USS Capelin (SS-289)

Capelin was a Balao class submarine completed by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine in June of 1943.

Capelin departed Darwin, Australia for her second war patrol on 17 November 1943. She was assigned to an area in the Molucca and Celebes seas. Nothing was heard from Capelin after leaving Darwin. However, USS Bonefish (SS-223) reported having seen an American submarine in Capelin’s area on 2 December. Attempts to reach Capelin on 9 December were not successful.

The only certainty is that Capelin was lost in the Celebes Sea or the Molucca Sea. She was likely lost in December to a mine. She was the last submarine lost in the Southwest Pacific area.

Capelin’s first patrol was brief, lasting only 17 days. She departed Darwin, on 30 October with orders to rescue the crew of a bomber that had gone down in the area of the Celebes Sea. This order was cancelled while she was en route. On 11 November, she sank the Kunitama Maru. Five days later, she returned to Port Darwin for some urgent repairs. A defective conning tower hatch mechanism, noisy bow planes and a defective radar tube all needed immediate repair. However, everything was quickly completed to the captain’s satisfaction and the submarine sailed the next day for her last patrol.

Capelin was lost on her second war patrol. JANAC credited her with one sinking for 3,127 tons.