USS Jack (SS-259), a submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the jack (any of various fishes—young pike, green pike or pickerel, or large California rockfish). Construction and commissioning Jack′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, on 2 February 1942. She was launched on 16 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Frances Seely, and commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London in New London, Connecticut, on 6 January 1943, Commander Thomas. M. "Tommy" Dykers in command. Service history First and second war patrols, June – October 1943 Jack underwent shakedown training along the New England coast, sailing from New London 26 April 1943 for service in the Pacific. Reaching Pearl Harbor 21 May, the submarine took on supplies and departed on her first offensive war patrol 5 June 1943. Taking part in the submarine offensive against Japan, she patrolled off Honshū. Jack came upon a five-ship convoy 26 June, and in a series of five well-executed attacks, sank the 4,000-ton passenger/cargo ship Toyo Maru and the 6,000-ton cargo ship Shozan Maru. In attempting to torpedo a third ship, the submarine was shaken by a bomb dropped by an airplane, but the alert crew corrected her dangerous diving angle and effected repairs. On 4 July 1943, Jack began to track smoke on the horizon and soon detected Nikkyo Maru with an escort. The submarine used three torpedoes to send the cargo ship to the bottom, and returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs 19 July 1943. This patrol is dramatized in the 1950's TV series, The Silent Service (S01 E01), produced by Universal Television and hosted by Tommy Dykers. Jacks second war patrol (5 September–10 October 1943) brought no opportunities for attack as engineering difficulties forced her to return prematurely to Pearl Harbor. During her subsequent stay in Hawaii, an Allied tanker mistook her for a Japanese submarine and opened gunfire on her in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Hawaii at on 1 January 1944. Third war patrol, January – March 1944 On her third war patrol, the submarine proceeded westward from Pearl Harbor 16 January 1944 bound for the South China Sea. Prowling the pivotal Singapore-Japan shipping lanes, she encountered convoy Hi-40 of five large oil tankers with three escorts early 19 February. The submarine reached attack position at about 04:40 and fired three torpedoes, scoring one hit. She