USS Dace (SS-247)

''Dace'' cleared Brisbane on 1 September on her fifth and most successful war patrol. She topped up her fuel tanks at [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin, Australia]] on 10 September, and sailed for the exacting task of sweeping mines in [[Palawan]] Passage and [[Balabac Strait]]. From 27 September – 3 October, she put in at [[Mios Woendi]] to repair her [[gyrocompass]], returning to her patrol area on 10 October. Four days later, she attacked a convoy of seven ships, sinking two and heavily damaging a third.

''Dace'' cleared Brisbane on 1 September on her fifth and most successful war patrol. She topped up her fuel tanks at [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin, Australia]] on 10 September, and sailed for the exacting task of sweeping mines in [[Palawan]] Passage and [[Balabac Strait]]. From 27 September – 3 October, she put in at [[Mios Woendi]] to repair her [[gyrocompass]], returning to her patrol area on 10 October. Four days later, she attacked a convoy of seven ships, sinking two and heavily damaging a third.

She now joined {{USS|Darter|SS-227|2}} in [[Battle of Leyte Gulf#Submarine action in Palawan Passage (23 October 1944)|an action]] which brought both submarines the [[Navy Unit Commendation]]. On 23 October, they contacted the [[Leyte Gulf order of battle#Japanese Forces 2|Japanese Center Force]] approaching the [[Palawan Passage]] for the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf|attack]] on the [[Leyte (island)|Leyte]] landings. Since the location of this Japanese force had been unknown for several days, the contact report reported by ''Dace'' and ''Darter'' was significant. The two submarines closed the task force, and ''Darter'' attacked first, sinking {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} and damaging {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}}. ''Dace'' followed with a torpedo attack that sank {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Maya||2}}, then went deep to avoid counterattacking [[destroyer]]s. Continuing to track their target, hoping for a chance to finish off ''Takao'', the two submarines worked through the Palawan Passage. ''Darter'' ran aground. With the area full of searching enemy ships, ''Dace'' took ''Darter''{{'}}s men off, then fired torpedoes at her to destroy her. She dove to avoid a patrolling Japanese aircraft, which had bombed ''Darter''. ''Dace'' sailed on for [[Fremantle Harbour]], [[Western Australia]], arriving on 6 November.

She now joined {{USS|Darter|SS-227|2}} in [[Battle of Leyte Gulf#Submarine action in Palawan Passage (23 October 1944)|an action]] which brought both submarines the [[Navy Unit Commendation]]. On 23 October, they contacted the [[Leyte Gulf order of battle#Japanese Forces 2|Japanese Center Force]] approaching the Palawan Passage for the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf|attack]] on the [[Leyte (island)|Leyte]] landings. Since the location of this Japanese force had been unknown for several days, the contact report reported by ''Dace'' and ''Darter'' was significant. The two submarines closed the task force, and ''Darter'' attacked first, sinking {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} and damaging {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}}. ''Dace'' followed with a torpedo attack that sank {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Maya||2}}, then went deep to avoid counterattacking [[destroyer]]s. Continuing to track their target, hoping for a chance to finish off ''Takao'', the two submarines worked through the Palawan Passage. ''Darter'' ran aground. With the area full of searching enemy ships, ''Dace'' took ''Darter''{{'}}s men off, then fired torpedoes at her to destroy her. She dove to avoid a patrolling Japanese aircraft, which had bombed ''Darter''. ''Dace'' sailed on for [[Fremantle Harbour]], Western Australia, arriving on 6 November.

''Dace'' cleared Fremantle on 2 December on her sixth war patrol. She scouted along the [[Singapore]]-[[Hong Kong]] shipping lane, then sailed on to mine the channel between [[:vi:Cù lao Xanh|Palau Gambir]]<ref>{{cite book | title=List of Lights and Fog Signals: Western Pacific and Indian Oceans | year=1958 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4TfAAAAMAAJ&dq=Palau+gambir&pg=PA207 | access-date=5 August 2022 | page=207}}</ref> and the mainland. Finishing that task on 16 December, ''Dace'' heard loud explosions from the mined area late in the afternoon. Three days later, while preparing to attack an eight-ship convoy, ''Dace'' was violently shaken by four depth charges or bombs. She went deep, hitting bottom, and while waiting there for the escorts to break off their attack, she was bumped, turned, scraped, and clanked along the bottom by the strong current. Somehow the enemy did not detect her and the sub was able to surface later, repair minor damage, and sail on to patrol farther north. On 28 December, she sank [[Japanese food supply ship Nosaki|''Nosaki'']] and damaged a freighter in the same convoy. She put in at [[Saipan]] for fuel on 17 January 1945, and reached Pearl Harbor on 28 January.

''Dace'' cleared Fremantle on 2 December on her sixth war patrol. She scouted along the [[Singapore]]-[[Hong Kong]] shipping lane, then sailed on to mine the channel between [[:vi:Cù lao Xanh|Palau Gambir]]<ref>{{cite book | title=List of Lights and Fog Signals: Western Pacific and Indian Oceans | year=1958 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4TfAAAAMAAJ&dq=Palau+gambir&pg=PA207 | access-date=5 August 2022 | page=207}}</ref> and the mainland. Finishing that task on 16 December, ''Dace'' heard loud explosions from the mined area late in the afternoon. Three days later, while preparing to attack an eight-ship convoy, ''Dace'' was violently shaken by four depth charges or bombs. She went deep, hitting bottom, and while waiting there for the escorts to break off their attack, she was bumped, turned, scraped, and clanked along the bottom by the strong current. Somehow the enemy did not detect her and the sub was able to surface later, repair minor damage, and sail on to patrol farther north. On 28 December, she sank [[Japanese food supply ship Nosaki|''Nosaki'']] and damaged a freighter in the same convoy. She put in at [[Saipan]] for fuel on 17 January 1945, and reached Pearl Harbor on 28 January.