Hoe's keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, on 2 January 1942.

The submarine departed 21 August, damaged one tanker, and eluded several depth charge attacks before returning to Pearl Harbor 18 October 1943.

Although shadowed by escort vessels, Hoe detected another convoy 25 February and in two separate attacks sank tanker Nissho Maru.

The veteran submarine sailed on her sixth patrol 15 September as leader of a coordinated attack group consisting of Hoe, Aspro, and Cabrilla.

Operating southwest of Lingayen Gulf, the submarines accounted for some 38,000 tons of valuable Japanese shipping in five night surface attacks.

Ending her last patrol at Pearl Harbor 6 March, Hoe returned to the United States for overhaul and repairs.

A few days later she sailed for the East Coast via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal, arriving New York 29 September 1945.