USS Cabezon (SS-334)

A sister ship of the Cabezon , which was very similar to this one
Overview
Keel laying	November 18, 1943
Launch	August 27, 1944
1. Period of service
period of service	December 30, 1944-24. October 1953
Whereabouts	in reserve October 24, 1953; deleted May 15, 1970 sold for scrapping December 28, 1971.
Technical specifications
displacement	1526  ts surfaced 2424 ts surfaced
length	95.0 meters
width	8.3 meters
Draft	5.1 meters (maximum)
Diving depth	120 meters
crew	10 officers , 70 NCOs and men ;
drive	4 × 1350 PS diesel engines (total 5400 PS) 4 × electric motors (total 2740 PS)
speed	Surfaced 20.25 knots surfaced 8.75 knots
Range	11,000  nautical miles at 10 knots
Armament	10 × 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (6 in the bow; 4 in the stern) 2 × 12.7 cm (5 inch) gun 1 × 40 mm Bofors gun 1 × 20 mm Oerlikon - MK 2 × Browning M2 - MGs

The USS Cabezon (SS-334) was a submarine of the Balao-class submarine . It was used by the US Navy by the Pacific Fleet in the Pacific against Japan during World War II . The boat was the only ship in the US Navy that was named Cabezon . The name is the original Spanish name for "big head" and stands for different types of bony fish with big heads, including the Scorpaenichthys marmoratus from the bullhead family . (→ See also: USS Bullhead (SS-332) .)

Technology and armament

The Cabezon was a Balao-class diesel-electric patrol submarine. The Balao class was only slightly improved compared to the Gato class and, like those, was designed for long offensive patrols in the Pacific . In particular, the diving depth has been increased and the interior has been improved based on experiences during the war against Japan . Outwardly and in their dimensions, the boats of both classes were largely the same.

technology

The Cabezon was 95 meters long and 8.3 meters wide, her draft was a maximum of 5.1 meters. When surfaced it displaced 1526 ts , and when submerged it displaced  2424 ts. The drive was provided by four 16-cylinder diesel engines from General Motors , model 16-278A, each with an output of 1000 kW (1350 hp). Under water, the submarine was powered by four electric motors with a total of 2740 hp, which obtained their energy from two 126-cell accumulators . The motors gave their power via a gearbox on two shafts with one screw each. The maximum surfaced speed was 20.25 knots , submerged the Cabezon managed 8.75 knots. The maximum possible diving time was 48 hours, the maximum construction diving depth was 120 meters. 440 cubic meters of diesel fuel could be stored in the fuel tanks , giving the boat a range of 11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots.

Armament

The main armament of the Cabezon consisted of ten 533 mm torpedo tubes , six in the bow, four aft, for which 24 torpedoes were on board. A 5-inch deck gun was mounted in front of and behind the turret . The assembly of the second gun in front of the turret was a modification that was made more frequently towards the end of the war on Balao-class boats. A 20 mm Oerlikon automatic cannon (rear) and a 40 mm anti - aircraft gun (front) were housed in the winter garden . In addition, two 12.7 mm machine guns could be mounted in various positions on the ship if necessary and stowed back in the boat after use. For locating enemy ships, the USS possessed Cabezon a JK / QC - and a QB - sonar under the bow, on deck were JP - hydrophones installed. On extendable electronics mast was a SD - radar with 20 mile range reconnaissance to locate enemy aircraft attached, in addition, the submarine had a SJ -Oberflächensuchradar with about twelve nautical miles range. When submerged, enemy ships could also be located using the ST radar attached to the periscope with a range of eight nautical miles.

Mission history

The submarine with the number SS-334 was laid down on November 18, 1943 at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut . The launch and christening took place on August 27, 1944. The godmother of the submarine, which was christened Cabezon, was Mrs. T. R. Cooley. As commandant , Commander G. W. Lautrup took over the management of the boat, which first carried out test drives and practice drives until February 19, 1945 off New England , then off Key West and the Florida coast .

Second World War

After sea trials and training trips in the Atlantic, the submarine moved through the Panama Canal to the Pacific. On March 15, 1945, the boat reached the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii . Until the surrender of Japan , the Cabezon was in action in the Pacific theater of war . During this time she completed an enemy voyage , mainly operating in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk . On June 19, 1945, the Cabezon achieved her only sinking when she torpedoed the Japanese cargo ship Zaosan Maru (2631 ts), and this sank southwest of the Kuril Islands . After she finished this mission on the Midway Islands and there was again operational readiness, the Cabezon spent the rest of the war with training drives off Saipan .

post war period

From September 7, 1945 to January 12, 1946, the Cabezon took part in minor operations and exercises in Philippine waters. Their home base for this period was the Subic Bay naval base . She then moved to San Diego , where she arrived on February 6th. From there she operated until she was relocated to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on November 20. There it was used primarily for the training of reservists and for exercises. In addition, she undertook several longer training and patrol trips in the South Pacific , the North Pacific and the Arctic . She made two more trips to East Asia (March - July 1950 and April - October 1952). In the latter, Cabezon patrolled the La Pérouse Strait between the northern Japanese main island of Hokkaidō and the Soviet island of Sakhalin .

Whereabouts

The Cabezon ran out on April 21, 1953 with destination Mare Island , where she was prepared for her deactivation after her arrival and then decommissioned on October 24, 1953 and incorporated into the reserve fleet . It remained there until it was finally deleted from the fleet register on May 15, 1970. On December 28, 1971, the submarine was sold for scrapping and then scrapped.

Awards

The USS Cabezon was awarded a Battle Star for its service in World War II . Your only mission was rated as "successful".

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Norman Friedman: US Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History . United States Naval Institute , Annapolis, Maryland 1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3 , pp. 285-304.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} K. Jack Bauer, Roberts, Stephen S .: Register of Ships of the US Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants . Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut 1991, ISBN 0-313-26202-0 , pp. 275-280.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} USS Cabezon in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
5. ↑ ^{a b} USS Cabezon at navsource.org (annotated photo gallery)
6. ↑ The Balao class at FleetSubmarine.com
7. ↑ ^{a b} Cabezon on uboat.net.
8. ↑ USS Cabezon : List of Achievements.

Web links

• USS Cabezon in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS )
• USS Cabezon at navsource.org (annotated photo gallery )
• USS Cabezon at Hyperwar. (engl.)
• USS Cabezon on uboat.net (Eng.)
• USS Cabezon : list of achievements (Engl.)
• USS Cabezon at fleetsubmarine.com (Engl.)
• USS Cabezon on historycentral.com (Engl.)
• Sinking of all US Navy submarines 1941–1945 (JANAC )