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

USS Escolar

Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine

USS Escolar
Unknown author — https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08294.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate Official U.S. Navy photo of the USS Escolar (SS-294) , probably off Portsmouth, N.H., possibly around the time of her commissioning, circa June 1944.

Service

  1. United States Navy as Escolar2 June 1944 — 17 October 1944137 days of the war
Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine Particulars
Name
USS Escolar
Namesake
Escolar
Builder
Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Laid down
10 June 1942
Launched
18 April 1943
Commissioned
2 June 1944
Fate
Probably mined in the Yellow Sea on 17 October 1944
By mine (1944)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,526 long tons (1,550 t)
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 Escolar was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine in service with the United States Navy. The ship was named after Escolar. Her keel was laid at Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 10 June 1942. She entered service on 2 June 1944, having been launched on 18 April 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 1,526 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). She carried a complement of 10. Her main battery was of 127 mm (5 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 137 days of the Second World War.

She was sunk on 17 October 1944 by mine, at 33°21′N 122°35′E. 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 Escolar on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08294.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons