USS Flier - San Diego, CA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 32° 44.193 W 117° 12.650
11S E 480246 N 3622101
The Memorial notes that about 78 men were lost when the sub hit a mine August 13, 1944.
Waymark Code: WMT2JX
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/14/2016
Views: 1
This Memorial is one of dozens at San Diego's Liberty Station Park.
The memorial has a photo of the vessel..a submarine and provides a history which Wikipedia (
visit link) echoes:
"USS Flier (SS-250), a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flier, a round sunfish widely known in the United States.
Her keel was laid down 30 October 1942 by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 11 July 1943 (sponsored by Mrs. A. S. Pierce), and commissioned on 18 October 1943 with Lieutenant Commander John D. Crowley in command...
Second war patrol
Flier put in to Fremantle submarine base, Western Australia, to refit between 5 July and 2 August 1944, then sailed on her second war patrol, bound for the coast of Indochina via the Lombok Strait, Macassar Strait and Balabac Strait. At about 2200 on 12 August, while transiting Balabac Strait on the surface, she struck a naval mine. She sank in about a minute, but 14 officers and men were able to clamber out. Eight of them reached the beach of Mantangula Island after 17 hours in the water. Friendly natives guided them to a coast-watcher, who arranged for them to be picked up by submarine, and on the night of 30–31 August, they were taken on board by Redfin.
Flier received one battle star for World War II service on her single war patrol, designated "successful." She is credited with having sunk 10,380 tons of Japanese shipping. See also List of U.S. Navy losses in World War II.
Wreck
On 1 February 2009, the U.S. Navy announced the discovery of Flier near the Philippines' Balabac Strait (7°58'43.21?N 117°15'23.79?ECoordinates: 7°58'43.21?N 117°15'23.79?E. The discovery of a Gato-class submarine was made during an expedition by YAP Films, based in part on information provided by a survivor of the sinking of Flier. Further research by the Naval History and Heritage Command revealed that no other submarine, American or Japanese, had been reported lost in that general vicinity. In addition, footage of the wreck showed a gun mount and radar antenna, both of which were similar to the same equipment seen in contemporary photographs of Flier. The ship rests in 330 ft (100 m) of water."