USS Lionfish (SS-298)

History

The Balao-class submarine USS Lionfish was launched on December 15, 1942, launched on November 7, 1943, and commissioned on November 1, 1944. Her first captain was Lcdr. Edward D. Spruance, son of the famous Admiral Raymond Spruance of World War II.

After completing sea trials in New England, she sailed into the Pacific and embarked on her first wartime patrol in Japanese waters on April 1, 1945. Ten days later, she dodged two torpedoes fired at her by a Japanese submarine, and on May 1 destroyed a Japanese schooner with her deck guns.

After rendezvous with the USS Thunder, she transported B-29 survivors to Saipan and then to Midway for supplies.

On June 2, she began her second war patrol, and on July 10 launched a torpedo on a Japanese submarine that had surfaced, after which the Lionfish crew heard an explosion and passed a periscope Smoke was observed. She then fired on two more Japanese submarines, completing her second and final wartime lifeguard patrol off the coast of Japan (rescuing downed pilots).

When hostilities ended on August 15, she began her journey to San Francisco, where she was decommissioned on January 16, 1946, at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

The Lionfish was recommissioned on 31 January 1951 and headed to the East Coast for a training cruise. After participating in NATO exercises and cruising in the Mediterranean, she returned to the East Coast and was decommissioned at Boston Naval Shipyard on December 15, 1953.

In 1960, the venerable submarine was called into action again, this time as a reserve training submarine in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1971, she was eliminated from the Naval Register, and in 1973 she was permanently displayed as a memorial in Battleship Cove, where she has become one of the museum's most popular exhibits and a revered monument to all submariners.

Specification

Basic

Year of Service

1944

Origins

United States

supplement

81

staff

Class information

Class

Ba Lao Ban

Class Size

120

Operators

United States

Roles

Underwater Attack

Move subsurface to find, track and/or attack or reconnaissance areas.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

311. 5 feet

94.95m

Ray

27. 2 feet

8.29m

Draft

16.9 feet

5.15m

Shift

1,526 t

No. submerged

2,424 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

4 x Fairbanks Morse Model 38D8-1. 5,400 hp 5.9-cylinder diesel piston engine powering generator; 2 x 126 Sargo batteries; 4 GE high-speed reduction gear motors; 2 propellers

Surface Velocity

Section 20.3

(23.3 km/h)

Underwater speed

8.8 Sections

(10.1 km/h)

Area

10,999nm

(12,658 miles | 20,371 kilometers)

Weapons

10 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 front, 4 rear), 24 torpedoes. 1 x 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber deck gun. 1 x 40mm Bofors cannon anti-aircraft (AA) automatic cannon. 1 x 20mm Oerlikon (AA) automatic cannon.

Aircraft

None.