Sabalo (SS-302) after conversion to a "Fleet Snorkel" type, post-1952. | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Sabalo |
Namesake | Sabalo, alternative name for the Atlantic tarpon |
Builder | Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia [1] |
Yard number | 557 |
Laid down | 5 June 1943 [1] |
Launched | 4 June 1944 [1] |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Martha C. Oman |
Commissioned | 19 June 1945 [1] |
Decommissioned | 7 August 1946 [1] |
Recommissioned | June 1951 [1] |
Decommissioned | 1 July 1971 [1] |
Stricken | 1 July 1971 [1] |
Fate | Sunk as a target, 15 February 1973 [1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Balaoclass diesel-electric submarine [2] |
Displacement | |
Length | 311 ft 8 in (95.00 m) [2] |
Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) [2] |
Draft | 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum [2] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | |
Range | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h) [6] |
Endurance |
|
Test depth | 400 ft (120 m) [6] |
Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted [6] |
Armament |
|
USS Sabalo (SS-302), a Balao-class submarine, was the first submarine and second ship of the United States Navy to be named sabalo, another name for the Atlantic tarpon, a large, silvery game fish of the herring group, found in the warmer parts of the Western Atlantic.
Sabalo (SS-302) was laid down on 5 June 1943 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; launched on 4 June 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Martha C. Oman, wife of Rear Admiral Charles M. Oman (ret.), commander of the U S Naval Convalescent Hospital in Monroe, New York; and commissioned on 19 June 1945 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadephia.
After trials in the Delaware River, Sabalo proceeded to Naval Submarine Base New London at New London, Connecticut, for shakedown and training. She operated locally from New London until June 1946, when she began preparations for inactivation. She was decommissioned on 7 August 1946 at Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, and was placed in reserve in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, remaining there until recommissioning on 1 June 1951 at the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, New London.
In August 1951, Sabalo departed New London for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, her new home port. Arriving in September 1951, she conducted local operations into February 1952. From 18 February to 28 September 1952, she underwent conversion to a Fleet Snorkel type at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. This was a less-extensive alteration than the GUPPY conversion received by many World War IIera fleet submarines during the same general period. Sabalo′s conning tower was replaced by a new streamlined sail, but retained her original hull form.
Following this conversion, Sabalo alternated local operations with simulated war patrols while deployed to the western Pacific. The first deployment, from 26 December 1952 to 26 June 1953, was followed by a second from mid-November 1954 to 10 May 1955. Her third deployment, from 17 September to 4 November 1955, was conducted off the Territory of Alaska and among the eastern Aleutian Islands.
In September 1966, Sabalo's home port changed to San Diego, California, and she resumed training operations off the United States West Coast, primarily providing services to ships undergoing anti-submarine warfare, type, and refresher training. Sabalo served in that capacity as a unit of the United States First Fleet until decommissioned on 1 July 1971.
Struck from the Navy Register onn the day she was decommissioned, she was sunk as a target in SubSinkEx Project "Thurber" off San Diego on 21 February 1973. Some sources [7] indicate that the sinking was by deliberate partial flooding to acquire acoustic data on submarine implosions.
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 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 Stickleback (SS-415), a Balao-class submarine, was named for the stickleback, a small scaleless fish.
USS Remora (SS-487), a Tench-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the remora, a fish with a suctorial disk on its head enabling it to cling to other fish and to ships.
USS Sirago (SS-485), a Tench-class submarine, was named for the sirago, a small, freshwater tropical fish.
USS Quillback (SS-424), a Tench-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for quillback, a fish of the sucker family, widespread in the freshwaters of North America and Northern Asia.
USS Manta (SS/ESS/AGSS-299), a Balao-class submarine, was the first submarine and second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the manta.
USS Becuna (SS/AGSS-319), a Balao-class submarine, is a former ship of the United States Navy named for the becuna, a pike-like fish of Europe. She was designated a National Historic Landmark for her service in World War II, for which she earned four battle stars. She presently serves as a museum ship at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
USS Blenny (SS/AGSS-324), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the blenny, a fish found along the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
USS Capitaine (SS/AGSS-336), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the capitaine, a brilliantly colored fish inhabiting waters of the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Panama.
USS Entemedor (SS-340), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the entemedor, a fish of the electric ray family found in shallow waters from Baja California to Panama.
USS Hardhead (SS-365), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the hardhead, a fish of the croaker family. Hardhead received six battle stars for World War II service. All six of her combat patrols were "successful".
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 Cubera (SS-347), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the cubera, a large fish of the snapper family found in the West Indies.
USS Sablefish (SS/AGSS-303), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the sablefish, a large, dark fish found along North America's Pacific coast from California to Alaska.
USS Cobbler (SS-344), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the cobbler, the killifish of New South Wales.
USS Greenfish (SS-351) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy. It was named for the greenfish.
USS Jallao (SS-368), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the jallao, a pearl-white haemulonid food fish of the Gulf of Mexico.
The second USS Menhaden (SS-377) was United States Navy Balao-class submarine. Launched in 1944, she operated out of Pearl Harbor until 1946, then continued in use out of various ports in the Pacific until the 1970s. She was then decommissioned and re-fitted as a remotely controlled, unmanned acoustic test vehicle known as the "Yellow Submarine", until she was scrapped in 1988.
USS Sea Cat (SS/AGSS-399), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for a shortened form of sea catfish, a marine fish of little food value found off the southeastern coast of the United States commissioned on 16 May 1944, with Commander Rob Roy McGregor in command. During World War II Sea Cat operated within the Pacific theatre, conducting four war patrols in wolf packs accounting for up to 17400 tons in the form of three cargo ships and an enemy vessel. Sea Cat earned three battle stars for her World War II service.