USS Cochino
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USS ''Cochino'' (SS-345) was a
submarine 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 ...
in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1949. She sank after a battery explosion off Norway, on 26 August 1949. ''Cochino'' was named for the cochino, a
triggerfish Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. ...
found in the Atlantic.


Construction

''Cochino'' was laid down by the Electric Boat Company, of Groton, Connecticut, on 13 April 1944. She was launched on 20 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. M.E. Serat, the wife of the Assistant to the President of Electric Boat Co., and commissioned on 25 August 1945.


Service history

During her
shakedown cruise Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Generally, shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair or overhaul. The shakedown cruise s ...
out of New London, Connecticut, ''Cochino'' visited
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, Rhode Island, 12–15 September 1945, then sailed for the Panama Canal Zone, on 3 October. Reaching her destination on 9 October, the new fleet boat carried out training with the Operational Development Force, then visited Miami, Florida, 24–30 October, to observe Navy Day. She then proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where ''Cochino'' operated in until 27 November, when she shaped a course back to New London. ''Cochino'' sailed from New London, on 8 January 1946, in company with , bound for Guantanamo Bay. ''Cochino'' provided services out of Naval Operating Base, Guantanamo, for much of January, clearing those waters on 25 January' for her new home port of
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, arriving there on 27 January, after which time she returned to Guantanamo Bay, to resume providing services in that area from 24 February–7 March. In-port periods at Key West followed, 9 March–3 May and 7–10 May, punctuated by a call at St. Petersburg, Florida, 4–6 May, before she returned to Cuban waters 12–16 May. Then, following a visit to
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin I ...
, 18–20 May, ''Cochino'' sailed to conduct simulated attacks upon ships of the
8th Fleet The United States Eighth Fleet was a numbered fleet of the United States Navy established 15 March 1943 from Northwest African Force. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II with a main mission of amphibious warfare, and then wa ...
, proceeding then to Key West, upon conclusion of those evolutions. Following a period of upkeep from 24 May–16 August 1946, ''Cochino'' operated briefly out of Guantanamo Bay, 18–24 August, before she returned to her home port. Then, sailing in company with , she visited Galveston, Texas, from 2–7 September. Returning to Key West, upon completion of that port call, ''Cochino'' returned to Guantanamo Bay, for another stint of providing services for fleet units in those waters, from 6–10 October. The boat operated out of Key West, for the remainder of the year, punctuating that time with visits to Havana, Cuba, from 18–21 October, and New Orleans, from 25–29 October, and providing services for the fleet out of Guantanamo Bay, from 1–6 December. ''Cochino'' departed her home port on 3 March 1947, and visited St. Thomas, from 7–9 March, before sailing in company with to operate north of Culebra, Puerto Rico. Following another in port period at Key West, from 17–29 March, ''Cochino'' headed north for a period of repairs and alterations at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
. While there, she suffered slight damage when undocking from the marine railway on 20 May. Shifting to the Naval Ammunition Depot, at Fort Mifflin, upon completion of that yard period, she conducted deep diving tests on 21 June, in the waters of the Baltimore Canyon, at , tended by the
submarine rescue vessel A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations. List of active subm ...
, after which time she returned to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, remaining there until 3 July. ''Cochino'' then proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia, from 6–12 July, reporting for duty to Commander, Aircraft, Atlantic Fleet, and then shifted to
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, Maryland, from 12–25 July, reporting for duty to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, upon arrival there. She then returned to her home port for upkeep from 28 July–29 August, after which time she visited Havana, from 29 August–1 September. She returned to Key West, on 1 October, where she remained for most of the month, heading out to sea on 11 October, to ride out a storm, returning the following day. After visiting Miami, from 25–28 October 1947, ''Cochino'' operated with the 2nd Task Fleet near Bermuda, through mid-November, after which time she returned to her homeport for upkeep through mid-January 1948. Work in the Key West operating area or upkeep in port involved the boat until 31 January, when she sailed for New Orleans, for
Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
festivities, from 2–11 February. She then returned to Key West, and the local operating areas there, the fleet boat worked in those areas into the spring of 1948. Toward the end of that period, on 26 April 1948, while conducting a submerged exercise at a depth, ''Cochino'' collided with the
fleet tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
. Attempts to go deep and swing the ship proved unsuccessful, and the boat suffered damage to the periscope shears, both periscopes, and her radar antenna. ''Cochino'' then underwent repairs and major renovations at her builders' yard beginning on 11 May 1948. Converted to a GUPPY/Snorkel boat at Groton, she emerged from the yard on 4 February 1949. Departing New London, on 25 March, the newly modernized submarine visited Boston, from 26–27 March, then returned to New London, from 28 March–2 May, after which time she headed south to return to her home port, arriving at Key West, on 8 May. She then again shaped a course for New London, where she remained from 19 May until 16 July, then proceeded to
Argentia Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which r ...
, Newfoundland, where she arrived on 22 July, en route to the British Isles and her first deployment to European waters. She reached
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland, on 29 July. She operated locally in those waters for a brief period, then put in to Derry, from 4–8 August, before visiting Portsmouth, England, from 8–12 August. She then put to sea for operations above the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
in the Barents Sea before turning for home in late August. In August 1949, ''Cochino'' and sailed along the Kola Peninsula to determine whether the Soviet Union had detonated an atomic bomb. On 25 August 1949, ''Cochino'' ran into a violent polar storm off Norway. The huge waves slammed the submarines' snorkel so violently, and jolted the boat so severely, that the pounding caused an electrical fire and battery explosion, followed by the release of deadly hydrogen gas. Defying the most wretched weather conditions, men of ''Cochino'' and ''Tusk'' fought to save the submarine for 14 hours, performing acts of skillful seamanship and high courage in the storm-lashed, frozen seas. A second battery explosion on 26 August, however, made "Abandon Ship" the only possible order, and after the crew made a dangerous rope transfer to ''Tusk'', the abandoned ''Cochino'' sank at . ''Cochino''s only fatality was a civilian from the
Bureau of Ships The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships (BuShips) was established by Congress on 20 June 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) and the Bureau of Engineering (BuEng). The new bureau was to ...
, technician Robert W. Philo, swept overboard by an icy wave. ''Tusk'' lost six of her own men by the same cause in the attempt to save ''Cochino''. Cochino was stricken from the List of Naval Vessels on 27 October 1949. ''Cochino'' is one of four United States Navy submarines to be lost since the end of World War II. The others are , and .


References


Bibliography

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External links

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On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Cochino''USS COCHINO (SS-345) and USS TUSK (SS-426)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochino (SS-345) Explosions in 1949 Ships sunk by non-combat internal explosions Balao-class submarines Cold War submarines of the United States United States submarine accidents Lost submarines of the United States Maritime incidents in 1949 Shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1945 ships