USS ''Sea Poacher'' (SS/AGSS-406), a , was a vessel of the
United States Navy named for the sea poacher, a slender, mailed fish of the North Atlantic.
''Sea Poacher'' (SS-406) was built by the
Portsmouth Navy Yard in
Kittery, Maine; launched on 20 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. H. Spiller, wife of Commander Spiller, hull superintendent at the Navy Yard; and commissioned on 31 July 1944.
World War II
Following underway trials, training, and shakedown in the
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
, and
New London, Connecticut, areas, ''Sea Poacher'' transited the
Panama Canal and arrived at
Pearl Harbor on 25 October 1944. Although her first two war patrols were unproductive, during the third, conducted in the
Kuril Islands area, ''Sea Poacher'' torpedoed and sank a
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
trawler and, four days later, sent two fishing boats to the bottom in a surface attack. During the latter action, three crewmen were injured when the 20 millimeter gun exploded. Due to the seriousness of their injuries, the patrol was terminated ahead of schedule, and the submarine returned to
Midway.
After conducting her fourth war patrol off the eastern coast of
Honshū
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...
and
Hokkaidō
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
, ''Sea Poacher'' was undergoing refitting at Pearl Harbor when the war ended on 15 August 1945.
1946 – 1974
From 1946 to 1949, ''Sea Poacher'' was based at
Balboa,
Canal Zone, as a unit of Submarine Squadron 6 (
SubRon 6) engaging in fleet exercises and antisubmarine training, and, on 1 June 1949, was transferred to
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
,
Florida, as a unit of
SubRon 4. In 1951, the submarine became the first
GUPPY IA conversion performed at the
Charleston Naval Shipyard
Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston.
H ...
.
For the remainder of her 25-year career, ''Sea Poacher'' operated for the most part in the Key West and
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
areas, providing services to various units of the
Atlantic Fleet with time out for tours of duty with the
6th Fleet in the
Mediterranean and various exercises with
NATO forces. On 10 July 1952, while operating in the Key West area, the submarine had the unique experience of rescuing a
blimp which had suffered an engine casualty and was floating helplessly in the water. The submarine promptly came to the aid of the stricken
airship and proceeded to tow it the back to its base at
Naval Air Station, Boca Chica, Florida.
In July 1959, ''Sea Poacher'' was transferred to
SubRon 12, also based at Key West, and continued to serve as a unit of this squadron for the remainder of her active service. In the fall of 1962, ''Sea Poacher'' was deployed with other Atlantic Fleet units maintaining the quarantine imposed on
Cuba during the
missile crisis.
In 1969, ''Sea Poacher'' concluded her service with a -month deployment to the eastern and northern
Atlantic areas to participate in antisubmarine training exercises with units of the
Spanish and
Portuguese navies. Upon returning to Key West, the submarine operated locally and in the Caribbean until 20 October when she set sail for
Philadelphia and in-activation. ''Sea Poacher'' was reclassified an Auxiliary Submarine AGSS-406 on 1 November, decommissioned on 15 November 1969, and was assigned to the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet at
Philadelphia. On 30 June 1971, she reassumed the designation of a fleet submarine (SS). On 15 August 1973, her name was struck from the
Navy List, and the submarine was sold to
Peru in July 1974.
BAP ''La Pedrera'' (S-49)
''Sea Poacher'' was transferred (sold) under terms of the Security Assistance Program, to
Peru, 1 July 1974. She was commissioned into the
Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...
, initially as BAP ''Pabellón de Pica'' (S-49), but her name was changed a few weeks later to ''La Pedrera''. She was taken out of service in 1995, and relegated to pierside training.
Honors and awards
As ''Sea Poacher'', she received four
battle stars for
World War II service.
References
*
External links
*
seapoacher.com: ''USS Sea Poacher Association Official Website''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sea Poacher (SS-406)
Balao-class submarines
Ships built in Kittery, Maine
1944 ships
World War II submarines of the United States
Cold War submarines of the United States
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Peruvian Navy
Balao-class submarines of the Peruvian Navy