes

50  Fred Alfred Hrynko  Yes

51  Robert Laurin Janes Yes

52  Robert Eugene Johnson 

Yes53  Stephan John Johnson 

 Needed

54  John Robert Kelly  Yes

55  Vernon Kirk   Yes

56  William Edward Kohler Yes

57  Richard Brissett Kremer Yes

58  Roy Earl Kroll, Jr.   Yes

59  Hollis Oyer Lauderdale  Needed

60  Douglas Cleveland Lindsay Yes

61  Gerald Augusta Looney  Yes

62  Russell LoPresti   Needed

63  John Joseph Madden, Jr.  Yes

64  Paul Marvin  Yes

65  James Mosco Mayfield  Yes

66  Morris Franklin McCaffrey  Yes

67  William Thomas Meacham, Jr.  Yes

68  Keats Edmund Montross Yes

69  Kenneth Eugene Pence   Yes70  Fremont Petty  

Yes

71  Gordon Ralph Plourd  Yes

72  Claude Lee Pollard   Needed

73  Earl W. Preston, Jr.  Yes

74  John Briscoe Pye  Yes

75  Harry Newman Robinson, Jr.  Yes

76  William Eugene Russell  Yes

77  Karl DeWitt Schwendener  Yes

78  William Siskaninetz Yes

79  James Adam Skeldon  Yes

80  Clifford Francis Slater  Yes

81  Mike Soffes Yes

82  Frank Herbert Spencer, Jr.   Needed

83  Wallace Greeley Statton Yes

84  Harold Albert Stone  Yes

85  Fred A. Tarbox  Yes

86  James Frank Taylor  Needed

87  Elwood Kenneth Van Horn Yes

88  Arnold John Wagner  Yes

89  Thurman August Williams  Yes

90  Joseph Edwin Wren  Needed

*Died of injuries suffered in an accident ashore. 

The USS Swordfish on her 10th War Patrol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Swordfish_(SS-193) 

On the day after Christmas 1943, Swordfish  departed for hertenth war patrol, in the hands of one of the Submarine Force'soldest commanders, 42-year-old Karl G. Hensel (Class of 1923),formerly commanding Submarine Division 101. The patrol wasconducted in Tokyo Bay. It was plagued with equipment casualtiesin old Swordfish , including radar trouble and electricalfires. On 13 January 1944, she sank 6,921 ton freighter YamakuniMaru , while surviving "heavy—and close—depth charges". The depth

charging caused her to lose power in her electrical systems, andwhen she dived at dawn the next day, she suffered two separate

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fires and nearly went right to the bottom; her captain managedto bring her back up, where she wallowed on the surface, only tohave a Japanese patrol boat close on her. She regained power inthe nick of time and dived. At around 2200 on 14January, Swordfish  detected another ship, and made radar contactat 7 nmi (8.1 mi; 13 km) on the Japanese navy's first genuine Q-ship (heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry,designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks), the

2,182 ton merchantman Delhi Maru , on her maiden voyage. She hadbeen outfitted with sonar (which Swordfish  had heard pinging),new watertight bulkheads, depth charge throwers, and concealedguns, specially to destroy submarines. Atmidnight, Swordfish  fired three bow torpedo tubes, scoring threehits with the recently corrected Mark XIV torpedo. DelhiMaru  blew up, and the two patrol boats of her escortkept Swordfish  down with depth charges for three hours beforeshe evaded.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Garza Name

As I put this tribute together and the searching for informationregarding Eleazar Garza, I note the following:

There were two Eleazar Garza’s that were casualties of War.Eleazar Efrain Garza was killed in Vietnam on 2 July 1966 and isburied in Benavides, Texas. He was the nephew of Eleazar Garzapresumed dead on 30 Jan 1946.Eleazar Efrain Garza’s father Samuel was Eleazar Garza’s olderbrother.

There were approximately 3630 men who are known to have beenlost while in service in the US Submarine Force during World WarII. A review of the listing 

(http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/wwii.htm) shows five submarinerswith a Hispanic name. There were a few from Guam and thePhilippines with Hispanic names that were not counted.

ELEAZAR GARZA, MoMM3c, Benavides, TEXASJESUS DONNAUD GARZA, MoMM2C, Laredo, Texas

FRANK WESLEY RODRIGUEZ, S1C, Morenci, Arizona*IRENEO R. RODRIGUEZ, SGT, U.S.ARMY, Los Angeles, CAJESSE SANDOVAL, S1C, Chicago, Illinois

*Aboard USS Seawolf (SS-197) on a mission. The submarine sunk inerror by USS Roswell.

Eleazar Garza 

BRANCH OF SERVICE 

U.S. Navy 

HOMETOWN 

Benavides, TX 

HONORED BY 

Amando Gonzalez,

Friend 

ACTIVITY DURING WWIISERVED ABOARD THE SUBMARINE USS SWORDFISH (SS-193), AND LOST AT

SEA. POSSIBLY SUNK BY JAPANESE COAST DEFENSE VESSEL #4 ON JANUARY

5, 1945 OR SUNK BY A MINE OFF OKINAWA ON JANUARY 9, 1945 (N30, E132).

OFFICIALLY DECLARED MISSING IN ACTION ON JANUARY 30, 1946. HE WAS

AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq39-1.htm 

Eleazar Garza 

ID: 06247593

Entered the Service From: Texas 

Rank: Motor Machinist's Mate, Third  

Service: U.S. Navy, United States

 Naval Reserve

Died: Wednesday, January 30, 1946 

Memorialized at: Honolulu Memorial 

Location: Honolulu, HI, USA  

Awards: Purple Heart 

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Coastal Defenses Vessel No. 8,(indicative of the class of Coastal Defenses Vessel ,) No. 4, which may have sunkthe Swordfish (SS-193), according to Submarines Lost Through Enemy Action. 

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq39-1.htm 

8TH WAR PATROL

22 AUG 1943- SWORDFISH SANK NISHIYAMA MARU

5 SEP 1943- SWORDFISH SANK JAPANESE TRANSPORT TENKAI MARU

10TH WAR PATROL- 27 JAN 1944 SANK GUNBOAT KASAGI MARU-Less 100miles from shores of Japan.

12TH WAR PATROL

9 JUN 1944- SANK DESTROYER MATSUKAZE

15 JUNE 1944- SANK TRANSPORT SHIP KANSEISHI MARU

12 JANUARY 1945

ONE OF THE AREAS THOUGHT TO BE THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THEUSS SWORDFISH IS NEAR OKINAWA!

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 Ship's Co. USS Swordfish at the End of their Tenth War Patrol

I counted 71 crewmen on this picture. I used a magnifier glass

but couldn’t make face recognition of MoMM3C Garza. Loss Possibilities

1. The Swordfish was probably sunk by depth charges, on January5, 1945, at the approximate geographic position 29°-25'N, 141°-07'E, which is southeast of Tori-shima island, an uninhabitedvolcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands. On thatdate, near that location, at about 1705 hours, the 572-tonJapanese Army cargo vessel Shoto Maru was hit in the bow by atorpedo and sank at about 1906 hours. John D. Alden attributesthis attack and the sinking to the Swordfish. The Japanesecoastal defense vessel CD-4 conducted a counterattack with depthcharges and reported that oil continued to rise to the surfacefor the next thirty hours. 2 

2. The Swordfish possibly sank sometime after January 9, 1945,as a result of hitting a mine. During the first half of 1944,the Japanese had laid four minefields in the Okinawa area. OnJanuary 9, 1945, the Swordfish had been ordered to proceed tothis area to complete a photographic reconnaissance

assignment. This mission may have taken her into one of theminefields laid in 1944 or into freshly laid inshore minefieldsplanted to defend Okinawan beach approaches. 3 

3. On January 12, 1945, the USS Kete (SS-369), while on stationin the Okinawa area, reported a possible contact with a nearbysubmersible. The Kete was unable to positively identify thecontact, but the Swordfish was expected to be in the vicinity atthat time. About four hours later, the Kete heard the sound ofa heavy barrage of depth charges. Japanese records reviewed

after the war did not record the event heard by the Kete. Butsuch a heavy barrage could have been aimed at the Swordfish. 4 

TRUE HEROES, ALL