Navy USS BATFISH (SS-310) Class: Balao Launched: May 5, 1943 Named for: a spiny fish with appendages that resemble legs, which sits on the bottom of the sea, supported by its fins, waiting for its prey, which consists of almost anything that comes within its reach Where: Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire Sponsor: Mrs. Nellie Fortier, the mother of six sons who were all, at the time of the launching, fighting in the war Commissioned: August 21, 1943 Where is she today? Muskogee War Memorial Park 3500 Batfish Road Muskogee, Oklahoma 74402 (918) 682-6294 www.ussbatfish.com www.batfish.org Claim to fame: She was dubbed the “sub-killer submarine of World War II” for her amazing feat of sinking three enemy submarines in just over three days, an almost impossible feat. The incessant radar signal that was pounding away on 158 megacycles was undeniable. Whatever kind of vessel was out there in the indelible darkness, it was dangerously close by the submarine USS Batfish. Too close for comfort.
