USS Bonita (SSK-3)

USS "Bonita" (SSK-3/SS-552), a "Barracuda"-class submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bonito, any of several types of fish, including the skipjack tuna, "Katsuwonus pelamis", the Atlantic bonito ("Sarda sarda"), the lesser amberjack ("Seriola fasciata"), or the cobia ("Rachycentron canadum").

The original contract for construction of "Bonita" (SSK-3) was let to New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, but later transferred to Mare Island Naval Shipyard of Vallejo, California, where her keel was laid down on 19 May 1950. She was launched as "K-3" on 21 June 1951 sponsored by Mrs. J.S. Clark, widow of Commander James S. Clark, and commissioned on 11 January 1952 with Lieutenant Commander Eric E. Hopley in command.

The three SSK boats, USS|Barracuda|SSK-1|3, USS|Bass|SSK-2|3, and "Bonita" (SSK-3), were built around the large BQR-4 bow-mounted sonar array as part of Project Kayo, which experimented the use of passive acoustics with low-frequency, bow sonar arrays. When the boat was rigged for silent running, these arrays gave greatly-improved convergence zone detection ranges against snorkeling submarines. The SSKs themselves were limited in their anti-submarine warfare abilities by their low speed and their need to snorkel periodically, but the advances in sonar technology they pioneered were invaluable to later nuclear-powered submarines.

"K-3" joined Submarine Squadron 7 at Pearl Harbor on 15 May 1952 and performed experimental and normal submarine duties, making a cruise to Alaskan waters in August and September 1956. She was renamed "Bonita" 15 December 1955, decommissioned on 7 November 1958, and given hull classification symbol SS-552 on 15 August 1959.

See also

See USS "Bonita" for other ships of the same name.

References

This article includes information collected from the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships".