USS Chopper (SS-342)

USS "Chopper" (SS/AGSS/IXSS-342), a "Balao"-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the chopper, a fish common in the rivers of the Mississippi Valley. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 4 February 1945 sponsored by Mrs. G. S. Beebe, and commissioned on 25 May 1945 with Lieutenant Commander S. Filipone in command.

"Chopper " sailed from New London, Connecticut, on 4 July 1945 for Pearl Harbor, where she lay from 21 September until 24 October. On 30 October she arrived at San Diego, California, her assigned home port. She sailed 2 January 1946 for the Philippines, where she trained and offered local services until 11 May when she returned to San Diego and began local operations. Her next deployment, a simulated war patrol to China, took place from 28 July 1947 to 9 November. After west coast operations through 1948 she departed San Diego 14 March 1949 for her new home port, Key West, Florida, arriving 4 April. Operations in Florida waters and the Caribbean Sea were conducted until 15 September 1950, when she entered the Electric Boat Company yards for modernization. She returned to Key West for fleet exercises and training 23 May 1951.

"Chopper" departed Key West, Florida, on 7 January 1952 for a tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea until 20 May. She resumed local operations, then joined in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in the Atlantic between 12 September and 14 October 1952. Frequent trips to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and local operations continued until 25 May 1959 when she sailed to join in special exercises in the Mediterranean until returning to Key West 9 August. Through 1960, she continued operations off Florida and in the Caribbean Sea, often acting as target for surface ships in training.

On 11 February 1969, "Chopper" was participating in an ASW exercise off the coast of Cuba with USS|Hawkins|DD-873|3 when her electrical power tripped off-line. "Chopper" was making between 7 and 9 knots (13 and 17 km/h) at a depth of convert|150|ft|-1 with a slight down angle when she lost power.

Within seconds, "Chopper"’s angle increased to 45 degrees down and her bow passed convert|440|ft|-1 of depth. Because of the power loss, the Officer of the Deck was unable to communicate with the Senior Controllerman in Maneuvering room, but the senior man in the Maneuvering Room independently ordered both main motors back full. Despite the backing bell, blowing ballast, and other efforts to regain control of the submarine, the down angle continued to increase, and within one minute of the power failure, "Chopper" was nearly vertical in the water, bow down. "Chopper"’s bow is estimated to have reached a depth of convert|1011|ft|0; her stern convert|720|ft|0.

The crew’s efforts began to take effect. "Chopper" lost the headway that was taking her deeper, and even began to make sternway. Her bow began to rise, reached level, and continued to climb. "Chopper" began to ascend with a rapidly increasing up-angle until she was again nearly vertical in the water, now bow up.

About two minutes after losing electrical power, "Chopper" shot through the surface of the ocean, nearly vertical. The entire forward section of the submarine, to the aft edge of the sail, cleared the surface before she fell back. Her momentum carried down to a depth of about convert|200|ft|-1 before she surfaced again, leveled out, and remained on the surface.

"Chopper" returned to port under her own power. Inspection discovered that her hull had suffered extensive structural damage during the deep dive and rapid ascent. "Chopper" was decommissioned on 15 September 1969.

"Chopper" was re-classified, given hull classification symbol AGSS-342, and served as a United States Naval Reserve (USNR) dockside trainer in New Orleans, Louisiana, until 1971, when the USNR Submarine Reserve program was discontinued. She was re-classified, given hull classification symbol IXSS-342, and was used for salvage and rescue training.

In 1976, "Chopper" was modified to serve as a tethered, submerged torpedo target for USS|Spadefish|SSN-668|3. On 21 July 1976, while "Spadefish" was on her final approach, "Chopper" began to take on water, broke her tethers, and sank.

In his blockbuster techno-thriller "The Hunt for Red October", author Tom Clancy mentions the misfortune of the "Chopper" in 1969 while discussing the fate of the Soviet Alfa-class fast-attack sub "E.S. Politovskiy".

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c9/chopper.htm|http://hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ss342.htm

External links

*navsource|08/08342|Chopper
* [http://usschopper.com/ USS "Chopper" Association]