History of the History of the USS Barracuda (SSK-1)

Veterans & Mesothelioma > Asbestos on Navy Ships > Submarines of the United States Navy: (Post-World War II Era) > USS Barracuda

USS Barracuda (SSK-1): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Barracuda, the first in her class of diesel-electric hunter-killer submarine, was first commissioned as the USS K-1. When renamed in 1956 she would become the second vessel of the United States Navy to be designated for the barracuda, a fearsome ray-finned fish.

The Barracuda was awarded to Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Conn. Her keel was laid on July 1, 1949; she was launched on March 2, 1951. She was commissioned on Nov. 10, 1951 with Lieutenant Commander F. A. Andrews in command.

The Barracuda was one of only three SSK class submarines built as part of Project Kayo, which experimented with using passive acoustics with low-frequency bow sonar arrays. The arrays provided improved convergence zone detection ranges against snorkeling submarines. Though the Barracuda and her sister vessels were limited by slow speed and a need to snorkel periodically, advances in sonar technology pioneered with the SSK class proved key in the development of nuclear-powered submarines.

Underway

After her commissioning, the Barracuda joined Submarine Development Group 2 based in New London, Conn. She cruised the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, visited the Caribbean Sea and voyaged to Scotland, in June of 1955. On Dec. 16, 1956 her name was changed from K-1 to Barracuda (SSK-1). The Barracuda primarily carried out training and experimental exercises along the eastern seaboard.

Decommissioning

On July 3, 1958, the Barracuda was designated as a SST-3 training submarine and on Aug. 15, 1959 she was decommissioned. Records indicate that she was scrapped for metal around July 1974 near Charleston, S.C.

Characteristics of the USS Barracuda (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Class and type: Barracuda-class diesel-electric hunter-killer submarine
Displacement: 765 tons (777 t) surfaced
1,160 tons (1179 t) submerged
Length: 196 ft 1 in (59.8 m) overall
Beam: 24 ft 7 in (7.5 m)
Draft: 14 ft 5 in (4.4 m) mean
Propulsion: 3 × General Motors diesel engines, total 1050 bhp (0.8 MW)
2 × General Electric electric motors
two screws
Speed: 13 knots (24 km/h) surfaced
8.5 knots (16 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 400 ft (120 m)
Complement: 37 officers and men
Armament: 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Career:

Builder: Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation
Keel laid: July 1, 1949
Launched: March 2, 1951
Commissioned: Nov. 10, 1951
Decommissioned: Aug. 15, 1959
Fate: Scrapped

Timeline:

July 1949: USS Barracuda keel laid
March 1951: USS Barracuda launched
November 1951: USS Barracuda commissioned
August 1959: USS Barracuda decommissioned
June 1955: USS Barracuda voyaged to Scotland
July 1974: USS Barracuda scrapped

Links:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08550.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Barracuda_(SSK-1)

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