USS Pampanito sank six Japanese vessels—more than 27,000 tons of shipping—on six war patrols in 1944-45. It is now a museum boat tied alongside Pier 45 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.[Stephen J. Thorne]

USS Pampanito: A genuine WW II relic on Fisherman’s Wharf

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

It is the rare wartime relic that can be claimed to have engaged in significant action 80 or more years ago, but tied alongside Pier 45 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco there sits the real deal—a genuine fighting submarine of the Second World War’s U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Built in 1943 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, USS Pampanito made six war patrols, sank six Japanese ships, damaged four others, and barely survived a sustained depth charge attack on its maiden voyage.

Named for the pompano fish, the 95-metre Balao-class diesel-electric submarine narrowly escaped a double torpedo strike, rescued 73 Allied prisoners of war, and earned six battle stars for WW II service.

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ATTENTION CANADIAN MILITARY FAMILIES : Did you or a family member receive VAC disability benefits between 2003 and 2023?

On 17 January 2024 the Federal Court approved a settlement in a class action involving alleged underpayment of certain disability pension benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (“VAC”) payable to members or former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (“CAF”) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) and their spouses, commonlaw partners, survivors, other related individuals, and estates (the “Settlement”).

If you received any of the disability-related benefits listed below at any time between 2003 and 2023, you may be entitled to compensation under the Settlement. As the executor, estate trustee, administrator, or family member of a deceased class member who collected VAC-administered disability benefits, you may also be able to claim on behalf of the estate.

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Defeat of the British Army at Plattsburg by General Macomb. [Wikimedia]

The Battle of Plattsburg: An Anglo-Canadian Defeat in the War of 1812

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

There had been gains and losses, victories and defeats, but the War of 1812 had gone well enough for Anglo-Canadian forces by early September 1814.

This was especially the case on the eastern seaboard where, in one of the conflict’s earliest engagements, HMS Belvidera had evaded the pursuit of three American vessels. The British had then decisively rebuffed a U.S. invasion of Canada at the battles of Crysler’s Farm and Châteauguay in late 1813.

With Napolean subdued—albeit temporarily—in April 1814, Britain had turned its attention to North America by providing sufficient troops for offensives into the United States. Already, the King’s men had begun their invasion of eastern Maine, spearheaded by Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor John Sherbrooke.

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More from Military Milestones

• My son in Spain: Canada’s last combat veteran of the Spanish Civil War
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• When Harry met Winnie: The WW I story behind a classic children’s book

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