_leaving_Portsmouth%2c_Hampshire_(UK)%2c_circa_in_July_1949_(NH_95925).jpg) USSCochino (SS-345), leavingPortsmouth, England, for theBarents Sea, c. July 1949. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Cochino |
| Namesake | The Cuban name of triggerfishBalistes vetula |
| Builder | Electric Boat Company,Groton, Connecticut |
| Laid down | 13 April 1944 |
| Launched | 20 April 1945 |
| Commissioned | 25 August 1945 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Lost at sea, 26 August 1949 |
| General characteristics (As built)[1][2] | |
| Class & type | Balao-classdiesel-electricsubmarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) |
| Draft | 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 11,000 nmi (13,000 mi; 20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Endurance |
|
| Test depth | 400 feet (120 m) |
| Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| General characteristics (Guppy II)[3] | |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 307 ft (94 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft 4 in (8.33 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 15,000 nmi (17,000 mi; 28,000 km) surfaced at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Endurance | 48 hours at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament | 10 ×21 inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes (six forward, four aft) |
| Notes | Snorkel added |
USSCochino (SS-345) was aBalao-classsubmarine in service with theUnited States Navy from 1945 to 1949. She sank after a battery explosion offNorway, on 26 August 1949.Cochino was named for thecochino, atriggerfish found in the Atlantic.
Cochino was laid down by theElectric Boat Company, ofGroton, Connecticut, on 13 April 1944. She waslaunched on 20 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. M.E. Serat, the wife of the Assistant to the President of Electric Boat Co., andcommissioned on 25 August 1945.[4]
During hershakedown cruise out ofNew London, Connecticut,Cochino visitedNewport, Rhode Island, 12–15 September 1945, then sailed for thePanama Canal Zone, on 3 October. Reaching her destination on October 9, the new fleet boat carried out training with the Operational Development Force, then visitedMiami, Florida, 24–30 October, to observeNavy Day. She then proceeded toGuantanamo Bay, Cuba, whereCochino operated in until 27 November, when she shaped a course back to New London.[4]
Cochino sailed from New London, on 8 January 1946, in company withIrex, bound for Guantanamo Bay.Cochino provided services out of Naval Operating Base, Guantanamo, for much of January, clearing those waters on 25 January' for her new home port ofKey West, Florida, arriving there on 27 January, after which time she returned to Guantanamo Bay, to resume providing services in that area from 24 February–7 March. In-port periods at Key West followed, 9 March–3 May and 7–10 May, punctuated by a call atSt. Petersburg, Florida, 4–6 May, before she returned to Cuban waters 12–16 May. Then, following a visit toSt. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 18–20 May,Cochino sailed to conduct simulated attacks upon ships of the8th Fleet, proceeding then to Key West, upon conclusion of those evolutions.[4]
Following a period of upkeep from 24 May–16 August 1946,Cochino operated briefly out of Guantanamo Bay, 18–24 August, before she returned to her home port. Then, sailing in company withCorporal, she visitedGalveston, Texas, from 2–7 September. Returning to Key West, upon completion of that port call,Cochino returned to Guantanamo Bay, for another stint of providing services for fleet units in those waters, from 6–10 October. The boat operated out of Key West, for the remainder of the year, punctuating that time with visits toHavana, Cuba, from 18 to 21 October, andNew Orleans, from 25 to 29 October, and providing services for the fleet out of Guantanamo Bay, from 1–6 December.[4]
Cochino departed her home port on 3 March 1947, and visited St. Thomas, from 7–9 March, before sailing in company withGreenfish to operate north ofCulebra, Puerto Rico. Following another in port period at Key West, from 17 to 29 March,Cochino headed north for a period of repairs and alterations at thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyard. While there, she suffered slight damage when undocking from themarine railway on 20 May. Shifting to the Naval Ammunition Depot, atFort Mifflin, upon completion of that yard period, she conducted deep diving tests on 21 June, in the waters of the Baltimore Canyon, at38°08′N73°49′W / 38.133°N 73.817°W /38.133; -73.817, tended by thesubmarine rescue vesselTringa, after which time she returned to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, remaining there until 3 July.Cochino then proceeded toNorfolk, Virginia, from 6–12 July, reporting for duty to Commander, Aircraft, Atlantic Fleet, and then shifted toAnnapolis, Maryland, from 12 to 25 July, reporting for duty to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, upon arrival there. She then returned to her home port for upkeep from 28 July–29 August, after which time she visited Havana, from 29 August–1 September. She returned to Key West, on 1 October, where she remained for most of the month, heading out to sea on 11 October, to ride out a storm, returning the following day.[4]
After visiting Miami, from 25 to 28 October 1947,Cochino operated with the2nd Task Fleet nearBermuda, through mid-November, after which time she returned to her homeport for upkeep through mid-January 1948. Work in the Key West operating area or upkeep in port involved the boat until 31 January, when she sailed for New Orleans, forMardi Gras festivities, from 2–11 February. She then returned to Key West, and the local operating areas there, the fleet boat worked in those areas into the spring of 1948. Toward the end of that period, on 26 April 1948, while conducting a submerged exercise at a 60 ft (18 m) depth,Cochino collided with thefleet tugSalinan. Attempts to go deep and swing the ship proved unsuccessful, and the boat suffered damage to the periscope shears, both periscopes, and her radar antenna.[4]
Cochino then underwent repairs and major renovations at her builders' yard beginning on 11 May 1948. Converted to aGUPPY/Snorkel boat at Groton, she emerged from the yard on 4 February 1949. Departing New London, on 25 March, the newly modernized submarine visitedBoston, from 26 to 27 March, then returned to New London, from 28 March–2 May, after which time she headed south to return to her home port, arriving at Key West, on 8 May. She then again shaped a course for New London, where she remained from 19 May until 16 July, then proceeded toArgentia, Newfoundland, where she arrived on 22 July, en route to theBritish Isles and her first deployment to European waters.[4]
She reachedDerry, Northern Ireland, on 29 July. She operated locally in those waters for a brief period, then put in to Derry, from 4–8 August, before visitingPortsmouth, England, from 8–12 August. She then put to sea for operations above theArctic Circle in theBarents Sea before turning for home in late August.[4]
In August 1949,Cochino andTusk sailed along theKola Peninsula to determine whether theSoviet Union had detonated an atomic bomb.[5]
On 25 August 1949,Cochino ran into a violent polar storm offNorway. The huge waves slammed the submarine's snorkel so violently, and jolted the boat so severely, that the pounding caused an electrical fire and battery explosion, followed by the release of deadlyhydrogen gas. In wretched weather conditions, men ofCochino andTusk fought to save the submarine for 14 hours. A second battery explosion on 26 August prompted an "Abandon Ship" order, and after the crew made a dangerous rope transfer toTusk, the abandonedCochino sank at71°35′N23°35′E / 71.583°N 23.583°E /71.583; 23.583.Cochino's only fatality was a civilian from theBureau of Ships, technician Robert W. Philo, swept overboard by an icy wave.Tusk lost six of her own men in the same manner.[4]
Cochino was stricken from the List of Naval Vessels on 27 October 1949.[4]
Cochino is one of four United States Navy submarines to be lost since the end of World War II. The others areUSS Stickleback,USS Thresher andUSS Scorpion.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1949 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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