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USS Chub (SS-329)
Encyclopedia
USS Chub (SS-329), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
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
where she served as TCG Gür (S 334).
Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. T. A. Risch; and commissioned 21 October 1944, Commander C. D. Rhymes, Jr., in command.
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
and South China Sea
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
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.
, Australia
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
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 in to Subic Bay
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.
n waters, and voyaged from Seattle
to San Francisco
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
and Mediterranean
to İzmir
, Turkey
, arriving 11 May. She was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register
23 May 1948.
service by reason of her three "successful" war patrols. She is credited with having sunk a total of 4,200 tons of shipping.
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.
Ultimately, Gür was decommissioned, returned to US custody, and sold for scrapping.
Balao class submarine
The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 122 units built, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was a ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named for the chub
Chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...
, 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
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
where she served as TCG Gür (S 334).
USS Chub
SS-329, originally named Bonaci, was renamed Chub on 24 September 1942 and launched 18 June 1944 by Electric BoatElectric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. T. A. Risch; and commissioned 21 October 1944, Commander C. D. Rhymes, Jr., in command.
First war patrol, February – April 1945
Chub reached Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
from New London
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
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 Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
and South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
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
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
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 in to FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
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 in to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
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 AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n waters, and voyaged from Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
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
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, arriving 11 May. She was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register 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 the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
23 May 1948.
Honors and Awards
Chub received three battle stars for World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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 NavyTurkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
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.
Ultimately, Gür was decommissioned, returned to US custody, and sold for scrapping.