USS Humuhumunukunukuapua’a?

Jul 21, 2025, 11 AM

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

The United States Navy’s method of naming submarines after types of fish faced a conundrum in 1941, when they wanted to name the submarine that would have hull number SS-237. They decided on the name of a fish native to Hawaii, known as the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, as celebrated on the 1935 USS Omaha cover shown above.

The more common name of the fish is the wedgetail triggerfish, which was shortened by the Navy to USS Trigger when the submarine was launched on Oct. 22, 1941. Commissioned on Jan. 31, 1942, the submarine sailed for Midway in May of that year but was not a participant in the Battle of Midway after the underwater vessel ran aground on a reef.

USS Trigger had 12 war patrols between June 1942 and March 1945. The submarine is credited with sinking 18 ships totaling 86,552 tons and received a Presidential Unit Citation for outstanding performance in combat during her fifth, sixth and seventh war patrols.

Japanese records showed a Japanese aircraft detected and bombed a submarine, later determined to be USS Trigger, on March 28, 1945. Two Japanese Imperial Navy ships were then guided to the spot and conducted intensive depth charging. A large oil slick subsequently appeared resulting in the demise of USS Trigger and her crew of six officers and 54 enlisted.

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