List Of Gato-class Submarines

List of ''Gato''-class submarines and their dispositions. 77 of these boats were built during World War II, commissioned from November 1941 through April 1944.Bauer and Roberts, pp. 271-273 The class was very successful in sinking Japanese merchant ships and naval vessels: the top three US submarines in tonnage sunk were ''Gato''s, along with three of the top seven in number of ships sunk. But success had a price: 20 of the 52 US submarines lost in that war were of this class, plus , a damaged boat that returned to the US but was considered a constructive total loss and not repaired.″United States Submarine Losses World War II″, Naval History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington: 1963 (Fifth Printing) Although many of the class were in reserve postwar and scrapped in 1959-1960, some ''Gato''s served actively with the US Navy into the late 1960s, and others served with foreign navies into the early 1970s.

SS-361 through SS-364 were initially ordered as ''Balao''-class, and were assigned hull numbers that fall in the middle of the range of numbers for the ''Balao'' class (SS-285 through SS-416 & SS-425–426). Thus, in some references they are listed with that class. However, they were completed by Manitowoc as ''Gato''s, due to an unavoidable delay in Electric Boat's development of ''Balao''-class drawings. Manitowoc was a follow yard to Electric Boat, and was dependent on them for designs and drawings.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations and hull classification symbols for postwar redesignations/conversions:
* AGSS — auxiliary submarine (various roles including sonar testing)
* APSS/LPSS — amphibious transport submarine
* FS — " fleet snorkel" conversion, including a snorkel and streamlined sail
* G IB — GUPPY IB conversion, including a snorkel, streamlined sail, and improved batteries
* IXSS — unclassified submarine
* PT — pierside trainer for naval reservists, reportedly immobilized by removing the propellers
* SSG — guided missile submarine
* SSK — hunter-killer submarine
* SSO/AOSS — submarine oiler conversion
* SSR — radar picket submarine
* Struck — Struck (deleted) from the Naval Vessel Register, usually followed by scrapping or other final disposal

Ships in class

See also

* List of most successful American submarines in World War II
* List of lost United States submarines
* List of Balao-class submarines
* List of Tench-class submarines

References

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External links

Description of GUPPY conversions at RNSubs.co.uk


* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/08/04idx.htm Navsource.org fleet submarines photo index page
{{Gato class submarine

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