Lost at Sea
As was common with the majority of submarine losses, the exact details of Triton’s loss are not known. ... On her final patrol, she was operating in the vicinity of Rabaul. She reported sinking two AKs in a convoy on March 7, 1943 and eight hours later, reported hits on two more. On March 11, she reported that she was still chasing the remains of the convoy. On March 13, Triton was warned that three destroyers were operating in her area, possibly on antisubmarine operations. The warning was acknowledged but nothing further was heard from the submarine or her crew of 74. ... Postwar analysis of Japanese records indicates that an attack by the three destroyers on March 15, almost certainly was the cause of her loss. Trigger (SS-237), operating about 10 miles from Triton’s position, heard a sustained depth charge attack in that direction at the time cited in the Japanese reports.
