Covert Raids and Silent Shadows: The Nautilus War Patrols
The USS Nautilus (SS-168), the first submarine built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINS), may not have defined the shipyard’s identity overnight—but she laid the foundation. Authorized in 1916 and exempt from the size limits imposed by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, Nautilus was massive when she was finally funded and built beginning in 1927. She and her sister ships were the largest submarines in the fleet until nuclear propulsion came on the scene, making them ideal platforms for speed, range, and heavy torpedo loads—critical ingredients in America’s emerging Pacific strategy known as War Plan Orange.
But Nautilus’s true legacy lies not in her construction, but in the daring exploits of the crews who sailed her through the crucible of war.
Baptism by Battle
By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Nautilus was back at MINS for overhaul—11 years old and finally called to fulfill her wartime purpose. Rushed into service, she steamed toward Midway in May 1942 and fired on the aircraft carrier Kaga. Although the torpedo missed, her presence triggered a chain of events that led U.S. carrier planes directly to the Japanese fleet, resulting in one of the most decisive victories of the war: four enemy carriers sunk in exchange for one American. Nautilus received a Presidential Unit Citation for this and two other war patrols.
She would go on to complete 14 war patrols, surviving near-misses from enemy depth charges, aircraft bombs, a broadside from a battleship, and even a friendly-fire incident that flooded her conning tower. Submariners suffered the highest casualty rate of all American forces in WWII—but Nautilus endured.
Covert Warfare & Marine Raids
Her second patrol was a milestone in special operations: teaming up with USS Argonaut and a contingent of Marine Raiders, she led a covert assault on Japanese-held Maiken Island meant to distract from the Guadalcanal landings. The mission involved landing troops, shelling enemy positions, and evacuating under fire. Though nine Marines were tragically left behind and executed, the raid was a proof of concept for submarine-launched special ops.
On later patrols around the Solomons, she sank sampans and cargo ships, rescued a Catholic missionary team, and supported Marine invasions in Attu, Alaska. Her fifth patrol ended with a return to Mare Island for refit—battle-tested and still vital.
Recon, Fire Support, and Guerrilla Aid
For her sixth patrol, Nautilus reconnoitered Tarawa ahead of the invasion, snapping beach photos before heading out again with 78 Marines onboard. She was mistakenly attacked by friendly forces, causing flooding and a shaky moment of depth control. Still, she pressed on and, once the Marines hit the beach, provided fire support against entrenched Japanese defenders.
Between her ninth and 14th patrols, Nautilus shifted roles—delivering ammunition and supplies to guerrilla fighters in the Philippines, transporting personnel, and evacuating survivors. By her final patrol, she had logged 471 days on combat duty, fired on 31 enemy ships, sunk 9 totaling 35,500 tons, and damaged 8 totaling 56,700 tons—all while executing reconnaissance and covert landings.
On June 30, 1945, she was decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, her hull worn but her legend secured.
Dennis Kelly