Direct Hit: The Discovery of USS Herring

Shipwrecks

In the wake of a lone Gato-class submarine stood Pearl Harbor. The morning air was comfortable if not for the humidity. Stretching her legs, she watched the ship accelerate as she sped toward their first and last refueling point…Midway. What once was the scene of a desperate struggle in 1942 was now a mere outpost. A place for submarines to refuel and rearm before returning to Pearl Harbor or the fight that still raged on the other side of the Pacific. For this ship, it was the latter. This was this vessel’s eighth war patrol. Her name was USS Herring. 

Aerial view of Matsuwa Airfield on Cape Tagan, Matua Island (then known as Matsuwa; Russian: Матуа), photographed by the U.S. Army Air Forces, Eleventh Air Force, circa 1944. USS Herring sank two ships anchored here before being sunk offshore.

With orders to patrol the Kuril Islands area, USS Herring rendezvoused with her partner submarine, USS Barb. A few hours later, after the ships had departed, Barb discovered two Japanese merchantmen and began to develop contacts with them. Reports indicated the sound of depth-charging in the distance, assumed to be from Herring, who was also attacking the same convoy. 

Fishing a Japanese sailor out of the water, Barb learned that Herring had sunk the Ishigaki, a destroyer escort built two years before, sunk with one torpedo. As the convoy dispersed, two ships crossed Barb’s path and were sunk. When new orders were sent on 3 June 1944 to both ships, directing them to remain outside a restricted area designated for the Marianas Campaign, no word was heard from Herring. By 13 July, there was no word or appearance of Herring, and she was presumed lost. Eighty-two years later, we now know her fate. 

Nine years ago, a Russian expedition discovered a submarine wreck. Although they could not prove it, they suspected it was Herring. Five years later, Russian researchers returned to the site to investigate the shipwreck further and honor the crew that perished in its sinking. This information was finally analyzed by two American volunteer researchers and one Japanese. The Naval History and Heritage Command leadership now affirms that the sunken vessel is Herring. 

Surabaya Maru, sister ship of Hiburi Maru. Hiburi Maru, a 4,366-ton cargo ship built in 1940 by Osaka Ironworks for Yamashita Kisen K.K. of Kobe, was torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarine USS Herring (SS-233) on June 1, 1944, at 48°30′N, 153°30′E. Thirty-three crew members and 97 troops were lost. The attack occurred during Herring's eighth war patrol—her final patrol before the submarine itself was lost.

The submarine and her crew did not go down without doing damage first. We know now that this was her most successful war patrol. She sank four ships in total, including the previously mentioned Ishigaki, as well as the Hokuyo Maru, Hiburi Maru, and Iwaki Maru. The latter two were at anchor when they were sunk. During this engagement, Herring ran aground and was counterattacked by a Japanese shore battery, which landed two hits on her conning tower. 

The shipwreck remains in fair condition, resting at a depth of 300 feet, showing signs of both grounding and damage from the two shots. During the last expedition in 2022, a commemorative plaque was placed on the site, honoring her entire crew of 83 Americans who perished in her sinking. 

For 82 years, USS Herring and her crew remained missing beneath the waters off the Kuril Islands. Many questions surrounding her final patrol remained unanswered. Today, the discovery of her wreck helps confirm the details of her final battle and brings renewed attention to the story of the men who fought aboard her until the end. Resting in the Pacific where she made her last stand, USS Herring remains a silent memorial to the sailors who served aboard her and to the thousands of submariners who carried the war beneath the waves during World War II.

Their contributions to victory in the Pacific cannot be understated. The U.S. submarine force accounted for more than half of all Japanese shipping lost during the war, crippling enemy supply lines and reshaping the course of the conflict. But that success came at a tremendous cost. The Submarine Service suffered a casualty rate of nearly 20 percent—the highest of any U.S. military force during the war. The story of USS Herring is not only one of a submarine lost, but also a reminder of the courage and sacrifice these men showed in the fight in some of the most dangerous waters of the Pacific War.

To learn more about Herring's partner on this war patrol, USS Barb, I recommend you check out this episode of the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War:

https://youtu.be/nPE0y_LusO8?si=TSCKjTNRdamjFana

Sources

1. Kuta, S. (2026, June 3). This American submarine lost during WWII—along with 83 crew members—has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-submarine-USS-Herring-lost-during-WWII-along-with-83-crew-members-has-been-discovered-in-the-pacific-ocean-180988895/

2. National Park Service. (n.d.). Submarines in World War II. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/submarines-in-world-war-ii.htm

3. Naval History and Heritage Command. (2026, June 1). Wreck site identified as USS Herring (SS-233). U.S. Navy. https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2026/Wreck-Site-Identified-as-USS-Herring-SS-233.html

4. Naval History and Heritage Command. (n.d.). Herring (SS-233). U.S. Navy. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/united-states-submarine-losses/herring-ss-233.html

5. Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). List of most successful American submarines in World War II. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 15, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_successful_American_submarines_in_World_War_II

6. Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). USS Herring (SS-233). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 15, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Herring

   
   

Images

1. On Eternal Patrol. (n.d.). Hiburi Maru (Japanese cargo ship). Retrieved July 15, 2026, from https://oneternalpatrol.com/Japan-Hiburi-Maru.html

2. Pacific Wrecks. (n.d.). Matua Airfield (Matsuwa Airfield), Cape Tagan, Matua Island, Kurile Islands, Russia [Aerial photograph, 1944]. Retrieved July 15, 2026, from https://pacificwrecks.com/airfield/russia/matsuwa/photos/1944/matua-airfield-vert.html

3. Wikimedia Commons contributors. (n.d.). File: USS Herring (SS-233).jpg [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved July 15, 2026, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Herring_(SS-233).jpg