October 5, 1940-The keel of the Gato is laid down in Groton, Connecticut.
August 21, 1941-The Gato is launched.
December 31, 1941-The Gato is commissioned and undergoes shakedown training near New London.
February 16, 1942-The Gato embarks on a voyage to Pearl Harbor, passing through the Panama Canal and a port call to San Francisco.
April 20, 1942-The Gato departs on its first war patrol. During this patrol, the submarine attempted to torpedo a converted carrier, but was unsuccessful, then was driven off by four escorting destroyers while in the Marshalls.
May 24, 1942-The Gato patrols near the western edge of Midway Island, operating 280 miles off the island.
June 10, 1942-The Gato returns from its first war patrol.
July 2, 1942-The Gato again leaves on a war patrol, the ships second. This time, the ship patrolled near Kurile.
August 15, 1942-The Gato torpedoes a vessel with four torpedo hits with unknown damage.
August 29, 1942-The Gato completes its second war patrol at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
September 4, 1942-The Gato operates in the Kiska area, then leaves to cover Midway, Pearl Harbor, and Truk.
December 6, 1942-The Gato attacks a convoy, but suffers aerial attacks and depth charge runs by three escorting destroyers.
December 23, 1942-The Gato returns to Brisbane, Australia to terminate the third war patrol.
January 13, 1943-The Gato begins its fourth war patrol.
January 21, 1943-The Gato sinks Kenkon Maru by torpedoes while operating off the Solomon Islands.
January 29, 1943-The Gato sinks Nichiun Maru by torpedoes.
February 15, 1943-The Gato torpedoes and sinks the Suruya Maru off the Solomon Islands.
February 26, 1943-The Gato ends its fourth war patrol.
January 13, 1943-The Gato embarks on its fifth war patrol.
March 29, 1943-The Gato offloads Australian Intelligence agents near Bougainville, then evacuates 29 women and children.
March 31, 1943-The Gato offloads the civilians to SC-531 off Florida Island.
April 4, 1943-The Gato makes a submerged run on several ships and the escorts shake the submarine with depth charges.
April 11, 1943-The Gato enters Brisbane, Australia for 9 days of temporary repairs, leaving on April 20, 1943.
May 29, 1943-More Australian commandoes are offloaded by the Gato, again to Bougainville, picking up further evacuees for transfer to Florida Island. The submarine is then assigned reconnaissance duties near Tarawa.
June 6, 1943-The Gato enters Pearl Harbor to conclude the ships fifth war patrol.
August 22, 1943-The Gato returns to Pearl Harbor after a stop at the Mare Island Navy Yards for an overhaul.
September 6, 1943-The Gato leaves on its sixth war patrol, this time operating near Truk and Bougainville.
October 19, 1943-The Gato attacks a convoy, hitting two cargo vessels with torpedoes with unknown damage.
October 28, 1943-The Gato finishes its sixth war patrol.
November 18, 1943-The Gato embarks on another war patrol, the ships seventh, near the Bismarck Archipelago.
November 30, 1943-The Gato attacks the Columbia Maru.
December 16, 1943-The Gato sights a Japanese soldier in a life raft, then moves to rescue the soldier. After bringing the soldier aboard, the ship resumes its regular patrol duties.
December 20, 1943-The Gato fires on the cargo ship Tsunes Hima Maru, sinking it and also damaging another freighter. The ship is then subjected to two hours of depth charge attacks. The ship surfaced after outrunning the other ships, only to find a live depth charge on deck. Two escorts were sighted and the depth charges were rolled into a life raft to be set adrift. The submarine never regained sight of the damaged freighter.
December 22, 1943-The Gato is forced to break the pursuit of a convoy sighted shortly after being unable to sight the damaged freighter. The submarines gunners finally managed to force the floatplane to leave.
January 10, 1944-The Gato completes its seventh war patrol.
February 2, 1944-The Gato embarks on the eighth war patrol of its career, operating near the Bismarck, Truk, and New Guinea.
February 15, 1944-The Gato sinks a trawler near Truk.
February 26, 1944-The Gato torpedoes the Daigen Maru Number 3
March 12, 1944-The Gato destrys the cargo ship Okinoyama Maru Number 3 and also sinks two other trawlers.
April 1, 1944-The Gato returns to Pearl Harbor after having completed its eighth war patrol
May 30, 1944-The Gato begins its ninth war patrol, carrying Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood to Midway Island, then is assigned reconnaissance duties near Woleai..
June 11, 1944-The Gato is stationed near Truk to rescue any downed airmen during strikes on the island over the next week.
June 22, 1944-The Gato completes its ninth war patrol at Majuro Atoll.
July 15, 1944-The Gato embarks on its tenth war patrol. During this time, the ship took up station near Chichi Jima, saving 2 aviators during the following air raids.
September 2, 1944-The Gato arrives at Pearl Harbor, then is ordered to Mare Island Navy Yards for further repairs. Afterwards, the submarine returns to Pearl Harbor.
January 28, 1945-The Gato leaves on its eleventh war patrol, operating near the Yellow Sea.
February 14, 1945-The Gato sank a coastal defense vessel.
February 21, 1945-The Gato sinks the cargo vessel Tairiku Maru.
March 13, 1945-The Gato returns to Guam to complete its eleventh war patrol.
April 12, 1945-The Gato leaves on its twelfth war patrol. The submarine is assigned to rescue pilots near the coast of Okinawa
April 22, 1945-During the night, the Gato meets two Japanese submarines, briefly engaging and narrowly missing the enemy torpedoes before running.
April 27, 1945-Over the next three days, Gato rescues 10 pilots from waters near Kyushu.
June 3, 1945-The Gato returns to Pearl Harbor.
July 8, 1945-The Gato leaves for its thirteenth and final war patrol, leaving for air strikes on Wake Island, then being transferred to the coast of Honshu.
August 15, 1945-The Gato receives word of the peace agreement while preparing to attack another ship.
August 31, 1945-The Gato sails into Tokyo Bay for the surrender signing.
September 2, 1945-The Gato is in Tokyo Bay while the documents are signed aboard the battleship Missouri.
September 3, 1945-The Gato leaves for New York Shipyard in preparations for decommissioning.
March 16, 1946-The Gato is decommissioned. The ship remains with the naval reserve as a training ship.
March 1, 1960-The Gato is removed from the Navy List.
July 25, 1960-The Gato is sold for scrap to Northern Metals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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