USS ''Corsair'' (SS-435), a ''Tench''-class submarine, was the second ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

to be named for the

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rockfish Rockfish is a common term for several species of fish, referring to their tendency to hide among rocks. The name rockfish is used for many kinds of fish used for food. This common name belongs to several groups that are not closely related, and ca ...

, or a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

or privateer, especially

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Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

. Her keel was laid down by the

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Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...

. She was launched on 3 May 1946 sponsored by Mrs. O. M. Hustvedt, commissioned on 8 November 1946 and reported to the Atlantic Fleet. Following a shakedown cruise in which she visited

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

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, and

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, ''Corsair'' was assigned to

Submarine Squadron 8 A submarine squadron (SUBRON) is a naval formation or unit in such states such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia/Soviet Union. In France the equivalent unit is the ' (ESNA), part of the French submarine forces (and before the Second ...

and operated out of

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, on type training and provided services to ships of other types until June 1947 when she entered the

yard for the installation of a new type of sound gear. On 31 July 1947 she sank the old minesweeper '' Chewink'' in a torpedo experiment. From 15 November 1947 ''Corsair'' provided services to the Submarine School at New London, cruising to the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

several times, until April 1949 when she was assigned to

Submarine Development Group 2 A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. She sailed from New London 18 July with the rest of her group on a cruise which took them to

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in the

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, and Arctic waters. One of her group, , was lost 26 August from a battery explosion and fire. All but one of the Cochino's crew and six from the Tusk, who were lost in an attempt to bring medical supplies to the stricken Cochino, were rescued by exhibiting brilliant seamanship in the midst of a violent Arctic storm. The group raced through the storm to land two of the crew at

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, for emergency medical care. ''Corsair'' returned to New London on 15 September to continue local operations with the development group. Their duties included providing services to the sound laboratory at Portsmouth, and participating in large-scale submarine exercises, including another in northern waters from 27 October to 24 November 1952 during which they visited

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Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. ''Corsair'' was detached from the development group, in March 1954, and went into a "reduced complement" status. Continuing to operate out of New London, she provided services to the Submarine School; Commander, Destroyers, Atlantic; and Commander, Air, Atlantic. She also conducted reserve training cruises, participated in Caribbean exercises, and operated with the Fleet Training Group at

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, Cuba. In the summer of 1959, she joined in Operation "Inland Seas," passing through the

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...

to join in ceremonies dedicating the new waterway and to visit

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

ports. While on the Great Lakes cruise, the Corsair earned the rarest Navy certificate, the "Grand Order of Muskies", which can only be earned by submariners who have submerged in all 5 Great Lakes. She returned to operations from New London. "Corsair" made one last cruise to the Med in 1962. ''Corsair'' was decommissioned on 1 February 1963 and scrapped later that year. Her name plate is on display at the

Freedom Park In the Philippines, a freedom park is a centrally located public space where political gatherings, rallies and demonstrations may be held without the need of prior permission from government authorities. Similar to free speech zones in the United S ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corsair (SS-435) Tench-class submarines Cold War submarines of the United States Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1946 ships