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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Dorado

Ship Designation: 
SS-248
Date Lost: 
Tuesday, October 12, 1943
Lost at Sea
After completing her outfitting and commissioning trials, Dorado departed New London on 6 October 1943 for Panama. Dorado, with her crew of 76 men, was never heard from again. A Court of Inquiry convened to determine the cause of her loss was unable to reach a definite conclusion. It cited three possibilities - operating casualty, enemy action, or attack by friendly forces, with the latter having the highest probability due to the following circumstances. As was common with all unescorted wartime submarine movements, COMSUBLANT had advised all Atlantic ASW forces of her projected track, and the coordinates of a “moving haven” based on her PIM (Position of Intended Movement). No attacks on any submarine within fifteen miles either side of the PIM, or fifty miles ahead and one hundred miles astern were allowed. Unfortunately, a patrol plane operating out of NOB Guantanamo received faulty information on Dorado's track and, at 8:49 PM on 12 October 1943, delivered a surprise attack with three depth charges on an unidentified submarine. The attack occurred within the moving haven. The Court noted that the plane sighted another submarine about two hours later and attempted to exchange recognition signals. This submarine fired on the plane. A German submarine was known to be operating near the scene of the two contacts. Total casualty list of 76 based on data in ComSubPac archives.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 77

Namesort ascending Service Branch
SC 1c Alvin Windfeldt USN
Sea 2c Morris Wilson USN
PhM 1c Lester Wilmott USN
EM 1c Thomas Williams USN
SC 1c Bernard Williams USN
Sea 2c Paul White USN
LCdr George Wagner USN
F 2c Joseph Vernarsky USN
EM 3c Oliver Tipton USN
EM 3c Davis Thompson USN
MOMM 1c Robert Talley USN
Sea 2c Wilburn Speight USN
RT 2c Boyd Smith USN
Sea 2c Robert Singscheimer USN
LCdr Earle Schneider USN
MOMM 2c Alfred Schafer USN
RM 2c Lloyd Sanders USN
EM 2c Pellam Routon USN
Sea 2c Ellsworth Rhode USN
Sea 2c Hurley Pope USN

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Prepared by: J.P. O’Hara, CDR, USN (Ret.)