USS Bugara

Bugara fitted out for service, conducted her shakedown, then departed on 25 December 1944 bound for the Panama Canal Zone. She conducted five days of additional training in the Panama Canal Zone, then pushed on for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where Schade put his crew through two more weeks of intensive training.

Bugara departed Pearl Harbor on 21 February 1945 to begin her first war patrol and proceeded directly to Saipan in the Mariana Islands, meeting her escort, the motor minesweeper USS YMS-151 on 5 March 1945 before reaching Saipan. On 8 March 1945, she got underway from Saipan in company with the submarines USS Spot (SS-413) and USS Sea Fox (SS-402) in company with their escort, the submarine chaser USS SC-775. One day out of port, on 9 March 1945, Bugara’s cook sustained a severe head laceration when the storeroom hatch fell on him, but Bugara′s pharmacist's mate was able to sew up the cut, and Bugara continued her voyage to her patrol area in the Luzon Strait. On 25 March 1945 she left the Luzon Strait and proceeded to a new patrol area in the South China Sea between Hainan Island and Formosa.

On 27 March 1945, Buugara′s lookouts spotted a ship bearing 118° north at a range of 18,000 yards (16,000 m). She closed to attack but abruptly broke it off upon identifying the markings as those of a Japanese hospital ship. On 4 April 1945, she concluded her patrol in the Hainan and Taiwan area not having encountered any other Japanese air or surface contacts and proceeded to her next patrol area in the Java Sea, north of Soemba, which she reached on 11 April 1945. At 08:15 on 18 April she exchanged recognition signals with the submarine USS Perch (SS-313) and that same day at 19:30 with the submarine USS Besugo (SS-321). On 21 April 1945 she met her escort and proceeded to Fremantle, Australia, where she ended her patrol and began a regular refit, which included the installation of a second 5-inch (127 mm)/25-caliber gun.

With Japanese shipping becoming scarce in the last months of World War II, Bugara made contact with only five ships during her entire 59-day patrol, during which she had spent 35 days in her patrol areas. Four of the vessels proved to be Japanese hospital ships, immune from attack, and the fifth an unidentified submarine Bugara first had detected by screw noises, but which turned out to be an unidentified Allied submarine.

On 16 May 1945, Bugara set out on her second war patrol, bound for a patrol area in the South China Sea off the South China coast. Most of her time was spent on life guard stations looking for downed Allied airmen. She ended her patrol with her arrival on 20 June 1945 at Subic Bay on Luzon in the Philippine Islands, where she underwent a refit alongside the submarine tender USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16).

Bugara stood out of Subic Bay on 16 July 1945 for her third war patrol, operating as part of a coordinated attack group under the overall command of the commanding officer of the submarine USS Brill (SS-330), Commander Harry B. Dodge. She rendezvoused with Brill on 19 July 1945, and Dodge ordered her to conduct a retiring search to her northward position in the attack group.

At 15:40 on 19 July 1945, Bugara′s lookouts sighted a mast on the horizon and closed with it at full speed but lost the contact. However, 20 minutes later, her lookouts again sighted masts, this time of ships making up a convoy, as well as what Bugara identified as a Japanese periscope at a range of 800 yards (730 m). Schade ordered Bugara to dive in order to reverse course and then surface at flank speed. The supposed Japanese periscope turned out to be that of Brill, also chasing the convoy. Schade tried to ascertain Brill′s attack position so that the two submarines could coordinate their attack, but could not get Brill to answer Bugara′s challenge,” so the submarines began separate approaches to the convoy without a set plan of attack. At 22:05, Bugara picked up several contacts on radar at a range of 18,000 yards (16,500 m) and went ahead at full speed at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph). At nearly the same time, Bugara received information from Dodge that the submarines USS Cod (SS-224) and USS Bumper (SS-333) were on her port flank, with Brill and Bugara on the starboard. Dodge announced that Brill was going in to attack, and Schade radioed back that Bugara would follow Brill in.

Bugara fired nine torpedoes into the Japanese convoy, including two at a small engines-aft tanker at a range of 850 yards (780 m), two at a second small engines-aft tanker at a range of 950 yards (870 m), two at a small cargo ship (known to the Americans as a "sea truck") at a range of 1,500 yards (1,400 m), one at an escorting patrol craft at a range of 900 yards (820 m), and two at a large trawler (which Bugara assumed was an escort), at a range of 700 yards (640 m). Brill also attacked the convoy, but none of Bugara′s or Brill′s torpedoes hit. Both Schade and Dodge concluded that their torpedoes ran normally but had passed underneath their targets. The Japanese did not counterattack the submarines.

At 14:45 on 20 July 1945, Bugara′s lookouts sighted a junk and closed to get alongside. After taking off the junk's crew of six natives, Bugara sent a boarding party aboard the junk for inspection. The boarding party found that the junk was carrying bags of sugar from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand, both Japanese-controlled ports. The junk′s crew claimed that the junk's cargo was destined for China, not the Japanese. Although unconvinced, Bugara′s crew kept all of the junk crew's papers for later analysis by intelligence personnel and let them go after 90 minutes alongside the junk.

At 16:30 on 20 July 1945, Bugara boarded another large junk which had departed Bangkok with a cargo hold full of bagged rice. The junk's crew claimed the cargo was destined for China, not the Japanese, and Bugara confiscated the junk’s logbook and released the crew. At 20:30, Bugara inspected a third junk, whose crew told a similar story of transporting the vessel's cargo of rice to China and not to Japanese troops. Schade subsequently sent a message to Commander, Task Force 71, requesting approval his of actions of letting supplies go through.

On 23 July 1945, after diving to avoid an enemy Kawanishi H8K Type 2 flying boat [Emily] headed out from the beach off the coast of Lem Chong Pra, Schade ordered a commando party ashore “armed to the teeth with demolition equipment.” After six hours, the commandos were picked up at 0400, with Bugara’s commanding officer noting the raiding party was “highly embarrassed…the jungle had been so thick they couldn’t get off the beach!”

On 24 July 1945 at 1335, Bugara examined a schooner “loaded with airplane wheels and tires, plus 15 cases of airplane parts, metal stock and sugar.” Thus with 10 tons of military cargo bound for Singapore, the crew was removed and the schooner sunk by gunfire. At 1425, Hiap Seng Maru, a 120-ton junk was boarded and examined. Registered under the Japanese and bound for Singapore, she was carrying sugar and sewing machines. Bugara sank her with gunfire, but Schade noted “We now had two crews and their boats on deck. We gave them bread and carried them to 5 miles off shore, and sent them on their way unharmed.”

On 25 July at 1405, Bugara’s crew boarded a 75-ton schooner. The cargo contained 50 tons of rice and was sailing for Singapore upon capture. The crew was taken off and the schooner sank by well-placed gunfire. At 1535, Bugara halted a 25-ton junk carrying a Japanese cargo of sugar and matches sailing out of Singapore. Cmdr. Schade noted his men’s belief that “most of the crew were Japs, but since we were not sure, set them off and sank ship by gunfire.” Almost one hour later, at 1624, the raiding party boarded an empty coaster left abandoned by her Japanese crew. “We left it,” Schade noted, “to polish off later.” At 1650, Bugara halted and boarded her ninth contact in just a day, after finding a “spanking new” 51-ton schooner that the enemy had abandoned. This small vessel was loaded with sugar and coffee and sailed from Singapore. Bugara sank her with gunfire, but noted “We were busy, so we let the crew get away.” The next contact was made at 1730 when Bugara’s raiding party boarded the 50-ton junk Kian Huat, carrying sugar and coffee from Singapore to Champon, Thailand. Four Japanese crew members went over the side, and although their fate is unknown, Kian Huat was destroyed and sunk by gunfire. One hour later, the Japanese crew of the 125-ton schooner Joo Lee Maru, flying the Rising Sun flag and loaded with a cargo of sugar and miscellaneous stores from Singapore, abandoned ship. Bugara sank the schooner with gunfire from her deck guns before returning to the 20-ton coaster to ensure the enemy would not be able to re-use the smaller vessel.

On 26 July 1945, lookouts on board Bugara sighted three terengganu’s (junk-rigged schooners) at 0300, and boarded them all. The submariners found one “working for Nippon,” while the other two were Malayan with cargo of no value. The first terengganu, of approximately 20-tons and under Japanese registry, was sunk. It as noted in the war patrol diary that “Natives seemed almost happy to get rid of this one.” At 0845 that morning, the 144-ton junk Chit Ming Ho Maru, loaded with 75 tons of rice for Singapore, was searched and sunk by gunfire after the crew was let go. At 1550 a brand new 50-ton sea truck (powered by Chevrolet), and loaded with drums of aviation gasoline, was boarded. Bugara “blew him up with two 5" hits -- a beautiful fire.” The Japanese crew of the sea truck was last seen jumping over the side and swimming fast away from her. Bugara’s next victim became a 75-ton schooner loaded with 50-tons of rice and headed for Singapore. At 1740, a 150-ton schooner loaded with medical supplies (mostly ten cases of cholera serum), scrap iron and rice, became the next victim of Bugara’s small boat massacre. Cmdr. Schade noted he had to “go in to 7 fathoms for this one.” The next small craft boarded by the Americans, a 50-ton schooner, was empty. Unable to determine her destination, Schade let her pass. At 2030, Bugara went alongside the two terengganus she had passed earlier in the day and “got a big cheer.”

Bugara and crew continued their work of boarding and inspecting small craft coming into and out of Singapore and destroying any suspicious or clearly marked Japanese vessels on 27 July 1945. At 0810 a native Siamese lugger with a “very friendly crew [that] tried to give us their cargo of live chickens,” declared to the crew they should “Go get some Nippon.” At 0950, a 300-ton schooner proved empty, and sailed with a native crew that “denied any Jap[anese] connections. It’s hard to believe [Schade wrote] that the Japs would not be using such a large vessel, but let him go.” One hour later, Bugara’s raiding party boarded a 20-ton schooner flying the Japanese flag and carrying a load of miscellaneous gear. The party removed her crew and sank the schooner with gunfire. The friendly crew wanted to stay with Bugara and happily repeated “The Japs are finish-no more work for Jap.” Bugara’s galley fed the crew, and one received medical treatment for an unlisted ailment.

At 1340, Bugara lookouts spotted an Emily, at which time Schade quickly backed full, put the natives and their lifeboat over the side, then went ahead full and dived to ten fathoms. He “last saw natives in boat headed for the beach, apparently ok.” The Japanese flying boat gave no indication that it had spotted either Bugara or the natives headed to shore. However, only fifteen minutes later, Bugara surfaced to chase a loaded schooner, and nearly an hour later, at 1445, she was only 3,000 yards from the schooner at gun action stations when the Emily came “over the hill again,” causing the skipper to dive once more to ten fathoms. At 1505, after an “all clear,” Bugara surfaced alongside the 75-ton schooner loaded with 50-tons of sugar out of Singapore. “This one was loaded so full his decks were almost awash,” Schade noted. The crew was put off, and the schooner sunk by gunfire.

At 2050 that same day, Bugara spotted a mast at about 24,000 yards, but noted it was “getting dark fast; no moon.” The skipper ordered to close at full speed and noted at 8,000 yards the vessel she was attempting to overtake “looked like a schooner.” The crew went to gun action stations. “As we went in close he got bigger. Went alongside and boarded him. He was a 200 ton schooner loaded with at least 150 tons of rice bound for Singapore.” Bugara gunners “shoved off” the crew of the schooner before sinking her with gunfire. Schade exclaimed the “Flashless powder functioned perfectly, but gun sights, telescope, were bad. Will try the position angle indicator next time. Don’t like going alongside in the dark.”

On 28 July 1945, Bugara began the day at 0945 boarding a 50-ton coaster loaded with rice for Singapore. The crew was ordered off before Bugara’s gunners made short work of the coaster and sank her. At 1044, the boat made her 25th contact of the patrol, when a second 50-ton coaster made for the edge of a mine field with Bugara in pursuit. While alongside, a Mitsubishi F1M Type 0 observation seaplane [Pete] floatplane approached from the beach. With the crew of the coaster clear, Bugara’s gunners opened fire as it pulled away, sinking the small vessel just as the Pete “turned around and ran for the beach!” Three hours later, lookouts spotted a large schooner in close to the beach. Schade decided the craft was worth the risk, and ordered his ship in at flank speed. The Japanese crew apparently had abandoned ship early, so the skipper did not order the boarding party to determine her cargo. Instead, he ordered Bugara to sink the 300-ton schooner, which settled on the bottom in 24 feet of water with all three masts sticking straight out of the water. Cmdr. Schade later exclaimed, “We got out of there in a tremendous hurry.”

At 1635, a boarding party from Bugara descended upon the 75-ton schooner Kiat Ann. Papers found on board listed cargo of sugar from Singapore to Bangkok, but an adamant crew claimed the cargo was rice, bound for Singapore. Although Kiat Ann was registered to the Japanese, the skipper put the crew off, even four men “of which we felt sure were Japs,” before sinking her with gunfire.

Almost a full five hours later, at 2125, Bugara went alongside a Chusan-type junk displacing 25 tons. The crew seemed friendly, but freely admitted they had just returned from carrying a load of rice to Singapore, and had returned for a second load. The crew of the junk was brought on board before their craft was destroyed by gunfire. Bugara’s “problems only started” after Cmdr. Schade agreed to keep “one intelligent volunteer as interpreter.” The man was cleaned up, given a physical examination, and dressed up in dungarees. The rest of the junk crew complained that their boat was no longer seaworthy, so the skipper ordered a long haul around the mine field, approached four fathoms and put them over. He then decided, since it was now late, that “all we could do was bed them down. They were all (7 total) clean intelligent Canton Chinese, We cleaned them up and put them in the empty torpedo skids. Will put them in the first sailboat we find.”

On 29 July 1945, Cmdr. Schade noted the toll that the continuous operations had taken on his men: “The crew is thoroughly tired, the guns need cleaning, the engines have been going at full speed most of the time chasing targets and need routining.” The skipper’s solution was obvious to him: get away from the beach, “hold rope yard sunday (sic), and have our first movie since getting underway.” At 0905, however, a large 200-ton schooner carrying 200 barrels of sorghum molasses and flying Japanese colors was sunk by gunfire. At 1325, a 400-ton Imperial Japanese Naval Auxiliary with a certificate stating her cargo – cocoa beans -- was for the Imperial Navy, bound for Shonan and flying a Chinese flag, became yet another vessel in the long line of targets for Bugara gunners after the crew abandoned ship.

Then, at 1410, the 112-ton junk Ayame, loaded with rice and headed toward Singapore, ran into a common problem the crew of Bugara was encountering more and more. Ayame’s cargo did not agree with her Japanese manifest, which in this case, listed “machinery” as the cargo. Sunk by gunfire, Ayame rested on the bottom in 60 feet of water with 20 feet of mast showing.

At 1442, Bugara halted and searched a 50-ton schooner flying Thai colors and loaded with rice bound for Singapore, then sank her by gunfire. At 1600, lookouts sighted an Emily flying “very low over the water,” but the big flying boat’s crew did not seem to spot Bugara. Cmdr. Schade decided to put the native crew of the schooner ashore at dark, and looked over the coast of Koh Tan in order to find a safe looking place to do so. Upon spotting a “smart looking village which we thought looked like Jap[anese] barracks,” Schade consulted with the interpreter and approved the site. Bugara put a four-man sized rubber boat into the sea with one officer and all seven natives with some food and clothing for them. At 2220, the men “were very sorry to go and shook hands with almost everyone.” Closing within 400 yards of the beach and in only five fathoms of water, the Thai sailors were dropped off at the agreed-upon site, and by 2340, the officer and the rubber boat was back on board. “And this,” Schade exclaimed later, “we planned as a quiet day!”

On 30 July 1945, at 0940, Bugara examined a 30-ton coaster on her maiden voyage out of Singapore carrying sugar. Manned by a Chinese crew, the American submariners noted their delight in having been boarded, explaining they had hoped a U.S. ship would find them, and then begged to stay on board. One of the coaster’s crew even “made a special trip back to get a Jap[anese] flag for us.” Schade made one of the Chinese, an English university graduate, his interpreter. All of the Chinese sailors cheered when their ship was sunk by gunfire from Bugara’s gunners. Suddenly at 1040, a plane was sighted flying towards them, and with eight foreign sailors still on deck, the skipper quickly sent them below and dived. At 1105, Bugara surfaced, and her crew recovered the Chinese sailors’ lifeboat and lashed it to the deck. Nearly two hours later, at 1300, Bugara’s boarding party raided the 29-ton schooner Twako, flying the Rising Sun and carrying sugar out of Singapore. In an action that became standard procedure at this late stage in the war, Bugara’s gunfire sank Twako. Sinking so many smaller vessels by gunfire had a downside, though, as her commanding officer noted “We are now being very economical with our ammunition-allowing each gun only 2 rounds to sink their targets.”

Several hours later, at 1840, Bugara went alongside a seaworthy fishing boat and transferred her passengers with all of their gear to the smaller craft. The fishermen “were completely bewildered, but all seemed happy.” Their Chinese interpreter, named “Charlie Wong” by the crew, performed introductions between the foreign crews and the American submariners. At 2030, Bugara went alongside a 50-ton sea truck “who had led us a merry chase and almost got into the mine field.” The sea truck was loaded with rice bound for Singapore, as well as ten men with a strange story. When questioned by Charlie Wong, the crew claimed that “pirates had taken their clothes and papers and, to our perplexity, their life boat.” The skipper and his crew “didn’t like their looks,” and rigged a canvas from the aft gun to “leave them for the night.” Schade stationed a guard and had the sea truck sunk.

On 31 July 1945, Bugara sighted and made radar contact with an unknown ship. She tailed the vessel until dawn and then closed in for the kill. The ship they stalked turned out to be a 32-ton coaster, bound for Singapore. At 0811, after taking the crew and their life boat on deck, the coaster was sunk. At 0905, five enemy fighter planes, identified as Mitsubishi J2M Navy interceptor fighter Raiden [Thunderbolt] flew in low at Bugara. “You have never seen complete confusion without seeing us clear from gun action stations with 17 natives and all their worldly chattel on deck. We got them all below and dived -- losing the life boat.” Twenty minutes later, she surfaced, the crew still at gun stations. Three enemy twin-engine aircraft were sighted, but Bugara did not dive and the Japanese planes drew away.

At 0946, the raiding party overtook a 40-ton schooner flying the Imperial Japanese Naval flag. Her crew was brought on board Bugara, and the schooner was sunk with the now-standard two rounds of gunfire. Another contact popped up on radar, and the submarine gave chase. At 1020 a single-engine fighter was recorded being twelve miles out, so an order to dive never came. The fighter flew down Bugara’s starboard side but did not engage, when fifteen minutes later a second twin-engined plane, this time a floatplane, also flew past her starboard side. Cmdr. Schade ordered the race to overtake the vessel resumed, and the raiding party boarded a 100-ton schooner carrying a cargo of rice and salt for Bali. The captured crew admitted the cargo was intended for Japanese use, but all papers were lost. Two rounds were put into the schooner, and she quickly sank beneath the waves.

At 1110, lookouts spotted two Aichi E13A Type 0 reconnaissance seaplanes [Jake], that closed fast, just as Bugara dived. The presence of enemy aircraft in that sector of the Gulf of Siam annoyed Schade, who noted: “Planes are giving us hell today, and we now have 3 crews -- 25 men -- on board with no life boat. With the planes around we may have trouble getting rid of them.”

At 1410, Bugara sank a 37-ton “brand new” coaster carrying sugar out of Singapore to Champon, Thailand. The crew had abandoned the vessel, flying the Rising Sun. The boarding party then moved onto contact number 40, a 33-ton coaster also flying the Imperial Japanese ensign. As with all the others, the smaller craft was sunk by Bugara’s expert shooters. At 1432, the boat closed the beach where lookouts spotted a number of fishing boats. Stopping alongside one of the larger fishing boats, the skipper “put our 3 crews of 25 men on board. It was quite a sight, and we were very relieved.”

Steaming away at 1500, Bugara received word of a downed Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 125 miles to the north, and set off at full speed. Schade hoped a coordinated search would be conducted if “other subs can join us.” Joined by Lamprey (SS-372) at 2200, the search would have to wait until dawn as it would have been too dangerous to conduct a rescue in hostile waters at night.

At 0315 on 1 August 1945, Cobia (SS-245) joined Lamprey and Bugara and at dawn formed a scouting line and began a coordinated search for the missing B-24. At 1530, Cmdr. Schade received word to halt the search. Word was passed to the skippers of Lamprey and Cobia and a half hour later, Bugara returned to her patrol station.

On 2 August 1945, after a large schooner had been sighted, Bugara closed and boarded her. The 211-ton schooner carried “miscellaneous gear,” out of Singapore, but the boarding party was unable to “make a good search” in the dark and so they took off the crew and two lifeboats and sank the schooner with gunfire. Soon after, the first lifeboat sank and the other was too heavy to haul on deck, and so Bugara towed it behind her. At 0400, this lifeboat sank when it became caught in the port screw, damaging it.

At 0809 that day [2 August 1945], Bugara boarded a 20-ton Malaccan coaster, finding her carrying coffee. Because the coaster was flying Japanese colors, the crew was put off and the coaster sunk with gunfire. Contact number 43 proved to be a new 180-ton schooner out of Singapore that also flew the Rising Sun. The schooner was also searched and sunk. Three more vessels were boarded, examined, and sunk by Bugara’s crew, including an 18-ton coaster, a 117-ton schooner, and a new 150-ton schooner. The latter caused some excitement when “6 large Malay canoes” filled with a Chinese crew carrying rice and being chased by pirates were brought on board while Bugara gunners sank the Japanese schooner. The pirates tried to flee, but the submariners turned their guns on them. “We sank the Jap[anese] ship, then shot up all the pirates and their boats. Put the Chinese ashore -- and they love us still, inasmuch as the pirates already killed two of the crew.”

Two more vessels were boarded and sunk by Bugara on 3 August, including a 56-ton sea truck loaded with rice, and the 100-ton Japanese Navy Junk No. 2218. A Bugara boarding party removed the crews from both craft before the standard two shots sent both to the bottom. On 4 August, a further three vessels were sunk, including a 50-ton coaster, a 300-ton junk and a 450-ton schooner carrying copra and coconut oil. Later that day, lookouts noted two Emilys, the first at 8 miles distance, and the second, searching in the area where all three vessels were sunk. This second Japanese plane ‘Flew very close so that we could see his markings closely.”

On 5 August 1945, at 0740, a 200-ton schooner “heavily loaded” with coffee, sugar, sewing machines, and other gear, was boarded, searched, and sunk. After sinking a 75-ton junk, Bugara then chased a small 20-ton coaster onto the beach at Lem Chong Pra. The crew ran for the hills before they could be overtaken, so the gun crews dropped one 5-inch shell amidships and left the junk to sink. At 1710 Ray (SS-271) surfaced, and Bugara went alongside to exchange information. Later that evening, at 1930, two vessels were spotted behind the island of Koh Khai. Bugara allowed herself to be seen patrolling the seaward side as both vessels hid behind the island. “At sunset we went in to get them.” The first, a 64-ton schooner, was at anchor and quickly abandoned as Bugara closed in. She was sunk by gunfire, while Schade acknowledged it “was now too dark to find our second target….so cleared out.”

The skipper made the decision on 6 August 1945 to take station in the narrows of Samui Strait, in the hopes of “getting some targets.” Having misjudged the fathom curve by a few miles, she headed back to safe water and soon found her first target of the day, a 125-ton junk out of Singapore bound for Bangkok with rice. The captain of the junk proved reluctant to part with his Japanese flag, but was eventually persuaded. As usual, the crew was taken off before she was sunk. After also sinking a brand new coaster with an estimated gross of 30 tons (papers gave the ship’s weight at 16.6 tons), and four junks, Bugara sighted a submarine at 2003, that turned out to be HMS Sleuth (P.261), a British boat also operating in the Gulf of Siam, and investigating the four junks. Bugara decided to lend a hand in the search and destroy efforts, boarded a 26-ton junk flying the Japanese flag, and sank her. The second, a 75-ton schooner, was loaded with aviation gas and likewise sunk by gunfire that created “a lovely blaze.”

After exchanging information with Sleuth and her crew, a radar contact at 2246 came into sight. Bugara closed in on a 60-ton junk, firing a burst of 20 millimeter fire to grab her attention. The crew abandoned ship, leaving the ship with her sails up. “We had a tough time going alongside in the dark with a stiff wind blowing,” noted Bugara’s war diarist. Despite the setback, her crew was taken off and ferried to the beach after the requisite two shots sent the junk to the bottom.

Bugara added two coasters to her bag on 7 August 1945. The first, a new 26.5-ton coaster flying a Japanese naval ensign was destroyed at 0750. A slightly larger 28-ton vessel loaded with rice bound for Singapore became Bugara’s last victim of the war. At 1550, the boat “passed through wreckage -- many large cases and gas drums. Salvaged a case; found it full of Jap[anese] Army mess kits.” Bugara’s gunners opened up with .50 and .30-caliber machine guns, and in a matter of minutes, “we had many gasoline fires all around us.” After two enemy aircraft were sighted, Bugara dived and surfaced, and at 1940 sighted four possible medium junks and two sailing vessels close to the beach between Hilly Cape and Patani Roads. Suddenly, a periscope was sighted at a distance of only 4,000 yards. “It was so large and steady we did not believe it was a scope and passed it close aboard.” Schade decided to ignore the periscope and close with the other vessels. The sailboats were native-owned, carrying tapioca, and so Bugara let them go on their way. The remaining vessels were beached, and the skipper decided not to close any further as darkness prevented him from determining what was in close ashore. Sleuth suddenly surfaced four miles astern. Cmdr. Schade noted it had been Sleuth’s periscope Bugara sighted earlier. At 2400, Bugara departed the area in accordance with her operation order.

Bugara started her transit of Lombok Strait at 1900 on 12 August 1945, clearing the passage three hours later. She then set course for Fremantle, Australia, after Japanese acceptance of surrender terms,

On 17 August 1945 Bugara arrived at Fremantle, Australia, from her last war patrol. After a few days, Bugara sailed to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, and joined the other units of her squadron. For the remainder of 1945, she operated out of Subic Bay. In January 1946, she returned to San Diego via Pearl Harbor. After a rehabilitation period on the west coast, she returned to Pearl Harbor in May 1946.

She was overhauled at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in 1946 and during the fall of that year made a training cruise in the Bering Sea and then returned to Pearl Harbor via Seattle and Portland. In late October 1947 Bugara departed Pearl Harbor for California. She underwent a yard period between 20 November 1947 and 19 March 1948, returning to Pearl Harbor 27 March. In July she proceeded to Yokosuka, Japan, via Guam, Melbourne, Buckner Bay, and Qingdao. She returned to Pearl Harbor 24 August 1948. On 13 August 1949 she departed Pearl Harbor for overhaul at San Francisco, returning 3 January 1950.