USS Trumpetfish (SS-425), a Balao-class submarine

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...

, was the only 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...

 to be named for trumpetfish

Trumpetfish

Trumpetfish, Aulostomus maculatus, are long bodied fish with upturned mouths, that often swim vertically while trying to blend with vertical coral, like sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges.-Habitat:...

, any of several fishes so-called for their deep, compressed body and long, tubular snout. Her keel was laid down on 23 August 1943 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company. She was launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

 on 13 May 1945 sponsored by Mrs. Oswald S. Colclough, and commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 on 29 January 1946 with Lieutenant Commander Raphael C. Benitez in command.

Pacific Fleet service

A combined shakedown and goodwill cruise to ports in the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

 in the early spring of 1946 preceded the submarine's westward cruise to Pearl Harbor

Pearl 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...

. Highlighting the ship's training operations in Hawaiian waters was her intentional torpedoing of the large I-400 class submarine

I-400 class submarine

The Imperial Japanese Navy submarines were the largest submarines of World War II and remained the largest ever built until the construction of nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the 1960s. They were submarine aircraft carriers able to carry three Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft underwater to their...

s which had been captured at the end of World War II

World 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...

.

Atlantic Fleet service

Trumpetfish returned to the East Coast for local operations out of New London, Connecticut, and, late in 1946, was briefly based at Annapolis to conduct training cruises for United States Naval Academy

United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...

 midshipmen. In the summer of 1947, as the ship underwent a Greater Underwater Propulsive Power Program (GUPPY) conversion, her hull was streamlined, a snorkel

Submarine snorkel

A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...

 system was added, and higher capacity batteries were installed. The net result of the conversion enhanced the ship's offensive capabilities and increased her maximum submerged speed.

Attached to Submarine Squadron 4, based at Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

, Trumpetfish conducted local operations and training exercises off the East Coast. In September 1953, she participated in NATO Exercise "Mariner" and then was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea

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...

 with the Sixth Fleet.

After returning home, the ship operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean through 1955. Following duties out of Key West in January and February 1956, Trumpetfish proceeded to Guantanamo Bay

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...

 for service with the Fleet Training Group. In July, the ship took part in midshipmen training cruises from Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

, to Guantanamo Bay and back.

In the fall of 1956, the ship joined a hunter-killer group for a deployment to Europe and the Middle East. Departing Norfolk on 1 October 1956, Trumpetfish sailed for European waters and participated in training exercises as she crossed the Atlantic. After calling at Brest, France

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

, Trumpetfish suddenly received word of a crisis in the Levant

Levant

The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...

.

Middle East deployment

President of Egypt

President of Egypt

The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....

 Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...

 had nationalized the previously British-owned Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

, and prevailing Arab-Israeli tensions had erupted into warfare while British and French troops attacked Egyptian positions. Trumpetfish made her best speed for Suda Bay and joined the Sixth Fleet in peace-keeping missions in the eastern Mediterranean. With the cessation of hostilities, Trumpetfish resumed her Mediterranean cruise operating briefly with the Italian fleet

Marina Militare

The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...

 before returning to Key West on 28 January 1957.

The submarine conducted local operations out of her home port until 29 August, when she got underway for European waters and fall NATO exercises. Air, surface, and submarine forces of NATO nations engaged in tests and exercises to hone their capabilities to defend the NATO nations against possible aggression. After returning to Key West on 25 October, Trumpetfish operated out of that base conducting training and exercises into 1959.

During her next Mediterranean deployment, she snorkeled through the Strait of Bonifacio

Strait of Bonifacio

The Strait of Bonifacio is the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after the Corsican town Bonifacio. It is wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the western Mediterranean Sea...

 between Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

 and Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

. In August 1959, as part of Atlantic Fleet dispersal plans, Trumpetfish’s home port was changed to Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

. During January and February 1960, the submarine took part in operations in the North Atlantic before briefly visiting Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. She subsequently participated in exercises in the western Atlantic Ocean

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...

, before a major refit at Charleston during 1961 modernized the ship to a Greater Underwater Propulsive Power Program (GUPPY) III configuration. The alterations increased her capabilities by adding 15 feet (4.6 m) to her length, by giving her better weapons and electronics, and by extending her range.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Trumpetfish resumed a schedule of local antisubmarine warfare operations out of Charleston, alternating deployments to the Mediterranean and duty with Sixth Fleet. She participated in emergency operations during the tension precipitated by the Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

 in October 1962. The submarine later participated in several inter-type fleet exercises in home waters and in the Caribbean. Trumpetfish underwent a routine yard period at Charleston before taking part in Exercises "Plumb Bob I" and "Minibox" in 1965. After a Mediterranean deployment in early 1966, the ship took part in "Plumb Bob II" and provided services for the David Taylor Model Basin

David Taylor Model Basin

The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...

.

Post Cuban Missile Crisis

Subsequently assigned the primary mission of providing services for antisubmarine warfare forces, Trumpetfish stood ready to conduct mining

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

 and reconnaissance missions as well. On 12 January 1970, the submarine departed Charleston for Cape Kennedy, provided services en route to submarine , and conducted type training exercises. A port visit to Cape Kennedy occupied 16 January to 18 January, before the submarine got underway for Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...

, to provide services for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility (NOLTF) there. Ten days of local operations at the NOLTF preceded the ship's providing services for during the nuclear ballistic missile submarine's sea trials off the Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 coast from 6 February to 8 February. Subsequently taking part in Operations "Springboard" and "Exotic Dancer III," Trumpetfish headed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, and a yard overhaul which would last through the summer and fall and into December 1970.

After the long overhaul, the submarine participated in type and refresher training off the East Coast before she headed for the Caribbean in the spring. Among her activities were those which provided services for the Federal Republic of Germany's destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 Lütjens (D185) between 7 May and 14 May. The exchange of several crew members with the Bundesmarine ship during this time provided a valuable and enlightening experience.

On 5 June, after participating in a fleet naval mine

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

 test, Trumpetfish commenced six weeks of pre-deployment upkeep, with sea trials from 12 July to 16 July. On 23 July, the submarine departed for South American waters and Operation "Unites XII." Joining Task Force (TF) 86, Trumpetfish arrived at Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...

, on 6 August, prior to transiting the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 to proceed down the Pacific coast of South America. She crossed the equator on 20 August and made port at Callao, Peru, on 30 August. The ship operated with TF 86 for two weeks after the four-day port visit at Callao, before arriving at Valparaíso

Valparaíso

Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, on 17 September.

The submarine traversed the inland waterway and the Strait of Magellan

Strait of Magellan

The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...

 and arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...

, on 4 October. She conducted operations during "Unites XII" off the Atlantic coast of South America, with visits to March Del Plata, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before rejoining TF 86 at La Guaira, Venezuela, on 2 December. Bidding farewell to the task force four days later, the ship sailed for Charleston and arrived at her home port on 17 December 1971.

Trumpetfish remained with SubRon 4, operating out of Charleston through 1972. She deployed to the Caribbean again on 25 January 1973. Later conducting torpedo tests off Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, the submarine operated with British aircraft carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

  off San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, in May, before returning to Charleston on 30 January. Upkeep, type training, and services for Patrol Wing 11 in the Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, area preceded the ship's arrival at Charleston on 15 August to prepare for decommissioning.

Transfer to Brazilian Navy

On 15 October 1973, at Charleston, Trumpetfish was decommissioned, stricken 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...

, and turned over to the Brazilian government.

She was commissioned into the Brazilian Navy

Brazilian Navy

The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...

 as Goias (S-15) (named for Goias

Goiás

Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...

, the Brazilian state) with Commander Edouardo Russo her first commanding officer. Goias was deleted from the Marinha do Brasil on 16 April 1990.

External links

• Maritimequest USS Trumpetfish SS-425 Photo Gallery