- USS Cutlass (SS-478)
USS "Cutlass" (SS-478), a "Tench"-class
submarine , was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for thecutlassfish , a long, thin fish found widely along the coasts of theUnited States and in theWest Indies .Her keel was laid down by the
Portsmouth Navy Yard on10 July 1944 . She was launched on5 November 1944 sponsored by Mrs. R. E. Kintner, and commissioned on17 March 1945 with Commander Herbert L. Jukes in command.Departing
Portsmouth, New Hampshire , on25 April 1945 , "Cutlass" arrived atPearl Harbor on15 July and put out on her maiden war patrol two days later. Assigned to patrol in the vicinity of theKurile Islands , she entered the area one day after the Japanese surrender, remained on observation patrol until24 August , then returned to Pearl Harbor. She sailed on2 September for New York, arriving24 September to receive visitors throughNavy Day ."Cutlass" cruised on the East Coast until
8 January 1946 when she cleared for thePanama Canal Zone . Except for three months of operations inDelaware Bay , "Cutlass" remained in theCaribbean Sea , based at Cristóbal, Canal Zone. From23 August to2 October 1947 she made a cruise down the coast ofSouth America , aroundCape Horn , visitedValparaíso ,Chile , and returned to the east coast of South America through theStraits of Magellan ."Cutlass" left the Panama Canal Zone
6 January 1948 for local operations atKey West, Florida , then enteredPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard in March for overhaul and modernization. Arriving at Key West7 February 1949 she served as test submarine for Operation "Rainbow" evaluating color schemes to enhancelivability , a serious problem in new submarines with long submergence capability. She continued to sail out of Key West until the summer of 1952 when her home port was changed to Norfolk, Virginia.In 1953 "Cutlass" cruised to the
Mediterranean Sea , visitingFrance ,Greece ,Turkey ,North Africa ,Gibraltar ,Malta , andSpain , then sailed inCuba n waters to act as target fordestroyer s and aircraft engaged in antisubmarine exercises. She joined in local operations, fleet exercises and antisubmarine warfare training in theCaribbean Sea until September 1956 when she departed for the Mediterranean and operations withNATO forces including the Sixth Fleet. She visitedItaly ,Greece ,Crete ,Majorca ,Portugal andEngland , returning to Norfolk in December. In 1958 she sailed on a north European cruise, visitingRosyth ,Scotland ,Copenhagen andKorsor ,Denmark , and passing through theKiel Canal .In the first half of 1959, "Cutlass" joined in the antisubmarine warfare development work of Task Force "Alfa" off the
Virginia Capes , and in September sailed for the Mediterranean. In November she passed through theSuez Canal to join ships of thePakistani Navy in exercises offKarachi , returning to Norfolk in December. After continued operations with TF "Alfa," she enteredPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard in February 1960 for an overhaul which continued until August."Cutlass" was decommissioned and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on15 December 1971 .ROCS "Hai Shih" (SS-791)
On
4 December 1973 , she was sold to theRepublic of China (Taiwan) where she was commissioned in theRepublic of China Navy as ROCS "Hai Shih" (SS-791) (meaning "sea lion "). As of mid-April 2007, "Hai Shih" is still in service.References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08478.htm navsource.org: USS "Cutlass"]
* [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/04/17/2003356990 Taipei "Times",17 April 2007 : World's longest-serving sub feted]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/1319/ USS Cutlass naval webring page]
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