USS Dorado - SS-248 (Submarine)

The USS Dorado (SS-248), a Gato-class submarine, was the first U.S. Navy vessel named after the dorado fish. She was commissioned on August 28, 1943, after successful sea trials. However, while en route to the Panama Canal Zone, she mysteriously disappeared in October 1943. An aircraft mistakenly attacked Dorado, believing she was outside the restricted zone, and a subsequent encounter with another submarine led to Dorado's loss. Investigations suggested the involvement of U-boats, possibly U-518 and U-214, or a minefield laid near Colón. Dorado remains one of only two U.S. Navy submarines lost in the Atlantic during World War II. Her legacy is commemorated with a memorial in Wichita, Kansas, and a book titled "USS Dorado (SS-248): On Eternal Patrol." The artist Thomas Hart Benton drew inspiration from his experience aboard Dorado for his paintings.