USS Lagarto (SS-371)

Lagarto was a Balao class submarine completed by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, WI in October of 1944.

Lagarto’s second patrol began on 12 April 1945 from Subic Bay. Later that month, she was ordered to patrol the Gulf of Siam along with USS Baya (SS-318). On 2 May, Baya sent Lagarto a contact report about a large, heavily escorted tanker. The next day, the two submarines developed a plan of attack. However, when the day was over, Baya had been driven off and Lagarto was missing. Japanese records contained a report of an attack on a submarine on that date in that area. The minelayer that attacked Lagarto would be sunk before the month was out.

Since Lagarto was a Manitowoc boat, she went through the usual sideways launch, sea trials on Lake Michigan and the tow down the Mississippi before being fully fit out in New Orleans. From there, she sailed through the Panama Canal and on to Hawaii.

Lagarto began her first patrol on 7 February 1945 in the company of USS Haddock (SS-231) and USS Sennet (SS-408). Orders were to patrol around Nansei Shoto. The group sank three gunboats. On 24 February, Lagarto sank a small cargo vessel. Strangely, she was also given credit for sinking a Japanese submarine although that submarine was never positively identified. This patrol ended on 20 March 1945 at Subic Bay in the Philippines.

In another strange note, Lagarto was originally given credit for sinking a cargo ship on 30 June 1945, almost two months after Lagarto was sunk.

Lagarto was lost on her second war patrol. JANAC credited her with two sinkings for 1,845 tons total for her WW2 service.