- USS Corsair (SS-435)
USS "Corsair" (SS-435), a "Tench"-class submarine, was the second ship of the
United States Navy to be named for theCalifornia rockfish , or apirate or privateer, especially Turkish orSaracen .Her keel was laid down by the
Electric Boat Company inGroton, Connecticut . She was launched on3 May 1946 sponsored by Mrs. O. M. Hustvedt, commissioned on8 November 1946 with Commander A. S. Fuhrman in command, and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.Following a shakedown cruise in which she visited
Havana ,Panama ,Trinidad , andRio de Janeiro , "Corsair" was assigned to Submarine Squadron 8 and operated out ofNew London, Connecticut , on type training and provided services to ships of other types until June 1947 when she entered theElectric Boat Company yard for the installation of a new type of sound gear. On31 July 1947 she sank the old "Chewink" in a torpedo experiment.From
15 November 1947 "Corsair" provided services to the Submarine School at New London, cruising to theCaribbean Sea several times, until April 1949 when she was assigned to Submarine Development Group 2. She sailed from New London18 July with the rest of her group on a cruise which took them toNorthern Ireland ,Portsmouth, England , and Arctic waters. One of her group, USS|Cochino|SS-345|3, was lost26 August from a battery explosion and fire but all save seven of her crew were rescued by USS|Tusk|SS-426|3 exhibiting brilliant seamanship in the midst of a violent Arctic storm. The group raced through the storm to land two of the crew atSaint John, New Brunswick , for emergency medical care. "Corsair" returned to New London on15 September to continue local operations with the development group. Their duties included providing services to the sound laboratory at Portsmouth, and participating in large-scale submarine exercises, including another in northern waters from27 October to24 November 1952 during which they visitedReykjavík ,Iceland ."Corsair" was detached from the development group, in March 1954, and went into a "reduced complement" status. Continuing to operate out of New London, she provided services to the Submarine School; Commander, Destroyers, Atlantic; and Commander, Air, Atlantic. She also conducted reserve training cruises, participated in Caribbean exercises, and operated with the Fleet Training Group at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In the summer of 1959, she joined in Operation "Inland Seas," [cite web
url= http://www.usstorsk.net/photoalbum/59inlandsea01/tpic591.htm
title= 1959: Operation Inland Seas
publisher= Torsk Volunteer Association, Inc.
accessdate= 2008-04-27 ] passing through theSt. Lawrence Seaway to join in ceremonies dedicating the new waterway and to visitGreat Lakes ports. She returned to operations from New London."Corsair" was decommissioned on
1 February 1963 and scrapped later that year.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c14/corsair-ii.htm
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