USS Bowfin (SS-287)
16 July 1944 to 13 September 1944
USS Bowfin traveled from Pearl Harbor to the Central Nansei Shoto area, then to Midway, then on to Pearl Harbor. On 10 August, a three-ship convoy was followed to Minami Daito Dock where Bowfin destroyed two ships, the dock, a crane and a bus which was being boarded by Japanese sailors. According to CDR Corbus and others, on 22 August Bowfin made a night attack on and sank a convoy of three cargo ships and two destroyer escorts. After four torpedoes missed the target on 28 August, Bowfin fired its 4-inch 50-caliber gun and sank a small armed trawler. En route to Pearl Harbor via Midway, Bowfin set afire the largest of three small merchant ships with her deck gun. After expending all her 4-inch 50-caliber ammunition, she resorted to using the 20 mm and 30-caliber machine guns. Bowfin then fired four torpedoes, but due to a computer design deficiency, failed to sink the remaining stationary hulk. She took aboard two wounded survivors for questioning. The prisoners were later transferred at Midway and USS Bowfin proceeded on to Pearl Harbor.
USS Bowfin was underway for 13,437 miles during her sixth patrol. Commanding Officer Corbus and higher authorities believed Bowfin sank 26,700 tons (eight large ships, plus one small craft, one dock, one crane and one bus). JANAC credited USS Bowfin with sinking only 6,754 tons (one large vessel of that tonnage - Tsushima Maru - plus seven small craft). For this patrol, CDR Corbus was awarded the Navy Cross and USS Bowfin received the Navy Unit Commendation (NUC). Bowfin was one of only five U.S. Navy vessels to earn both the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) and the Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) during WWII. Higher authorities considered the possible need for Bowfin to assist in the then-pending invasion of Leyte, but previous battle damage to Bowfin, including seriously leaking fuel oil tanks, made a major overhaul necessary. Therefore, USS Bowfin departed Pearl Harbor for California on 15 September.
Major Overhaul / Change of Command - 21 September 1944
USS Bowfin arrived at Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, California on 21 September. Two days later, CDR Corbus was relieved as commanding officer by CDR Alexander Kelly Tyree, USNA class of '36. CDR Corbus was transferred back to Pearl Harbor where he served out the remainder of the war as Operations Officer on ComSubPac’s staff. USS Bowfin’s overhaul period resulted in a great deal of much-needed repair, plus the installation of new equipment, most notably the new FM sonar mine detection gear. Bowfin was among the first boats to receive this device and it would play a major role in the remainder of her WWII career. At about this time, much of Bowfin’s crew from previous patrols was transferred and replaced by other men. This substantial change in personnel, combined with the mechanical modifications to the boat, practically transformed her into a whole new Bowfin. The crew tested the new equipment off of San Francisco. Afterwards, USS Bowfin then headed westward from Mare Island for more training out of Pearl Harbor.
Commanding
Officer: CDR John Corbus, USN
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