Her
keel was
laid down by the
Electric Boat Company in
Groton, Connecticut, on 28 January 1943. She was
launched on 17 October 1943 (sponsored by Mrs.
Lera Millard Thomas, the wife of
Albert Thomas, the
United States Congressman from the Eighth District of
Texas), and
commissioned on 14 February 1944. Following shakedown off
New London, Connecticut,
Shark transited the
Panama Canal and arrived at
Pearl Harbor on 24 April 1944 for final training in the
Hawaiian area. Her first war patrol commenced on 16 May 1944 and was conducted in waters west of the
Mariana Islands as part of a coordinated attack group with submarines and . Early on the morning of 2 June,
Shark submerged ahead of an enemy convoy and fired a spread of torpedoes at a Japanese tanker. Although all missed the original target, the torpedoes continued on to hit and sink another enemy vessel, the 4,700-ton cargo ship,
Chiyo Maru. After evading an ensuing
depth-charge attack, the submarine continued her patrol. On 4 June,
Shark began tracking another heavily escorted convoy, and in maneuvering for attack, encountered a patrolling
destroyer dead ahead. Upon failing in a maneuver for a "down-the-throat" shot, the submarine passed down the port side of the enemy at and launched four torpedoes toward a heavily laden cargo ship. She was rewarded with four solid hits that quickly sent
Katsukawa Maru to the bottom. After escaping from the alerted escort ships,
Shark surfaced and continued the chase. She caught up with the convoy on the afternoon of 5 June, and after nightfall, let go a spread of six torpedoes, which sank the 3,080-ton freighter
Tamahime Maru and the 7,006-ton passenger-cargo ship
Takoka Maru.
Shark again evaded the escort ships, then surfaced near midnight, but was unable to catch up with the convoy. The remainder of the patrol was uneventful, and the submarine returned to
Midway Island for refit on 17 June.
Shark put to sea on 10 July for her second war patrol, this time in the waters off the
Volcano Islands and
Bonin Islands. On 19 July, she launched four torpedoes at an enemy convoy, but they missed their mark as the convoy made a sharp "zig" away. On 1 August,
Shark was again frustrated in an attack on a Japanese convoy when, while moving into firing position, three escorts forced her to take evasive action, allowing the convoy to escape. The following afternoon, the submarine set course for
Iwo Jima, where she took up lifeguard station in support of carrier airstrikes. On the afternoon of 4 August,
Shark rescued two airmen from a crashed
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver from AG19 piloted by
William S. Emerson. She terminated her lifeguard duties on 19 August and touched at
Midway Island before arriving at
Pearl Harbor 10 days later.
Shark was lost during her third war patrol, probably in the vicinity of
Luzon Strait, while participating in a coordinated attack group with submarines and . On 24 October,
Seadragon received a message from
Shark stating that she had made
radar contact with a single freighter, and she was going in to attack. This was the last message received from the submarine. She was reported as presumed lost on 27 November. After making radar contact,
Shark was in pursuit of a single freighter. Around 5:00 pm on 24 October 1944 in the Bashi Straits, South China Sea, latitude 20°46'N, longitude 118°18' E, the 6,886-ton Japanese freighter was sunk.
Arisan Maru carried no markings or flag to indicate that she was carrying
Allied prisoners of war. The Americans had no way of recognizing
Arisan Maru was a
prison ship. The torpedo launched from
Shark hit aft of midships, causing
Arisan Maru to split in two. Naval records indicate that
Shark was lost with all 87 hands in the same battle after having torpedoed
Arisan Maru. "Regardless of the final count, the sinking of the
Arisan Maru still represents the greatest loss of American life in a single military sinking."
Shark received one
battle star for
World War II service. Japanese records examined after the war indicate that on 24 October 1944, in
Luzon Strait, made contact with a submerged submarine and dropped
depth charges. After losing and regaining the contact, the destroyer dropped another 17 depth charges, which resulted in "bubbles, heavy oil, clothes, and cork" coming to the surface. She was the second U.S. submarine named
Shark to be sunk during the war. was sunk in early February 1942. ==Trivia==