USS Sea Dog (SS-401) - Third War Patrol

Third War Patrol

Assigned to patrol immediately south of the home islands, she spent 29 days in the area, with most of that time taken up in providing lifeguard services for aircraft strikes. From 22 March to 24 March, she was on lifeguard duty to the southeast of the Nanpō Islands. On 25 March, she moved into that chain and, on 28 March she closed the Kyūshū coast off Toi Misaki. The next day, lifeguard duty took her on a high speed run south to the Osumi Islands, where sea planes picked up the downed pilots as she arrived. A short while later, however, a third plane circled, then ditched eight miles off. Sea Dog picked up the pilot, submerged, and headed back to the Kyūshū coast.

At 1903, as she was making preparations to surface, she sighted an enemy I-boat which had just surfaced. Sea Dog took the offensive and fired on the submarine but not fast enough. The torpedoes missed, and the I-boat escaped.

Sea Dog remained off the Kyūshū coast for another day; then moved north to lifeguard duty south of Sagami Wan. Although assigned to cover both sides of the Izu Shoto, resulting in much of her time being spent on high speed runs south around Mikura Jima with no rescues being made at the end of the runs, potential target opportunities increased. On 2 April, she sighted and fired on a small minelayer. All torpedoes missed. On 16 April, she sank a medium-sized cargo ship, Toko Maru, between Hachijo Jima and Mikura Jima. A typhoon then interrupted both hunting and rescue operations; and, on 23 April, she headed for Guam.