USS Grunion (SS-216)

History

USS Grunion (SS 216) is known for its mysterious disappearance. Until recently, little was known about the eventual whereabouts of the ship and its 70 crew members.

She is known to have been attacked after witnessing extensive anti-submarine activity near Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, but she has never heard from her except her last radio transmission - August 16, 1942, Reported missing.

The USS Grunion is a Gato-class submarine - one of 77 such submarines built by the United States of America during World War II. She left New London after sea trials and was involved in the rescue of about 16 American sailors in the Caribbean - victims of a German U-boat attack.

She later passed through Panama, arriving at Pearl Harbor on June 20, before being dispatched to the Aleutian Islands to fight patrolling enemy ships.

Grunion had been operating in these waters throughout July, until July 30th when she received news of a high level of anti-submarine activity. To avoid falling prey to enemy action, the ship was ordered to return to the relative safety of Dutch Harbor.

At that time, Grunion was never heard from again. The search for rescuers was unsuccessful.

In August 2007, a sunken ship was found in the Bering Sea. The Navy officially acknowledged in October 2008 that the ship was actually the USS Grunion, although the cause of her sinking remains a mystery.

Grunion is believed to have fallen victim to troop deck guns while engaging a Japanese troop carrier and delivering the final blow with her deck guns, which are believed to have hit Grunion directly. tower.

The Grunion is equipped with 10 x 533mm torpedo tubes, six of which point forward and four point rearward. In total, the ship was armed with 24 torpedoes. A 3" deck gun is provided for anti-ship self-defense and close range work, while 4 x 12.7mm machine guns provide anti-aircraft defense.

Power comes from 4 General Motors V16 diesel engines connected to generators. There are 2 126 Sargo batteries and 4 GE electric motors. The propulsion system drives two propeller shafts.

The USS Grunion was laid in 1941 by the Groton, Connecticut-based Electric Boat Company and launched the same year. She officially entered service in 1942 and became a member of the 77-man fleet of U.S. Gato-class submarines. Besides that, the name "Grunion" is actually a small fish related to the silverside family, mainly found on the west coast of the United States. For me, the USS Grunion is still the only sea vessel with that name.

The ship and her crew received a Battle Star for their service in World War II.

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