USS Carbonero (SS-337)

USS Carbonero (AGSS-337)
Overview
Keel laying	December 16, 1943
Launch	October 15, 1944
1. Period of service
period of service	February 7, 1945–1. December 1970
Whereabouts	Decommissioned December 1, 1970; Sunk on April 27, 1975 as a target ship by USS Pogy (SSN-647) .
Technical specifications
displacement	1526  tons l. surfaced 2424 tn. l. submerged
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 engine (total 5400 PS) 4 × electric motor (total 2740 PS)
speed	Surfaced 20.25 knots surfaced 8.75 knots
Range	11,000  nautical miles at 10 knots
Armament	10 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (6 in the bow; 4 in the stern) 1 × 127 mm (5 inch) gun 1 × 40 mm Bofors gun 1 × 20 mm Oerlikon - MK 2 × Browning M2 - MG After 1947, namely: 1 x starter for JB-2 Loon - missile

The USS Carbonero (SS / AGSS-337) was a submarine of the Balao-class submarine . It was used by the US Navy at the end of World War II as a unit of the Pacific Fleet in the Pacific against Japan . The boat was the only ship in the US Navy that was named Carbonero . The name is the Spanish name for the short-finned mako , a fish from the genus of mako sharks .

Technology and armament

The Carbonero 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 was increased and the interior was modified based on experiences during the war against Japan . Outwardly and in their dimensions, the boats of both classes were largely the same.

technology

The Carbonero was 95 meters long and 8.3 meters wide, her draft was a maximum of 5.1 meters. When it emerged, it displaced 1526  tn. l. , submerged 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 Sargo-type accumulators . The motors gave their power via a gearbox on two shafts with one screw each. The surface speed was a maximum of 20.25 knots , submerged the Carbonero still reached 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 Carbonero consisted of ten 533 mm underwater torpedo tubes , six in the bow, four aft, for which up to 24 torpedoes could be carried on board. A 5-inch deck gun with a 25-caliber barrel length was mounted behind the turret . 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 Carbonero 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.

As part of the modernization of the submarine as part of the Fleet Snorkel Program , all guns were dismantled in 1951. Instead, the Carbonero was temporarily given a rocket launcher to launch guided missiles of the type JB-2 Loon for test purposes . This was an American development of the German Fieseler Fi-103 , better known as the V-1 . The Carbonero was the second boat to be used for this purpose after the USS Cusk (SS-348) . The tests ultimately led to the Regulus program, in which the Carbonero also participated. For this, however, it was not given its own missile armament. Instead, it was equipped with control systems for controlling missiles of the type SSM-N-8A Regulus . The task of the boat was to take control after the missile flew out of sight and control range of the launching ship.

Modernization to the Fleet Snorkel

Like some of its sister ships, the Carbonero was modernized in 1951, taking into account findings from the investigation of captured German submarines, especially submarine class XXIII . Since the resulting Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program ( GUPPY for short ) required extensive modifications, the costs were not insignificant. The US Navy was only able to fully modernize a limited number of submarines. In addition to the GUPPY program, there was therefore another program called the Fleet Snorkel Program . The correspondingly converted submarines received only the most fundamental improvements from the GUPPY program. This included the installation of a snorkel in the tower of the boat, which enabled underwater travel to periscope depth with diesel propulsion. In addition, the tower was redesigned to be streamlined. All guns were also removed from the boat. Superstructures on deck were almost completely removed to make the hull more aerodynamic.

Mission history

The submarine with the number SS-337 was laid down on December 16, 1943 at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut . The launch and christening took place on October 15, 1944. The submarine was sponsored by Mrs. S. S. Murray. The commissioning took place on February 7, 1944. The first in command of the Carbonero was Commander Charlton L. Murphy, Jr.

Second World War

On March 21, 1945, the USS Carbonero left the port of New London , Connecticut and began pulling in the crew. From Key West , the boat and crew completed exercises at the Fleet Sonar School off the coast of Florida. This was followed by training in handling the torpedo weapon before the Carbonero set course for Hawaii from the Panama Canal . On May 9, she finally entered Pearl Harbor .

During the Second World War, the Carbonero completed two patrols in the Pacific theater of war . One of them was rated as successful.

On May 26th, the Carbonero left for her first patrol . Before Formosa , she cruised in the sea areas assigned to her, and served there mainly as a rescue ship for crashed US Navy pilots. She did not achieve any success. The patrol ended on July 8th at Subic Bay base in the Philippines . From there, the Carbonero set out on her second patrol on August 4, 1945. The area of ​​application was the Gulf of Siam . After the truce on August 15, she returned to Subic Bay, where she entered on August 19. During this war patrol, the Carbonero achieved some success against smaller enemy ships. On August 10, 1945, they attacked two small sailing ships off the Malay coast and sank them by artillery fire. Another sailor followed on the same day. On August 11th and 12th, Carbonero sank a small sailing ship again. Two more followed on August 13, and the last one was destroyed on August 14. In total, the Carbonero sank four schooners , two sampans and two junks , some small remnants of the Japanese merchant fleet in the final phase of the war.

Post War and Cold War

USS Carbonero (SS-337) with the JB-2 Loon missile ready for launch

The Frigate Bird nuclear weapon test captured through the periscope of the USS Carbonero

After the capitulation of Japan , the Carbonero was ordered to Seattle , where she entered on September 22, 1945. This was followed by operations off the west coast of the United States and patrols in East Asian waters over the next two years. From 1947 the Carbonero was used as a test ship as part of the Guided Missile Program . In 1949, she received a launch device for the JB-2 Loon guided missile. This forerunner of modern cruise missiles, developed from the German V-1, was able to shoot down the boat while driving above water and steer it towards the target using a simple control system. In addition, as a missile control ship, the submarine was also able to control missiles fired by other ships after the firing ship could no longer control them itself due to the increasing distance. Their area of ​​application was usually off the coast of California , occasionally also on the Hawaiian Islands.

As part of the US Navy's submarine modernization program, the Carbonero was converted into a Fleet Snorkel in 1951 with the simplest and cheapest improvements . These were primarily aimed at improved properties during underwater travel. From 1952 to 1957 the Carbonero was stationed in Pearl Harbor. She played a key role in the development and field testing of the Regulus missile. But it did not have its own launch device for the Regulus . The task of the boat was to take control after the missile flew out of sight and control range of the launching ship. She continued to serve as a missile control ship until the missile control systems were removed in the spring of 1962. During this time, the boat also saw several longer trips to the Arctic (1957) and East Asia (1958 and 1959-60). On the latter trips she supported the training of Japanese and South Korean armed forces and called at ports in Japan and the Philippines.

After the missile control systems had been expanded, the Carbonero had the same equipment standard as the other Fleet Snorkels and was used for the same range of tasks. Shortly after the renovation in 1962, it took part in a missile test again. In this case, it was Operation Dominic . A nuclear warhead detonated near Kiritimati which was brought into the target area by a Polaris missile fired by the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) . The Carbonero was only about 30 nautical miles from the location of the explosion. Operation Dominic was the only test of its kind in US history.

In the 1960s, the Carbonero took part in several biological weapons tests in the Pacific. During the Vietnam War , the now technically obsolete USS Carbonero once again served as a rescue ship for US Navy pilots in distress until it was decommissioned on December 1, 1970.

List of commanders

• Charlton L. Murphy , U.S. Navy, February 7, 1945 - December 28, 1945
• Talbot E. Harper , US Navy, December 28, 1945 - June 30, 1948
• Albert E. Strow , US Navy, June 30, 1948-January 6, 1950
• Roy G. Anderson , US Navy, January 6, 1950 - October 24, 1951
• Walter P. Murphy , U.S. Navy, October 24, 1951 - September 30, 1953
• James O. House , U.S. Navy, September 30, 1953 - September 17, 1955
• Harry L. Milhan , US Navy, September 17, 1955 - May 31, 1957
• Elwin C. Maupin , US Navy, May 31, 1957 - May 2, 1959
• Robert A. Page , US Navy, May 2, 1959 - January 30, 1961
• Robert H. Koehler , US Navy, January 30, 1961 - February 6, 1963
• John E. Jarvies , U.S. Naval Reserve, February 6, 1963 - December 5, 1964
• Thomas R. Eagye II , U.S. Navy, December 5, 1964 - September 9, 1965
• Horace M. Leavitt, Jr. , U.S. Navy, September 9, 1965 - July 27, 1967
• Kenneth J. Riley , U.S. Navy, July 27, 1967 - April 25, 1969
• Joseph J. Dunn , US Navy, April 25, 1969 - December 1, 1970

Whereabouts

Sinking of the decommissioned Carbonero on April 27, 1975

On April 27, the nuclear submarine USS Pogy (SSN-647) sank the target ship Carbonero with a Mark 48 torpedo with an acoustic seeker head.

Awards

The USS Carbonero was awarded a Battle Star for its service in World War II . Your second patrol in World War II 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} USS Carbonro on uboat.net.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} K. Jack Bauer, Stephen S. Roberts: Register of Ships of the US Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants . Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut 1991, ISBN 0-313-26202-0 , pp. 275-280.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} USS Carbonero in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311.
6. ^ ^{A b} Norman Friedman: US Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History . United States Naval Institute , Annapolis, Maryland 1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3 , p. 261.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} USS Carbonero at navsource.org (annotated photo gallery).
8. ↑ The Balao class at FleetSubmarine.com
9. ↑ Modernization ( memento of February 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) to the Fleet Snorkel boat.
10. ↑ ^{a b c} USS Carbonero as missile guidance ship.
11. ↑ ^{a b} USS Carbonero ( Memento from February 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) in the Regulus missile program.
12. ^ Fleet Snorkel Program ( Memento of February 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
13. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} History of the USS Carbonero.
14. ^ USS Carbonero in the World War Two Data Base.
15. ↑ ^{a b} George J. Refuto: Evolution of the US Sea-Based Deterrent: War Fighting Capabilities . United States Naval Institute , Bloomington (Ohio) 1995, pp. 111-114.

Web links

• History of USS Carbonero (Engl.)
• USS Carbonero in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS )
• USS Carbonero in DANFS (Engl.)
• USS Carbonero at navsource.org (annotated photo gallery )
• USS Carbonero at Hyperwar. (engl.)
• USS Carbonero on uboat.net (engl.)
• USS Carbonero at fleetsubmarine.com (Engl.)
• USS Carbonero in the World War Two Data Base (Engl.)
• USS Carbonero as missile-guiding-ship (Engl.)
• Eyewitness account of the sinking of the Carbonero by the USS Pogy on April 27, 1975 .