Navy Names Newest Sub After WWII Legend That Sank 17 Ships and Blew Up a Train

[rangerrebew]

Navy Names Newest Sub After WWII Legend That Sank 17 Ships and Blew Up a Train
 
14 Oct 2020
Military.com | By Hope Hodge Seck

Once again, the Navy will have USS Barb in the fleet.

On Tuesday, Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite announced the names of two new vessels: the John F. Lehman, a future guided-missile destroyer named for the 65th SecNav; and the Barb, a future Virginia-class submarine named for a sub with the distinction of sinking the most tonnage of Japanese shipping during World War II -- including an aircraft carrier.

The original Barb, commissioned in 1942, would carry out 12 patrols over the course of the war, to devastating effect on the enemy. On her 11th patrol alone, she sank four Japanese commercial ships and a number of other small vessels and executed a harrowing torpedo launch off the coast of China, maneuvering back to safety through mined and rocky waters.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/14/navy-names-newest-sub-after-wwii-legend-sank-17-ships-and-blew-train.html

[PeteS in CA]

The DANFS entry of USS Barb, SS-220, scarce does her justice, http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss220.htm . W'pedia's article is a bit better, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Barb_(SS-220) . Gene Fluckey is a Navy legend in his own right, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_B._Fluckey . Going from commanding USS Bonita to commanding USS Barb must've been like going from driving a Yugo to driving a BMW 540i (Bonita was of the unsuccessful Barracuda class, while Barb was of the very successful Gato class).