USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)

History of USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)

USS Cuttlefish (SC-5/SS-171), a Cachalot-class submarine and one of the "V-ships", was the second ship The U.S. Navy is named after the squid. Her keel was laid by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on November 21, 1933, sponsored by Mrs. B. S. Bullard, and served on June 8, 1934 under the command of Major Charles W. "Gin" Styer.

Cuttlefish is the first submarine built entirely at the Electric Boat factory in Groton, Connecticut. Construction of previous electric boat designs has been subcontracted to other shipyards, most notably Fore River Shipbuilding in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Four Peruvian R-class submarines were previously completed at Groton, using material from cancelled S-type submarines salvaged from the Fore River.

Specification

Basics

Year of Service

1934

Origins

United States

supplement

48

staff

Class information

Class

V-8 (Cachalot) class

Class Size

2

ships

Class

USS Cachalot (SS-170); USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)

Operators

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

274. 0 feet

83.52m

Ray

24.8 feet

7.56m

Draft

16.2 feet

4.94m

Shift

1,150 t

No. submerged

1,680 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

2 BuEng/MAN Direct Drive Diesel Engines, each producing 1,535 hp; 1 x BuEng/MAN Diesel Auxiliary Generator, 440 hp; 2 Electric Electric Motors, 800 hp each; 2 x 120 Core Exide WLLH31 Battery pack; 2 x waves.

Surface Velocity

17. 0 nodes

(19.6 km/h)

Underwater speed

8. 0 nodes

(9.2 km/h)

Area

6,000nm

(6,905 miles | 11,113 kilometers)

Armament

6 x 21" (533 mm) torpedo tubes (4 to bow, 2 to stern); 16 torpedo loader. 1 x 3" (76 mm) /50 Caliber deck gun.

Aircraft

None.