USS Hake (SS/AGSS-256) was a of the United States Navy that served during World War II. Construction and commissioning Hake′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut. She was launched 17 July 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Martha Richards Fletcher, wife of Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, and commissioned 30 October 1942. Operational history Atlantic war patrols, April – July 1943 Hake departed for shakedown off New London soon after commissioning and after bringing crew and equipment up to fighting efficiency began her first war patrol from New London 8 April 1943. Her mission on this patrol was to search out and destroy German submarines in the North Atlantic, but no contacts were gained and she arrived Helensburgh, Scotland, to terminate the patrol 29 April. She departed for her second patrol, off the Azores and again on antisubmarine patrol, 27 May 1943 and after encountering few submarines returned to New London 17 July. Third and fourth war patrols, December 1943 – April 1944 Newly assigned to the Pacific, Hake departed New London 25 August 1943 for San Diego, via the Panama Canal. After a training period off the California coast, she sailed for the western Pacific 6 December. Hake armed at Pearl Harbor and departed for her third war patrol 27 December 1943. She sighted the transport Nigitsu Maru en route to Japan 11 January 1944 and after a day-long chase to gain position sank her the next day. The submarine then continued to her cruising grounds off the Philippine Islands, patrolling off Luzon and later moving south to Mindanao. The night of 26 January she attacked a tanker, damaged her, and in turn suffered considerable damage from depth charge attacks before making her escape. Hake next encountered three ships with two escorts 1 February. With the three targets in a line of bearing after a perfect approach, the submarine launched a spread of six torpedoes, sinking two of the three, Tacoma Maru, and Nanka Maru. The attack achieved complete surprise and Hake was not attacked by the screening vessels. She then departed for Fremantle, Australia, terminating the patrol there 20 February 1944. Hakes fourth war patrol was spent in the South China Sea near Singapore, following departure from Fremantle 18 March 1944. She encountered her first target 27 March off southwest Borneo, and it was a submariner's dream: an unescorted tanker. Two torpedoes sent the