Her keel was laid on 9 April 1943 and she was christened on 24 July, when her sponsor, Betty Russell, smashed the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow as Parche slid into the water for the first time.

On 29 April Bang reported a large convoy 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) away, and the wolfpack attacked, Parche sinking one ship.

Tinosa reported a seven-ship convoy on the morning of 3 May and Parche headed north at full speed to intercept.

Parche returned to Midway 23 May 1944, after making a thorough photo reconnaissance of military installations on the island of Ishi Gaki Jima.

Parche collaborated with Steelhead in sinking an 8,990-ton transport, the Yoshino Maru (originally the Kleist, built in Danzig, 1906 for North German Lloyd, surrendered to the British in 1919, and acquired by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha in 1922).

When Parche left Pearl Harbor 19 March 1945, she headed directly for the east coast of Honshū, Japan.

On 22 April Parche sighted three small tankers in column, proceeding north along the coast south of Okama Saki.

Parche got underway 25 May for her sixth patrol, the last of World War II, joining the "Lifeguard League" south of Honshū.

Picking the freighter as the best target, Parche launched four torpedoes from her forward tubes for one hit, which threw up a veil of dense white smoke.

Two days later she sighted three large ships and six escorts headed north along the coast, one of the most tempting convoys seen for some months in Japanese home waters.

After Parche's attack the escorts shook the sub up considerably with depth charges four and a half hours, before she managed to work away and resume her patrol, leaving an ex-Gunboat sunk and another ship badly damaged.

After World War II Parche, was assigned to Operation Crossroads as a target ship for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.

All that remains of her is the original bridge structure, shears, and upper gun from the war which remain enshrined at the Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, and her conning tower barrel, which is on display at USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.