USS ''Chub'' (SS-329), a ''Balao''-class

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

, was a ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

named for the chub, a game fish of the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The name is also given locally to a wide variety of American fishes. She was later transferred to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

where she served as TCG ''Gür'' (S 334).

Operational history

USS ''Chub''

SS-329, originally named ''Bonaci'', was renamed ''Chub'' on 24 September 1942 and launched 18 June 1944 by

Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...

Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. T. A. Risch; and commissioned 21 October 1944.

First war patrol, February – April 1945

''Chub'' reached

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

from New London 24 January 1945, and after final training, put to sea for action waters 13 February. Her first war patrol, in Tonkin Gulf and the

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

and

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

s, found her skill and determination tried in four hairbreadth escapes from destruction. On 3 March, she was attacked by an enemy submarine whose torpedoes she evaded. On 29 March, she began a long surface chase after an escort group, which she carried through the next day, even though forced six times to go deep by enemy aircraft. On their last pass, they dropped bombs, a clear indication that ''Chubs chase must be broken off. The next day she was off Yulikan Bay, and while American and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese planes fought in the skies above, ''Chub'' rescued three downed pilots as they and she were strafed. With two Japanese patrol craft looming out of the harbor, ''Chub'' raced away. On 12 April, ''Chub'' was bombed by an enemy patrol plane as the submarine dove. Bomb damage caused a temporary loss of power, and with depth control lost, ''Chub'' broached. Fortunately, the aircraft had apparently dropped its entire load on the first run.

Second and third war patrols, May – August 1945

''Chub'' put into

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

to repair and refit from 18 April 1945 to 14 May, and then sailed for the Java Sea and her second war patrol. During this patrol, she attacked two freighters, and sank the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

'' W-34'' which had come out hunting for her. The damage already done to Japanese shipping made targets few by this time, and ''Chub'' put into

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

from 21 June to 15 July to refit. Her third war patrol found her again in the Java Sea, sinking a number of small craft, although again and again attacked by the remnant of Japanese air strength. Returning to Fremantle 17 August, she sailed on to Subic Bay for training through the remainder of 1945, then returned to the West Coast.

1946 – 1947

During 1946, ''Chub'' operated from Pearl Harbor, her new home port, visiting the west coast for necessary overhaul. Between 12 November 1946 and 14 February 1947, she served in the Far East, making a simulated war patrol, and training with the 7th Fleet. During late 1947, she joined in a training cruise in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

n waters, and voyaged from

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San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

with reservists on board for training. After overhaul at San Francisco she put to sea 4 March 1948 to call at New London, then crossed the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

, arriving 11 May. She was decommissioned and struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

23 May 1948.

Honors and awards

''Chub'' received three

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

s for

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

service by reason of her three "successful" war patrols. She is credited with having sunk a total of 4,200 tons of shipping.

TCG ''Gür''

The ex-''Chub'' was transferred to Turkey on 25 May 1948, and was commissioned in the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...

as TCG ''Gür'' (S 334). In 1953, she was converted to a GUPPY Fleet Snorkel Submarine, the work being done first in Turkey's Gölcük Navy Yard and completed in the United States. ''Gür'' was decommissioned on 12 December 1975, returned to U.S. custody, and sold for scrapping.

References

External links

*
''History of Turkish Submarines'' (1948–1972)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chub (SS-329) Balao-class submarines Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 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 Turkish Navy Balao-class submarines of the Turkish Navy Maritime incidents in 1962