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

USS Kingfish

Gato-class diesel-electric submarine

USS Kingfish
Unknown author — Unknown source — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate USS_Kingfish; https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08234.htm The crew of the Kingfish (SS-234) line the rails as she slides down th launching ways at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH; at 12:40 PM on 2 March 1942. US Navy photo, courtesy of http://ussubvetsofworldwarii.org webpage.

Service

  1. United States Navy20 May 1942 — 9 March 19461,201 days of the war
Gato-class diesel-electric submarine Particulars
Name
USS Kingfish
Builder
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down
29 August 1941
Launched
2 March 1942
Commissioned
20 May 1942
Decommissioned
9 March 1946
Struck
1 March 1960
Fate
Sold for scrap, 6 October 1960 (1960)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,525 long tons (1,549 t)
Displacement, submerged
2,424 long tons (2,463 t)
Length
94.79 m (311 ft)
Beam
8.23 m (27 ft)
Draught
5.18 m (17 ft)
Speed
21 knots (38.9 km/h, 24.2 mph)
Range
11,000 nmi (20,372 km)
Complement
60
Main gun
76 mm (3 in)

USS Kingfish was a Gato-class diesel-electric submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine on 29 August 1941. Launched on 2 March 1942, she entered service on 20 May 1942.

76 ships of the class were built. The class followed the Mackerel-class submarine and was succeeded by the Balao-class submarine.

The boat displaced 1,525 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 21 knots, and she carried a complement of 60. Her main battery was of 76 mm (3.0 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 1,201 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 9 March 1946. She was struck from the register on 1 March 1960.

She was broken up for scrap on 6 October 1960.

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 × 3-inch (76 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun
  • Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

Sister ships

51 more in the class

Sources

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