U.S.S. CORSAIR

USS CORSAIR (SS-435)

The second Corsair (SS-435) was launched 3 May 1946 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. 0. M. Hustvedt; commissioned 8 November 1946, Commander A. S. Fuhrman in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.

Following a shakedown cruise in which she visited Havana, Panama, Trinidad, and Rio de Janeiro, Corsair was assigned to Submarine Squadron 8 and operated out of New London on type training and provided services to ships of other types until June 1947 when she entered the Electric Boat Co. yard for the installation of a new type of sound gear. On 31 July 1947 she sank the old Chewink in a torpedo experiment.

From 15 November 1947 Corsair provided services to the Submarine School at New London, cruising to the Caribbean several times, until April 1949 when she was assigned to Submarine Development Group 2. She sailed from New London 18 July with the rest of her group on a cruise which took them to Northern Ireland, Portsmouth, England and Arctic waters. One of her group, Cochino (SS-345), was lost 26 August from a battery explosion and fire but all save seven of her crew were rescued by Tusk (SS-426) exhibiting brilliant seamanship in the midst of a violent Arctic storm. The group raced through the storm to land two of the crew at St. Johns, New Brunswick, for emergency medical care. Corsair returned to New London 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 Reykjavik, Iceland.

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 Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In the summer of 1959, she joined in Operation "Inland Sea," passing through the St. Lawrence Seaway to join in ceremonies dedicating the new waterway and to visit Great Lakes ports. She returned to operations from New London through 1960.

[Note: The above USS CORSAIR (SS-435) history may, or may not, contain text provided by crew members of the USS CORSAIR (SS-435), or by other non-crew members, and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]