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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Grayling

Ship Designation: 
SS-209
Date Lost: 
Thursday, September 9, 1943
Lost on Patrol
The precise date and details of her loss are unknown. She had been ordered to patrol the approaches to Manila until 10 September following a guerilla re-supply mission at Panay. Guerillas confirmed completion of this mission on 23 August, but the last communication with Grayling was received 19 August. Post-war analysis of Japanese records indicates that a surfaced submarine was sighted in Lingayen Gulf on 9 September and that a freighter had been attacked in that area on that date. There is no record of counter attacks. On the same date, the Japanese passenger-cargo vessel Hokuan Maru reported sighting a submarine submerged in shallow water west of Luzon and made a pass over it. The ship noted an impact with a submerged object, which may have been Grayling. In the absence of further communication, Grayling was declared lost on 30 September.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 75

Name Service Branchsort descending
EM 1c George Boyne USN
Sea 1c James Howell USN
FC 2c Joseph Harper USN
Elec Carl Schmidt USN
MOMM 1c Fred Welsh USN
LCdr Robert Brinker USN
GM 3c Raymond Howard USN
MOMM 1c Clarence Hawkins USN
EM 3c Howard Schmidtmeyer USN
Lt Joseph Welch USN
EM 2c Jesse Burch USN
TM 3c Charles Hunt USN
Sea 1c Carl Grimes USN
EM 1c Homer Smoak USN
EM 1c Henry Whitcomb USN
MOMM 2c James Bush USN
Sea 1c Earl Johnson USN
Sea 1c Theodore Gurasko USN
CRM Jack Smith USN
MOMM 2c Arlon Wetsel USN

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