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(SS220) USS BARB
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THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO THE CREW OF THE USS BARB. TO THOSE OF THE CREW THAT ARE STILL WITH US-THANK YOU. TO THOSE WHO HAVE GONE ON FINAL PATROL - GOD SPEED! I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO MY LATE FATHER, WALTER W. PRICE, EM3, USS BARB WAR PATROLS 9,10,11,12. MY FATHER WENT ON FINAL PATROL 23 JANUARY 2000.
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The thunderous roar of the exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in Word War ll. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships - she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey.
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The unique story of the Barb begins with it's men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develope innovative ideas, new tactics, and new stratagies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedoe boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missals and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Lucky Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, video-game style of battle than the exploits of the Captain and crew of the USS Barb, where the sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank.
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FINAL WORLD WAR ll BATTLE FLAG OF THE USS BARB (SS220)
USS BARB's final battle flag at the end of World War ll presents a symbolic record of the boat's accomplishments and significant awards won by it's crew.
Across the top are represented the six Navy Crosses, 23 Silver Stars, and 23 Bronze Stars bestowed on individual crew members during the war, as well as the Presidential Unit Citation and the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to then CMDR Fluckey. The 34 merchant ships sunk or damaged by BARB are denoted by white flags with either solid or hollow red suns in the center - or in one case by a German Nazi flag embematic of a tanker sunk in the Atlantic. Rising sun flags represent the five Japanese warships sunk or damaged by the ship, and the largest of these (top center) symbolizes the Unyo, a 22,500-ton escort carrier. The small merchant flags with the superimposed numeral "7" each represent seven smaller victims of less than 500 tons each.
The gun and rocket symbols record significant shore bombardments of Japanese targets, such as factories, canneries, building yards, and a large air base. Most unusual is the representation of a train at the middle bottom, which commemorates the occassion when a landing party from BARB went ashore to destroy a 16-car train by putting scuttling charges under the tracks. This was the sole landing by U.S. military forces on the Japanese homeland during the World War ll hostilities.
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HISTORY OF THE USS BARB
BARB is a kingfish of the mackerel family. This is the name which was bestowed on USS Barb (SS220).
The USS Barb (USS220) was built by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. The keel was laid down on 7 June 1941. She was launched on 2 April 1942. She was sponsored by Mrs. Charles A. Dunn, wife of Rear Admiral Dunn. Barb was commissioned on 8 July 1942 with LCDR. John R. Waterman in command.
The design used for BARB's construction was that of the GATO class submarine.
LENGTH..................................311 ft. 9 inches
BEAM......................................27 ft. 3 inches
DRAFT.....................................15 ft. 3 inches
DISPLACEMENT.......................1526 tons-surfaced
2424 tons-submerged
COMPLEMENT..........................6 Officers, 54 Enlisted Men
OPERATING DEPTH..................300 feet
SPEED......................................20.25 knots surface trim
8.75 knots submerged
ARMAMENT..............................ten 21 inch torpedoe tubes, 6 forward and 4 aft.
24 torpedoes
One 3"/50
Two .50 cal. and two .30 cal. machine guns
ENGINES...................................Four 6400 HP diesel engines - General Motors made.
FUEL CAPACITY........................97,140 gallons diesel fuel
MOTORS....................................Two 2740 HP General Electrics
BATTERY...................................252 cells - 126 cells forward and 126 aft
After being commissioned on 8 July 1942 BARB was assigned and reported to the Atlantic Fleet for operational control by Commander, Submarine Squadron 50, for operations in the European Theater of Operations and the invasion of North Africa.
BARB's war operations were conducted from 20 October 1942 to 2 August 1945. During this period BARB conducted 12 war patrols. Five of these patrols were in the European Theater and seven in the Pacific Theater of operations.
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PATROL RUN #1 - 20 OCTOBER TO 25 NOVEMBER, 1942
On 3 September 1942, Submarine Squadron 50 was formed in New London, Connecticut. Captain N.S. Ives in command and consisted of six submarines:
BARB SHAD GUNNELL
BLACKFISH HERRING GURNARD
In October, the BARB received two British Navy personnel (Sub. Lt. F. Bradley and Signalman Cox) who were to assist in Operation Torch. The following U.S. Army personnel were also taken aboard: LT. Duckworth, CPL. A. Buechler, CPL. A.S. Gilker, PFC. H.C. Messeroll, PFC. P.P. Silver - these men were assigned a special mission.
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BARB departed in late October with the submarines of SubRon 50 (except Gurnard, who was having engine problems) for the North African coast. The submarines arrived 4 days before "D-Day". During this period they conducted reconnaissance of the coastal area and also furnished very valuable weather information for the invasion of North Africa. BARB was assigned the Safi, Morrocco area. In addition, the submarines were to act as beacons to mark the exact location of the landings which were to be made on 8 November.
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