KA-12-96 US SUBMARINE USS SPADEFISH

The USS Spadefish (SS-411) is an American diesel-electric fighter submarine (SS) from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in May 1943, the launch took place in January 1944, and commissioning took place in March of the same year. The ship was 95 meters long, 8.3 meters wide, and had a displacement of about 2,400 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approx. 9 knots. The ship had ten 533 mm torpedo tubes - including six bow and four stern. The ship was also armed with single 127 mm, 40 mm and 20 mm cannons. The USS Spadefish was one of the Gato-class ships. The ships of this class were developed and put into production as a far-flung development of the Tambor-class design. 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. USS Spadefish participated in a total of five combat patrols in the Pacific from September 1944 to July 1945. The first of these voyages turned out to be the most fruitful, when the USS Spadefish sank a total of six Japanese vessels with a total displacement of over 31,500 GRT! The second combat patrol also proved fruitful, as the ship was instrumental in sinking the escort carrier Shinyo. The USS Spadefish was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap in 1969.