Patrol 1
28 Aug 1942-20 Oct 1942 |
No ships sunk; 3 ships damaged |
Patrol 2
11 Nov 1942-20 Dec 1942 |
(transport claimed)
天龍 Tenryu |
Patrol 3
20 Jan 1943-11 Mar 1943 |
(escort claimed, credited to Albacore in JANAC; sinking not confirmed in Alden and Japanese sources)
大潮 Oshio |
Patrol 4
4 Apr 1943-26 May 1943 |
No ships sunk |
Patrol 5
16 Jun 1943-31 Jul 1943 |
No ships sunk; 1 ship damaged |
Patrol 6
23 Aug 1943-26 Sep 1943 |
平壌丸 Heijo Maru |
Patrol 7
12 Oct 1943-5 Dec 1943 |
乾山丸 Kenzan Maru |
Patrol 8
26 Dec 1943-22 Feb 1944 |
第二号長江丸 Choko Maru #2
Hayabusa-Tei #4 (small vessel often not included in sinkings, and not credited to Albacore in JANAC)
漣 Sasanami |
Patrol 9
29 May 1944-16 Jul 1944 |
大鳳 Taiho
Taiei Maru (small vessel often not included in sinkings, and not credited to Albacore in JANAC) |
Patrol 10
6 Aug 1944-25 Sep 1944 |
新月丸 Shingetsu Maru
#3江口丸 Eguchi Maru #3 (small Japanese Naval vessel often not included in sinkings, and not credited to Albacore in JANAC)
Cha-165 (may have been damaged and survived) |
Patrol 11
28 Oct 1944-7 Nov 1944 (lost) |
No known ships sunk. USS Albacore was lost on this patrol. |
Totals |
Current research credits Albacore with sinking 12 ships, 50,911 tons (two were small vessels totalling 155 tons often not included in sinkings)
JANAC - 10 ships, 49,861 tons. Note that the criteria JANAC used included all Japanese Naval vessels (although JANAC did not usually count warships less than 500 tons that were converted from merchant ships) and all Japanese merchant vessels of 500 or more gross tons known or believed to have been lost during the war. Differences between JANAC figures and current research are noted above.
Alden-McDonald credit Albacore with 11 ships and 49,908 tons sunk (Cha-165 is not credited to Albacore).
SORG credits Albacore with 12 ships and 72,300 tons sunk, plus 6 ship damaged, 30,900 tons.
Wrecksite credits Albacore with 12 ships and 55,153 tons sunk. |
Sources |
Japanese Naval and Merchant Ship Losses - JANAC on the NHHC website
JANAC on the Hyperwar website - https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-6.html
SORG- http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/subreports-sorg.htm (Excel spreadsheet download)
Archives of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (PFSM)
War Patrol Reports - USS Albacore - https://issuu.com/hnsa/docs/ss-218_albacore_part1; https://issuu.com/hnsa/docs/ss-218_albacore_part2
Monthly Losses of Combatant and Non-Combatant Vessels
太平洋戦争時の喪失船舶明細表(汽船主体)- Lost Vessel table during the Pacific War (merchant vessels)
Alden, John D., and McDonald, Craig R. - U.S. & Allied Sub Successes in the Pacific & Far East during WWII - Fourth Edition, 2009
Cressman, Robert - The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Naval Institute Press, 2000.
Wrecksite - https://www.wrecksite.eu/wrecksite.aspx
Miramar Ship Index - https://www.miramarshipindex.nz/
Imperial Japanese Navy Page - http://www.combinedfleet.com/
Wikipedia Japan - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/アルバコア_(SS-218)
Japan Center for Asian Historical Records - National Archives of Japan - https://www.jacar.go.jp/index.html |
Photo Sources |
Official U.S. Navy Photos - Naval History & Heritage Command
Archives of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (PFSM)
Imperial Japanese Navy Page - http://www.combinedfleet.com/
Japanese Merchant Ship photos - Wrecksite - copyright owners retain all rights. Photos used on this site will be taken down should the owner request their removal. |