USS Barb (SS-220), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Barbus, a genus of ray-finned fish.

During her twelve war patrols, Barb is officially credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels totaling 96,628 tons, including the Japanese aircraft carrier Un'yō.

On her twelfth and final patrol of the war, she landed a party of carefully selected crew members who blew up a train, the only ground combat operation in the Japanese (four main) home islands.

It was in the Pacific waters that Barb found lucrative hunting and went on to compile one of the more outstanding submarine records of World War II.

During the seven war patrols she conducted in the Pacific between March 1944 and August 1945, Barb is officially credited with sinking 17 enemy vessels totaling 96,628 tons, including Un'yō, sunk on 17 September 1944.

On 22–23 January Barb penetrated Namkwan Harbor now called Yanpu Wan (沿浦湾)[8] on the China coast, opposite the Matsu Islands, and wrought havoc upon a convoy of some 30 enemy ships at anchor.

For the first time in U.S. submarine warfare, Barb successfully employed rockets, against the towns of Shari, Hokkaido; Shikuka; Kashiho; and Shiritoru on Karafuto.

Recommissioned on 3 August 1954, she served with the Atlantic Fleet until 13 December 1954, when she was decommissioned a final time and loaned to Italy under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program.