USS Moray (SS-300)

USS Moray (SS-300) shortly after being launched
Overview
Keel laying	April 21, 1944
Launch	May 14, 1944
1. Period of service
period of service	January 26, 1945 -12. April 1946; January 31, 1951-15. December 1953; 1960-20. December 1971
Whereabouts	Museum ship since August 30, 1972
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 tube (6 in the bow, the stern 4) 1 × 127 mm (5-inch) - gun 1 × Bofors 40 mm gun 2 × Browning-M2 - MG

The USS Moray (SS / AGSS-300) was a submarine of the Balao-class submarine . The boat was from the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy during World War II in the Pacific against Japan used. During the Cold War it was part of the reserve fleet and temporarily served as a stationary training submarine for reservists .

The submarine was the first and so far only ship in the US Navy to bear the name Moray . The name is the English name for the moray eels (Muraenidae).

Technology and armament

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

technology

The USS Moray was 95 meters long and 8.3 meters wide. Her maximum draft was 5.1 meters. When it emerged, it displaced 1526  tn. l. , submerged 2424 tn. l. The drive was carried out by four nine-cylinder diesel - opposed piston engines of Fairbanks-Morse , Model 38D8-1 / 8, which generated an output of 1000 kW. 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 surfaced speed was a maximum of 20.25 knots , submerged the Moray managed 8.75 knots. The maximum possible diving time was 48 hours, the construction diving depth was around 120 meters. 440 cubic meters of diesel fuel could be stored in the fuel tanks . So her range was 11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots.

Armament

The main armament of the USS Moray consisted of ten 533 mm torpedo tubes , six in the bow and four aft, for which 24 torpedoes were on board. A 5-inch deck gun was mounted behind the turret . A 40 mm anti -aircraft gun was mounted on the front of the winter garden . In addition, two 12.7 mm machine guns could be mounted in various positions on the boat and stowed back in the submarine after use. For locating enemy ships ordered the Moray via 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 for locating sea targets. When submerged, enemy ships could also be located using the ST radar attached to the periscope with a range of eight nautical miles.

history

The submarine with the number SS-300 was laid down on April 21, 1943 at the William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia . On May 14, 1944, the ship was launched and christened under the name of USS Moray . Godmother was Mrs. Styles Bridges, wife of the then Senator from New Hampshire . After several months of equipment and sea trials, the Moray was put into service by the US Navy on January 26, 1945. First in command was Commander Frank L. Barrows.

Second World War

On January 31, 1945, the USS Moray left Philadelphia with a course for New London , Connecticut . From February 1, the crew began to retreat off the west coast of the United States. On February 17, during a training voyage, the Moray collided with a barge . While the damage to the Moray could be repaired quickly, the coal-laden Annapolis (2100 ts) sank as a result of the collision.

Together with her sister ship USS Carp (SS-338) and the destroyer escort USS Gillette (DE-681) , the Moray set off for Panama on April 14, 1945 , where the unit entered Balboa on April 25. The USS Moray crossed the Panama Canal and set course for Hawaii . On May 21st, she reached Pearl Harbor , from where she undertook final training trips before setting off for the Marianas on June 7th . It reached Saipan on June 20th. A week later, on June 27th, the Moray set sail for her first and only war patrol . Together with four other submarines, they formed a wolf pack , whose command lay with the commander of the Moray as the highest-ranking or oldest commander of the group. The area of ​​operation of the submarine group was in the sea area off Tokyo . At the beginning of the coordinated operation off the Japanese coast, the submarines took up positions in support of air strikes that Allied planes flew against targets in the Tokyo area. The main task was to rescue crashed aircraft crews. From July 7th to 9th, the Moray carried out a special task in which she was involved as a reconnaissance boat off the coast of Honshus in the preparation of air strikes by the Third Fleet of the US Navy.

Opportunities for attack against Japanese ships arose only rarely in this late phase of the war. There were hardly any worthwhile goals left. Therefore, the Moray also targeted the smallest targets, especially drifting mines . Nevertheless, the Moray had the opportunity to attack a convoy that the USS Kingfish (SS-234) discovered on the evening of July 10 near a small island off Honshu. Both submarines, Moray and Kingfish , took turns attacking the convoy. Moray succeeded in sinking the whaling boat Fumi Maru No. 6 (361 GRT ; 600 ts). This attack was the only one during the entire patrol, which ended on August 6 with the arrival at the base on the Midway Islands . A little later, Japan surrendered and the Moray's first patrol was their only one.

post war period

From September 1 to 11, the Moray moved from Midway to San Francisco , where preparations were made to decommission the boat. Following the decommissioning on April 12, 1946, the Moray was transferred to Vallejo (California) in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and incorporated into the reserve fleet there in January 1947 . On December 1, 1962, it was reclassified to the Auxiliary Research Submarine and its identification changed to AGSS-300.

Achievements and Awards

The Moray sank a ship with approx. 600 ts on her only patrol. The boat received a Battle Star for its successful use .

Whereabouts

The Moray was removed from the US Navy shipping register on April 1, 1967. On June 18, 1970, she was sunk off the coast of California as a target ship by means of a torpedo.

Web links

• USS Moray in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS )
• USS Moray at navsource.org (Eng.)
• USS Moray homepage, history (Engl.)
• USS Moray homepage, data sheet (Engl.)
• USS Moray : Report of War Patrol (Eng.)
• USS Moray at uboat-net (engl.)
• USS Moray : SORG data (Engl.)
• The Balao class at fleetsubmarine.com (engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ USS Moray at navsource.org
2. ^ ^{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.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} 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} USS Moray  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS).  
5. ^ ^{A b c d e f} Norman Friedman: US Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History . United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland 1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3 , pp. 305-311.
6. ↑ ^{a b} The Balao class at fleetsubmarine.com.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} USS Moray : Report of War Patrol .
8. ^ USS Moray homepage, history.
9. ↑ USS Moray at uboat-net.
10. ↑ ^{a b} USS Moray : SORG data.