USS Roncador (SS-301)

The tower of the USS Roncador (SS-301) as a memorial at the US Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego , California
Overview
Keel laying	April 21, 1943
Launch	May 14, 1944
1. Period of service
period of service	March 27, 1945–1. June 1946 ;.
Whereabouts	deleted December 1, 1971; then scrapped. Tower preserved as a memorial at Point Loma Navy Base , San Diego, California.
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 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, the stern 4) 1 x 12.7 cm (5-inch) gun 1 × Bofors 40 mm gun 2 × Browning M2 - MGs

The USS Roncador (SS / AGSS / IXSS-301) was a submarine of the Balao-class submarine . The boat was used by the US Navy during World War II and the Cold War . In the reserve fleet since 1946, the submarine served as a stationary training submarine from 1960 until it was deleted from the fleet register.

The submarine was the first ship in the US Navy to be named Roncador . The name is part of the scientific name for the finned umber (Roncador stearnsii) .

Technology and armament

The Roncador 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 Roncador 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 maximum surfaced speed was 20.25 knots , submerged the Roncador still 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 Roncador consisted of ten 533 mm torpedo tubes , six in the bow and four aft, for which up to 24 torpedoes could be taken 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 Roncador 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-301 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 the ship was christened under the name of USS Roncador . Godmother was Mrs. Thomas B. Klakring. After several months of equipment and sea trials, the Roncador was put into service by the US Navy on March 27, 1945. The first in command was Commander Earl R. Crawford.

The Roncador was not used in combat during the Second World War. Instead, it operated on the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean until the end of the war . In addition to training trips , she also took part in research and testing of anti -submarine measures during this time .

After a short deployment in the Pacific, it was finally decommissioned. The submarine remained in the reserve fleet until it was deleted from the fleet register . It was initially mothballed in Mare Island from 1946 to 1960 . Between February 1960 and December 1, 1971, the Roncador served as a training submarine (AGSS-301) for reservists of the 11th Naval District.

Whereabouts

After being deleted from the fleet register, the submarine, now registered as IXSS-301, was initially to be preserved as a museum ship. Instead, the Roncador was sold in 1976 and then dismantled. The tower was preserved and was initially exhibited in the Naval Museum in Washington, DC . The tower was later transported to San Diego , California , where it has since been preserved as a memorial at the Point Loma submarine base and is occasionally used as a place for ceremonial ceremonies.

Web links

• USS Roncador in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS )
• USS Roncador at uboat-net (engl.)
• USS Roncador at navsource.org (annotated photo gallery )
• The Balao class at fleetsubmarine.com (engl.)

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} USS Roncador at uboat.net.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} 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.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} USS Roncador in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS).
5. ^ ^{A b c d e} 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} USS Roncador at navsource.org.
8. ↑ Tower of the USS Roncador as a memorial on tracesofwar.com.