USS Cutlass

USS Cutlass (SS-478) underway on 9 May 1962
USS Cutlass operating with the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain in 1962
History
United States
BuilderPortsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine[1]
Laid down22 July 1944[1]
Launched5 November 1944[1]
Commissioned17 March 1945[1]
Decommissioned15 April 1973[1]
Stricken15 April 1973[1]
FateTransferred to Taiwan (Republic of China), 15 April 1973[2]
Taiwan
NameROCS Hai Shih (SS-791)
Acquired12 April 1973
StatusActive
General characteristics (As completed)
Class and typeTench-class diesel-electric submarine[2]
Displacement
  • 1,570 tons (1,595 t) surfaced[2]
  • 2,414 tons (2,453 t) submerged[2]
Length311 ft 8 in (95.00 m)[2]
Beam27 ft 4 in (8.33 m)[2]
Draft17 ft (5.2 m) maximum[2]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced[6]
  • 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged[6]
Range11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[6]
Endurance
  • 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged[6]
  • 75 days on patrol
Test depth400 ft (120 m)[6]
Complement10 officers, 71 enlisted[6]
Armament
General characteristics (Guppy II)
Displacement
  • 1,870 tons (1,900 t) surfaced[7]
  • 2,440 tons (2,480 t) submerged[7]
Length307 ft (93.6 m)[8]
Beam27 ft 4 in (7.4 m)[8]
Draft17 ft (5.2 m)[8]
Propulsion
  • Snorkel added[7]
  • Batteries upgraded to GUPPY type, capacity expanded to 504 cells (4 × 126 cell batteries)[7]
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[7]
Range15,000 nm (28,000 km) surfaced at 11 knots (20 km/h)[8]
Endurance48 hours at 4 knots (7 km/h) submerged[8]
Complement
  • 9–10 officers
  • 5 petty officers
  • 70 enlisted men[8]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • AN/BQS-4 active sonar
  • AN/BQR-2 passive sonar
  • Mk 106 torpedo fire control system[8]
Armament

USS Cutlass (SS-478), is a Tench-class submarine now in the service of the Republic of China Navy. She was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cutlassfish, a long, thin fish found widely along the coasts of the United States and in the West Indies. Her keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 10 July 1944. She was launched on 5 November 1944 sponsored by Mrs. R. E. Kintner, and commissioned on 17 March 1945 with Commander Herbert L. Jukes in command.

  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 f g 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 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–282. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
  4. ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 261–263
  5. ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
  6. ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
  7. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h U.S. Submarines Since 1945 pp. 242