History of the History of the USS Bonita (SSK-3)

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

USS Bonita (SSK-3): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Bonita was the last of three submarines in the Barracuda class of hunter-killer submarines. The contract to build the Bonita was originally awarded to the New York Shipbuilding Corp. of Camden, N.J., but was later transferred to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Mare Island, Calif. Her keel was laid down on May 19, 1950; she was launched on June 21, 1951. She was commissioned on Jan. 11, 1952, with Lt. Commander Eric Hopley in command.

Underway

Originally known simply as the K-3, the submarine joined the Pacific Fleet’s Submarine Division 72 at Pearl Harbor on May 15, 1952. The three members of the Barracuda class were built largely as experimental platforms built around the massive BQR-4 bow-mounted sonar array. The ships were part of Project Kayo which tested the use of passive acoustics with low-frequency bow sonar arrays. The submarines themselves were very limited in terms of their own capabilities, as they were slow and had to snorkel more often than their counterparts. As a testing platform, however, they were invaluable; the sonar technology pioneered by the Barracuda class was later used in nuclear-powered submarines.

As a member of Submarine Squadron 7, the K-3 performed experimental and regular submarine duties in the Pacific for her entire career. Her most memorable cruise was to the waters off Alaska in August and September 1956. She was renamed USS Bonita on Dec. 15, 1955.

Decommissioning

The Bonita was decommissioned on Nov. 7, 1958 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 1, 1965. She was sold for scrap on Nov. 17, 1966.

Characteristics of the USS Bass (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: Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 19 May 1950
Launched: 21 June 1951
Commissioned: 11 January 1952
Decommissioned: 7 November 1958
Struck: 1 April 1965
Fate: Sold for scrap, 17 November 1966

Timeline:

May 1950: Keel of USS K-3 laid down
June 1951: USS K-3 launched
January 1952: USS K-3 commissioned
December 1955: K-3 renamed USS Bonita
August 1956: USS Bonita makes cruise to Alaskan waters
November 1958: USS Bonita decommissioned

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonita _(SSK-3)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08552.htm

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