USS Blenny

History
United States
Name	USS Blenny
Ordered	9 July 1942
Builder	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	8 July 1943
Launched	9 April 1944
Commissioned	27 June 1944
Decommissioned	7 November 1969
Stricken	15 August 1973
Fate	Scuttled off Ocean City, Maryland, 7 June 1989
General characteristics (As completed)
Class and type	Template:Sclass- diesel-electric submarine
Displacement	1,526 tons (1,550 t) surfaced; 2,424 tons (2,463 t) submerged;
Length	311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)
Beam	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft	16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum
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; 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged;
Range	11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance	48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged; 75 days on patrol;
Test depth	400 ft (120 m)
Complement	10 officers, 70–71 enlisted
Armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 forward, 4 aft; 24 torpedoes; 1 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun; Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon;
General characteristics (Guppy IA)
Class and type	none
Displacement	1,830 tons (1,859 t) surfaced; 2,440 tons (2,479 t) submerged;
Length	307 ft 7 in (93.8 m)
Beam	27 ft 4 in (8.3 m)
Draft	17 ft (5.2 m)
Propulsion	Snorkel added; Batteries upgraded to Sargo II;
Speed	Surfaced:; 17.3 knots (32.0 km/h) maximum; 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) cruising; Submerged:; 15.0 knots (27.8 km/h) for ½ hour; 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h) snorkeling; 3.0 knots (5.6 km/h) cruising;
Range	17,000 nm (28,000 km) surfaced at 11 knots (20 km/h)
Endurance	36 hours at 3 knots (6 km/h) submerged
Complement	10 officers; 5 petty officers; 64–69 enlisted men;
Armament	10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes; (six forward, four aft); all guns removed;

USS Blenny (SS/AGSS-324), a Template:Sclass- submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the blenny, a fish found along the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Blenny (SS-324) was launched 9 April 1944 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Miss Florence King, daughter of CNO Admiral Ernest J. King; commissioned 27 June 1944, Lieutenant Commander W. H. Hazzard in command; and reported to the Pacific Fleet.

Between 10 November 1944 and 14 August 1945 Blenny conducted four war patrols in the Java and South China Seas. Blenny sank eight Japanese vessels totaling 18,262 tons. In addition, she is credited with destroying more than 62 miscellaneous Japanese small craft by gunfire, and rescuing a boarding party lost by the Cod (SS-224) when that boat had to make an emergency dive to avoid strafing.

With the cessation of hostilities Blenny returned to San Diego, arriving 5 September 1945. She operated locally from the San Diego area during the remainder of 1945. Between 1946 and 1951 Blenny made one cruise to China (August–November 1946); participated in a midshipman cruise to Canada; made two winter cruises in Alaskan waters (1947–48 and 1948–49); and participated in fleet maneuvers off Hawaii and local operations near San Diego.

In 1951 Blenny underwent conversion to a GUPPY submarine and spent the remainder of the year operating in the San Diego area. Between May and November 1952 she cruised in the Far East during which time she conducted a 35-day reconnaissance patrol in support of the Korean operations. The boat spent 1953 conducting local operations along the west coast.

On 24 May 1954 Blenny reported to the Atlantic Fleet. She operated out of New London, Conn., participating in Atlantic Fleet, NATO, and anti-submarine warfare exercises, in addition to operating with a submarine development group engaged in evaluating new equipment.

Blenny was reclassified an Auxiliary Submarine, AGSS-324, c. 1969. She was decommissioned, 7 November 1969 and laid up in the Reserve Fleet. Blenny was struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 1973. She was sunk to form part of an artificial reef about fifteen miles (24 km) off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland in June, 1989.

Blenny received four battle stars for her World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f 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.
^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
^ ^a ^b U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f U.S. Submarines Since 1945 pp. 242

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be found here and here.

External links

Photo gallery of Blenny at NavSource Naval History
http://www.brazosport.cc.tx.us/~nstevens/Blenindx.html
http://www.webenet.net/~ftoon/memory/f_memory.html
Kill record: USS Blenny

[FriedmanSubs1-dates-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f 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.

[Register-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.

[FriedmanSubs1-specs-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311

[FriedmanSubs1-specs_305–311-4] U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311

[FriedmanSubs2-chap2-5] ^ ^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.

[FriedmanSubs2-specs-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f U.S. Submarines Since 1945 pp. 242

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v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1989
Shipwrecks	7 Jan: Lavia 21 Jan: USS Muliphen 28 Jan: Bahía Paraíso 15 Feb: Maassluis 8 Apr: K-278 Komsomolets 25 Apr: USS Parsons 24 May: Moby Dick June (unknown date): USS Blenny 20 Aug: Marchioness 10 Sep: Mogoșoaia 29 Oct: Murree 4 Dec: USCGC Mesquite Unknown date: HMS Leander, YO-257, ROCS Tze Yang
Other incidents	17 Jan: USS Norfolk, USS San Diego 16 Mar: NOAAS Oregon II 24 Mar: Exxon Valdez (oil spill) 19 Apr: USS Iowa (turret explosion) 19 Jun: Maxim Gorkiy 25 Jun: K-131 19 Aug: Ross Revenge 20 Aug: Bowbelle 29 Sep: USS Pennsylvania October (unknown date): HMS Spartan 19 Dec: Khark 5 (oil spill)
1988 1990