USS Drum (SS-228)

USS "Drum" (SS-228) is a "Gato"-class submarine of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship named after the drum, any of various types of fish capable of making a drumming sound. "Drum" is presently on display as a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama.

History

Launching and commissioning

The boat was launched 12 May 1941 by Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Holcomb. She was commissioned 1 November 1941, Commander Robert H. Rice (Class of 1927) in command.

War patrols

"Drum" arrived at Pearl Harbor from the east coast 1 April 1942, and after a voyage to Midway, cleared Pearl Harbor 14 April 1942, action bound on her first war patrol. Cruising off the coast of Japan, she sank the seaplane Tender MIZUHO and three cargo ships in the month of May, returning to Pearl Harbor 12 June to refit. "Drum"'s second war patrol, which she made in the waters between Truk and Kavieng from 10 July to 2 September, found her efforts frustrated by poor torpedo performance, but she damaged one freighter before returning to Midway to refit.

The submarine sailed from Midway 23 September 1942 on her third war patrol, bound for the eastern coast of Kyūshū. On 8 October she contacted a convoy of four freighters, and defied the air cover guarding the ships, to sink one of the cargo ships before bombs forced her deep. The next day, underwent a severe depth charging from several escorts after she attacked a cargo ship. Later in the patrol, she sank one of three air-escorted cargo ships, and damaged at least two more ships before completing her patrol at Pearl Harbor 8 November.On her fourth patrol, between 29 November and 24 January 1943, "Drum" carried out the demanding task of planting mines in heavily traveled Bungo Suido. On 12 December, she contacted a carrier, "Ryuho", with a full deck load of planes. Although taking water forward due to faulty valves, "Drum" launched torpedoes at this choice target, scoring two hits, and causing the carrier to list so far that her flight deck became completely visible. Also visible was a destroyer bearing down, and splashes that indicated "Drum"'s periscope was under fire. As the submarine dove she lost depth control and her port shaft stopped turning. As she made emergency repairs, she underwent two waves of depth charging. When she surfaced several hours later to see what had become of her prey, an airplane forced her down. During this patrol, "Drum" damaged a large tanker, another choice target.

After a thorough overhaul at Pearl Harbor, "Drum" made her fifth war patrol between 24 March and 13 May 1943, searching waters south of Truk after she had made a photographic reconnaissance of Nauru. She sank two freighters in April, then refitted at Brisbane, Australia. Her sixth war patrol, between 7 June and 26 July, found her north of the Bismarck Archipelago, sinking a cargo-passenger ship on 17 June. Again she put into Brisbane to replenish, and on 16 August sailed on her seventh war patrol. Adding to her already impressive list of sinkings, she sent a cargo ship to the bottom on 31 August, as well as patrolling off New Georgia during the landings there. She put into Tulagi from 29 September to 2 October to repair her gyrocompass, then sailed on to Brisbane.

"Drum" sailed 2 November 1943 for her eighth war patrol, coordinated with the landings at Cape Torokina. Patrolling between the Carolines and New Ireland, she sank a cargo ship on 17 November and on 22 November, attacked a convoy of four freighters. The convoy's escorts delivered three depth charge attacks, "Drum" was damaged heavily and was ordered to Pearl Harbor. "Drum" returned there on the 5th of December. After inspection showed the conning tower needed to be replaced, she sailed to the west coast.

Returning to Pearl Harbor 29 March 1944, "Drum" sailed 11 days later on her ninth war patrol, during which she patrolled the waters around Iwo Jima and other islands in the Bonin Islands. No worthy targets were contacted, but a reconnaissance of Chichi Jima gained valuable intelligence for bombardment of the island later by surface ships.

The submarine refitted at Majuro between 31 May and 24 June, then sailed on her 10th war patrol to give lifeguard service for raids on Yap and Palau. She sank a 125-ton sampan on 29 July, capturing two prisoners with whom she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 14 August. She sailed for Surigao Strait 9 September on her 11th war patrol, and after two weeks in the Strait with no contact, was ordered north to the South China Sea. Here she patrolled during the Leyte landings and the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf, sinking three cargo ships bound to reinforce Japanese troops fighting to keep the Philippines. While bound for Majuro for refit, "Drum" searched east of Luzon Strait for downed aviators.

"Drum" replenished and made repairs at Majuro between 8 November 1944 and 7 December, then sailed on her 12th war patrol for the Nansei Shoto. Only one contact was made during this patrol, from which she returned to Guam 17 January 1945. During her 13th war patrol, from 11 February to 2 April, "Drum" played a part in the assaults on both Iwo Jima and Okinawa, providing lifeguard service for air strikes on the Nansei Shoto and the Japanese home islands as bases were neutralized before both invasions. Returning to Pearl Harbor, "Drum" sailed on to a west coast overhaul, and after training at Pearl Harbor, cleared Midway 9 August on what would have been her 14th war patrol. She proceeded to Saipan at the end of hostilities, and from there sailed for Pearl Harbor, the Canal Zone, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

ummary of War Patrols

Of "Drum"'s 13 war patrols, all save the second, ninth, and last two were designated "successful". She received a total of 12 battle stars for World War II service. She is credited with sinking 15 ships, a total of 80,580 tons of enemy shipping, eighth highest of all U.S. submarines in total Japanese tonnage sunk.

Decommissioning

"Drum" was decommissioned 16 February 1946 and on 18 March 1947, began service at Washington, D.C., to members of the Naval Reserve in the Potomac River Naval Command, which continued through 1967. She was in the inactive Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia from 1967 to 1969.

Museum ship and landmark

Infobox_nrhp | name =USS DRUM (submarine)
nrhp_type =nhl


caption =
location= Mobile, Alabama
lat_degrees = 30
lat_minutes = 40
lat_seconds = 49.72
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 88
long_minutes = 0
long_seconds = 59.86
long_direction = W
locmapin = Alabama
area =
built =1941
architect= Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
architecture= Other
designated= January 14, 1986cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1946&ResourceType=Structure
title=USS DRUM (Submarine) |accessdate=2007-10-27|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = January 14, 1986cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Local
refnum=86000086

"Drum" was donated to the USS "Alabama" Battleship Commission on 14 April 1969. She was towed to Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama arriving 18 May 1969. "Drum" was dedicated and opened to the public on 4 July 1969.

The submarine was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/86000086.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: USS DRUM (SS-228)] |160 KiB |date=May, 1985 |first=Harry A. |last=Butowsky |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/86000086.pdf Accompanying 4 photos, 1 exterior and 3 interior, from 1985.] |737 KiB ]

"Drum" originally was moored in the waters behind "Alabama", until it was damaged in the storm surge of Hurricane Georges in 1998. As a result, the submarine is now on display on shore, as seen in the photo at the top of this page. Like "Alabama", "Drum" sustained damage when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on 29 August 2005. Tours on board "Drum" resumed 9 January 2006.

ee also

*List of National Historic Landmarks in Alabama

References

ources

* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/drum.htm HNSA Web Page: USS Drum]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d6/drum.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Drum"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08228.htm navsource.org: USS "Drum"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss228.txt hazegray.org: USS "Drum"]