 USSCarbonero (SS-337) about to tie up inboard ofUSS Gudgeon (SS-567) at Pearl Harbor, c. 1963. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Ordered | 10 April 1942 |
| Builder | Electric Boat Company,Groton, Connecticut[1] |
| Laid down | 16 December 1943[1] |
| Launched | 15 October 1944[1] |
| Commissioned | 7 February 1945[1] |
| Decommissioned | 1 December 1970[1] |
| Stricken | 1 December 1970[1] |
| Fate | Sunk as a target off Pearl Harbor, 27 April 1975[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Balao-classdiesel-electricsubmarine[2] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 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 nmi (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)[3] |
| Endurance |
|
| Test depth | 400 ft (120 m)[3] |
| Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3] |
| Armament |
|
USSCarbonero (SS/AGSS-337) was aBalao-classsubmarine, the first ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for thecarbonero, a salt-water fish found in the West Indies.
Carbonero′skeel waslaid down on 16 December 1943 by theElectric Boat Company ofGroton, Connecticut. She waslaunched on 19 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. S.S. Murray, andcommissioned on 7 February 1945.
Sailing fromNew London, Connecticut, on 21 March 1945,Carbonero served with the Fleet Sonar School atKey West, Florida, and conducted torpedo exercises atBalboa, Canal Zone, before arriving atPearl Harbor on 9 May. Her first war patrol, conducted offFormosa from 26 May to 8 July, was devoted to lifeguard duty, standing by for possible rescue of aviators downed inaircraft carrier strikes. After refitting atSubic Bay,Carbonero cleared for theGulf of Siam on 4 August, and cruising off the east coast of theMalay Peninsula, sank four schooners, twosampans, and two junks, some of the small remnants of the Japanese merchant fleet. This second war patrol ended with the cease fire order on 15 August, andCarbonero put back toSubic Bay.
Carbonero reported atSeattle on 22 September 1945 for operations on the West Coast. After a simulated war patrol to the Far East early in 1947, she was assigned to the Submarine Guided Missile Program, joining her sister shipCusk as a control vessel operating out ofSan Diego, andNaval Base Ventura County inPort Hueneme, California. Assigned to theRegulus missile program,Carbonero was re-designated an auxiliary submarine (AGSS-337) in 1949.
Fitted with theFleet Snorkel modification package in 1951,Carbonero operated off SouthernCalifornia, and occasionally in theHawaiian Islands. In 1953Carbonero was fitted with control equipment which enabled her to guide a missile once it passed beyond the range of the firing ship. She performed in various phases of this program including the launching ofLoon missiles and the evaluation of Regulus missile guidance equipment.
On 13 May 1957, her home port shifted to Pearl Harbor. In July 1959,Carbonero became theflagship of Submarine Division 12. From that time forwardCarbonero took part in local operations in Hawaiian waters plus deployments to the Western Pacific, trips to the South Pacific and mainland United States. She made an Arctic familiarization cruise in 1957, and in 1958 and 1959–1960, cruised to the Far East. She assisted in the training of forces of theRepublic of Korea and ofJapan, and called at ports of Japan and thePhilippines during these deployments.
Early in 1962 the Regulus missile guidance equipment was removed.Carbonero returned to the standard "Fleet Snorkel" configuration, and was re-designated an attack submarine (SS-337).
Carbonero participated in the 1962 nuclear tests in the Central Pacific offChristmas Island andJohnston Island entitledOperation Dominic. She was on hand for the detonation of a warhead from aPolaris missile fired fromEthan Allen in the "Frigate Bird"nuclear weapon test.Carbonero andMedregal were about 30 miles (48 km) from the detonation.
During theVietnam WarCarbonero again performed aviator lifeguard duties during trips to the Far East. During the mid 1960s while operating off Kaena Point,Oahu,Carbonero ran aground at a depth of 250 feet (76 m), requiring drydock repair at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
Carbonero also participated in theProject SHAD biological tests 65-6 Big Tom, 66-13 Half Note, and 68-71 Folded Arrow. During these tests,Bacillus globigii was released fromCarbonero using a submarine-biological-disseminator. Aerosol sampling was done at various land-based stations near Oahu,Hawaii andKaneohe Marine Corps Air Station.[4]
Carbonero was decommissioned on 1 December 1970. On 27 April 1975, she was taken to sea for one last time and used as a test target for aMark 48 torpedo fired by the submarineUSS Pogy off Hawaii.
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
China Service Medal
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (Republic of Vietnam)
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (Republic of Vietnam)One ofCarbonero′s two war patrols was designated as "successful."
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be foundhere andhere.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1975 | |
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| Other incidents |
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