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Croaker file photo [13139]

Croaker

CountryUnited States
Ship ClassGato-class Submarine
Hull NumberSS-246
BuilderElectric Boat Company
Laid Down1 Apr 1943
Launched19 Dec 1943
Commissioned21 Apr 1944
Decommissioned2 Apr 1968
Displacement1,549 tons standard; 2,424 tons submerged
Length312 feet
Beam27 feet
Draft17 feet
MachineryFour General Motors Model 16-248 V16 diesel engines (5,400shp), four high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears (2,740shp), two 126-cell Sargo batteries, two propellers
Speed21 knots
Range11,000nm at 10 knots on surface, 48 hours at 2 knots submerged
Crew60
Armament6x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 4x533mm forward torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, 1x76mm 50cal deck gun
Submerged Speed9 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseUSS Croaker was commissioned into service in Apr 1944 and embarked on her first war patrol in mid-Jul from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States, during which she sank the Japanese cruiser Nagara on 7 Aug, among other ships, and won a Navy Unit Commendation. In her six war patrols between 1944 and 1945, three of them were considered successful, sinking a total of 19,710 tons of shipping. She had also conducted lifeguard duties during the war, which role she held off southern China in Aug 1945 when the Pacific War drew to a close. Shortly after the war, she sailed to New London, Connecticut, United States via Saipan in the Mariana Islands, Panama Canal, and Galveston in Texas, United States, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve. She served as a training vessel at New London between 7 May 1951 and 18 Mar 1953, and then underwent conversion work to become a hunter-killer submarine with the new designation of SSK-246. In this new role, she was recommissioned in Dec 1953 and returned to active duty in Feb 1954, patrolling the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean Sea. In 1957 and 1958, she visited ports in England, United Kingdom while taking part in NATO exercises. In 1959, she returned to her original designation of SS-246. In Feb 1960, she conducted training exercises in England. In Sep 1960, she went on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, and visiting ports in the Arabian Sea, returning to New London in mid-Dec. In May 1967, she was reclassified as auxiliary submarine AGSS-246. She was decommissioned from service for the final time on 2 Apr 1968 and was given the designation IXSS-246 in Dec 1971. Between 1977 and 1987, she was displayed as a private attraction in Groton, Connecticut, United States by the Submarine Memorial Association. Since 1988, she had been a museum ship at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, New York, United States.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Aug 2011

Submarine Croaker (SS-246) Interactive Map

Photographs

Port side view of USS Croaker, circa 1944-1945Decommissioned submarines at Groton, Connecticut, United States, circa 1947; L to R: Archer-Fish, Flasher, Cobia, Croaker, Drum, and Cavalla
See all 7 photographs of Submarine Croaker (SS-246)

Croaker Operational Timeline

1 Apr 1943 Submarine Croaker was laid down.
19 Dec 1943 Submarine Croaker was launched, sponsored by the wife of Admiral William H. P. Blandy.
21 Apr 1944 USS Croaker was commissioned into service with Commander John E. Lee in command.
26 Jun 1944 USS Croaker arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
19 Jul 1944 USS Croaker departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
6 Aug 1944 USS Croaker fired 7 torpedoes at a Japanese freighter, all of which missed.
7 Aug 1944 USS Croaker sank Japanese light cruiser Nagara after hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
14 Aug 1944 USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
16 Aug 1944 USS Croaker sank a Japanese patrol vessel with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
17 Aug 1944 USS Croaker sank two Japanese oilers with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
31 Aug 1944 USS Croaker arrived at Midway for refitting, ending her first war patrol.
23 Sep 1944 USS Croaker completed her refitting at Midway and began her second war patrol.
9 Oct 1944 USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 4 of 4 torpedoes fired.
12 Oct 1944 USS Croaker sank a Japanese merchant ship with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired.
17 Oct 1944 USS Croaker damaged a small Japanese sampan with the deck gun.
23 Oct 1944 USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired and damaged a schooner.
24 Oct 1944 USS Croaker attacked a Japanese convoy; firing a total of 13 torpedoes, 6 of them made contact, damaging two ships and sinking one freighter.
10 Nov 1944 USS Croaker arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
13 Dec 1944 USS Croaker departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her third war patrol in the Philippines Islands and South China Sea areas.
12 Feb 1945 USS Croaker arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
12 Mar 1945 USS Croaker departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
22 Apr 1945 USS Croaker refitted at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, ending her fourth war patrol.
15 May 1945 USS Croaker departed Subic Bay, Philippine Islands for her fifth war patrol in the Java Sea.
30 May 1945 USS Croaker attacked a small Japanese convoy consisted of three small oilers and an armed escort; firing a total of 21 torpedoes, 3 of them made contact, and she claimed to have sunk two oilers and the escort vessel, but the sinkings were not confirmed.
5 Jun 1945 USS Croaker arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
1 Jul 1945 USS Croaker departed Fremantle, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
13 Aug 1945 USS Croaker arrived at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, ending her sixth and final war patrol.
15 Jun 1946 USS Croaker was decommissioned from service and was placed into the US Navy Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
7 May 1951 USS Croaker was recommissioned into service as a training vessel.
18 Mar 1953 USS Croaker was decommissioned from service at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine, United States for conversion into a hunter-killer submarine.
9 Apr 1953 Submarine Croaker received the new designation SSK-246.
11 Dec 1953 USS Croaker was recommissioned into service.
2 Apr 1968 USS Croaker was decommissioned from service.
20 Dec 1971 Submarine Croaker was struck from the US Naval Registry.
27 Jun 1976 Submarine Croaker was designated as a museum ship at Groton, Connecticut, United States.
12 Sep 2008 Museum ship submarine Croaker of Buffalo, New York, United States was listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.




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Submarine Croaker (SS-246) Photo Gallery
Port side view of USS Croaker, circa 1944-1945Decommissioned submarines at Groton, Connecticut, United States, circa 1947; L to R: Archer-Fish, Flasher, Cobia, Croaker, Drum, and Cavalla
See all 7 photographs of Submarine Croaker (SS-246)


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