USS Volador (SS-490)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Volador and Italian submarine Gianfranco Gazzana Priaroggia.

USS Volador (SS-490) underway c1965
USS Volador (the three distinctive shark-fin domes are the PUFFS sonar).
History
United States
NameUSS Volador (SS-490)
BuilderPortsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine[1]
Laid down15 June 1945[1]
Launched21 May 1948[1]
Commissioned1 October 1948[1]
Decommissioned18 August 1972[1]
Stricken5 December 1977[2]
FateTransferred to Italy, 18 August 1972; sold to Italy 5 December 1977[1]
History
Italy
NameGianfranco Gazzana Priaroggia (S 502)
Acquired18 August 1972
Stricken1981
General characteristics (Completed as GUPPY II)
Class and typeTench-class diesel-electric submarine[2]
Displacement
  • 1,870 tons (1,900 t) surfaced[3]
  • 2,440 tons (2,480 t) submerged[3]
Length307 ft (94 m)[4]
Beam27 ft 4 in (8.33 m)[4]
Draft17 ft (5.2 m)[4]
Propulsion
Speed
  • Surfaced:
  • 18.0 knots (33.3 km/h) maximum
  • 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h) cruising
  • Submerged:
  • 16.0 knots (29.6 km/h) for ½ hour
  • 9.0 knots (16.7 km/h) snorkeling
  • 3.5 knots (6.5 km/h) cruising[3]
Range15,000 nm (28,000 km) surfaced at 11 knots (20 km/h)[4]
Endurance48 hours at 4 knots (7 km/h) submerged[4]
Test depth400 ft (120 m)[6]
Complement
  • 9–10 officers
  • 5 Chief Petty Officers
  • 70 enlisted men[4]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • WFA active sonar
  • JT passive sonar
  • Mk 106 torpedo fire control system[4]
Armament
General characteristics (Guppy III)
Displacement
  • 1,975 tons (2,007 t) surfaced[3]
  • 2,450 tons (2,489 t) submerged[3]
Length321 ft (97.8 m)[4]
Beam27 ft 4 in (7.4 m)[4]
Draft17 ft (5.2 m)[4]
Speed
  • Surfaced:
  • 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h) maximum
  • 12.2 knots (22.6 km/h) cruising
  • Submerged:
  • 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) for ½ hour
  • 6.2 knots (11.5 km/h) snorkeling
  • 3.7 knots (6.9 km/h) cruising[3]
Range15,900 nm (29,400 km) surfaced at 8.5 knots (16 km/h)[4]
Endurance36 hours at 3 knots (6 km/h) submerged[4]
Complement
  • 8–10 officers
  • 5 petty officers
  • 70–80 enlisted men[4]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • BQS-4 active search sonar
  • BQR-2B passive search sonar
  • BQG-4 passive attack sonar[4]

USS Volador (SS-490), a Tench-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the volador.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 280–282. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 11–43. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o U.S. Submarines Since 1945 pp. 242
  5. ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 261.
  6. ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311