USS Cochino (SS-345)

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USS Cochino leaving Portsmouth, England, for the Barents Sea, c. July 1949.
USS Cochino leaving Portsmouth, England, for the Barents Sea, c. July 1949.
History
United States
NameUSS Cochino
BuilderElectric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1]
Laid down13 April 1944[1]
Launched20 April 1945[1]
Commissioned25 August 1945[1]
FateSunk by battery explosion and fire off Norway, 26 August 1949[2]
General characteristics (As completed)
Class and type Balao-class diesel-electric submarine[2]
Displacement
  • 1,526 long tons (1,550 t) surfaced[2]
  • 2,424 long tons (2,463 t) submerged[2]
Length311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2]
Beam27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2]
Draft16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20.25 kn (23.30 mph; 37.50 km/h) surfaced[3]
  • 8.75 knots (16.21 km/h) submerged[3]
Range11,000 nmi (13,000 mi; 20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)[3]
Endurance
  • 48 hours at 2 kn (2.3 mph; 3.7 km/h) submerged[3]
  • 75 days on patrol
Test depth400 ft (120 m)[3]
Complement10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3]
Armament
General characteristics (Guppy II)
Class and typenone
Displacement
  • 1,870 long tons (1,900 t) surfaced[8]
  • 2,440 long tons (2,480 t) submerged[8]
Length307 ft (94 m)[7]
Beam27 ft 4 in (8.33 m)[7]
Draft17 ft (5.2 m)[7]
Propulsion
  • Batteries upgraded to GUPPY type, capacity expanded to 504 cells (1 × 184 cell, 1 × 68 cell, and 2 × 126 cell batteries)[8]
  • 4 × high-speed electric motors replaced with 2 × low-speed direct drive electric motors[8]
Speed
  • Surfaced:
  • 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) maximum
  • 13.5 kn (15.5 mph; 25.0 km/h) cruising
  • Submerged:
  • 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) for ½ hour
  • 9 kn (10 mph; 17 km/h) snorkeling
  • 3.5 kn (4.0 mph; 6.5 km/h) cruising[8]
Range15,000 nmi (17,000 mi; 28,000 km) surfaced at 11 kn (13 mph; 20 km/h)[7]
Endurance48 hours at 4 kn (4.6 mph; 7.4 km/h) submerged[7]
Complement
  • 9–10 officers
  • 5 petty officers
  • 70 enlisted men[7]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • WFA active sonar
  • JT passive sonar
  • Mk 106 torpedo fire control system[7]
Armament
NotesSnorkel added[7]

USS Cochino (SS-345) was a Balao-class submarine in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1949. She sank after a battery explosion off Norway on 26 August 1949.

History[]

Cochino was named for the cochino, a triggerfish found in the Atlantic. Her keel was laid down by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 20 April 1945 sponsored by Mrs. M.E. Serat, and commissioned on 25 August 1945 with Commander W.A. Stevenson in command.

Cochino joined the U.S Atlantic Fleet, cruising East Coast and Caribbean Sea waters from her home port of Key West, Florida. In the late 1940s she received a GUPPY II conversion which streamlined her hull and increased her engine power.

On 18 July 1949, Cochino put to sea for a cruise to Britain, and arctic operations.

In August 1949, the USS Cochino and USS Tusk sailed along the Kola Peninsula to determine whether the USSR had detonated an atomic bomb.[9]

Her group ran through a violent polar gale off Norway, and the joltings received by Cochino played their part on 25 August in causing an electrical fire and battery explosion, followed by the generation of both hydrogen and chlorine gases.[10]

Defying the most unfavorable possible weather conditions, Commander (later Rear Admiral) Rafael Celestino Benítez (1917–1999), commanding officer of Cochino, and his men fought for 14 hours to save the submarine displaying great seamanship and courage. But a second battery explosion on August 26 made "Abandon Ship" the only possible order, and Cochino sank. Tusk's crew rescued all of Cochino's men except for Robert Wellington Philo, a civilian engineer. Six sailors from Tusk were lost during the rescue.[11]

Cochino is one of four United States Navy submarines to be lost since the end of World War II. The others are USS Stickleback, USS Thresher and USS Scorpion.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
  4. ^ a b c d e Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
  5. ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 p. 261
  6. ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i U.S. Submarines Since 1945 pp. 242
  8. ^ a b c d e f Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 11–43. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
  9. ^ "Les navires espions durant la guerre froide".
  10. ^ "Submarine Casualties Booklet". U.S. Naval Submarine School. 1966. Retrieved 2009-09-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ The Loss of USS Cochino (SS-345)

External links[]

Coordinates: 71°35′N 23°35′E / 71.583°N 23.583°E / 71.583; 23.583

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