About USS Cobia
USS Cobia (SS-245) was a Gato-class submarine that served in the United States Navy
during World War II. Commissioned on March 29, 1944, she conducted six war patrols
in the Pacific Theater under the command of Commander Albert L. Becker.
6
War Patrols
13
Ships Sunk
1944–45
Service Period
311′
Length
Operating primarily in the South China Sea, Java Sea, and waters around the Philippines and Formosa,
Cobia was credited with sinking over 16,000 tons of enemy shipping. Her patrols took her from
Pearl Harbor across the Pacific to bases in Australia (Fremantle) and the Philippines (Subic Bay).
Historical Note: Cobia was at sea on patrol off Formosa when word came on
August 14, 1945 that Japan had accepted the terms of surrender, ending World War II.
Today, USS Cobia is a museum ship at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc,
Wisconsin—the city where many Gato-class submarines were built during the war.
About This Archive
This website provides searchable access to the original war patrol reports filed by USS Cobia
after each combat patrol. These historical documents offer a detailed, day-by-day account of
submarine operations during WWII.
What's Included
- Six complete patrol reports — Original documents with narrative accounts,
position reports, and contact logs
- Interactive patrol maps — Visualize Cobia's routes across the Pacific with
ship contacts, aircraft sightings, and daily positions
- Full-text search — Search across all documents for specific terms, dates,
or events
- Glossary tooltips — Hover over military terms, aircraft names, and acronyms
for instant definitions
How to Use This Site
-
🔍
Search — Enter any term in the search box on the homepage.
Results show matching text with context and link directly to the relevant page.
Note: OCR quality varies considerably due to the condition of the original microfilm.
Some text may not be recognized, so searches might miss occurrences.
-
📄
Browse Documents — Use the dropdown menu to select and view
any patrol report. Navigate pages using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts.
-
🗺️
Patrol Maps — Click "Patrol Maps" to view interactive maps
showing Cobia's routes. Toggle individual patrols on/off using the layer control.
Click any waypoint marker to see details including date, time, position,
and for aircraft contacts, identification photos.
-
💡
Glossary — When viewing documents, terms like
Betty or
TDC are highlighted.
Hover over them to see definitions and, for aircraft, identification photos.
Keyboard Shortcuts (PDF Viewer)
- ← / → — Previous/Next page
- + / - — Zoom in/out
- Ctrl + F — Search within document
Map Legend
The patrol track maps use the following markers:
- ● Red pins — Ship contacts (enemy vessels, fishing boats, friendly ships)
- ● Blue pins — Aircraft contacts (enemy and friendly aircraft)
- ● Green circles — Noon positions (daily navigation fixes)
- ● Orange circles — Inferred positions (derived from narrative descriptions)
- ⭐ Gold star — Special events (Japan surrender announcement)
Directional arrows on the track lines indicate the direction of travel.
Each patrol is shown in a different color and can be toggled on/off using the layer control.
Sources & Acknowledgments
The patrol reports in this archive are sourced from the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). Position data has been compiled from the original documents
and cross-referenced with historical sources.
Additional historical context drawn from:
- War Patrols of the USS Cobia SS-245 by C.F. "Doc" Starmer
- Clay Blair's Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
- Wisconsin Maritime Museum archives
Aircraft identification images sourced from Wikipedia Commons and other public domain sources.
Contact
This archive was created and is maintained by Joe Knapp
(jmknapp@gmail.com).
Questions, corrections, or additional information about USS Cobia's wartime service
are welcome. For inquiries about the submarine herself, contact the
Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
Sister Museum Ship
USS COD (SS-224) —
Another Gato-class submarine preserved as a museum ship in Cleveland, Ohio. COD's history
intersected with Cobia's during the 6th patrol when Lt. F.B.K. Drake was transferred
from Cobia to BOARFISH and ultimately to COD following the covert Java landing operation.