The USS SNOOK (SS 279) was built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire. She was placed in commission 24 October, 1942 under the command of LCDR C.O. TRIEBEL, USN. On completion of shakedown training off the New England coast, she left New London, Connecticut on 3 March, 1943 enroute to the Pacific, arriving in Pearl Harbor on 30 March, 1943.
SNOOK left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 11 April, 1943; the first of five patrols conducted under the command of Commander TRIEBEL, which earned her five battle stars. On 7 March, 1944 after the fifth patrol, CDR TRIEBEL was relieved by LCDR G.H. Browne, USN, who commanded SNOOK during her sixth and seventh war patrols, adding two more battle stars to her credit for a total of seven.
On 5 December, 1944 CDR John F. WALLING, USN, assumed command and SNOOK sailed on Christmas Day 1944 for her eighth war patrol, stopping off at Midway for last minute alterations in preparation for cold weather operations off the Kuril Islands. Underway from Midway on 30 December she encountered heavy gales, low visibility, extreme cold, and drifting ice. Her only sightings were two Russian vessels except for momentary contact with a small patrol vessel which was promptly lost. She returned to Midway on 17 February, 1945.
SNOOK was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol. She formed a "Wolf Pack" with BURRFISH (SS 312) and BANG (SS 385), under the tactical command of CDR WALLING, Commanding Officer of SNOOK. Known as "Walling's Whalers," the Wolf Pack left Guam on 25 March, 1945 with orders to patrol Luzon Strait, the South China Coast and waters along the east coast of Hainan. The submarines were also to perform lifeguard duties for Philippine based planes as directed by radio dispatch. SNOOK returned to Guam for emergency repairs on 27-28 March, 1945, then rejoined her group. She sent daily weather reports as she headed westward until 1 April when she was directed to discontinue the practice. On that day she was ordered to join a wolf pack known as "Hiram's Hecklers" under CDR Hiram CASSEDY in TIGRONE (SS 419). "Walling's Whalers" had been disbanded when BANG and BURRFISH were assigned lifeguard missions. On 8 April, 1945 SNOOK reported her position to TIGRONE as 180o 40' N, 111o 39' E. She did not acknowledge messages sent from TIGRONE the next day and it was assumed that SNOOK had moved eastward toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April SNOOK was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto in support of a British Carrier air strike. On 20 April, 1945 the British carrier task force commander reported one of his carrier planes downed in the station assigned to SNOOK and stated he was unable to contact her by radio. BANG was dispatched to the area where she rescued three British aviators but saw no sign of SNOOK.
SNOOK was never heard from again and the circumstances of her loss were never determined. Japanese records of anti-submarine attacks do not account for her sinking and she had been fully informed of the location of minefields in the Sakeshima Gunto area. It is possible that she was the victim of a Japanese submarine. Five Japanese submarines were lost in waters of the Nansei Shoto during April and May of 1945; one of these may have sunk SNOOK before its own sinking by United States warships.
Mission: 9th War Patrol
Mission Date: 9-Apr-45
Location: Near 18° 40' N x 110° 40' E
Cause: Unknown
Crew: of 6 officers, 54 enlisted MIA/KIA
Snook was credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one-half years of active service. She earned seven battle stars for World War II service.
Commander Walling appears on Tablets of the Missing - Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines - he was lost Apr. 9th 1945, and officially declared killed May 6th 1946. His memorial in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, Massachusetts is a cenotaph as his body was never recovered.
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Captain: Commander John F. Walling MIA/KIA
Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut
John was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
Ship: USS Snook (SS-279)
Service # 0-075090
Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia
SNOOK left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 11 April, 1943; the first of five patrols conducted under the command of Commander TRIEBEL, which earned her five battle stars. On 7 March, 1944 after the fifth patrol, CDR TRIEBEL was relieved by LCDR G.H. Browne, USN, who commanded SNOOK during her sixth and seventh war patrols, adding two more battle stars to her credit for a total of seven.
On 5 December, 1944 CDR John F. WALLING, USN, assumed command and SNOOK sailed on Christmas Day 1944 for her eighth war patrol, stopping off at Midway for last minute alterations in preparation for cold weather operations off the Kuril Islands. Underway from Midway on 30 December she encountered heavy gales, low visibility, extreme cold, and drifting ice. Her only sightings were two Russian vessels except for momentary contact with a small patrol vessel which was promptly lost. She returned to Midway on 17 February, 1945.
SNOOK was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol. She formed a "Wolf Pack" with BURRFISH (SS 312) and BANG (SS 385), under the tactical command of CDR WALLING, Commanding Officer of SNOOK. Known as "Walling's Whalers," the Wolf Pack left Guam on 25 March, 1945 with orders to patrol Luzon Strait, the South China Coast and waters along the east coast of Hainan. The submarines were also to perform lifeguard duties for Philippine based planes as directed by radio dispatch. SNOOK returned to Guam for emergency repairs on 27-28 March, 1945, then rejoined her group. She sent daily weather reports as she headed westward until 1 April when she was directed to discontinue the practice. On that day she was ordered to join a wolf pack known as "Hiram's Hecklers" under CDR Hiram CASSEDY in TIGRONE (SS 419). "Walling's Whalers" had been disbanded when BANG and BURRFISH were assigned lifeguard missions. On 8 April, 1945 SNOOK reported her position to TIGRONE as 180o 40' N, 111o 39' E. She did not acknowledge messages sent from TIGRONE the next day and it was assumed that SNOOK had moved eastward toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April SNOOK was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto in support of a British Carrier air strike. On 20 April, 1945 the British carrier task force commander reported one of his carrier planes downed in the station assigned to SNOOK and stated he was unable to contact her by radio. BANG was dispatched to the area where she rescued three British aviators but saw no sign of SNOOK.
SNOOK was never heard from again and the circumstances of her loss were never determined. Japanese records of anti-submarine attacks do not account for her sinking and she had been fully informed of the location of minefields in the Sakeshima Gunto area. It is possible that she was the victim of a Japanese submarine. Five Japanese submarines were lost in waters of the Nansei Shoto during April and May of 1945; one of these may have sunk SNOOK before its own sinking by United States warships.
Mission: 9th War Patrol
Mission Date: 9-Apr-45
Location: Near 18° 40' N x 110° 40' E
Cause: Unknown
Crew: of 6 officers, 54 enlisted MIA/KIA
Snook was credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one-half years of active service. She earned seven battle stars for World War II service.
Commander Walling appears on Tablets of the Missing - Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines - he was lost Apr. 9th 1945, and officially declared killed May 6th 1946. His memorial in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, Massachusetts is a cenotaph as his body was never recovered.
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Captain: Commander John F. Walling MIA/KIA
Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut
John was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
Ship: USS Snook (SS-279)
Service # 0-075090
Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia
The USS SNOOK (SS 279) was built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire. She was placed in commission 24 October, 1942 under the command of LCDR C.O. TRIEBEL, USN. On completion of shakedown training off the New England coast, she left New London, Connecticut on 3 March, 1943 enroute to the Pacific, arriving in Pearl Harbor on 30 March, 1943.
SNOOK left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 11 April, 1943; the first of five patrols conducted under the command of Commander TRIEBEL, which earned her five battle stars. On 7 March, 1944 after the fifth patrol, CDR TRIEBEL was relieved by LCDR G.H. Browne, USN, who commanded SNOOK during her sixth and seventh war patrols, adding two more battle stars to her credit for a total of seven.
On 5 December, 1944 CDR John F. WALLING, USN, assumed command and SNOOK sailed on Christmas Day 1944 for her eighth war patrol, stopping off at Midway for last minute alterations in preparation for cold weather operations off the Kuril Islands. Underway from Midway on 30 December she encountered heavy gales, low visibility, extreme cold, and drifting ice. Her only sightings were two Russian vessels except for momentary contact with a small patrol vessel which was promptly lost. She returned to Midway on 17 February, 1945.
SNOOK was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol. She formed a "Wolf Pack" with BURRFISH (SS 312) and BANG (SS 385), under the tactical command of CDR WALLING, Commanding Officer of SNOOK. Known as "Walling's Whalers," the Wolf Pack left Guam on 25 March, 1945 with orders to patrol Luzon Strait, the South China Coast and waters along the east coast of Hainan. The submarines were also to perform lifeguard duties for Philippine based planes as directed by radio dispatch. SNOOK returned to Guam for emergency repairs on 27-28 March, 1945, then rejoined her group. She sent daily weather reports as she headed westward until 1 April when she was directed to discontinue the practice. On that day she was ordered to join a wolf pack known as "Hiram's Hecklers" under CDR Hiram CASSEDY in TIGRONE (SS 419). "Walling's Whalers" had been disbanded when BANG and BURRFISH were assigned lifeguard missions. On 8 April, 1945 SNOOK reported her position to TIGRONE as 180o 40' N, 111o 39' E. She did not acknowledge messages sent from TIGRONE the next day and it was assumed that SNOOK had moved eastward toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April SNOOK was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto in support of a British Carrier air strike. On 20 April, 1945 the British carrier task force commander reported one of his carrier planes downed in the station assigned to SNOOK and stated he was unable to contact her by radio. BANG was dispatched to the area where she rescued three British aviators but saw no sign of SNOOK.
SNOOK was never heard from again and the circumstances of her loss were never determined. Japanese records of anti-submarine attacks do not account for her sinking and she had been fully informed of the location of minefields in the Sakeshima Gunto area. It is possible that she was the victim of a Japanese submarine. Five Japanese submarines were lost in waters of the Nansei Shoto during April and May of 1945; one of these may have sunk SNOOK before its own sinking by United States warships.
Mission: 9th War Patrol
Mission Date: 9-Apr-45
Location: Near 18° 40' N x 110° 40' E
Cause: Unknown
Crew: of 6 officers, 54 enlisted MIA/KIA
Snook was credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one-half years of active service. She earned seven battle stars for World War II service.
Commander Walling appears on Tablets of the Missing - Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines - he was lost Apr. 9th 1945, and officially declared killed May 6th 1946. His memorial in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, Massachusetts is a cenotaph as his body was never recovered.
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Captain: Commander John F. Walling MIA/KIA
Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut
John was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
Ship: USS Snook (SS-279)
Service # 0-075090
Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia
SNOOK left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 11 April, 1943; the first of five patrols conducted under the command of Commander TRIEBEL, which earned her five battle stars. On 7 March, 1944 after the fifth patrol, CDR TRIEBEL was relieved by LCDR G.H. Browne, USN, who commanded SNOOK during her sixth and seventh war patrols, adding two more battle stars to her credit for a total of seven.
On 5 December, 1944 CDR John F. WALLING, USN, assumed command and SNOOK sailed on Christmas Day 1944 for her eighth war patrol, stopping off at Midway for last minute alterations in preparation for cold weather operations off the Kuril Islands. Underway from Midway on 30 December she encountered heavy gales, low visibility, extreme cold, and drifting ice. Her only sightings were two Russian vessels except for momentary contact with a small patrol vessel which was promptly lost. She returned to Midway on 17 February, 1945.
SNOOK was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol. She formed a "Wolf Pack" with BURRFISH (SS 312) and BANG (SS 385), under the tactical command of CDR WALLING, Commanding Officer of SNOOK. Known as "Walling's Whalers," the Wolf Pack left Guam on 25 March, 1945 with orders to patrol Luzon Strait, the South China Coast and waters along the east coast of Hainan. The submarines were also to perform lifeguard duties for Philippine based planes as directed by radio dispatch. SNOOK returned to Guam for emergency repairs on 27-28 March, 1945, then rejoined her group. She sent daily weather reports as she headed westward until 1 April when she was directed to discontinue the practice. On that day she was ordered to join a wolf pack known as "Hiram's Hecklers" under CDR Hiram CASSEDY in TIGRONE (SS 419). "Walling's Whalers" had been disbanded when BANG and BURRFISH were assigned lifeguard missions. On 8 April, 1945 SNOOK reported her position to TIGRONE as 180o 40' N, 111o 39' E. She did not acknowledge messages sent from TIGRONE the next day and it was assumed that SNOOK had moved eastward toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April SNOOK was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto in support of a British Carrier air strike. On 20 April, 1945 the British carrier task force commander reported one of his carrier planes downed in the station assigned to SNOOK and stated he was unable to contact her by radio. BANG was dispatched to the area where she rescued three British aviators but saw no sign of SNOOK.
SNOOK was never heard from again and the circumstances of her loss were never determined. Japanese records of anti-submarine attacks do not account for her sinking and she had been fully informed of the location of minefields in the Sakeshima Gunto area. It is possible that she was the victim of a Japanese submarine. Five Japanese submarines were lost in waters of the Nansei Shoto during April and May of 1945; one of these may have sunk SNOOK before its own sinking by United States warships.
Mission: 9th War Patrol
Mission Date: 9-Apr-45
Location: Near 18° 40' N x 110° 40' E
Cause: Unknown
Crew: of 6 officers, 54 enlisted MIA/KIA
Snook was credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels in her two and one-half years of active service. She earned seven battle stars for World War II service.
Commander Walling appears on Tablets of the Missing - Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines - he was lost Apr. 9th 1945, and officially declared killed May 6th 1946. His memorial in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, Massachusetts is a cenotaph as his body was never recovered.
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Captain: Commander John F. Walling MIA/KIA
Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut
John was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
Ship: USS Snook (SS-279)
Service # 0-075090
Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Massachusetts.
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