Air Attacks near Palawan Passage
On January 27, 1945, Barbel was ordered to form a wolf pack with Perch (SS-313) and Galiban (SS-252). ... Enroute to the rendezvous, she reported numerous aircraft contacts and that she had been attacked three times with depth charges. She planned to transmit another message the following night, but nothing further was heard from Barbel or her crew. ... Postwar analysis of Japanese records notes an aircraft attack on a submarine southwest of Palawan on 4 February. The pilot dropped two bombs, with one hitting near the conning tower. A cloud of fire and spray was seen, and the submarine disappeared. ... This is almost certainly the attack that sank Barbel.
