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

USS Piper

Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine

Displacement
1,526 long tons (1,550 t)
Length
94.79 m (311 ft)
Beam
8.23 m (27 ft)
Speed
20.3 knots (37.5 km/h, 23.3 mph)
Complement
10
Main gun
127 mm (5 in)

Service

  1. United States Navy23 August 1944 — 16 June 1967375 days of the war
Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine Particulars
Name
USS Piper
Builder
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down
15 March 1944
Launched
26 June 1944
Commissioned
23 August 1944
Decommissioned
16 June 1967
Struck
1 July 1970
Fate
Sold for scrap, June 1971 (1971)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,526 long tons (1,550 t)
Displacement, submerged
2,401 long tons (2,440 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 Piper was a Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine in service with the United States Navy. Her keel was laid at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine on 15 March 1944. Launched on 26 June 1944, she entered service on 23 August 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 1,526 long tons surfaced and 2,401 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 375 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 16 June 1967. She was struck from the register on 1 July 1970.

She was broken up for scrap in June 1971.

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 38D8-⅛ 10-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators
  • 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries
  • 2 × low-speed direct-drive Elliott electric motors
  • 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

Sister ships

86 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Piper on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.