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U.S.S. CUTLASS
(SS-478)FORTUNA FAVET FORTIBUS
FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE
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USS CUTLASS (SS-478) - a Tench-class submarine
In Commission 1945 to 1973SS-478 Deployments - Major Events
Add a SS-478 Shellback Initiation | Add a SS-478 Deployment - Major Event | ||||
Month | Year | to | Month | Year | Deployment / Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
JUL | 1944 | - | Keel Date: 22 JUL 1944 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Kittery ME | ||
NOV | 1944 | - | Launch Date: 5 NOV 1944 | ||
MAR | 1945 | - | Commissioned: 17 MAR 1945 | ||
AUG | 1947 | - | Shellback Initiation - 26 AUG 1947 - Atlantic Ocean | ||
AUG | 1970 | - | Shellback Initiation - 24 AUG 1970 - Pacific Ocean | ||
APR | 1973 | - | Decommissioned: 15 APR 1973 |
SS-478 General Specifications
Class: Tench-class submarine
Complement: 10 Officers and 71 Enlisted
Displacement: 1570 tons
Length: 311 feet 8 inches
Beam: 27 feet 4 inches
Draft: 17 feet
Range: 11 000 Nautical Miles
Final Disposition: Transferred to the Taiwan (Republic of China) 15 April 19
USS CUTLASS (SS-478)
Cutlass (SS-478) was launched 5 November 1944 by Portsmouth Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. R. E. Kintner; and commissioned 17 March 1945 Commander H. L. Jukes in command.
Departing Portsmouth N.H. 25 April 1945 Cutlass arrived at Pearl Harbor 15 July and put out on her maiden war patrol 2 days later. Assigned to patrol in the vicinity of the Kurile Islands she entered the area one day after the Japanese surrender remained on observation patrol until 24 August then returned to Pearl Harbor. She sailed on 2 September for New York arriving 24 September to receive visitors through Navy Day.
Cutlass cruised on the east coast until 8 January 1946 when she cleared for the Canal Zone. Except for 3 months of operations in Delaware Bay Cutlass remained in the Caribbean based at Cristobal C.Z.. From 23 August to 2 October 1947 she made a cruise down the coast of South America around Cape Horn visited Valparaiso Chile and returned to the east coast of South America through the Straits of Magellan.
Cutlass left the Canal Zone 6 January 1948 for local operations at Key West then entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in March for overhaul and modernization. Arriving at Key West 7 February 1949 she served as test submarine for Operation "Rainbow" evaluating color schemes to enhance livability a serious problem in new submarines with long submergence capability. She continued to sail out of Key West until the summer of 1952 when her home port was changed to Norfolk.
In 1953 Cutlass cruised to the Mediterranean visiting France Greece Turkey North Africa Gibraltar Malta and Spain; then sailed in Cuban waters to act as target for destroyers and aircraft engaged in antisubmarine exercises. She joined in local operations fleet exercises and antisubmarine warfare training in the Caribbean until September 1956 when she departed for the Mediterranean and operations with NATO forces including the 6th Fleet. She visited Italy Greece Crete Majorca Portugal and England returning to Norfolk in December. In 1958 she sailed on a north European cruise visiting Rosyth Scotland; Copenhagen and Korsor Denmark; and passing through the Kiel Canal.
In the first half of 1959
Cutlass joined in the
antisubmarine warfare development work of TF "Alfa" off the Virginia
Capes
and in September sailed for the Mediterranean. In November she
passed through the Suez Canal to join ships of the Pakistani Navy in
exercises off Karachi
returning to Norfolk in December. After
continued operations with TF "Alfa
" she entered Philadelphia Naval
Shipyard in February 1960 for an overhaul which continued until
August. Returning to Norfolk
Cutlass operated locally for
the duration of the year.
[Note: The above USS CUTLASS (SS-478) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS CUTLASS (SS-478) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]