During the course of the war, Navy regulations required submarine Commanding Officers to submit a report following each patrol. These patrol reports contained a summary of the submarines daily activities and whereabouts, and included detailed information concerning sightings of enemy planes and ships, weather and sea conditions, enemy anti-submarine measures, own-ship material and personnel performance, and, of course, attacks on enemy targets.

The reports were made available to all submarine commands and undoubtedly contributed to the primary function of the submarine force - sending enemy ships to the bottom.

The following are the patrol reports of some of the 250 submarines that served in the pacific during the war. They were transcribed from microfiche obtained from the National Archives. To the extent possible the format of the original typed pages was duplicated in the transcription. Some changes were necessary however, such has the use of lower case "d" to indicate degrees, both temperature and bearing. The format of the reports varied and typically became more detailed from 1943-1945. Most adhered to the following outline form:

Prologue

Narrative

Weather

Tidal Information

Navigational Aids

Enemy Ships Sighted

Enemy Planes sighted

Summary of Attacks

Enemy A/S Measures

Major Defects

Communications

Health and Habitability

The reports were forwarded to higher authority where they were reviewed and attached with letters of endorsement or comments. If the endorsements were transcribed, they are included at the end of the report.

USS WAHOO (SS-238)

20 ships for 60,038 tons

• Patrol One - In the Carolines
• Patrol Two - In the Solomons
• Patrol Three - Brisbane to Palau and Pearl
• Patrol Four - In the East China and Yellow Seas
• Patrol Five - The Kuirls and Honshu
• Patrol Six - In the Sea of Japan
• Patrol Seven - In the Sea of Japan

USS TANG (SS-306)

24 ships for 93,824 tons

• Patrol One - In the Carolines and Marianas
• Patrol Two - Lifeguard at Truk
• Patrol Three - To the Yellow Sea
• Patrol Four - Off the coast of Honshu
• Patrol Five - In the Formosa Strait

USS NAUTILUS (SS-168)

6 ships for 21,149 tons

• Patrol One - The Battle of Midway and off the coast of Japan
• Patrol Two - Special mission to Makin Island
• Patrol Three - Off the coast of Japan
• Patrol Four - Rescue in the Solomons
• Patrol Five - Special mission to Attu Island
• Patrol Six - Reconnaissance at Tarawa Atoll
• Patrol Seven - Special mission during invasion of Tarawa
• Patrol Eight - On Patrol west of the Marianas
• Patrol Nine - Running guns to Mindanao
• Patrol Eleven - Running guns to the Phillipines

USS HARDER (SS-257)

16 ships for 54,002 tons

• Patrol One - Off the coast of Honshu

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