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USS Balao (SS-285)

1943 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History of USS Balao (SS-285)

In all the battles of World War II (1939-1945), one of the most dangerous characters was the submariner - as the case of the US Navy in the Pacific Rim against the Imperial Japanese Navy proved. Like the rest of the U.S. military, the Navy needs time to update its combat capabilities, which has led to the rapid development of several classes of attack submarines.

The most important of these was the Gato class, an improved version of the T class from which the equally important Balao class developed, of which some 256 ships were ordered, but only 122 were completed and 10 incomplete hulls were scrapped. The newer category differs in the use of HT steels and advanced profiles that help increase the depth of work.

The lead ship of the Balao class was USS Balao (SS-285), laid on 26 June 1942 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery Main. She was launched on October 27, 1942, and officially commissioned on February 4, 1943.

When completed, the ship displaces 1,550 tons when surfaced and 2,455 tons underwater. She is 311.8 feet long, has a beam of 27.2 feet, and has a draft of 16.9 feet. Power comes from 4 GM 16-278A V16 diesel engines driving generators and 4 GE high-speed electric motors with reduction gears. 2 126-cell batteries are installed for underwater travel. All of this drives the power (2,740hp surfaced / 5,400hp submerged) to 2 x waves aft, propelling the boat at 20.25 knots when surfaced and 16.2 knots underwater.

With a range of 11,000 nautical miles, the vessel can stay underwater for up to two days at a time and can patrol for up to 75 days in total. Working depths may be as high as 400 feet.

This gives Balau and her sisters excellent range and generally performs well when surfaced or underwater. Due to diving technology at the time, the boat still had to surface to charge the batteries and vent the dangerous build-up of carbon dioxide gas.

As a result, submarines of that era generally spent most of their time on the surface or at periscope depths.

Internally, the crew consists of approximately 80 personnel, including 10 officers. Armament includes 10 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes, 6 forward and 4 prongs, and carries 24 x torpedo reloads. This allows the boat to communicate with the fore and stern without fully turning the boat The target engagement submarine has surfaced, and its 1 x 4" (100 mm)/50 caliber deck guns can attack less lethal surface ships.

1 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun (AA) was also carried to protect surfaced ships from air attack. 2 x .50 caliber heavy machine guns were used as the last line of defense.

During World War II, from July 1943 to August 1945, the USS Barau conducted a total of ten wartime patrols. The Balao-class and Gato-class ships provided most of the U.S.

Navy's underwater power in the conflict, and had a significant impact on Imperial Japan in the Pacific theater -- albeit with significant casualties.

Shortly after the war, the Balau moved from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to Staten Island, New York. The ship underwent a major overhaul, and after surviving the entire Second World War, she was decommissioned for the first time on August 20, 1946, during the mass evacuation of American troops.

The USS Barau was commissioned again on 4 March 1952. At this time, the U.S. Navy had already fought in the Korean War (1950-1953). She was used as a training platform for anti-submarine warfare in and around Key West, Florida, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Unlike other Gato-, Tench- and Balao-class submarines of the post-war period, the USS Balao was not selected for the GUPPY modernization program.

In addition to additional travel, training, and general exercises (and active deterrence during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962), the ship was decommissioned in 1963, with battle days behind her. On August 1, 1963, she officially retired, and on September 6, 1963, the USS Balao sank as a target as a man-made reef off the coast of Florida.

Only her turret survived the operation and is now on display at the Washington Naval Shipyard.