USS GATO SS-212 1944 Length overall: 95.0m Beam: 8.3m Displacement: 1825 t The first GATO was laid down 5 Oct 1940 by the Electric Boat Co., and commissioned 31 December 1941. GATO departed 16 February 1942 for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal and San Francisco. On her first war patrol from Pearl Harbor, she was ordered to patrol the western approaches to Midway, taking station 280 miles westward during that historic victory. During her fourth war patrol, GATO torpedoed and sank 3 cargo ships off New Georgia, Solomon Islands. On 30 November she made a coordinated attack with RAY, sinking the cargo ship COLUMBIA MARU. GATO departed Milne Bay 2 February 1944 to conduct her eighth war patrol in the Bismarck-New Guinea-Truk area. She sank a trawler, a transport, and a cargo ship. Two other trawlers were destroyed by her gunfire before she returned to Pear Harbor. She sank a coast defense ship on 14 February 1944 and cargo ship on 21 February, and then returned to Guam. GATO decommissioned 16 March 1946. GATO received the Presidential Unit Citation in recognition of daring exploits during war patrols four through eight and 13 battle stars for service in World War II

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