USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Patrol 3

An Admiral Aboard
8 January 1944 to 5 February 1944

USS Bowfin traveled from Fremantle to Makassar Strait, then on to Darwin, then to the Java Sea and finally, to Fremantle for refit by Orion. Bowfin sank a small schooner by gunfire on 16 January. On 18 January she sank a freighter and a small escort. On 19 January she began a 230-mile chase of a tanker and a destroyer escort -- only to miss firing, since both targets put into Balikpapan, Borneo ahead of her. Bowfin then put into Darwin to load mines and reload torpedoes. She also picked up a special guest, RADM Ralph Waldo Christie, USN, Commander, U.S. Submarine Force, Southwest Pacific (ComSubSoWesPac), based at Perth, who wanted to personally see how his submariners were doing their assigned tasks. Bowfin put to sea on 25 January and soon sank an enemy transport and its escort. Bowfin damaged another ship in the Makassar Strait after a night surface attack which continued into the next day. On 27 January Bowfin sank a freighter in the Flores Sea, after which she began a day-long chase of a large tanker. Bowfin fired six bow shots, but all missed due to target course changes. After reloading, Bowfin fired six more torpedoes for two hits. The Japanese tanker then fired upon Bowfin with four machine guns and two deck guns, forcing her to submerge. Bowfin fired six more torpedoes, two hitting below the tanker's bridge but the tanker remained afloat. Bowfin then laid a mine field in waters off Balikpapan. Post-war records indicate that at least two large vessels may have been sunk or severely damaged by these mines. Since Bowfin had no way of knowing whether or not enemy ships would eventually sail into this field, she claimed no results from them. Enroute home, Bowfin sank two schooners with her 4" 50-caliber deck gun on 30 January.

USS Bowfin was underway for 7,949 miles during her third patrol. Commanding Officer Griffith and higher authorities believed Bowfin sank 12,638 tons (three large ships plus three small craft) and damaged 18,200 tons (two large vessels). JANAC credited USS Bowfin with 4,408 tons sunk (one large vessel plus four small craft). LCDR Griffith, who was promoted to CDR on 1 February, was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of his second Navy Cross.