The Submarine That Closed In, USS Shark (SS-314) #history #ww2

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[00:00:01]USS Shark entered the fall of 1944 as a seasoned veteran.

[00:00:06]Under the command of Commander Edward N.

[00:00:09]Blakely, she had already completed two successful war patrols, sinking five enemy ships totaling more than 32,000 tons and damaging two others.

[00:00:20]In late September, Shark departed Pearl Harbor and headed west, joining the submarine Sea Dragon and Blackfish near Saipan to form a coordinated patrol group.

[00:00:31]Blakely, the senior commander, took charge of the trio informally known as Blakely's Behemoths.

[00:00:39]They were tasked with hunting Japanese shipping near Luzon.

[00:00:43]On October 22nd, Shark reported contact with four large enemy vessels, but did not attack.

[00:00:51]Two days later, she spotted a lone freighter and radioed Sea Dragon that she was closing in to strike.

[00:00:58]It was the last message ever received from Shark.

[00:01:02]Intelligence hinted at what may have happened next.

[00:01:05]On October 24th, a Japanese transport carrying roughly 1,800 American prisoners of war was torpedoed while sailing north from Manila.

[00:01:15]No US submarine reported the attack, but Shark had transmitted a contact report only hours before she vanished.

[00:01:22]Survivors later described conditions aboard the prison ship as so brutal that many prayed for death rather than continued captivity.

[00:01:31]Post-war Japanese records describe a submarine attack that same day followed by 17 depth charge attacks resulting in bubbles, heavy oil, and personal effects rising to the surface.

[00:01:43]With no other American submarine in the area, this was likely the final attack of USS Shark.

[00:01:49]She was declared lost on November 27th, 1944.