A Night off Korea
from Patrol Reports
USS Croaker (SS-246) stalks a coastal freighter by radar, launches four torpedoes, and closes to within 400 yards of a three-masted schooner. It is October 23, 1944, off Korea’s west coast, and a recurring gun malfunction is about to complicate the night’s fighting. In this episode of Patrol Reports, USSVI National Historian Dave Bowman follows Croaker’s second war patrol through the submarine’s original combat records. Hear how hours of tracking produced a successful torpedo attack, why the crew shifted to close-range gunfire, and how equipment trouble affected the engagement. The account also preserves an important historical distinction: a ship observed sinking and another vessel whose ultimate fate remained uncertain. Explore World War II submarine warfare through the actions and observations of the men who fought beneath, and sometimes on, the surface. Follow Patrol Reports for more stories from U.S. Navy submarine history, and share this episode with a fellow naval history enthusiast. #PatrolReports #USSCroaker #SubmarineHistory #WWIIHistory #NavalHistory
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