Ellis Denton Branchcomb
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Ellis was born on March 24, 1924 in Gideon, Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
He Enlisted in June 1943.
He went to boot camp in Farragut, Idaho.
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He went firecontrol school and Submarine school in San Diego, San Diego County, California.
He was transferred to a sub tender in Pearl Harbor, Hiwia.
He went for about three months in Midway Island.
He was transferred to the USS Puffer SS 268 on December 28, 1944.
Made 4 war patrols before the end of the war. I was on war patrol 6,7.8.&9. This information has been put on the net by the son of one of my shipmates. His name is Craig McDonald. I received the Bronze Star for my actions on the 7th war patrol. McDonald has written a book about the Puffer. It hasn't been printed yet but a typed manuscript can be obtained from him e-mail crmcdona@indiana.edu.
Sixth and seventh war patrols, December 1944 - 1945
Following refresher training at Hawaii, Puffer got underway on her 6th war patrol 16 December. Operating in the Nansei Shoto area, she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 42 on 10 January 1945; and, prior to her arrival at Guam, 17 January, damaged a destroyer, three freighters, and a tanker.
By 11 February, Puffer was underway again and following patrols in Luzon Strais and the South China Sea where she bombarded Pratas Island, she made an anti-shipping sweep of the Wake Island area.
Eighth and ninth war patrols, May 1945
Refitted at Midway she departed 20 May en route to the South China and Java Seas to conduct her 8th war patrol. In a surface sweep of the northern Bali coast, Puffer destroyed, by gunfire, two Japanese sea trucks and six landing craft, 5 July, and inflicted extensive damage to harbor installations at Chelukan Bawang and Buleng, Bali. A brief respite at Fremantle followed, whence she headed north for her last war patrol, in the Java Sea.
Puffer earned 9 battle stars for World War II service in the Pacific Theater, with a total tonnage of 36,392 tons (eight ships).
Post-war service
Completing that patrol with the cessation of hostilities, Puffer headed for Subic Bay, thence to the United States, reaching San Francisco 15 October. With the new year, 1946, Puffer returned to Hawaii where she trained officers and men in submarine warfare until returning to San Francisco, 19 March, for inactivation.
Puffer decommissioned 28 June 1946, and was berthed at Mare Island as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. At the end of the year Puffer was ordered activated and assigned to the 13th Naval District for training Naval Reservists. Employed in that status, at Seattle, until relieved by Bowfin, 10 June 1960, Puffer was placed out of service and sold for scrapping to the Zidell Corp., Portland, Oreg. 4 November 1960.
