USS Thresher (SS-200)

Named for a class of shark which is harmless to man and easily recognizable because its tail is longer than the combined length of body and head.

The first Thresher (SS-200) was laid down on 27 April 1939 at Groton, Conn., by the Electric Boat Co.; launched on 27 March 1940; sponsored by Mrs. Claud Jones; and commissioned on 21 August 1940, Lt. Cmdr. William L. Anderson in command.

Following training and sea trials, Thresher got underway from New London, Conn., on 25 October 1940 for engineering trials in Gravesend Bay, N.Y., and shakedown off the Dry Tortugas. She operated along the east coast through the end of 1940 and into 1941. During a call at Annapolis, Md., Thresher hosted Rear Adm. Russell Willson as a guest on 31 April before she got underway the following day for the Caribbean. After clearing the Pacific side of the Panama Canal on 9 May and stopping at San Diego from the 17th through the 21st, Thresher arrived at Pearl Harbor on 31 May. She operated out of the Hawaiian Islands into the fall of 1941, as tensions rose in the Far East and the United States prepared for war in both oceans.

Continue to the full service history →About 5,023 words

From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Thresher I (SS-200)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.