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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Grayback

Ship Designation: 
SS-208
Date Lost: 
Sunday, February 27, 1944
Attack in the East China Sea
On February 27, 1944, returning through the East China Sea, Grayback expended her last two torpedoes in sinking the cargo ship Ceylon Maru. She did not report this sinking, and was never heard from again. ... Post-war study of Japanese records indicated that an ASW aircraft spotted a surfaced submarine that same day on Grayback’s intended track and attacked with bombs. The reports note that the submarine exploded and sank immediately. Subsequent depth charge attacks by surface units brought up a trail of bubbles and a heavy oil slick. ... Grayback completed nine patrols before being lost on the tenth, her most successful. She accounted for a confirmed total 13 1/2 ships, (63,850 tons), including the IJN submarine I-18. This placed her number 20 in the list of high scoring Pacific submarines.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 79

Namesort descending Service Branch
SM 3c Robert Irizarry USN
TM 2c August Jackson USN
Sea 1c Lee Jacobs USN
F 1c Francis James USN
TM 1c James Jones USN
EM 3c John King USN
CEM Harry Knops USN
MOMM 2c Walter Koller USN
Sea 1c Raymond Lariviere USN
MOMM 3c Leslie Leaf USN
Lt(jg) Robert Littlejohn USN
TM 3c Douglas Lockyer USN
Cdr Raymond Mayo USN
Lt(jg) Franklin Mckelvey USN
TM 3c Frederick Meyer USN
MOMM 2c Louis Meyers USN
Cdr John Moore USN
CMOMM William Nicholson USN
EM 3c James Northam USN
TM 2c Thomas Omeara USN

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