USS Blenny
Service
- as USS Blenny27 June 1944 — 7 November 1969432 days of the war
- Name
- USS Blenny
- Builder
- Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
- Ordered
- 9 July 1942
- Laid down
- 8 July 1943
- Launched
- 9 April 1944
- Commissioned
- 27 June 1944
- Decommissioned
- 7 November 1969
- Struck
- 15 August 1973
- Fate
- Scuttled 7 June 1989 (1989)
- 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 Blenny was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine in service with the United States Navy. Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut laid her keel on 8 July 1943. Launched on 9 April 1944, she entered service on 27 June 1944.
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 1,830 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 432 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 7 November 1969. She was struck from the register on 15 August 1973.
She was scuttled on 7 June 1989, at 41°05′N 73°05′W. 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 Blackfin
- USS Blanquillo (SS-323)
- USS Blower
- USS Blueback (SS-326)
- USS Boarfish
- USS Bowfin
- USS Brill
- USS Bugara
- USS Bullhead
Sources
- Facts harvested from USS Blenny on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: Unattributed Naval History and Heritage Command photograph — Naval History and Heritage Command: L45-28.06.02 USS Blenny (SS-324) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons