SE73510 GATO CLASS SUBMARINE 1942

Gato is the name of a class of American diesel-electric fighter submarines (SS) of the Second World War. The first unit of this type was launched in 1940. In total, 77 units of this type were created. The Gato-class ship was 95 m long, 8.3 m wide, and had a displacement of about 2,400 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approx. 9 knots. The ships of this type had ten 533 mm torpedo tubes - including six bow and four stern. The ship's armament also included single 76 mm, 40 mm and 20 mm cannons. The Gato-class ships were developed and put into production as a far-reaching extension of the Tambor-class structure. Compared to their predecessors, they had a much longer swimming range and significantly improved combat capabilities. They also had new, highly reliable and proven diesel engines, which increased the possible patrol time of a single ship. Units of this type also offered - as for the submarines of that time - a good working comfort for the crew. They also had radio and electronic equipment as rich as those times. The Gato-class ships played a gigantic role in World War II, inflicting huge losses on the Japanese merchant navy in 1942-1945. It is worth adding that it was a ship of this class (USS Archerfish) that sank the Japanese carrier Shinano in November 1944. Some ships of this type, after modernization, remained in service with the US Navy until the end of the 1960s.