Trout also delivered ammunition to the besieged American forces on Corregidor and brought out 20 tons of gold bars and silver pesos from the Philippine currency reserve to Pearl Harbor.

She was launched on 21 May 1940 sponsored by Mrs. Walter B. Woodson, and commissioned on 15 November 1940 with Lieutenant Commander Frank Wesley "Mike" Fenno, Jr., as captain.

On 2 July 1941, following "shakedown" operations along the east coast, Trout and sister ship Triton (SS-201) departed New York City, bound for the Pacific.

Frustrated in being unable to fire a shot, she continued her now-unrestricted war patrol until 20 December 1941 when Fenno returned the ship to Pearl Harbor.

On 12 January 1942, Trout stood out of Pearl Harbor with 3500 rounds of 3" AAA ammunition to be delivered to the besieged American forces on Corregidor.

On 27 January, near the Bonin Islands, she sighted a light off her port bow, closed to 1,500 yards (1,400 m) of the vessel, and fired a stern torpedo which missed.

She closed to 600 yards (550 m), discovered that her target was a submarine chaser, and, as she had been warned to avoid small ships, resumed her course for the Philippines.

The specie came from twelve Philippine banks emptied of their assets, absent the paper money, all of which had been burned to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands.

Finally, on 24 April, the submarine hit a 10,000 ton tanker with two torpedoes off Cape Shiono, and it headed for the beach.

Her station was south of the island as nine of the submarines were positioned fan-like to the west of Midway in preparation for the Japanese attack.

She returned to Pearl Harbor on 14 June without firing a torpedo and began a major refit that included installation of search radars and JP sonar in preparation for deployment to Australia.

The Trout also carried two POWs (Chief Radioman Hatsuichi Yoshida and Fireman 3rd Class Kenichi Ishikawa) from the sunken Japanese cruiser Mikuma.

She heard two timed explosions and saw the carrier Taiyō slow, with smoke pouring out of her starboard side near the water line.

Trout heard high-speed screws approaching and went to 200 feet (61 m) as a pattern of ten depth charges shook her severely.

On 3 October, with one week remaining in her patrol area, Trout approached to reconnoiter Otta Pass, the southern deepwater entrance to Truk Lagoon.

Since both periscopes were out of commission, the submarine headed for Brisbane for emergency repairs and arrived at Capricorn Wharf, New Farm on 13 October 1942.

On 13 November, she was patrolling 80 miles (130 km) north of Indispensable Strait when she was ordered to intercept the Kongō-class battleship Kirishima en route to shell Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

On the morning of 14 November Trout located Kirishima and its escort force in the process of refueling but was unable to maneuver into an attack position.

After provisioning and off-loading her torpedoes, Trout departed Brisbane on 25 November for Fremantle, Western Australia, where her squadron was then based, arriving 2 December 1942.

Since postwar examination of Japanese records shows no sinking, the damaged ship must have managed to limp back to port.

She made a submerged approach, launched two torpedoes at the target, heard one explosion, and observed smoke rise from the stern of the tanker.

She got underway on 22 March 1943 and on 4 April, while en route from Balabac Strait to Miri, fired a spread of three torpedoes at a naval auxiliary.

She planted 23 naval mines in Api Passage on 7 and 8 April and then began patrolling the Singapore trade route.

Her deck guns soon stopped the first ship dead in the water and set it on fire; they then turned the second one into a burning wreck.

Charles "Chick" Parsons and AAF Lt. Col. William E. Dyess at Pagadian Bay on Mindanao and headed for Fremantle.

Though depth charged afterwards and kept down for five hours, Trout surfaced and gave chase to the damaged transport, finding and attacking it with three more torpedoes before her escort could return.

The submarine was then routed back to the United States for a modernization overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard that included a complete rebuild of her conning tower, reduction of her silhouette by cutting down the fairwater, replacement of the 3"/50 deck gun with a larger 4 in (100 mm) piece, and installation of 18 additional bunks.

Trout topped off with fuel at Midway Island and, on 16 February, headed via a great circle route toward the East China Sea.

According to the US Navy Muster Reports in the National Archives, On 7 April 1944, Trout was declared presumed Missing in Action with all 81 hands.

On 8 April 1945, Trout was declared presumed lost with all 81 hands including Clark and his executive officer, Lt. Harry Eades Woodworth, both of whom had made all 11 war patrols.