АҚШ суасты қайығы "Снук" тарихы

Submarine of the United States

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submerged(the 11th worst loss of life by ship sunk by a submarine in history), and heavily damaged the freighter Shiranesan Maru. On 14 February, she quickly sank freighter Nittoku Maru, with one torpedo hit amidships and, on the following day, sank cargo ship Hoshi Maru Number Two. On 23 February, while returning to Midway Island, she spotted an enemy convoy eight miles away, made a daring approach through a screen of 11 enemy escort ships, and fired five torpedoes, with two hits which sank the passenger cargo ship, Koyo Maru. The submarine terminated her fifth patrol at Pearl Harbor on 6 March and continued to Hunters Point Navy Yard for a major overhaul.

On her sixth patrol Snook attacked and missed two freighters on 12 July, but found no other worthwhile targets, and returned to Midway Island on 14 August.

Snooks seventh war patrol was conducted in Luzon Strait and the South China Sea. After stopping at Saipan for repairs from 25 September to 4 October the submarine continued her patrol and contacted an enemy convoy on 23 October. She sank passenger cargo ship Shinsei Maru Number 1, then evaded two escorts and resumed the chase, sinking the tanker Kikusui Maru with a torpedo which disintegrated the entire aft end. After again escaping the escorts, Snook returned and fired five bow torpedoes, sinking cargo ship, or "hell ship", Arisan Maru, killing about 1,773 American prisoners of war (the 23rd worst loss of life by ship sunk by a submarine in history), one of the greatest losses of life in American maritime history. After rescuing a downed airman on 3 November, the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on 18 November.

Snooks eighth war patrol was conducted off the Kuril Islands from 25 December 1944 to 17 February 1945. Her only sightings during this patrol were two friendly Soviet vessels and a momentary contact with a small patrol craft.

Snook was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol, in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait. On 8 April, she reported her position to submarine Tigrone and when she did not acknowledge messages sent from Tigrone the next day, it was presumed that she had headed toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April, she was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakishima Gunto in support of British carrier air strikes. On 20 April, the commander of the British carrier task force reported that he had a plane down in Snooks assigned area, and that he could not contact the submarine by radio. Snook was ordered to search the area and to acknowledge the order. When she failed to make a transmission, submarine Bang was sent to make the search and rendezvous with Snook. Although Bang arrived and rescued the downed aviators, she saw no sign of the missing submarine; on 16 May, Snook was presumed lost due to unknown causes. It is believed that she was sunk by kaibokans Japanese escort ship Okinawa, CD 8, CD 32 and CD 52. It has also been suggested that Snook may have been lost in combat with one of five Japanese submarines which were also lost in April–May 1945. One candidate is the Japanese Type B3 submarine Japanese submarine I 56, however it remains a hypothesis due to it not being confirmed by a single Japanese source. Snook was credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one half years of active service. She earned seven battle stars for World War II service.

The actual whereabouts of Snook may have been discovered during a deep sea dive in 1995. The possibility exists that a U. S. submarine lies in about 1,148 feet (350 m) of water off the coast of Iriomote Island, the far southwest island in the Okinawa chain. During operations with an Okinawan company using a U. S. made "SCORPIO" ROV in 1995, a group of divers encountered a sonar contact with what appeared to be a metal structure, about 20 feet (6 m) in girth and about 115 feet (35 m) in length (exposed) at roughly an angle of 20 30 degrees. The SONAR image of a large unexpected obstruction to the operations prompted the divers to command evasive maneuvers and avoid the area for the safety of the ROV. The divers, thinking they would have another opportunity to work in the area at a later date, left the area and never returned to that site. Their ROV was lost in 1997 off Yonaguni Island, the last island belonging to the Okinawa chain off the east coast of Taiwan. They were fairly certain that the object was a submarine, and quite possibly the Snook. No further dives in the area were ever attempted.