The United States Navy USS Barb (SS-220) is the first ship that was named after the ray – finned fish barbus that is found on their insignia and represents the submarine’s ability to hunt and sink enemy ships. The Barb was launched on April 2, 1942 and was commissioned on July 8, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander John R. Waterman.
The USS Barb was able to complete a twelve war patrol from the time it was commissioned in 1942 to 1945. During its first patrol as a Gato – class submarine, she had done reconnaissance duties taking part in the Operation Torch before and during the invasion of the North Africa while operating in the European waters in November 1942. She has done four more war patrols during the first half of 1943 without creating any significant impact such as damaging the enemy.
The Barb made a great impact during the World War II in the Pacific waters where it started compiling its greatest submarine records. Her sixth patrol took her to China and damaged two enemy ships in the middle of 1943. In March and April of 1944 he operated in the central and west Pacific after its overhaul sinking one ship and bombarded an enemy’s shore facility. On its eight patrol it had taken five enemy ships and had seen its first of many gunfire actions that completely destroyed twenty more small enemy vessels.
During the Barb’s ninth war patrol it sank three more Japanese ships including the escort carrier Unyo. It had also rescued 14 Allied prisoners of war. It sunk two more ships on her tenth patrol and four more on her eleventh and a daring attack on enemy’s shore on its twelfth patrol that gain gave her its fourth Presidential Unit Citation. Commander Eugene B. Fluckey who took command of the submarine during its 11th and 12th war patrol was awarded a Medal of Honor.
After its overhaul in Mare Island where he gained a larger deck gun and a rocket launcher, the Barb went back to Northern Japan in June 1945 for her 12th and last patrol where he used both of her weapons sinking small crafts and bombarding shore facilities. She sank two more ships with her torpedoes and escorted the Kaibokan No. 112 and some of her crew made a raid on Japanese shores destroying the Japanese railroad train. It is the only known ground combat operation that took place on Japanese home islands.
The Barb ended the World War II as one of the top – scoring US submarines in terms of ships sunk and third in terms of tonnage. She returned to the US on September 1945 and remained inactive until it was decommissioned in February 1947. It was commissioned again in December 1951 due to the intensifying Cold War and performed training service until 1954. It went through a conversion to the streamlined “GUPPY” configuration before it was loaned to Italy and was renamed Enrico Tazzoli. It served under the Italian Navy until 1972 before it was sold to scrapping in April 1975.
The USS Barb’s final battle flag represents the submarine’s symbolic record of wartime accomplishments and significant awards won by its crew. Commander Fluckey is most proud that the Purple Heart recognition is not present on the Barb’s battle flag meaning that no one was killed or wounded among its crew during its service.
A commemorative coin of the USS Barb SS-220 is on a limited and exclusive sale online. It marks the 109th Submarine Ball held in Guam serves as a tribute to the Barb and its crew. This 2.5″ oval shaped challenge coin has a nickel finished without edging and is available in a very limited edition that can only be found on US Challenge Coins store.
