Submarine Springer (SS-414)

Springer

Country	United States
Ship Class	Balao-class Submarine
Hull Number	SS-414
Builder	Mare Island Navy Yard
Laid Down	30 Oct 1943
Launched	3 Aug 1944
Commissioned	18 Oct 1944
Displacement	1,550 tons standard; 2,424 tons submerged
Length	312 feet
Beam	27 feet
Draft	17 feet
Machinery	Four Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-? 10-cyl diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers
Bunkerage	116,000gal fuel oil
Speed	20 knots
Range	11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged
Crew	81
Armament	6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x127mm 25cal deck gun, 1x40mm gun, 1x20mm gun, 2x .50cal machine gun
Submerged Speed	8.75 knots

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS Springer was commissioned into service in Oct 1944. After trials and shakedown training, she arrived in Guam, Mariana Islands in Feb 1945, from where she embarked on her first war patrol on 17 Feb. She sank her first victim, Transport No. 18, during the first war patrol, and she would go on to have three successful war patrols during the war. Her third war patrol took her as close as the Kii Channel between the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, Japan, although she scored no kills there. The war ended as she was refitting at Guam, Mariana Islands. After the war, she was decommissioned and was placed in reserve in the Mare Island Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. After a period of mdoernization at San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, United States between Apr and Nov 1960 for her transfer to Chile. Commissioned by the Chilean Navy as submarine Thomson, she remained in service until 1972 when she was scrapped.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: May 2013

Submarine Springer (SS-414) Interactive Map

Photographs

Welders at the keel laying ceremony of submarine Springer, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, 30 Oct 1943

Submarines Springer (less complete) and Spot under construction, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, 3 Jan 1944, photo 1 of 4

Submarines Springer (less complete) and Spot under construction, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, 3 Jan 1944, photo 2 of 4

Submarines Springer (less complete) and Spot under construction, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, 3 Jan 1944, photo 3 of 4

See all 14 photographs of Submarine Springer (SS-414)

Videos

Crew of USS Springer recovering a dead Japanese airmen, stripping him of intelligence and personal items, and dumping him back into the Pacific Ocean, 14 May 1945

Springer Operational Timeline

30 Oct 1943	The keel of submarine Springer was laid down at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States.
3 Aug 1944	Submarine Springer was launched at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, sponsored by the wife of M. S. Tisdale.
18 Oct 1944	USS Springer was commissioned into service with Commander Russell Kefauver in command.
3 Dec 1944	USS Springer departed San Diego, California, United States.
8 Jan 1945	USS Springer departed Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States.
4 Feb 1945	USS Springer departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
17 Feb 1945	USS Springer departed Guam, Mariana Islands for her first war patrol.
11 Mar 1945	USS Springer attempted to attack two Japanese warships in the Pacific Ocean, but was driven off by aircraft.
14 Mar 1945	USS Springer attacked a Japanese patrol boat in the East China Sea, but the torpedo missed.
18 Mar 1945	USS Springer sank Japanese Transport No. 18 in the East China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 8 torpedoes fired.
25 Mar 1945	USS Springer arrived at Guam, Mariana Islands, ending her first war patrol.
20 Apr 1945	USS Springer departed Guam, Mariana Islands for her second war patrol.
28 Apr 1945	USS Springer attacked Japanese transports in the harbor at Tomie (now part of Goto), Nagasaki, Japan; she scored no hits on the transports, but she was able to sink Submarine Chaser No. 17 during the counterattack, hitting her with 1 or 2 of 6 torpedoes.
30 Apr 1945	USS Springer was depth charged by a Japanese destroyer while attempting to attack Japanese shipping in the Yellow Sea; she would survive the attack with minor damage; 4 torpedoes were expended in her attempt to fire back at the destroyer.
2 May 1945	USS Springer attacked a Japanese transport and two escort ships, sinking Japanese frigate Ojika in the Yellow Sea, hitting her with 3 of 4 torpedoes.
3 May 1945	USS Springer sank Japanese Coastal Defense Vessel No. 25 in the Yellow Sea, hitting her with 3 of 7 torpedoes fired.
4 May 1945	USS Springer set sail toward waters south of Japan on lifeguard duty.
14 May 1945	USS Springer's crew observed a dogfight between a Japanese fighter and four US fighters. After seeing the Japanese fighter fall into the water, the crew recovered the body of the dead Japanese pilot, retrieved papers for intelligence, took some equipment and personal items, and dumped the body back into the water.
18 May 1945	USS Springer arrived at Guam, ending her second war patrol.
16 Jun 1945	USS Springer arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands.
17 Jun 1945	USS Springer departed Saipan, Mariana Islands for her third war patrol.
26 Jun 1945	USS Springer rescued the eight survivors of a shot down B-29 bomber and one survivor of another south of Tokyo, Japan.
17 Jul 1945	USS Springer began patrolling the Kii Channel between Honshu and Shikoku islands of Japan.
23 Jul 1945	USS Springer completed her patrol of the Kii Channel between Honshu and Shikoku islands of Japan and set sail for Guam, Mariana Islands.
17 Aug 1945	USS Springer departed Guam, Mariana Islands.
5 Sep 1945	USS Springer arrived at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States.
24 Sep 1960	USS Springer was recommissioned into service.
15 Nov 1960	USS Springer completed her modernization at San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, United States.
19 Dec 1960	USS Springer received her new Chilean crew in training.
19 Jan 1961	USS Springer completed a period of training with a Chilean crew.
23 Jan 1961	USS Springer was decommissioned from service and was transferred to Chile. She was commissioned into Chilean service as submarine Thomson.
1 Sep 1972	Submarine Springer was struck from the US Navy Register as she was sold to Chile for scapping.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anonymous says:
1 Aug 2018 10:40:49 AM

If you see video of them putting pilot back I would hardly call that a proper burial. It is in YouTube.

C. Peter Chen says:
3 Aug 2018 10:16:36 AM

To anonymous of 1 Aug 2018: Thank you, we have adjusted the text of that particular timeline entry.

3. Ron Stalms says:
14 Jul 2023 05:52:39 AM

A web site detailing the USS Springer and my father has been online for 23 years with detailed war patrols and comments by my father and I. Though it hasn't been updated since he passed away the info is still there.
https://finaltrim.tripod.com/

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