Wartime Loss Of Fighting Submarine USS Albacore

By James Donahue

The World War II submarine USS Albacore, under the command of Lt. Commander Hugh R. Rimmer, had been an active fighting force in the Pacific Theater during the campaign against the Japanese Navy.

From the time she entered the war in August, 1942, until the day she disappeared on patrol this 311-foot-long raider of the deep was credited with sinking 13 Japanese ships including the light cruiser Tenryu, the destroyer Sazanami and a carrier Taiho. Albacore won four Presidential Unit Citations and ninth battle stars.

But her days were numbered. On November 8, 1944, while on its eleventh mission, Albacore SS-218 was sunk when it struck a mine off northeastern Hokkaido. All 86 men on the ship died with her.

During earlier missions, Albacore survived several extensive depth charge attacks by Japanese destroyers. On Oct. 22, 1942, she survived an attack that lasted about seven hours.

Ironically, the submarine was accidentally attacked by the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 10, 1943, and damaged while on patrol. The damage included loss of the ship's auxiliary power. The crew decided to continue the patrol and repair the damage while underway. That was the patrol in which Albacore sank the Agano.

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