>From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,” 

(1969) Vol. 4, p.128.





LIZARDFISH



		Lizardfish:  A slender marine fish having a scaly 

lizardlike head and large mouth.





SS-373



Displacement:

	Surfaced:  1,526 t.

	Submerged:  2,424 t.

Length:  311’9”

Beam:  27’3”

Draft:  15’3”

Speed:  

	Surfaced:  20.25 k.

	Submerged:  8.75 k.

Complement:  66

Armament:  1 5”; 10 21” torpedo tubes

Class:  BALAO



	LIZARDFISH (SS-373) was laid down 14 March 1944 by 

Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis.; launched 27 

July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lausdale G. Sasscer, wife of 

Congressman Sasscer of Maryland; and commissioned 30 

December 1944, Comdr. Ovid M. Butler in command.



	LIZARDFISH departed the Manitowoc River 20 January 1945 

for Lockport, Ill., where she was loaded on a floating 

drydock and towed down the Mississippi River.  She arrived 

at Algiers, La., 1 February and put to sea 5 days later for 

the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor, arriving 23 March.



	LIZARDFISH left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol 9 

April 1945.  Topping off with fuel at Saipan on the 21st, 

she set course for the South China Sea.  The submarine 

maintained a thorough close-in patrol of Indochina between 

30 April and 18 May but contacted no enemy traffic.  From 23 

to 28 May a similar painstaking patrol in the Java Sea 

produced no enemy contacts.  Completing this arduous patrol, 

LIZARDFISH arrived Fremantle, Australia, 2 June.



	LIZARDFISH got underway 28 June 1945 on her second 

patrol in the Java and South China Seas.  Throughout this 

well-planned and aggressive patrol the submarine sought out 

targets and carried destruction to the enemy in confined 

harbors, straits, and anchorages.  After careful submerged 

reconnaissance, she made two daring daylight gun attacks 

within range of shore batteries.  On 5 July, she entered the 

coral-fringed bay of Chelukan Bawang, Bali, discovering four 

landing barges, a 250-ton sea truck, and a 100-ton submarine 

chaser, all heavily camouflaged.  She made a submerged run 

and sank SUBMARINE CHASER NO. 37, then battle-surfaced and 

opened her deck guns.  Her 5-inch salvos started a gasoline 

fire which destroyed a nest of four landing barges.  She 

then demolished a boat shed and ripped apart the bow of a 

sea truck inside.  Leaving this target in a flaming mass, 

she headed out to sea.  On 13 July, near Sunda Strait she 

was patrolling southward along the western shore when she 

sighted a convoy of sea trucks.  The submarine surfaced and 

commenced firing at the closest target, started a brisk 

fire, and shifted targets.  Meanwhile, a shore battery 

opened up and was lobbing shells close by.  When ammunition 

was expended, LIZARDFISH submerged, leaving behind three 

ships burning fiercely.  She surfaced that night and headed 

for lifeguard station off Singapore in support of Army 

Liberator bomber strikes.  The submarine arrived Subic Bay, 

Philippines, 6 August and was there when Japan capitulated 9 

days later.



	LIZARDFISH cleared Subic Bay 31 August and set course 

for the West Coast, touched Pearl Harbor, and arrived San 

Francisco 22 September.  At Eureka, Calif., 24 October for 

Navy Day celebrations, LIZARDFISH 3 days later tied-up at 

Tiburon, Calif., remaining there until 2 January 1946 when 

she got underway to act as schoolship for the Sonar School 

at San Diego, Calif.  She completed her training services 5 

March and reported for inactivation at San Francisco.  After 

operations off the California coast, she decommissioned, and 

entered the Pacific Reserve fleet Mare Island Navy Yard, 24 

June 1946



	LIZARDFISH remained in reserve until 16 March 1959 when 

she departed for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for snorkel 

conversion and fitting out.  She was transferred to the 

Government of Italy 9 January 1960 and serves the Italian 

Navy under the name EVANGELISTA TORRICELLI (S-512).



	LIZARDFISH received one battle star for World War II 

service.



	[Originally to be named LUIGI TORELLI, former 

LIZARDFISH was transferred to Italy on loan.  Shifted from 

operational duties 5 March 1966, EVANGELISTA TORRICELLI 

(sometimes spelled TORICELLI) was used for training and 

experiments.  She was discarded in 1976.  Former LIZARDFISH 

was stricken from the US Navy Register on 15 July 1978.



“Jane’s Fighting Ships, 1961-62,” p.134; “1976-77,” p.253 

says the sub was discarded in 1975, however, she is shown in 

the 1977-78 edition, page 259, as a training and 

experimental vessel; she is listed as discarded in 1976, in 

the 1978-79 edition, page 255, and the 1979-80 edition, page 

268.

“Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships, 1947-1995,” p.212.

K. Jack Bauer and Stephen S. Roberts, “Register of Ships of 

the U. S. Navy, 1775-1990,” p.277]





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com