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William was an EM1 grade.
dp. 1870 tons (surf.), 2391
tons (subm.); l. 311.7'; b. 27';
s. 20.25k (surf.), 8.75k
(subm.); td. 400'; a. 1-5"/25; 6-21"
tt. fwd, 4-21" tt. aft;
cpl. 6 officers - 60 enlisted men; cl. "BALAO"
Keel laid down by Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard, Kittery, ME,
29OCT42;
Launched: 24DEC42; Sponsored by
Mrs. Andrew G. Bennett;
Commissioned: 10MAY43 with LCdr
James W. Coe in command.
Venturing out for her first war
patrol of WWII, USS CISCO
(SS-290) left Port Darwin, Australia
on 18 September 1943. That
evening she returned to Darwin
due to a derangement of the main
hydraulic system which had occurred
during the day's operation.
The hydraulic system having been
repaired toÿ satisfaction,
CISCO once more departed on 19
September.
CISCO's area was a large rectangular
one in the South China Sea
between Luzon and the coast of
French Indo-China. In order to
reach it, she was to pass through
the Arafoera Sea area, the
Banda Sea, Manipa Strait, Molukka
Passage, the Celebes Sea,
Sibutu Passage, the Sulu Sea and
Mindoro Strait. On 28
September, CISCO should have been
due west of Mindanao in the
center of the Sulu Sea. On that
day a Japanese antisubmarine
attack was made at 9!-47'N;121!
-44'E slightly north and east
of CISCO's expected position.
In reporting the attack the
Japanese state, "Found a sub tailing
oil. Bombing. Ships
cooperated with us. The oil continued
to gush out even on tenth
of October." The attack would
seem to have been made by planes
in cooperation with ships. No
submarine which returned from
patrol reported having been attacked
at this time and position.
Nothing
has been seen of or heard from CISCO since her
departure
from Darwin, and on 4 and 5 November 1943,
Headquarters Task Force Seventy-One
was unable to make radio
contact with her. At the time
of her loss it was considered
very unlikely that a recurrence
of trouble with her main
hydraulic system could explain
her sinking, and the only other
possible clue was the fact that
a Japanese plane was reported
over Darwin at twenty thousand
feet on the morning of her
second departure. The attack listed
above is thought to
probably explain this loss. Ne
enemy minefields are known to
have been in her area, or enroute
to it.
Compiled by SUBNET from "UNITES
STATES SUBMARINE LOSSES - WORLD
WAR II," - Navy Department;
"Dictionary of American Naval
Fighting Ships," - Navy
Department;
and "UNITED STATES NAVAL SUBMARINE
INFORMATION BOOK" -- J.
