USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Patrol 4

The Hunter & Hunted
28 February 1944 to 1 April 1944

USS Bowfin traveled from Fremantle to Darwin, then through the Celebes Sea and finally, back to Fremantle for refit by Orion. This fourth patrol was especially plagued with prematurely exploding and erratic running torpedoes. While she was en route from Darwin to the assigned patrol area, Bowfin attacked a convoy of four ships and two escorts on 10 March in the Obi Strait. Heavy escort coverage and faulty, prematurely exploding torpedoes resulted in only one damaged enemy vessel and a severe depth charge attack being made on Bowfin. The following day, attempts by the enemy to take the damaged ship in tow were frustrated by a second attack by Bowfin in which another ship was damaged and the previously damaged ship was sunk. Bowfin received another heavy depth charge attack and had a chain or grapnel hook dragged across her hull in an attempt to pull her to the surface. With all torpedoes expended, Bowfin put into Darwin on 14 March to reload torpedoes. She returned to sea the next day and on 18 March she fired 6 torpedoes, all of which missed a Japanese cargo ship escorted by two submarine chasers. This action resulted in a 16-depth charge enemy attack which shook Bowfin and her crew. That afternoon Bowfin fired four torpedoes at the same target from her stern tubes, but all missed. On 24 March after tracking a five-ship convoy for six hours, Bowfin made a night surface attack and sank two cargo vessels and damaged another before expending all of her torpedoes.

USS Bowfin was underway for 9,272 miles during her fourth patrol. Commanding Officer Griffith and higher authorities believed Bowfin sank 20,982 tons (three large vessels) and damaged 11,464 tons (two large vessels). JANAC credited USS Bowfin with 15,008 tons sunk (three large vessels). CDR Griffith was awarded a Silver Star.

Change of Command - 15 April 1944

CDR Griffith was relieved by CDR John Corbus, USNA class of '30. Corbus had previously served as C.O. of USS Herring (SS-233) with Subron 50 in the Atlantic, then had one war patrol in the Pacific and finally one patrol as C.O. of USS Haddo (SS-255). CDR Griffith returned to Portsmouth to commission a new fleet submarine, USS Bullhead (SS-332), which he commanded until the end of her second war patrol. CDR Griffith finished the war as an Assistant Operations Officer to ComSubPac, VADM Charles A. Lockwood, Jr.