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

USS Piranha

Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine

USS Piranha
Unknown author — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate

Service

  1. United States Navy5 February 1944 — 31 May 1946575 days of the war
Balao-class submarine diesel-electric submarine Particulars
Name
USS Piranha
Builder
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down
21 June 1943
Launched
27 October 1943
Commissioned
5 February 1944
Decommissioned
31 May 1946
Struck
1 March 1967
Fate
Sold for scrap, 11 August 1970 (1970)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,526 long tons (1,550 t)
Displacement, submerged
2,391 long tons (2,429 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 Piranha 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 21 June 1943. She entered service on 5 February 1944, having been launched on 27 October 1943.

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 2,391 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 575 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 31 May 1946. She was struck from the register on 1 March 1967.

She was broken up for scrap on 11 August 1970.

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
  • 4 × high-speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears
  • 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 Piranha on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons