USS Bang
Service
- as USS Bang (SS-385)4 December 1943 — 1 October 1972638 days of the war
- as Cosme Garcia (S34)? — 19832,193 days of the war
- Name
- USS Bang
- Builder
- Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
- Laid down
- 30 April 1943
- Launched
- 30 August 1943
- Commissioned
- 4 December 1943
- Decommissioned
- 12 February 1947
- Recommissioned
- 1 February 1951
- Struck
- 1 November 1974
- Fate
- Scrapped in 1983 (1983)
- Status
- Scrapped
Specifications — World War II
- 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 Bang was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine built for the United States Navy. Her keel was laid at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine on 30 April 1943. Launched on 30 August 1943, she entered service on 4 December 1943.
111 ships of the class were built. The class followed the Gato-class submarine and was succeeded by the Tench-class submarine.
The boat displaced 1,848 long tons submerged. She measured 94.8 m (311 ft) long with a beam of 8.2 m (27 ft). Her designed speed was 17 knots, and she carried a complement of 10. Her main battery was of 127 mm (5 in) calibre.
She served with the United States Navy as USS Bang (SS-385) until 1 October 1972. She then passed to the Spanish Navy, serving as Cosme Garcia (S34). She was in commission for 2,831 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 12 February 1947. She recommissioned on 1 February 1951. She was struck from the register on 1 November 1974.
She was broken up for scrap in 1983.
Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.
Armament and machinery
This vessel is recorded in 2 configurations. Wartime refits changed armament and complement substantially, so each is kept separately rather than averaged into one set of figures. The figures above are as built.
World War II
- Propulsion
- 4 × Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8-⅛ 10-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators
- 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries
- 4 × high-speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears
- two propellers
- 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced
- 2,740 shp (2.0 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
Guppy IIA
- Displacement, submerged
- 1,848 long tons (1,878 t)
- Length
- 93.57 m (307 ft)
- Beam
- 8.23 m (27 ft)
- Draught
- 5.18 m (17 ft)
- Speed
- 17 knots (31.5 km/h, 19.6 mph)
- Propulsion
- Submarine snorkel added, One diesel engine and generator removed, Batteries upgraded to Sargo II
- Armament
- 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
- (six forward, four aft)
- all guns removed
Sister ships
- ARA Santa Fe (S-21)
- USS Apogon
- USS Archerfish (SS-311)
- USS Aspro (SS-309)
- USS Atule
- USS Balao
- USS Barbel (SS-316)
- USS Barbero
- USS Batfish (SS-310)
- USS Baya
- USS Becuna
- USS Bergall (SS-320)
- USS Besugo
- USS Billfish (SS-286)
- USS Blackfin
- USS Blanquillo (SS-323)
- USS Blenny
- USS Blower
- USS Blueback (SS-326)
- USS Boarfish
- USS Bowfin
- USS Brill
- USS Bugara
- USS Bullhead
Sources
- Facts harvested from USS Bang on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: Unknown author — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons