Patrol 1

28 Aug 1942-20 Oct 1942

霰 Arare

Patrol 2

11 Nov 1942-20 Dec 1942

千洋丸 or 扇洋丸 Senyo Maru

永福丸 Eifuku Maru

Sampan (name unknown); small vessel often not included in sinkings

樫野 Kashino Listed at 4,000 tons in JANAC; other sources list this vessel at 10,360 tons.

大華丸 Taika Maru

Patrol 3

11 Nov 1942-20 Dec 1942

Patrol 4

4 Apr 1943-26 May 1943

智福丸 Chifuku Maru

Toko Maru (damaged)

早埼 Hayasaki (damaged)

Patrol 5

16 Jun 1943-31 Jul 1943

Patrol 6

23 Aug 1943-26 Sep 1943

No ships sunk

Patrol 7

12 Oct 1943-5 Dec 1943

No ships sunk

Patrol 8

26 Dec 1943-22 Feb 1944

帝瑞丸 Teizui Maru (damaged)

Patrol Craft (name unknown), not credited to Growler in JANAC, but listed in Alden and other sources

Patrol 9

29 May 1944-16 Jul 1944

香取丸 Katori Maru

Patrol 10

6 Aug 1944-25 Sep 1944

力行丸 Rikko Maru - heavily damaged by torpedo hits from Growler and/or Sealion (SS-315). After many attempts to repair the vessel, she sank at anchor during a typhoon on March 6, 1945, undoubtedly due to the damage suffered in the torpedo attacks. Not credited to Growler in JANAC; Alden gives Growler partial credit for this sinking.

大彰丸 Taisho Maru - damage claimed by Growler; unverified in Japanese sources. Sunk October 26, 1944 by USS Drum (SS-228)

平戸 Hirado

勝鬨丸 Kachidoki Maru - damage or sinking claimed by Growler on September 12, 1944; unverified in Japanese sources. Sunk later on the same day by USS Pampanito (SS-383).

敷波 Shikinami

Patrol 11

28 Oct 1944-7 Nov 1944 (lost)

Current research credits Growler with sinking 13 ships, totaling 48,398 tons, including Rikko Maru, sharing credit with aircraft and possibly USS Sealion (SS-315), one patrol craft of 250 tons that was not credited to Growler in JANAC, and a sampan of unknown tonnage credited to Growler in Alden.

JANAC credits Growler with 10 ships sunk totalling 32,607 tons. Note that the criteria JANAC used included all Japanese Naval vessels (although JANAC did not usually count warships less than 500 tons that were converted from merchant ships) and all Japanese merchant vessels of 500 or more gross tons known or believed to have been lost during the war. One major difference between JANAC and other sources used here is the tonnage for 樫野 (Kashino). JANAC uses the estimated displacement of 4,000 tons, while Alden, Wrecksite, and Japanese sources list 10,360 tons. Other differences between JANAC figures and current research are noted above.

Alden-McDonald credit Growler with 13 ships and 48,398 tons sunk, including partial credit for the sinking of Rikko Maru, and including a sampan of unknown tonage and an unnamed patrol craft of 250 tons.

SORG credits Growler with 17 ships and 74,900 tons sunk, including a sampan with no tonnage listed.

An article on the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command credits Growler with sinking "15 enemy vessels for a total of 74,900 tons." This tonnage figure coincides with the one in SORG, whose estimations typically far exceed the tonnages found in later research.

Wrecksite credits Growler with 10 ships and 39,618 tons sunk.

Japanese Naval and Merchant Ship Losses - JANAC on the NHHC website

JANAC on the Hyperwar website - https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-6.html

SORG- http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/subreports-sorg.htm (Excel spreadsheet download)

SORG on combinedfleet.com

Archives of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (PFSM)

War Patrol Reports - USS Growler - https://issuu.com/hnsa/docs/ss-215_growler

Monthly Losses of Combatant and Non-Combatant Vessels

太平洋戦争時の喪失船舶明細表（汽船主体）- Lost Vessel table during the Pacific War (merchant vessels)

Alden, John D., and McDonald, Craig R. - U.S. & Allied Sub Successes in the Pacific & Far East during WWII - Fourth Edition, 2009

Cressman, Robert - The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Naval Institute Press, 2000.

NHHC - “Take Her Down!”— Commander Howard Gilmore and USS Growler (SS-215)

Wrecksite - https://www.wrecksite.eu/wrecksite.aspx

Miramar Ship Index - https://www.miramarshipindex.nz/

Imperial Japanese Navy Page - http://www.combinedfleet.com/

Wikipedia Japan - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/グロウラー_(潜水艦)

Japan Center for Asian Historical Records - National Archives of Japan - https://www.jacar.go.jp/index.html

Official U.S. Navy Photos - Naval History & Heritage Command

Archives of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (PFSM)

Imperial Japanese Navy Page - http://www.combinedfleet.com/

Japanese Merchant Ship photos - Wrecksite - copyright owners retain all rights. Photos used on this site will be taken down should the owner request their removal.

Note on the painting above: The original painting was done by McClelland Barclay in 1943. This similar version is from submarinesailor.com, artist unidentified.