### Introduction to USS Barb SS-220
The most Savage Submarine with a Savage Captain… That sunk a train.
Launched in 1941, USS Barb SS-220, was a Gato-class diesel-electric submarine of the United States Navy. Although she began her career in the Atlantic hunting Axis blockade runners, she would become one of the most famous/infamous submarines the Americans had.
### Transition to the Pacific
In 1943, she was given an overhaul and transferred to the Pacific fleet. It was here where her career really took off as she began to relentlessly hunt Japanese vessels. But her fame really took off when Commander Eugene “Lucky” Fluckey (really, that was his name) took command of the vessel and went on an absolute rampage.
Now Fluckey was, by far, one of the more capable and innovative/creative submarine commanders in the fleet. Not only did he adopt the “Wolf Pack” tactics used by German U-Boats, the man was an absolute savage! During one patrol when they ran out of torpedoes, Fluckey ordered the Barb to ram a vessel to sink it… And they did! He is even credited with sinking the Japanese Taiyō-class carrier Un’yō, something not many Submarine commanders can say they have done.
### The Legendary Final Patrol
But her real claim to fame came in her final patrol in 1945. Prior to her last deployment, Fluckey had requested that his submarine be fitted with launchers for 5-inch rockets. Which he would later use to bombard the Japanese mainland, making Barb the first submarine to conduct a “missile” attack in combat. But he was not done.
While prowling off the coast, Barb observed trains running along the coastline, and Fluckey thought maybe destroying a train filled with Japanese war materials would be a good idea. Selecting 8 volunteers from his crew, he had them go ashore via rubber rafts and place charges on the rail line. Need I remind you, these men were not special forces. They were just submariners who had no experience other than being Boy Scouts, which Fluckey took into consideration. He even told his men that if the sun came up before they could return to the ship, their best option was to make a run for Siberia. He could not risk surfacing in broad daylight so close to Japan.
But fortunately, the impromptu “Special Forces” raid was a success, and a train was destroyed.
### Legacy of USS Barb and Commander Fluckey
Barb and Fluckey would survive the war and both would have long careers afterwards. Fluckey would remain in the navy and retire at the rank of Rear Admiral, before starting an orphanage in Portugal in 1974. The Barb would be in and out of service until being transferred to the Italian navy in 1954 and renamed Enrico Tazzoli (S 511).
Though scrapped in 1972, the Barb’s legacy still lives on. Barb’s battle flag is currently on display at the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Connecticut. In 2020, it was announced that a future Virginia-class attack submarine will be named in the ship’s honor. She is also credited with sinking the most tonnage out of any American submarine during the war and is one of the more decorated with 8 Battle Stars and:
Presidential Unit Citation
Navy Unit Commendation
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
