Menhaden
Country | United States |
Ship Class | Balao-class Submarine |
Hull Number | SS-377 |
Builder | Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States |
Laid Down | 21 Jun 1944 |
Launched | 20 Dec 1944 |
Commissioned | 22 Jun 1945 |
Decommissioned | 13 Aug 1971 |
Displacement | 1,550 tons standard; 2,463 tons submerged |
Length | 312 feet |
Beam | 27 feet |
Draft | 17 feet |
Machinery | Four General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers |
Bunkerage | 118,000 gallons of oil |
Speed | 20 knots |
Range | 11,000nm at 10 knots surfaced, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged |
Crew | 66 |
Armament | 6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm aft torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x127mm 25cal deck gun, 1x40mm Bofors gun, 1x20mm Oerlikon cannon |
Submerged Speed | 8.75 knots |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseIn Oct 1944, submarine USS Darter was scuttled in the Philippine Islands after running aground. Darter's crew were taken off, brought back to the United States, and formed the crew for the newly completed submarine that would be commissioned in Jun 1945 as USS Menhaden. She conducted training in Lake Michigan, transited down the Mississippi River, and departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States on 27 Jul 1945 for the Panama Canal Zone for further training. On 16 Sep 1945, she arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii to join Submarine Squadron 19, by which time the Pacific War had come to a close, thus USS Menhaden would see no action in WW2. She was decommissioned in 1946. After the war, she underwent GUPPY IIA snorkel submarine conversion in late 1952 and early 1953. Subsequently, she served on the west coast of the United States and patrolled Far East waters on multiple tours; based out of Yokosuka, Japan, she visited various ports in Japan, Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, and Australia and patrolled waters off Korea and Vietnam. She was decommissioned for the final time in 1971. In 1976, she was towed from California to Keyport, Washington further north on the west coast of the United States. Painted yellow and without engines, she gained the nicknames "Yellow Submarine" and "The Hulk" while at Keyport. For the next few years, she served as a remotely-controlled submersible for the purpose of testing new under water weapons and for target training. She was sold for scrap in 1988; during the scrapping process, she during a high tide, delaying the scrapping process which would ultimately be completed.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jun 2012
Submarine Menhaden (SS-377) Interactive Map
Photographs
Menhaden Operational Timeline
21 Jun 1944 | The keel of submarine Menhaden was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States. |
20 Dec 1944 | Submarine Menhaden was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States, sponsored by Miss Mirium R. Johnson. |
22 Jun 1945 | USS Menhaden was commissioned into service, Commander David H. McClintock in command. |
15 Jul 1945 | USS Menhaden completed training in Lake Michigan in the United States. |
27 Jul 1945 | USS Menhaden departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. |
1 Sep 1945 | USS Menhaden departed Balboa, Panama Canal Zone. |
16 Sep 1945 | USS Menhaden arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. |
24 Nov 1945 | USS Menhaden became Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz's flagship at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. |
2 Jan 1946 | USS Menhaden departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. |
8 Jan 1946 | USS Menhaden arrived at San Francisco, California, United States. |
31 May 1946 | USS Menhaden was decommissioned from service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States. She was placed in the US Navy Pacific Reserve Fleet. |
7 Aug 1951 | USS Menhaden was recommissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander Ralph G. Johns, Jr. in command. |
13 Aug 1952 | USS Menhaden was decommissioned from service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States for for Guppy IIA conversion. |
6 Mar 1953 | USS Menhaden was recommissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander William R. Werner in command. |
12 Jun 1953 | USS Menhaden was assigned to Submarine Squadron 3 at San Diego, California, United States. |
21 Sep 1953 | USS Menhaden departed San Diego, California, United States for the Far East. |
11 Feb 1954 | USS Menhaden departed the Far East for the United States. |
23 Mar 1954 | USS Menhaden arrived at San Diego, California, United States. |
18 Aug 1955 | USS Menhaden departed San Diego, California, United States for the Far East. |
17 Feb 1956 | USS Menhaden arrived at the west coast of the United States. |
13 Aug 1971 | USS Menhaden was decommissioned from service. |
15 Aug 1973 | Submarine Menhaden was struck from the US Naval Register. |
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