# USS Charr

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Submarine of the United States

USS Charr (SS-328) in 1964 History United States Builder Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1] Laid down 26 August 1943[1] Launched 28 May 1944[1] Commissioned 23 September 1944[1] Decommissioned 28 June 1969[1] Stricken 20 December 1971[1] Fate Sold for scrap, 17 August 1972[1] General characteristics Class & type Balao class diesel-electric submarine[2] Displacement 1,526 tons (1,550 t) surfaced[2] 2,424 tons (2,463 t) submerged[2] Length 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2] Beam 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] Draft 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2] Propulsion 4 × General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries 4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears 2 × propellers 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged Speed 20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced[3] 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged[3] Range 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3] Endurance 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged[3] 75 days on patrol Test depth 400 ft (120 m)[3] Complement 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3] Armament 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 forward, 4 aft 24 torpedoes[4] 1 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun[4] Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

**USS *Charr* (SS/AGSS-328)**, a [*Balao*-class](/source/Balao_class_submarine) [submarine](/source/Submarine), was a ship of the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) named for the [charr](/source/Salvelinus).

## Construction and commissioning

Originally named *Bocaccio*, SS-328 was renamed *Charr* on 24 September 1942 and [launched](/source/Ceremonial_ship_launching) 28 May 1944 by [Electric Boat](/source/Electric_Boat) Company, [Groton, Connecticut](/source/Groton%2C_Connecticut), sponsored by Mrs. W. F. Orkney; and [commissioned](/source/Ship_commissioning) 23 September 1944.

## First war patrol, December 1944 – March 1945

Pacific-bound, *Charr* cleared [New London](/source/Naval_Submarine_Base_New_London) 5 November 1944, and reached [Pearl Harbor](/source/Pearl_Harbor) 9 December. On 30 December, she was bound for action waters, as she sailed on her first war patrol off the northeast coast of [Indo-China](/source/Indo-China). On 29 January 1945, daring to lie at anchor in broad daylight for 4 hours one mile (1.6 km) off the coast, *Charr* sent two men ashore in a rubber boat to rescue a downed aviator. A second rescue mission came at the close of her patrol, when she escorted the badly damaged [Dutch](/source/Netherlands) submarine [HNLMS](/source/Royal_Netherlands_Navy) [*Zwaardvisch*](/source/HNLMS_Zwaardvisch_(P322)) through the [Java Sea](/source/Java_Sea) and [Lombok Straits](/source/Lombok_Strait) to [Fremantle](/source/Fremantle%2C_Western_Australia), Australia, where the two submarines arrived 3 March.

## Second war patrol, March – May 1945

After refit, *Charr* cleared on her second war patrol, cruising in the [Flores](/source/Flores_Sea), [Java](/source/Java_Sea), and [South China Seas](/source/South_China_Sea), and along the southern coast of [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan). She sailed for part of the patrol in coordination with [*Gabilan* (SS-252)](/source/USS_Gabilan) and [*Besugo* (SS-321)](/source/USS_Besugo), and with them conducted an epic 4-day chase of the [Japanese](/source/Japan) [cruiser](/source/Cruiser) [*Isuzu*](/source/Japanese_cruiser_Isuzu) and her three escorts. Finally, early in the morning of 7 April 1945, *Charr* maneuvered into firing position to find *Isuzu* down by the stern and listing, evidence of successful attack by *Gabilan*. *Charr* fired a spread of torpedoes, scoring three hits to send the cruiser to the bottom.

Three days later, 10 April 1945, *Charr* made contact with another target, a coastal freighter, which she sank on the surface by gunfire. The submarine then headed on for a dangerous assignment, calling for intricate maneuvering, when she laid a [minefield](/source/Naval_mine) off [Pulo Island](/source/Pulo_Island) on 14 April and 15 April. She put in at [Subic Bay](/source/Subic_Bay) from 20 to 24 April to reload torpedoes, then sailed on to patrol off Formosa on lifeguard duty, during which she rescued one downed pilot.

## Third war patrol, June – July 1945

After refitting at Subic Bay from 21 May to 14 June 1945, *Charr* put out on her third war patrol, cruising in the [Gulf of Siam](/source/Gulf_of_Siam) with three other submarines. At this late date in the war, targets were few, for *Charr'*s sister submarines, as well as air and surface forces, had broken the back of Japan's navy and merchant fleet. The [wolf pack](/source/Wolf_pack_(submarines)) however, did find a target in the [*I-351*](/source/Japanese_submarine_I-351) on 15 July. After *Charr* and the other wolfpack members had aided in cornering the Japanese submarine, [*Bluefish* (SS-222)](/source/USS_Bluefish_(SS-222)) sent her to the bottom.

## Post-war service

*Charr* remained at Fremantle from 26 July to 29 August 1945, then sailed for repairs at Pearl Harbor and training at [Guam](/source/Guam) until 30 January 1946 when she reached [San Diego](/source/San_Diego), her newly assigned home port. From this port, she made simulated war patrols to the Far East in 1947 and 1948, operating along the West Coast at other times. On several occasions, she carried members of the Naval Reserve on 2-week cruises, and assisted with training for briefer periods from 1949 through July 1951 when she entered [Mare Island Naval Shipyard](/source/Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard) for a "[Fleet Snorkel](/source/Greater_Underwater_Propulsion_Power_Program#Fleet_Snorkel_Program)" conversion which streamlined her appearance and equipped her with a [snorkel](/source/Submarine_snorkel), thus enhancing her underwater cruising range.

With her conversion completed 19 November 1951, she prepared for overseas deployment, and on 26 March 1952, she sailed to support [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) forces in [Korea](/source/Korea), conducting patrols throughout the Far East. She returned to San Diego 2 October 1952 for local operations, which continued to include occasional training cruises for the Naval Reserve.

*Charr* again cruised in the Far East from 11 June to 7 December 1954, training air and surface forces in antisubmarine warfare, and conducting patrols. On 9 November, she played hostess to [Chiang Kai-shek](/source/Chiang_Kai-shek) on his first cruise in a submarine. Upon her return to the west coast, she resumed her normal operating schedule, and did not return to the western Pacific again until 22 March 1957 to 14 October 1957. A highlight of her next period of service was an exercise with ships of the [Canadian Navy](/source/Canadian_Forces_Maritime_Command) in the fall of 1958, which was followed by preparations for her 1959 Far Eastern cruise, completed between 6 May and 28 October. Through 1960, she continued operations from San Diego.

On 26 September 1961, a broken coupling allowed sea water to flood the engine room of the *Charr* while submerged to 100 feet 150 miles off the coast of California. Heroic crewmen John J. McGee, EM1(SS) and Douglass Webster, EM3(SS)[5] sealed themselves in the engine room and maintained power to rapidly bring the *Charr* to the surface. That incident made the news and headlines of the day and the two crewmen received Navy Commendations.[6] Mr. McGee appeared on the panel television show To Tell The Truth on October 9, 1961[7].

*Charr* was reclassified an Auxiliary Submarine (**AGSS-328**) in 1966. She was decommissioned, 28 June 1969, stricken from the [Naval Register](/source/Naval_Register), 20 December 1971, and sold for scrap, 17 August 1972.

## Honors and awards

Of *Charr'*s three war patrols, the second was designated a "successful war patrol", for which she received one [battle star](/source/Battle_star).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-dates_1-6) Friedman, Norman (1995). *U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History*. [Annapolis, Maryland](/source/Annapolis%2C_Maryland): [United States Naval Institute](/source/United_States_Naval_Institute). pp. 285–304. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55750-263-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55750-263-3).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Register_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Register_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Register_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Register_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Register_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Register_2-5) Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). *Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants*. [Westport, Connecticut](/source/Westport%2C_Connecticut): Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-313-26202-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-313-26202-0).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_3-5) *U.S. Submarines Through 1945* pp. 305-311

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_305–311_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FriedmanSubs1-specs_305–311_4-1) *U.S. Submarines Through 1945* pp. 305–311

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [https://ussnautilus.org/charrs-troubles/](https://ussnautilus.org/charrs-troubles/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["CHARR's Troubles"](http://ussnautilus.org/blog/charrs-troubles/). 19 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwNDUMJKQ4w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwNDUMJKQ4w)

*This article incorporates text from the [public domain](/source/Public_domain)*[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships](/source/Dictionary_of_American_Naval_Fighting_Ships)*. The entries can be found [here](http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c6/charr.htm) and [here](http://hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss328.htm).*

## External links

- [Photo gallery](http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08328.htm) of *Charr* at NavSource Naval History

v t e Balao-class submarines United States Navy Completed Balao Billfish Bowfin Cabrilla Capelin Cisco Crevalle Devilfish Dragonet Escolar Hackleback Lancetfish Ling Lionfish Manta Moray Roncador Sabalo Sablefish Seahorse Skate Tang Tilefish Apogon Aspro Batfish Archerfish Burrfish Perch Shark Sealion Barbel Barbero Baya Becuna Bergall Besugo Blackfin Caiman Blenny Blower Blueback Boarfish Charr Chub Brill Bugara Bullhead Bumper Cabezon Dentuda Capitaine Carbonero Carp Catfish Entemedor Chivo Chopper Clamagore Cobbler Cochino Corporal Cubera Cusk Diodon Dogfish Greenfish Halfbeak Hardhead Hawkbill Icefish Jallao Kete Kraken Lagarto Lamprey Lizardfish Loggerhead Macabi Mapiro Menhaden Mero Sand Lance Picuda Pampanito Parche Bang Pilotfish Pintado Pipefish Piranha Plaice Pomfret Sterlet Queenfish Razorback Redfish Ronquil Scabbardfish Segundo Sea Cat Sea Devil Sea Dog Sea Fox Atule Spikefish Sea Owl Sea Poacher Sea Robin Sennet Piper Threadfin Spadefish Trepang Spot Springer Stickleback Tiru Trumpetfish Tusk Canceled Dugong Eel Espada Jawfish Ono Garlopa Garrupa Goldring Needlefish Nerka Turbot Ulua Unicorn Vendace Walrus Whitefish Whiting Wolffish SS-438 – SS-463 (Unnamed) Chicolar SS-465 – SS-474 (Unnamed) SS-530 – SS-536 (Unnamed) Other operators Argentine Navy Santa Fe (S-11) (ex-Macabi) Santa Fe (S-21) (ex-Catfish) Santiago del Estero (S-12) (ex-Lamprey) Santiago del Estero (S-22) (ex-Chivo) Brazilian Navy Amazonas (ex-Greenfish) Bahia (ex-Plaice) Goias (ex-Trumpetfish) Guanabara (ex-Dogfish) Rio Grande do Sul (ex-Sand Lance) Royal Canadian Navy Grilse (ex-Burrfish) Chilean Navy Thomson (ex-Springer) Simpson (ex-Spot) Republic of China Navy part of Hai Shih class Hai Pao (ex-Tusk) Hellenic Navy Papanikolis (ex-Hardhead) Triaina (ex-Scabbardfish) Marina Militare Alfredo Cappellini (ex-Capitaine) Evangelista Torricelli (ex-Lizardfish) Francesco Morosini (ex-Besugo) Royal Netherlands Navy Walrus class Walrus (ex-Icefish) Zeeleeuw (ex-Hawkbill) Peruvian Navy La Pedrera (ex-Sea Poacher) Pacocha (ex-Atule) Spanish Navy Almirante García de los Reyes (ex-Kraken) Cosme García (ex-Bang) Isaac Peral (ex-Ronquil) Narcíso Monturiol (S33) (ex-Picuda) Narcíso Monturiol (S35) (ex-Jallao) Turkish Navy 1. İnönü (S330) (ex-Brill) 1. İnönü (S346) (ex-Threadfin) 2. İnönü (S331) (ex-Blueback) 2. İnönü (S333) (ex-Corporal) Burakreis (ex-Sea Fox) Çanakkale (S333) (ex-Bumper) Çanakkale (S341) (ex-Cobbler) Dumlupınar (D6) (ex-Blower) Dumlupınar (S339) (ex-Caiman) Gür (ex-Chub) Hızırreis (ex-Mero) Muratreis (ex-Razorback) Oruçreis (ex-Pomfret) Pirireis (ex-Mapiro) Preveze (ex-Entemedor) Sakarya (ex-Boarfish) Turgutreis (ex-Bergall) Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela Carite (ex-Tilefish) Tiburon (ex-Cubera) Preceded by: Gato class Followed by: Tench class List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [USS Charr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Charr) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Charr?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.