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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Grayling (SS-209)

Radio Call Sign: November - Echo - Kilo - Mike

Gar Class Submarine: Laid down, 15 December 1939, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH; Launched, 4 September 1940; Commissioned, USS Grayling (SS-209), 1 March 1941; Lost to enemy action between 9 and 12 September 1943 either in Lingayen Gulf or along the approaches to Manila; Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown); Grayling received six battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,475 t., Submerged: 2,370 t.; Length 307' 2"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 13' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Complement 5 Officers, 54 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, one 3"/50 dual purpose deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Propulsion, diesel-electric, four General Motors Co., diesel engines, 5.400 hp, Fuel Capacity, 96,365 gals., four General Electric Co., electric motors, 2,740 hp, Battery cells 252, twin propellers.
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Grayling 35k Grayling Thymallus thymallus. Courtesy of freshwater-fishing-guide.com.
Grayling 341k The Grayling (SS-209) is shown inside the old erection shed at Portsmouth just before her launching on 4 September 1940. The more leisurely building schedules prior to the war permitted the boats to be brought to an advanced stage of construction before they were launched. Text & US Navy photo courtesy of The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History by John D. Alden.
Grayling 16k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the Grayling's (SS-209) launching at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH, 4 September 1940.
 Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Grayling 13k Grayling (SS-209), probably during her shakedown period off the New England coast, circa Sept. 1940 - March 1941.
 US Navy photo, courtesy of Hyper War US Navy in WWII.
Grayling 63k Port side view of the Grayling (SS-209), probably during her shakedown period off the New England coast, circa Sept. 1940 - March 1941.
 USN photo.
Grayling 22k Commemorative post on the occasion of the first day of postal service of the Grayling (SS-209), 20 March 1941.
 Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Grayling 32k Commemorative post on the occasion of the first day of postal service of the Grayling (SS-209), 20 March 1941.
 Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Navy Day20k Commemorative postal cover marking Navy Day, 27 October 1941 and the following submarines commissioned since the previous year:
Trout (SS-202),
Tuna (SS-203),
Mackerel (SS-204),
Marlin (SS-205),
Gar (SS-206),
Grampus (SS-207),
Grayback (SS-208),
Grayling (SS-209),
Grenadier (SS-210) &
Gudgeon(SS-211). 		Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Grayling 114k Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN (center), presenting awards on board Grayling (SS-209), at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, following ceremonies in which he took command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, 31 December 1941. The former fleet commander, Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel is standing to the right, in a white uniform with two-star insignia. Admiral Nimitz has just presented the Navy Cross to Ensign F.M. Fisler, USNR.
Others receiving awards, standing left-to-right in line behind Nimitz and Fisler, are: Ensign C.F. Gimber, USNR; AMM1c L.H. Wagoner (also awarded the Navy Cross); AMM1c W.B. Watson; R3c H.C. Cupps; R2c W.W. Warlick and AMM2c C.C. Forbes. They were the crew of a Navy bomber. Pelias (AS-14) is in the background.		 US Navy photo # NH 50799, courtesy of USNHC & Nova/PBS & submitted by Fabio Pena.
Grayling 56k Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN (center), talks to reporters following an awards ceremony on board Grayling (SS-209), at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, following ceremonies in which he took command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, 31 December 1941.
US Navy photo courtesy of Brian Bartlett, & submitted by Fabio Pena.
Grayling 68k Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN (center) presenting awards on board Grayling (SS-209), at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, following ceremonies in which he took command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, 31 December 1941. In this view, Admiral Nimitz presents the Navy Cross to Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class L.H. Wagoner. Others receiving awards, standing left-to-right in line from center to right, are: Ensign F.M. Fisler, USNR, largely hidden behind AMM1c Wagoner; Ensign C.F. Gimber; AMM1c W.B. Watson; and R3c H.C. Cupps. They were the crew of a Navy bomber.
US Navy photo # NH 62025 courtesy of Bill Gonyo. Photo added 07/20/08.
Grayling 16k Grayling (SS-209) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport ship Meizan Maru (5480 BRT) west of Mindoro, Philippines in position 13.35N, 120.45E.
 Photo & text courtesy of Great Circle Mapper - © Karl L Swartz / uboat.net.
Grayling 84k Google Earth satellite photo of the Grayling's (SS-209) last approximate position (s) based during post-war debriefings. These position are thought to be the final resting place of the Grayling and her crew.
View courtesy of Google Earth.
Grayling 14k Robert Marion Brinker, Commander (Commanding Officer) of the Grayling (SS-209) at the time of her loss.
 US Navy photo courtesy of oneternalpatrol.com.
Grayling 49k In memory of the Grayling (SS-209).
Photo courtesy of Tom Kermen.
Tolling the Boats 117k The wife of a World War II U.S. submarine veteran, tosses a flower into a reflecting pool to honor the memory of one of the 52 submarines lost during World War II at the National Submarine Memorial-West on board Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif. On this Veterans Day, the Submarine Veterans of World War II transferred ownership of the memorial to the U.S. Navy.

The following text is from The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton., pg. 478.
"Major Sullivan Bullen of Illinois was killed in the battle, and just before it he had written to his wife, Sarah, to tell her that he believed he was going to be killed and to express a tremulous faith that could see a gleam of light in the dark:
"But O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and float unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the gladdest days and in the gloomiest nights, always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your chest it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait, for we shall meet again!"		 U.S. Navy photo # N-1159B-021 by Journalist 2nd Class Brian Brannon, courtesy of news.navy.mil.
Grayling 13k Commemorative post mark honoring the Grayling (SS-209).
 Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Grayling 33k Grayling (SS-209), underway starboard view, probably during her shakedown period off the New England coast, circa Sept. 1940 - March 1941.

In Memorium:
In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 20th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, 1982, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S. submariners who died defending their county:

"When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay / He brought me forth also into a large place: / he delivered me because he delighted in me./"		 US Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.org.
View the Grayling (SS-209) DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest On Eternal Patrol Through the Looking Glass, A Historic Look at Submarines
ComSubForPac US Pacific Fleet - USS Grayling (SS 209) 9 September 1943 - 76 Men Lost

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