Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
United States Navy — Submarine

USS Devilfish

Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine

USS Devilfish
Unknown author — Unknown source — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate USS_Devilfish; https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08292.htm Devilfish (SS-292), coming into port past an LST, circa 1945. U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of http://ussubvetsofworldwarii.org web site.

Service

  1. United States Navy as Devilfish1 September 1944 — 30 September 1946366 days of the war
Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine Particulars
Name
USS Devilfish
Builder
Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia
Laid down
31 March 1942
Launched
30 May 1943
Commissioned
1 September 1944
Decommissioned
30 September 1946
Struck
1 March 1967
Fate
Sunk as a target off San Francisco, California on 14 August 1968 (1968)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, submerged
2,424 long tons (2,463 t)
Length
94.79 m (311 ft)
Beam
8.23 m (27 ft)
Draught
4.88 m (16 ft)
Range
11,000 nmi (20,372 km)
Complement
10
Main gun
127 mm (5 in)

USS Devilfish was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine built for the United States Navy. Her keel was laid at Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia on 31 March 1942. She entered service on 1 September 1944, having been launched on 30 May 1943.

She was one of 111 ships of her class. The class followed the Gato-class submarine and was succeeded by the Tench-class submarine.

The boat displaced 2,424 long tons submerged. She measured 94.8 m (311 ft) long with a beam of 8.2 m (27 ft). She carried a complement of 10. Her main battery was of 127 mm (5 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 366 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 30 September 1946. She was struck from the register on 1 March 1967.

She was expended as a target on 14 August 1968. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 4 × Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-<templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />1⁄8 9-cylinder opposed-piston diesel engines driving electrical generators
  • 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries
  • 4 × high-speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears
  • 2 × propellers
  • 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced
  • 2,740 shp (2.04 MW) submerged
Armament
  • 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
  • 6 forward, 4 aft
  • 24 torpedoes
  • 1 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun
  • Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

Sister ships

86 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Devilfish on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — Unknown source — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons