USS Batfish and the Velasco Reef Strike, August 23, 1944

The USS Batfish (SS-310) earned her reputation later in the war as the submarine that destroyed three enemy subs in just three days, a record that still stands. But before that legendary patrol, Batfish carved out her place in the Pacific with a series of bold and dangerous actions that tested her crew and her skipper, Lieutenant Commander John K. Fyfe.

One of those moments came on August 23, 1944, during her Fourth War Patrol near Palau. Acting on a contact report, Batfish closed in on Velasco Reef and discovered what looked like a naval junkyard. Japanese ships were stranded on reefs, patrol craft buzzed in circles, and planes kept watch overhead. In the middle of this chaos, Batfish lined up a warship and struck hard.

This is the story of how Batfish and her crew turned a trap into an opportunity, and left Velasco Reef with a victory.