USS Blackfin
Service
- as USS Blackfin4 July 1944 — 15 September 1972425 days of the war
- Name
- USS Blackfin
- Namesake
- Blackfin cisco
- Builder
- Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
- Laid down
- 10 June 1943
- Launched
- 12 March 1944
- Commissioned
- 4 July 1944
- Decommissioned
- 19 November 1948
- Recommissioned
- 15 May 1951
- Struck
- 15 September 1972
- Fate
- Sunk as target off San Diego, California, 13 May 1973 (1973)
- Status
- Wreck
Specifications — As completed
- 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)
- Speed
- 20.3 knots (37.5 km/h, 23.3 mph)
- Range
- 11,000 nmi (20,372 km)
- Complement
- 10
- Main gun
- 127 mm (5 in)
USS Blackfin was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine built for the United States Navy. The ship was named after Blackfin cisco. Her keel was laid at Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut on 10 June 1943. She entered service on 4 July 1944, having been launched on 12 March 1944.
Her class ran to 111 ships. The class followed the Gato-class submarine and was succeeded by the Tench-class submarine.
The boat displaced 1,830 long tons surfaced and 2,424 long tons submerged. She measured 94.8 m (311 ft) long with a beam of 8.2 m (27 ft). Her designed speed was 20.2 knots, and she carried a complement of 10. Her main battery was of 127 mm (5 in) calibre.
She was in commission for 425 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 19 November 1948. She recommissioned on 15 May 1951. She was struck from the register on 15 September 1972.
She was expended as a target on 13 May 1973. The wreck survives.
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.
As completed
- Propulsion
- 4 × General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators
- 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries
- 4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears
- 2 × 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 IA
- Displacement, surfaced
- 1,830 long tons (1,859 t)
- Displacement, submerged
- 2,440 long tons (2,479 t)
- Length
- 93.57 m (307 ft)
- Beam
- 8.23 m (27 ft)
- Draught
- 5.18 m (17 ft)
- Speed
- 17.3 knots (32 km/h, 19.9 mph)
- Range
- 17,000 nmi (31,484 km)
- Complement
- 10
- Propulsion
- Snorkel added
- 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 Bang
- 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 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 Blackfin on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: Unknown author — Unknown source — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons