USS Bluefish (SS-222)

History of the USS Bluefish (SS-222)

The United States Navy's (USN) Gato-class submarines played an extremely important role in the Allied victory over the mighty Japanese Empire in the Pacific. 77 boats were completed to Gato standards, built from 1940 to 1944 and commissioned from 1943 to 1969. About twenty people went missing during their service, and fifty-seven were eventually discharged. Six of them have been preserved as floating museums or otherwise.

Some in the group saw service in foreign hands, including the navies of wartime foes Italy and Japan, and the friendship of Greece and Brazil.

The USS Bluefish was one of many ships built for World War II (1939-1945). She is essentially a diesel-electric attack submarine, relying on diesel engines for surface cruise and electric motors/batteries for underwater work.

The batteries required the boat to surface to charge - a common limitation for attack submarines at the time, as the operation provided an extremely vulnerable target for enemy fighter jets and destroyer/sub hunters.

The USS Bluefish displaces 1,525 tons (long) when it surfaced and 2,425 tons when submerged. She has a length of 311.8 feet, a beam of 27.2 feet, and a draft of 17 feet.

Power is provided by 4 GM 16-248 series V16 diesel engines and 4 GE electric motors (with reduction gears) and 2 Sargo 126 batteries. This allows for surface speeds of up to 21 knots and underwater speeds of 9 knots.

The range is 11,000 nautical miles, giving the vessel a good range in the vast Pacific Ocean. It can remain submerged out of enemy sight for two full days, all of whom maintain a full 75-day patrol schedule. The hull has been tested to a depth of 300 feet.

The USS Bluefish was laid on June 5, 1942 by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, and launched on February 21, 1943. She served on May 24, 1943, and served until the end of the war in August 1945.

Internally, she carried a crew of 60, including 6 officers and 54 soldiers. Weapons are concentrated on 10 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, with 6 launchers in the bow and 4 in the stern. This allows the ship to attack front and rear targets without the ship turning completely to face them.

She has a 3" (76 mm)/50 caliber gun mounted on her deck for close range operations on the surface. For anti-aircraft (AA) protection, she carries 1 x 40mm Bofors autocannon and 1 20mm Oerlikon autocannon.

Well-equipped, fast, and capable of long-term stamina in deep water, the Bluefish is a formidable opponent. Having appeared in the Pacific Theater, she participated in a total of nine war patrols, claiming over 50,000 tons of enemy cargo in her name.

Some of her casualties included torpedo boat IJN Kasasagi, destroyer IJN Sanae and seaplane carrier IJN Hayasui. In her final operation of the war, she successfully attacked a Japanese submarine pursuer off Sumatra. USS Bluefish and her crew were awarded ten Battle Stars for their service in World War I.

After the war, she became part of the 16th Fleet and was repaired at Groton. She returned to combat service in 1946, but was placed in reserve status in early 1947 until recommissioned in January 1952 and joined U-Boot-Division 82 as part of the Atlantic Fleet. From there, she joined U-Boot-Division 41 in the Caribbean.

The ship was eventually decommissioned in late 1953, removed from the Naval Register in 1958, and scrapped in 1960.

Specification

Basic

Year of Service

1943

Origins

United States

supplement

60

staff

Class information

Class

Overtime

Class Size

77

ships

Class

USS Gato (SS-212); USS Greenlin (SS-213); USS Grouper (SS-214); USS Growler (SS-215); USS Grunion (SS-216); USS Guardfish ( SS-217); USS Albacore (SS-218); USS Amberjack (SS-219); USS Barb (SS-220); Blackfish (SS-221); Bluefish (SS-222); USS Bonefish (SS-223); Cod (SS-224); Cerro (SS-225); Covina (SS-226); USS Dart (SS-227); USS Drum (SS-228) ; USS Flying Fish (SS-229); USS Finback (SS-230); Haddock (SS-231); USS Halibut (SS-232); USS Herring (SS-233); USS Kingfish (SS-234); USS Herring (SS-235); USS Silversides (SS-236); USS Trigger (SS-237); USS Wahoo (SS-238); Whale (SS-239); USS Angler (SS-240); Basho (SS-241); USS Bluegill (SS-242); Snapper (SS-243); Cavaglia (SS-244); USS Cobia (SS- 245); USS Yellow Croaker (SS-246); USS Dace (SS-247); USS Dorado (SS-248); USS Flasher (SS-249); USS Pilot (SS-250); USS Flounder (SS-251); USS Gabilan (SS-252); USS Gunnel (SS-253); USS Gunnard (SS-254); USS Hadow (SS-255); USS Cod (SS- 256); USS Harder (SS-257); USS Hoe (SS-258); USS Jack (SS-259); USS Lapon (SS-260); Mingo (SS-261); USS Muskallung (SS-256); -262); USS Paddle (SS-263); USS Pargo (SS-264); USS Peyto (SS-265); USS Porgy (SS-266); USS Pompadour (SS-267); USS Buffer (SS-268); USS Rasher (SS-269); USS Raton (SS-270); USS Ray (SS-271); USS Redfin (SS-272); USS Robalo ( SS-273); The Rock USS Runner-Up (SS-275); USS Sawfish (SS-276); USS Scamp (SS-277); USS Scorpion (SS-278); USS Snook (SS-278) 279); USS Steel Head (SS-280); USS Sunfish (SS-281); USS Tuna (SS-282); USS Tinosa (SS-283); USS Tulibi (SS-284); USS Golet (SS-361); USS Guavina (SS-362); USS Guitar (SS-363); USS Hammerhead (SS-364)

Carrier

United States

Roles

Underwater Attack

Travel below the surface to find, track and/or attack or explore 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. 8 feet

95.04m

Ray

27. 2 feet

8.29m

Draft

17. 0 feet

5.18m

Shift

1,550 t

No. submerged

2,465 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

4 x GM Model 16-248 V16 Diesel Engines; Generator; 2 x 126 Sargo Batteries; 4 x GE Electric Motors; 2 x Wave.

Surface Velocity

21. 0 nodes

(24.2 km/h)

Underwater speed

9. 0 nodes

(10.4 km/h)

Area

11,297nm

(13,000 miles | 20,921 kilometers)

Weapons

10 x 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes (6 in bow, 4 in stern) (24 x torpedo rear). 1 x 76 mm / 50 caliber ( 3") deck gun 1 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun (AA)1 x 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun (AA)

Aircraft

None.