USS Marlin (SS-205)

Last updated
USS Marlin (SS-205).jpg
USS Marlin (SS-205) off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 19 May 1943.
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
Builder Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine [1]
Laid down23 May 1940 [1]
Launched29 January 1941 [1]
Commissioned1 August 1941 [1]
Decommissioned9 November 1945 [1]
Stricken28 November 1945 [1]
FateSold for scrap, 29 March 1946 [1]
General characteristics
Class and type Mackerel-class submarine [2]
Displacement
  • 800 long tons (810  t) standard, surfaced [3]
  • 1,165 long tons (1,184 t) submerged [3]
Length238 ft 11 in (72.82 m) [3]
Beam21 ft 7+1⁄4 in (6.585 m) [3]
Draft13 ft ¼ in (4.0 m) [3]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 14.5 kn (27 km/h) surfaced [3]
  • 9 kn (17 km/h) submerged [3]
Range
  • 7,400 nmi (13,700 km)
  • at 10 kn (19 km/h) [3]
Test depth250 ft (76 m) [3]
Complement4 officers, 34 enlisted [3]
Armament

USS Marlin (SS-205), a Mackerel-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the marlin, a large game fish. Marlin and her near-sister Mackerel (designed and built by the Electric Boat Company) were prototype small submarines, which the Navy was exploring to replace the aging S-class submarines. [4] References differ as to whether Marlin had a direct drive propulsion system or diesel-electric drive. [5] [6]

Her keel was laid down by Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 23 May 1940. She was launched on 29 January 1941 sponsored by Mrs. John D. Wainwright, and commissioned on 1 August 1941.

After service in the Atlantic Fleet out of Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, for half a year, Marlin departed New London 21 March 1942 for Casco Bay, Maine. She arrived the next day for duty with TG 27.1, training new escort vessels in antisubmarine warfare. She returned to New London 18 April, and operated in Long Island Sound through 1942.

On 7 January 1943 the submarine arrived in Casco Bay for further duty with TG 27.1 until 16 January. She then spent the next 2½ years patrolling and training ships off New London and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

On 26 July 1945, while making a submerged practice approach on Chaffee (DE-230), she collided with SC-642 with slight damage to both ships. In September Marlin kept company with Chetco (AT-99) on one of her trips from Portsmouth, reaching New London 10 September.

On 20 October 1945 Marlin departed New London with Skipjack (SS-184) for Bridgeport, Connecticut, arriving that day. Five days later she continued on to Boston, Mass, arriving 31 October. She was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 9 November 1945. Marlin was sold 29 March 1946 to the Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Maryland, for scrapping.

Marlin is the submarine prominently featured as the fictional Corsair in the 1943 movie Crash Dive , filmed at Submarine Base New London. Her sail at the time of the movie resembled Mackerel's; the forward portion was later cut back for a 20 mm Oerlikon gun platform.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Dolphin</i> (SS-169) "V-boat" class submarine

USS Dolphin (SF-10/SC-3/SS-169), a submarine and one of the "V-boats", was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for that aquatic mammal. She also bore the name V-7 and the classifications SF-10 and SC-3 prior to her commissioning. She was launched on 6 March 1932 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. E.D. Toland, and commissioned on 1 June 1932.

USS <i>Barracuda</i> (SS-163) Submarine of the United States

USS Barracuda (SF-4/SS-163), lead ship of her class and first of the "V-boats," was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the barracuda.

USS <i>Blueback</i> (SS-326) Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy

USS Blueback (SS-326), a Balao-class submarine, was the first submarine of the United States Navy to be named for a type of salmon, specifically, the blueback salmon, also known as the sockeye salmon.

USS <i>Mackerel</i> (SS-204) Submarine of the United States

USS Mackerel (SS-204), the lead ship of her class of submarines, was the first ship of the United States Navy named for the mackerel. Mackerel and her near-sister Marlin were prototype small submarines which the Navy was exploring to replace the aging S-class submarines.

USS <i>Amberjack</i> (SS-522) Submarine of the United States

USS Amberjack (SS-522), a Tench-class submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy named for the amberjack, a vigorous sport fish found in the western Atlantic from New England to Brazil.

USS <i>Runner</i> (SS-476) Submarine of the United States

USS Runner (SS/AGSS-476), a Tench-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the runner, an amberfish inhabiting subtropical waters.

USS <i>Cisco</i> (SS-290) Submarine of the United States

USS Cisco (SS-290), a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cisco, a whitefish of the Great Lakes. Her keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 24 December 1942 sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Bennett, through her proxy, Mrs. N. Robertson, and commissioned on 10 May 1943 with Commander James W. Coe in command. She reported to the Pacific Fleet.

USS <i>Bonita</i> (SS-165) Submarine of the United States

USS Bonita (SF-6/SS-165), a Barracuda-class submarine and one of the "V-boats," was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bonito. Her keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard. She was launched on 9 June 1925 as V-3 (SF-6), sponsored by Mrs. L.R. DeSteiguer, wife of Rear Admiral DeSteiguer, and commissioned on 22 May 1926, Lieutenant Commander Charles A. Lockwood, Jr. in command. Like her sisters, Bonita was designed to meet the fleet submarine requirement of 21 knots (39 km/h) surface speed for operating with contemporary battleships.

USS <i>Bass</i> (SS-164) Submarine of the United States

USS Bass (SF-5/SS-164), a Barracuda-class submarine and one of the "V-boats", was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bass.

USS <i>Cuttlefish</i> (SS-171) Submarine of the United States

USS Cuttlefish (SC-5/SS-171), a Cachalot-class submarine and one of the "V-boats," was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cuttlefish. Her keel was laid down by Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 21 November 1933 sponsored by Mrs. B. S. Bullard, and commissioned on 8 June 1934, Lieutenant Commander Charles W. "Gin" Styer in command. Cuttlefish was the first submarine built entirely at Electric Boat's facility in Groton, Connecticut; construction of previous Electric Boat designs had been subcontracted to other shipyards, notably Fore River Shipbuilding of Quincy, Massachusetts. Four Peruvian R-class submarines had previously been finished in Groton, using material from cancelled S-boats salvaged from Fore River.

USS <i>Torsk</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Torsk, hull number SS-423, is a Tench-class submarine built for the United States Navy during World War II. Armed with ten torpedo tubes, the Tench-class submarines were incremental developments of the highly-successful Gato-class submarines that formed the backbone of the US Navy's submarine force during the war. Torsk was laid down at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in June 1944, was launched in September that year, and commissioned in December.

United States <i>Porpoise</i>-class submarine Class of US Navy submarine

The Porpoise class were submarines built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s, and incorporated a number of modern features that would make them the basis for subsequent Salmon, Sargo, Tambor, Gato, Balao, and Tench classes. In some references, the Porpoises are called the "P" class.

USS <i>Pomodon</i> (SS-486) Submarine of the United States

USS Pomodon (SS-486), a Tench-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Pomodon genera of snapper.

USS <i>Burrfish</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Burrfish (SS/SSR-312) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the burrfish, a swellfish of the Atlantic coast. The vessel entered service in 1943 and saw action during World War II and in the postwar era. In 1961 Burrfish was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy where she served as HMCS Grilse and was used primarily as a training boat from 1961 until 1969.

USS <i>Corporal</i> (SS-346) Submarine of the United States

USS Corporal (SS-346), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the corporal, an alternate name for the fallfish, found in streams of the eastern United States.

USS <i>Sea Poacher</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Sea Poacher (SS/AGSS-406), a Balao-class submarine, was a vessel of the United States Navy named for the sea poacher, a slender, mailed fish of the North Atlantic.

USS <i>O-8</i> (SS-69) O-class submarine of the United States

USS O-8 (SS-69) was one of 16 O-class submarines built for the United States Navy during World War I.

<i>Mackerel</i>-class submarine Submarine class

The Mackerel-class submarines were a pair of experimental prototype submarines built just prior to World War II and launched in 1940 and 1941. The two submarines were similar in size and capability to the S-class submarines built at the end of World War I, and had been ordered to test the feasibility of using mass production techniques to build small submarines. Until at least 1940 it was thought that mass production of fleet submarines would be impractical, and in any case small submarines could provide area defense for submarine bases. Once it became apparent that there would be sufficient production of the more capable Gato-class submarines, interest in the design waned and no additional small submarines were ordered. Submarine production standardized during the war on the Gato class and its successors, the Balao and Tench-class submarines. In some references, the Mackerels are called the "M class".

The Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was an early builder of submarines for the United States Navy in the early 20th century.

<i>T-1</i>-class submarine Pair of submarines

The T-1-class submarines were a pair of submarines designed by the United States Navy and built in the early 1950s for use in training submarine personnel and testing submarine equipment. Both submarines of the class served in these roles for over 19 years.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN   1-55750-263-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 271. ISBN   0-313-26202-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
  4. ↑ Friedman, pp. 224-227
  5. ↑ Friedman, p. 227
  6. ↑ Gardiner and Chesneau, pp. 144-145

Commons-logo.svg Media related to USS Marlin (SS-205) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.